edgarcuk

Taking DAO as a CRPG example and the design elements a la NWN, yes, the reviewers gave a fair hearing.... but reviewing CRPG... not a "spy" RPG... trying to justify such elements in reviewing 2 different things, as it has been said, you are comparing apples with oranges... if the design and graphics are so important, there are many beautiful games with no deep and worst gameplay, as it been said, again, in order to get your optimal character, you should have 2 or 3 playthrou's, as any decent RPG... Honest critique would be rating DAO low and AP low... to critic overpower abilities in ME2 and AP... and so on...

Fortunately Shep can't kill seven guy in one infiltrator use. If Shadow operative disabled the use of stealth kills, it wouldn't be as overpowered. Well, you can 3, lol... anyhow, perhaps if the duration is less, that would be good. Of course it is, but it's funny that no one jumps to the haters/whiners defense, while the fanboy accusation get raised eyebrows. Perhaps because the so called 'fanboys' taste are more aligned with others in this thread? Could be because most of the people in this forums really like AP? and giving a generalisation, most will raise eyebrows... same will occur if in a thread everyone is discussing how bad is AP and someone came and say "whiners", also because the so called "whiners" are more aligned in that discussion....

(I'm assuming you mean AI)No the AI is horrible. Plain and simple, wish it wasn't but it is. Half the time they don't take cover and quite often when they do, they leave it to charge into you line of fire. No flanking the player etc. However the fact that some AI is smarter then others( CIA>Terrorist) was good. While I agree with you, that would make the game harder for many people who say the combat is horrible and the boss fights very hard. This is just laughable. Pistols are overpowered(CS) shotguns and smgs are useless, however AR only becomes unbalanced when you use subsonic rounds. Then we have Brilliance, you know the ability the instantly restores all other abilities and don't even start me on stealth, the other skills were fine. So no it is not better balanced then most shooters and it's worse the most rpgs, say NWN2. This game IS unbalanced. Please elaborate why shotguns and smgs are useless, because other members have used them in their playthrou, in my case, I started another playthrou using shotguns and found them very useful, and the pistols very crappy... of course, going the Rambo route... I'm playing in 360 and Brilliance is working fine, perhaps is a bug in PC. Please, elaborate why IS unbalanced... give us a example of "balanced" using the arms and the abilities on AP, not from other games. Those that try to downplay the obvious flaws are fanboys, those that believe AP was judged to harshly by all reviewers are fanboys. Those that say the game is flawed but still good are not. As to wanting skills removed, I only want Shadow operative removed(due to it being ridiculously overpowered). I'm sorry but I agree that the game is flawed (AI, graphics, combat mechanics), but I believe the reviewers were too harsh, yes, they were... because comparing with other recent games, in this case DAO, they praised it... at least in the 360 DAO is plagued with bugs unresolved since day one, DAO has got uglier graphics than AP, combat mechanics in DAO are normal but better than AP, the mages are overpowered in DAO and so on... do you believe most of those reviewers were fair? As for the overpowered Shadow Operative, ME2 has got the tactical cloak for the infiltrator class... perhaps Mike is an infiltrator in ME2 universe... Sorry but calling someone "fanboy" because disagrees is equal that someone call "whiner" for the same reasons, when there are not really arguments that support such an affirmation. I think you would add more to this discussion, telling us what is "balanced" (using the arms and the abilities on AP, not from other games), perhaps something good can come

That was one of the fun things about ME2 - the ability to interrupt conversations with enemies and catch them off-guard as they exploited what would be considered "conversational immunity" in any other game. Probably the best example was the conversation during Miranda's loyalty mission when you had the opportunity to shoot the opposing mercenary leader as he taunted you about how he was using the conversation to get his men into position. But no. You can't do that sort of thing in AP. And there's more than one occasion where you're basically stuck saying, "Well... THAT was stupid..." Actually, you can do the same in AP, just pressing "attack" button... if I remember well, in ME2 are like 5 opportunities, almost the same as AP. The mechanics are there, how they applied, it's different. Besides in ME2, usually such action are Renegade actions and they are not available any time. What the poster is suggesting is the option to save Madison, but you can perform only one... same as in ME2, when you've got to decide to save the port or the city with the missile attack mission.

In that part the mission start with the a G22 yellow. No matter if i crouch . Sorry, my bad, yes, it happened, correction: 3. Investigate warehouse, 1 yellow, 2 guards down

Hey, gotta leave stuff for the sequel. "-You're a dicey player Mr Thorton. -Oh, you don't know how I roll. -You crack horrible jokes Mr Thorton. -Would you be happier if I cracked your safe? *stare*" And so forth with crappy casino jokes. That sounds Thorton 100% suave. Bad (and sometimes sexist) puns and jokes, and a tendency to be a smartass. No wonder why the gelato guy falls under Mike's charms...

Seconded. Also, an interesting idea would be to make dossier and intelligence even more deeply connected to the gameplay.. E.g. you buy an intelligence that gives you a false ID and a uniform for infiltrating a CIA outpost.. there you go, it's not a fighting mission anymore, but you have to play your cards right in dialogue and obviously if you end up being spotted, you won't have the protection of your armor. Indeed, that would be a nice addition. One thing missing, is the usual casino visit or a mission in a casino, of course with Mike wearing a tuxedo...

Apart for the refinements on graphics, combat and AI. I would add more non linear level and more exploration. As well, more dialogue "levels", like the one with Marburg, but with more visible outcomes, for example, Mike pisses Hong Shi off, when Mike is investigating in one of those extended levels, he comes across to various members of the White Oak Mountains... or if Mike gets well with G22, in the middle of a battle, a couple of enemies down by a G22 sniper... so, the conversations are no "useless" and it does carry consequences. I think all the conversations are useful, even the Gelateria guy, but say, you execute the bloke, obviously, you'll have some US special agents looking for you...

