So Just Finished AP and...

[Aviados]

Hi guys yesterday I had the pleasure of grabbing an early copy of AP (one of the perks of working in a video game store) and played it pretty much non stop sense, finished it just a few minutes ago and wanted to write up some of my impressions.

Not gonna write a full review just yet, the game really demands a second and 3rd playthrough to really appreciated all of the content.

 

As far as the action goes the game really resembles the original Mass Effect, the whole shooting mechanics seems to be governed by number crunching even more so then I expected, which leads to some annoying/frustrating moments.

At times you can empty and entire clip at an enemy standing 4 meters away only to see keep charging at you with a shotgun and 50% of his health.

At other times you can take down the exact same enemy from the same range and weapon in just 1-2 shots, the RNG is pretty wild but you get used to it and the more you specialize in a weapon (and get better gear) the less obvious it become.

 

But when you do get to that point things just to come together and I was landing headshots left and right, clearing whole rooms in a single "Chain Shot".

I played using the pistol pretty much exclusively (with a dash of SMG) and had a blast , only problem is it seems overly dependent on the use of Chain Shot to the point that on later stages it seemed just outright broken ,taking out the 2nd to last boss in a single use and the last one on two.

 

Another aspect of the game is that may take some people a while to get used to is the use of ability's and gadgets in and outside of combat.

Some situations that may seems impossible at 1st can be easily resolved with careful planing, don't let the game looks fool ya , it really is an RPG played from a TPS perspective not a TPS with some RPG elements slapped on.

 

As far as the whole "Choice" thing-

The game really surprised me in the way the different choices and paths presents them self, instead of taking the more orthodox approach of very obvious choices and making sure the player see exactly when and where the path forks , Obsidian gave it a much more subtle feel.

Sometimes even the most seemingly insignificant conversations can affect the story , the way they blend the different paths into dialogs is truly innovative and I can't wait to try out the different paths.

 

On the flip-side the game really limits you when it comes to exploration , ie there isn't any.

There aren't any "Hub" ares and the only "Side Quests" come at the form of secondary objectives you can do during the mission, for example finding a weapon cash and sending it to one of your contacts or hacking some server to delete the recored of one.

The only replay value comes from exploring the different paths and dialogs.

 

well I'm tired as hell so I'll just leave it up to you guys to ask any questions you have, and I'll do my best to answer them.

[SirPetrakus]

So far playing a Recruit Operator with Stealth, Martial Arts and Sabotage being my main skills. That's just all the skills I've put points in. Finished Saudi Arabia and moved to Taipei. Currently getting my ass handed to me by Omen Deng. The game starts OK, Saudi Arabia wasn't as fun for me, but I really loved Taipei. I liked that

Al Sammad isn't a "terrorist" organization per se.

Loved Darcy's buddy cop picture and the "Thornton" joke. It's a shame only people that hang out in the Obs forums will get that. Oh well!

 

The AI is indeed silly at times, but I still am getting my ass handed to me on occasion. I suck at shooters, but I've been having a lot of fun with this game. Love the characters so far, love smart ass Mike. Replying to e-mails is a very nice and fun little touch. Took me a while to get the hang of the hacking mini-game. I don't even notice the graphics. I mean, environments look great and ... even the characters don't look that bad. It's hardly the point that makes or breaks the game for me. The soundtrack is AWESOME! I love it! And Josh Gilman does a pretty good Mike. I like Mike!

 

I was a little disappointed that you can't explore the world outside your hub. Like, you can't just walk out of your safehouse and explore the immediate surroundings. You do visit various places around the cities, but you don't get to walk or drive to them. I would have liked a more Bloodlines like hub area instead of just the safehouses. Would allow for a lot more side-quests, but I guess some people would get intimidated by that, maybe.

 

That's all for now and sorry for mixing everything up, it's kinda late, been playing for the past ... uh, 7 hours non stop? Think I'll sleep now.

[Agent Mike]

Hi,

 

Ok i'll post my impressions on the game (on PS3) (i got it yesterday and only played 2hours or so)

 

The things i liked

 

- The dialogue system & the choices (reminds me of Deus Ex, which is my N

[HoonDing]

For those that are playing the game: is it truly possible to go through the game without any combat skills whatsoever? I.e. a pure hacking + stealth + lockpicking build?

[Agent Mike]

yeah i think it's possible, i tried it but it's a bit "harder", you can get past some situations if you sneak past certain guards, but i recommend to put at least some points in sabotage skills (in order to have more time for the hacking mini game), haven't gone far in the game so i can't speak for the "whole" game...i hope this helps a bit.

