Nissa_Red

This is my feeling too. How many games have to be published every month for reviewers to show so lazy and not do their job thoroughly (dare I say, ethically)? I used to give reviewing sites some credit. Not anymore, and it is doubtful to change. Now, I tend to check... forums first, or just trust my guts.

Granted, Deus Ex remains the standard in many ways. Maybe should Alpha Protocol be more modestly compared to NOLF ("No one lives forever") then. Yet, I really think Obsidian did a good job at breathing a new life into the genre, without compromising too much on what sets great games apart from typical copy/enhance visual candy/paste lacklusters. Meaningful, original content, complimented by robust, if perfectible game mechanics. Nothing felt out of place at any time in the game to me. Even more so, after reading other players' comments, I feel as though I barely scratched the surface. When I heard about the game, I had two fears : first, an unchallenging game with a shallow storyline. See NWN2's OC. Second, a promising, but unfinished product. See KOTOR2. I am relieved to say that none of which apply to Alpha Protocol (on my version anyway). Now, yes, we could probably wish for better graphics and smoother animations, but to me these are not what truely make a game memorable. Most of the games that I played in 1990/2000, for example, could probably qualify as visually ugly compared to our standards today. Yet, I did enjoy some of these games, and if I still remember (and enjoy playing) them today, it is not thanks to their visual candy. Downplaying a quality contender because of that would be like shooting myself in the foot, and I am no masochist. No, seriously, Alpha Protocol emerged for me from a tsunami of pretty negative critics, and it is quite a refreshing surprise. I am certain that it will slowly but steadily reap the public appreciation it deserves. It takes guts to keep at creating (or recreating) games in such a fashion, and for that, I will keep showing grateful.

Thank you very much for the tip, I'll look into that tweak at once. I had Scarlet as a handler in one of my missions. Not sure if I can tell how I managed to get her here, since it is supposed to be a spoiler free forum, but please feel free to send a PM if you want me to tell you about the specifics.

I will try to keep this simple for now, since I just finished the game, and am still somewhat overwhelmed (aka "not very objective"). I haven't had such a thoroughly enjoyable, quite extactic, "spygame" experience since my Deus Ex days, which is telling alot as far as I am concerned! I need to confess that I grew somewhat dubious about the quality of the game after the first reviews had started to pour in. I am glad that I did not hold their observations against the game, because after my first playthrough I would deem the most critical of them quite unfair and skewed. The story/scenario is simply outstanding : deep, coherent and entertaining. A pure delight for an RPG fan like me that regularly revisits the "classics" to get my fix! The gameplay ranges from good to very good. I did not encounter any bug whatsoever on the PC Steam version. My only (minor) frustrations stem from a sometimes unpredictable mouse sensitivity, and the confusing savegame management. Voice-acting and music contribute greatly to the atmosphere, and the graphics/animations, while probably perfectible, aren't too shabby either. I was prepared to donate 50

Understood, and shutting up now. You got me convinced to follow these boards more regularly. Thank you for that.

Granted, I didn't browse the boards and give more than one example to support my post. My bad, if I really feel like it, I could set up a list, but I doubt I will. As I said, I am still a very occasional reader of these boards, and each time I do, I get the painful feeling that there is no point to it, it is maybe still too soon. By the way, my point was not to invalidate arguments made by someone that uses the F word every two lines. I am a bit mature than that . I also won't contest my freshly acquired "noob" status here. My point was to criticize people that have a very personal vision (or just no clue ?) and little few hmm... diplomacy to get their point through. I don't feel like discussing with people who drip causticity like that about how a game like Obsidian's could evolve. Some of it is fine, but all day long, gosh. Maybe it is just me.... EDIT : I can't spel. And sorry for the long typing time, English is not my native tongue, as you can tell

Hello all, I am not too sure how to start this topic, and I will try to keep it reasonably short. Also I fully expect to be flamed it, so do not hesitate . I have been a rather longstanding fan of roleplaying games (no need to post my resume here, as it would probably match many others anyway, Pen & Paper, BG, Planescape, Fallout, Arcanum, you name it). I am not one that has contributed in a very significant or outstanding way to the NWN community like the DLA or CODI team have, so probably my voice shouldn't have as much weight as theirs for example. Yet, I am still interested in how the game I have been playing for over 2 years now evolves, be it as a potential futur customer, and would like to contribute again too (posting suggestions, bringing positive criticism, supporting the Obsidian team, etc.). The thing is that I don't feel like contributing to these boards at all. I have seen and been member of boards far worse in "quality" than these, and for anyone who played on PVP servers (or other typical "Nerd" games, aka Counter Strike) knows what I am talking about. No way to post there without getting a healthy (?) lesson of american kiddie slang and insults . I don't mind it to happen on those boards, because well.. there is the right for everyone to express themselves, and as long no real harm is done, why would anyone care ? However, on an official board like this one, of a gaming company that has yet to sell their game to their customers, I think it is... poor PR at best. I heard that these boards were supposed to be moderated. When I see such threads on an almost daily basis, I keep serioulsy wondering about the real motivation of Obsidian to do so, and about the public they want to get feedback from for their game. Once again, I don't pretend that my opinion is the only one, or the only valid here, and perhaps is it just better that I looked elsewhere for a new roleplaying game (which I will), if I am wrong about what Obsidian has planned for this game. Am I entitled to get such a reaction with my astronomical 1 post counter ? Let me just say that my bucks aren't worth more than of the people that I criticize, but they aren't worth less either. I don't like to waste my time, and don't want to waste your either. Please just let me (us) know.