Seraphael

Cathartic isn't it? Bear in mind Fallout: New Vegas is just around the corner which promises all the super mutants, gambling, showgirls and ,err, cybernetic dogs (poor Dogmeat) you ever wanted in any game.

Yup, it is. Oke-ey. Guess I'll add asking a forum-spammer to read and think before posting to the list of funnies.

Usually I keep myself far away from these discussions but this ahahah. It's just laughable. Seriously. Read, think, then post next time. I did state AFAIK (as far as I know), meaning I not only spoke subjectively but also clearly left room for being mistaken, did I not? Yet it is apparently "ahahah, just laughable"? Seriously, get over yourself. *looks at the 2-post quotation assault.* An anal punk at that. Nasty stuff really.

A minor fix was released shortly after release. 1.0b was released 2 months, not 4, after the release. I had no issue with bugs in the game as far as I can recall, guess I was enjoying my game and not searching the forums for bugs. It took close to 4 months before a gamebreaking patch (for non-US versions) was released for Alpha Protocol. What's your point? Guess which of the 2 was released five and a half years before the other? AFAIK Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines was the first RPG to introduce the FPS-style combat (3 years before Mass Effect). For it's time it was also more advanced than Alpha Project. Bugs were to be expected. The financial situation of Troika was catastrophic and the employees were laid off, despite this they continued to work without pay on a patch that came out about a month after the game was released. You're probably smoking something dire yourself if you see anything even remotely resembling that kind of dedication to support Alpha Project. Which leads me back to my question above; what's your point beyond playing an internet tough guy (which invariably are punks)?

KOTOR2 and NWN2 were better games out the box and though both suffered from a number of bugs, Obsidian was quick to release fixes and patches. The release now and fix later approach is so prevalent that it's pretty much become an industry standard unfortunately. That doesn't excuse the practice however. But when a company releases a game which is not only bugged, but encumbered with any number of other issues, hardly communicate even with their own community, and then release a minimal patch that apparently breaks all non-US versions of the game...then that is bringing that standard to a new low. The responsibility may or may not lie with Sega, but it reflects poorly on both.

It would be. But I fear that this is the official patch, since it is from Sega. That sounds strange to me: on the official site there isn't any link about the patch and this is a big (and the unique) chance for the Obsidian to sell more units of the game and improve its "reputation" so would be really stupid making an useless patch if THAT is the patch they were talking about, then I think obsidian is crap To be fair here. The only thing that seems wrong with it are that there aren't seperate versions of the patch because it seems to work for the US version and addressed issues. So, we just have to wait for a european version of the patch. ...which is indeed a crappy way to treat paying customers. It's one more thing that gives me the impression companies exploit European markets unfairly: US versions are almost always released sooner and are almost always, quite often significantly, cheaper (European customers might not be united nor bitchy enough - allowing various companies to get away with such policies). The US version being the only one to benefit from patching is adding insult to injury. As for the reputation of Obsidian...this only enforce the impression that they're basically incapable of making games on their own, and have to be supported by IP/brand names to deliver. If Obsidian was a music band, it'd be a cover band pretty much.

...and I'll buy the game when the patch comes. Good news.

I haven't gotten around to buying this game yet as I've on general principle decided to wait at least one patch for games that are reported with a fair share of bugs/issues. When can we expect a patch? That is what I wish to know. Anyone got any clue?

It's probably going to drown in DA:O and later ME2 stuff anyway. I suspect the level of interest for Alpha Protocol is so low, Obsidian is better served with holding back and then build momentum a few weeks prior to the release.

It may not be Lord of the Rings, but it is very much Wheel of Time and especially Song of Ice and Fire. Said as much once we got to learn a bit of the world of Dragon Age. David Gaider, the lead writer, mentioned both books in this joystiq interview.

This certainly gives Haircut McSneakers "stick it to the man" approach new connotation.

To nitpick, that would be the 4 main types of personal firearms. I'd fully expect a rouge CIA operative to have everything from deadly charm to portable nukes in his arsenal. Sounds like a gamey decision if true. Dual wielded SMGs would have little to no accuracy and would be less effective than a single SMG on anything but point blank range. I'm kinda rooting for the HK 416 to make it to the game.

Why on EARTH would you want FN P-90s and Colt M-4s when you could have HK416s and HK MP7s? Both Heckler & Koch weapons are SIGNIFICANT improvements over the other two and have been in production for several years. Here's hoping our Haircut McSneakers weapon preference is up to scratch.

If you by stealth mean; KILLING EVERYTHING AROUND SO THERE'S NOTHING LEFT TO NOTICE YOU! ...then Jack Bauer of course.

Nor do I. But let's face it, the way forward for RPGs is to add FPS elements to the traditional RPG character development and storyline. Bethesda is touching on something with great visuals, however their game design (esp. TES skill/level system is a joke, too non-linear for it's size, FO3 was an improvement tho) has been absolutely horrid. They are also much too light on the RP aspects. Sure I would sacrifice visuals to get a better storyline and gameplay, but at this day and age I don't see a reason we should have to, at least not to any significant degree. Of course I don't expect Crysis level graphics, but Mass Effect should set a standard for what we should expect in future releases. Alpha Protocol is using the Unreal 3 engine which is used by games like Bioshock, Mirror's Edge and the upcoming DC Universe Online. It is said to be looking like Mass Effect meets James Bond. I'm interested to find out how much of that is hype and what holds true, but one thing is sure; the engine itself allows for stellar graphics.