Alpha Protocol

[Eusis]

So reviews are starting to come in, and they're rather mixed. Anyone planning to get it right away, or wait on what others are saying first or a price drop?

[Sagacious-T]

I heard the conversation parts and storyline branches were really good.

[D-Rider]

I preordered this quite a while ago.  That was probably a dumb move considering how hit-or-miss Obsidian is. :P

[Dincrest]

I'm in wait-and-see mode too.  I've been looking forward to the game for a while now as it's been on many peoples' "best of E3" lists for a couple of years.  Of course, so was Hellgate: London.  Methinks Alpha Protocol will either be a game of the year contender or a big disappointment.

[Serene Prophet]

Looks like its leaning more towards big disappointment.  Then again, they could patch in some fixes possibly, but alot of people feel like its still not very finished, despite the delay..so it makes you wonder if they actually fixed anything, or if it was just a delay with no further work done..I dunno, I still like Obsidian, they do need to work on their technical stuff though.  I know for KOTOR II it was mostly lucasarts fault, pushing them for the release, and NWN 2 wasn't horribly bad, but it still had alot of hiccups.  I think im gonna wait on this game until they come out with a few patches, even though ive had high hopes for it. 

[DPB]

I was going to wait for some more impressions, but it's really cheap (£17.99) here so I went ahead and bought it, though it hasn't been delivered yet. I visit a more computer RPG-focused site too and most people there seem to be saying that the extent of the technical problems has been greatly exaggerated, at least for the PC version.

[Uru]

Most reviews have been negative and I dont know why. Its just like Nier all over again...   BUT, Rpgamer gave it a great review and they also gave Nier a good one too, so its safe to say (in my opinion of course) that there review would be more trustworthy.

Also, K mart is doing a hell of deal again with this one.

http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=262892

[Ashtrot]

A review is only trustworthy if it's positive? I fail to see this logic.

[Uru]

I'm sorry, I guess I didn't clarify my position on it clear enough. Its not that its positive, its that they have a similar opinion that I have about other games (which is why i mentioned that it was my opinion), so for me, they have been a good source to go by. I hope that kinda clears things up.

[Ashtrot]

I see. That does clear things up.

Anyway, I was looking forward to this but now it's a wait-and-see game for me. Might pick it up when its price goes down.

[Uru]

$45 bucks at launch is a pretty good deal (same deal I got for Nier, which was a steal in my opinion) at K-mart this tuesday. That is of course assuming you live in the US. If no one else here does it, i'll post my initial reactions of the game when I get it tuesday.

[Prime Mover]

Not sure what everyone is talking about, most of the reviews I've seen have been positive (RPGamer, IGN, 1up). This looks like an instant buy for me. Present-day RPG without sci-fi gadgetry or magic... I'm sold right there. The only thing that bothers me thus far is the protagonist looks butt-ugly. Also, I hear it controls better on 360/PS3.

[Eusis]

Also, I hear it controls better on 360/PS3.

A potential non-issue. Some people have tweaked the settings for the PC controls and found them acceptable afterwards, and unlike the ME ports this supports the 360 controller. I have a wireless receiver myself so I'm in the clear, though I was suspecting it to be a potential issue after seeing some of the trailers and realizing that the dialogue system seemed much more console inclined.

[Fei]

controls better on 360/PS3.

This game practically requires a 360 controller.  Mouse control was programmed wrong... or so I hear.

[Superflat]

I've played a little bit (got through training, beat the first couple of missions) and the shooting is TERRIBLE. Just absolutely horrendous. Mass Effect 1 might as well have been Uncharted 2 compared to this game.

EDIT: I started over playing a stealth build (Stealth, Pistols, Martial Arts). Assault Rifles are pretty bad for my play style as I don't like their aiming/crit mechanics. Pistols are fairly weak unless you use a crit headshot or the Chain Shot skill, but they serve their purpose for medium range combat before I run around and kick everyone to death. Seriously though, Martial Arts are incredibly powerful. With a few more points in the stealth tree I'll be able to run around, silent and invisible, beating the crap out of everyone.

Alpha Protocol would be one of the best games this year if they had done things more in the vein of Mass Effect 2. The gunplay is half the problem; inventory/skill management, poor sneaking/stealth, and poor AI (among other things) are the other half.

Also, it might be worth knowing that I'm playing on PC with an Xbox 360 controller. The game runs at an incredibly smooth pace, and while the graphics are nothing to write home about they are better than having to run what should be a very pretty game on low and having issues with Level of Detail, texture pop-in, and other crap. YMMV with the console versions.