Yes, I confirm that the yellow status do not affect. I've just got the achievement under the following mission and conditions: 1. Plant bug, no yellow status, 3 guards down. 2. CIA outpost, 2 yellow status, 0 guards down. 3. Investigate warehouse, no yellow status, 2 guards down. As Oner, I've got the 2 perks after the warehouse mission

Word is: the yellow status is NOT considered as alert... as it's been said in here Perhaps, knocking more than 4 doesn't count.

You're playing a one man army that will kill in the neighborhood of 300 people singlehandedly before the game is done. Given the context marksman level accuracy can be forgiven IMO. I will reiterate once more that I don't have a problem with waiting to aim and inaccuracy when an enemy is at a distance, it's having to deal with it at close range that I find annoying. And the fact that Thorton's aiming abilities will differ drastically between the beginning and end of the game. For that matter, once the stealth is broken and the enemy is getting close, pistol and AR are crap, better use SMG or shotgun, they will take the enemy down at close range, or just wait to take him down with your kung-fu, or move to get another cover, use shadow operative and take him down... If you are caught sneaking, I think is pretty normal that the enemy is attacking you... and any other AI will do the same. It's true that the AI behaves in a weird manner, sometimes you can sneak in front of a guard and sometimes a guard senses you behind a wall, which I think is due to the noise, if you are wearing a noisy armour, the more likely to be heard... Anyway, that's not mediocre game combat. Perhaps you want many games in one, but so far none has got this. As many members of the forums have mentioned, AP is none of those games and it is AP, nothing else. Perhaps the combat was designed to be different or it was a bad design, but it does feel refreshing and challenging... of course, once you know how to play it...

At the first was Scarlet, couldn't get Madison and I passed on Mina... but at the second, in Bond mode, got raped by Sie, reused by Mina, comforted by Madison and interviewed by Scarlet... yep, I've got to turn down the gelato guy, Heck and that pervy old Marburg...

The one of plating the bug in the tower? yes, it does happen, as well as in the mission on investigate the warehouse in Taipei...

More info here And yes, no enemies ever go beyond "green" and no more than 5, 4 is quite enough

Just one post to express your opinion, fair enough... the strange thing is that you refer this game as a PC, yet you say is not enough for a console game... if you have got the 360 version, you are in time to return your copy for a full refund...

Well, perhaps what you are asking for is a combat a la ME2, where you just aim right and kill the enemy. I don't call it micromanagement since you are controlling the character, but you are not managing any other characters or resources... as other members have pointed out you can upgrade your weapon, also how it was exposed here going Rambo is better to specialised on SMG and shotgun... Just one question, when you aim with the pistol, do you wait for the red points to show until they converge in a single red cross hair?... that is maximum accuracy and the shoot will hit, but I you just aim and shoot, you've got a very large probability to miss... Sorry, but to clearly state that the gameplay is mediocre, doesn't help you since various members of this forum can "manage" to go through... perhaps is better to describe what are you doing when shooting...

Try talking your way in and you shouldn't be getting that. Thank you for the tip, I'll try it

yes, it happened sometimes, perhaps they need to be shot to the back of the head... Agree, taking the stealth path is brilliant better in hard mode.

Yes, that Sarkov mission must be bugged, I've done it 3 times without killing any marine, and still I've got the Albatross and Leland reminders of killing guards.l

Good to hear, I played my 3rd with a marksman-endurance-martial arts Rambo and it was not so fun... after that, I felt like the combat system is better suited for a stealth approach, IMHO. I mean, lots of enemies coming to kill you stacked one over the other, acting dumb or acting very cunning, no time to aim pistol... perhaps if I have chosen SMG or shotgun, it would be better.

What is really bad is that AP doesn't come with a manual on how to play AP. Some say that the tutorial is boring, but it does give you many hints: "wait until the enemy gets close, aim and shot", "the dossier comes to play when the combat is coming", etc. The game encourages you to take the stealth path, problems with shooting? pick your target, pick your position, aim until you can get a critical shot, then shot... but wait you must be in a cover position where your target cannot see you, otherwise while waiting, he can kill you with 2 shots... too many enemies? you can contract someone to lower their numbers before going into mission... and so on. Besides, after every mission you've got a summary of your actions, and outcomes, as well in what is your best weapon in combat (hand, pistol, AR, SMG), etc. The game encourage you to read and think. A big warning should be put somewhere saying: "if you want to play a la Rambo, your life will be miserable while playing this game". The game could feel unbalanced, specially in easy and normal, but at hard mode, it feels fine... of course, doing the stealth route. My only complain is level design; larger areas and more alternative stealth paths, would be nice.

Indeed, the problem with take downs, is that sometimes the guard become aware at the last millisecond, I can take him down still but withy the tranqs, I don't give him any opportunity... thank you

interesting, I've manage to get all the stealth perks but this one... so, using tranquiliser ammo counts, because sometimes the best way to do keep my presence unaware is to shoot the guard in the stealth path or in a post...

I think the OP is referring to what some reviewers said about the PS2 graphics. Indeed, AP is not an ugly game, I cannot tell from the PC point of view, just the 360 and the graphics are much better than DAO, but not as good as Batman Arkham Asylum (which uses unreal engine, too) or au pair of ME2, but not really that bad as a PS2 game.... that is an exaggeration, of course talking about RPGs or games using unreal engine in 360.