[WorstUsernameEver]

yeah i think it's possible, i tried it but it's a bit "harder", you can get past some situations if you sneak past certain guards, but i recommend to put at least some points in sabotage skills (in order to have more time for the hacking mini game), haven't gone far in the game so i can't speak for the "whole" game...i hope this helps a bit.

 

Is it sabotage or technical aptitude that governs the hacking? I need to know because most probably my first build will a be superstealthy guy and I'd prefer avoiding combat and killing as much as possible.

[Oner]

Sabotage, if the wiki is to be believed.

[Agent Mike]

Sabotage indeed (i tried tech apptitude but it didn't help in the hacking part)

[WorstUsernameEver]

And so it will be sabotage. Thank you gentlemen.

[Relinquished]

I pre-ordered my copy of Alpha Protocol and got it yesterday aswell. Played it out a few hours ago. The only thing bugging me was unable to romance Sis. I know she's still a teen... and a mute, but c'mone! That girl's freaking hot!

[Piflik]

For those that are playing the game: is it truly possible to go through the game without any combat skills whatsoever? I.e. a pure hacking + stealth + lockpicking build?

Nope...sorry...not only are there enemies you have to take out, there are (sadly) enemies you have to fight without being hidden...

[fuZZ]

For those that are playing the game: is it truly possible to go through the game without any combat skills whatsoever? I.e. a pure hacking + stealth + lockpicking build?

Nope...sorry...not only are there enemies you have to take out, there are (sadly) enemies you have to fight without being hidden...

 

which sux... what if i am only proficient in pistols as a stealth character??? major suckage making you fight when you don't want too.

[Morgoth]

Yeah, there's definately a lot gun fighting going on. You can't avoid it. I specialised in Assault Rifles, because SubM's seemed to be puny.

[WorstUsernameEver]

Morgoth, do you think it's feasible to survive boss fights relying on pistols and gadgets/grenade/whatever ?

I'm not sure if I want to put points in assault rifle too...

[Morgoth]

Morgoth, do you think it's feasible to survive boss fights relying on pistols and gadgets/grenade/whatever ?

I'm not sure if I want to put points in assault rifle too...

For helicopters, you have to rely on rocket launchers. They are spread around the map.

 

As for person bosses, I can't really say. I only put my points into the Assault Rifle to do some real damage. Also, you often need to pick enemies up from afar, so pistols might not be best suited for that.

 

I barely used my pistol with silencer, but unless you're not close up and aim for the head, it doesn't do much. But as I said, I only put 3 points into pistol.

[Starwars]

After a gaming session of epic proportions (seriously, my brain is just about fried), my friend and I went through the rest of the game today (end of Moscow, Taipei and Rome and what comes after). We played with a character focusing on Stealth, Pistols and Sabotage. Taking down bosses with the pistol is definitely viable. In fact, near the end it sorta becomes rather unbalanced where you can Chain Shot up to 6 critical head shots which will pretty much destroy (or severely wound) most bosses.

 

On some particular bosses you need to get closer than I would assume you'd need with an Assault Rifle though, and this can really be dangerous.

 

I am extremely pleased with the game overall though I'm not much of a fan of the endgame I must admit except for some great conversations. I also think the ending stuff could've been presented in a better way. It could've really needed an ending like Dragon Age which was both satisfying in terms of cutscenes as well as the ending slide. AP does have consequences for your actions, but the whole thing is over pretty quick.

 

It'll be intriguing to go through the game again though. I loved how the characters sorta flowed through the game depending on how you treated them. There was one particular important plot event for example that I unfortunately didn't find in the end-game which ended up costing a lot.

 

Something that I find really impressive in the game is the reactivity. The plot unfolds and sort of "envelops" the choices you've done and discussions on what you've done in past missions and so forth are weaved very well into the main plot, it's cut together extremely well and the voiceactors and acting director did a bang-up job on getting the contexts right and all that.

 

Just based on this playthrough (which is not enough to really judge the game) I think I'd give it an 8/10, which I consider a great score myself.

[Piflik]

I Beat nearly every enemy including bosses with my Silenced Pistol. The Chain Shot Ability really kicks ass...especially combined with Shadow Operative...sneak right in the middle of a mob of goons and take them all out at once

 

Armored Vehicles aren't really killable without RPGs, but they'll be conveniently placed in the vicinity. I rarely used the AR, mainly to take ot singular far away guards or automatic turrets.

 

Am trying to use SMGs on my second playthrough, but I end up sneaking and using the Pistol instead all the time...just my type of gameplay