Hesitate to buy the game base on review, patch coming for tech bugs?

[Skull Knight]

to OP: Alpha is sounding pretty buggy and lacking polish, maybe you should wait for the Beta!

 

Myself I've just purchased the game on faith (waiting for it to download), I haven't been disappointed with an Obsidian game yet.

 

Kotor II was almost a classic game... well it was kind of like a half developed, stunted foetus of a classic game that Obsidian pumped out and dropped straight on its head before moving right on to its next project, NWN2...

 

Both games were very impressive in terms of their complexity and the sheer volume of content. But, both games seemed to run out of whatever it was that they needed to keep developing .. whether it was money, time, brains or motivation.

 

Whatever 'unrealised potential' that these games had, they both still represented an above average standard of value for money in games. So as soon as I saw that this had been released I was pretty much reaching for my wallet ._.

 

Maybe this game will suck eggs but maybe now that they're developing their own IP they can start making enough money to actually finish one of their games and that would really be something to see!

 

 

Actually, AP is a finished game. The game has nowhere near the amount of bugs or glitches that the reviewers are stating at all. I honestly came across merely two bugs in the entire game (360 version). I'd say it's the most complete game Obsidian have actually released, ever.

[Hassat Hunter]

Yeah, maybe the "review copy" was a very outdated beta?

[Oner]

Actually yes, review copies are usually older than the final copies but AP was supposedly not touched for 6 months (and one or two other interviews said it was, bleh), so ..yeah.

[Kasabian]

The game looks good, I do not get bad texture load speed, I find Borderlands performs worse in that respect, in Borderlands I could be running along and see the textures transition slowly between blurry low detail and high detail.

 

AP on the other had rarely has that, I rate AP equal with Mass Effect 2 in regard to graphics and engine rendering speed.

 

Bugs, what game does not have bugs on release these days? At least AP has few and no major game breaking bugs, also those that it does have are not very noticeable, many have completed playthroughs without noticing a single bug. Admittedly the PC has more, but the major ones like lag and mouse problems are fixable.

 

I also say again, ignore reviewers, they have their heads up their own arses. They spend a day playtesting at most, which is pointless when dealing with an RPG. They often have biased opinions preferring to support specialised big developers or trashing good games just for the sensationalism of it all. Never listen to reviewers, not just for AP, but in general. Trust word of mouth and read forums, make up your own minds. This post is not directed at the OP, but anyone reading the thread that has yet to decide.

[Jackalmonkey]

As other people noted, enemies may spontaneously "pop-in" five to ten seconds after loading a game, and I experienced this bug about half a dozen times, since I reload frequently.

 

I experienced two other apparent bugs which I won't bother detailing here. Nothing game-breaking.

 

The graphics are comparable to anything else on the 360. Considered alongside the art direction, I'd say this is easily a better-looking game than the dull (and oddly bload-spattered) Dragon Age, though admittedly that's not saying much.

[Libertarian]

Borderlands textures definitely took longer to load in on the Xbox 360.

[Echoic]

...Now, I said this game is bad on multiple levels. By that I mean this is most likely Obsidian's death knell. I don't know how Obsidian is doing financially, but I imagine a lot was riding on Alpha Protocol. It will not sell well. It will not be a cult hit. The game is a flop...

 

Yeah I don't know about that, It seems more likely to me that the game will at least break even, in terms of sales vs production costs. Even if they don't, the developers (Obsidian) have probably already been paid, like.. by SEGA, in advance.

 

I agree that marketing the game as a AAA title despite the poor production values seems a bit risky. Alpha Protocol will hurt the Obsidian brand a bit, that seems certain... but I don't think that this is Obsidian's death knell, I mean:

 

- It's doubtful that Alpha Protocol will discourage anyone from buying New Vegas.

- Squeenix just announced that they'll be getting Obsidian to develop a Dungeon Seige sequel.

- possibly some other unnannounced project which is "looking good" (according to anon dev blogger).

- I don't think that we can assume that Alpha Protocol wasn't profitable. Would be really interesting to find out though.

 

 

....I honestly came across merely two bugs in the entire game (360 version). I'd say it's the most complete game Obsidian have actually released, ever.

 

This isn't a great claim to fame considering the track record. I'll never forget the ending cutscene of NWN2, first you see some blurry screenshots of the in-game characters and then the narrator chimes in: (he sounds like one of the dev team talking into a headset mic).

 

"And so, the final blow was struck and our Heroes were victorious! Suddenly, the roof collapsed on top of them all"

 

THE END

 

 

In terms of bugs, yeah I didn't encounter many problems with the PC version. I never really got the camera to behave itself properly though, despite troubleshooting /disabling mouse smoothing etc. Other than that I only had a couple of crashes which is pretty good. Maybe when reviewers talk about bugs they're referring to the AI, problems with the cover mechanic, etc.

[Oner]

(he sounds like one of the dev team talking into a headset mic).

Maybe I'm tripping, but IIRC, it was a dev. Dunno about the headset.

[mr insomniac]

Just got the game in the mail today, so am still on my first playthrough. I know it won't be my last. I guess I have to consider myself luckier than most, as I haven't run into any noticeable bugs during gameplay. The initial install stalled itself, and I had to re-install, but everything went smoothly after that. Also load times are barely noticeable for me.

 

Haven't had problems with a jittery mouse, at least not that I notice. I've just finished Saudi Arabia, and the game hasn't crashed once. Since ME2 is the only game I've been playing for awhile I'm still suffering from a sort of jetlag, and expecting AP to play like ME2. I'll get over that soon enough.

 

My only nitpick is that controls could be a little easier to use during combat. Mike seems to not want to use medkits at all. But again, I know I'll get used to the way things work in AP soon enough.

 

The minigames are okay, now that I've gotten used to them. I expect they'll get more difficult as the game goes on, but they're not game-breaking.

 

In my opinion the graphics and animations are good. Outdated? Bah. Whiners. CQC kicks major ass, and anyone who disagrees just hasn't tried it. I find myself charging enemies instead of shooting them, just so I can kick the crap out of them.

 

Dialogues and choices are a blast. As I said earlier, I've only just finished Saudi Arabia, but I'm already looking forward to seeing how my choices will play out in the end, and thinking of how I'll do things differently next time.

 

I say congrats Obsidz, you've got a winner here. I'm looking forward now to F:NV and DS3 (and maybe AP2 down the road?) with new enthusiasm.

[Echoic]

(he sounds like one of the dev team talking into a headset mic).

Maybe I'm tripping, but IIRC, it was a dev. Dunno about the headset.

 

haha I knew it! Well my hat is off to him then. It guess it is really unlikely that it was an actual headset mic but that would definitely make a better story.

[Ulicus]

To be honest, I think the criticism regarding the first thirty minutes -- and the beginning of the game in general -- is fair. If I had no familiarity with Obsidian, or if I was somewhat new to RPGs, I'd have probably given up pretty early... because I really didn't like the game to start with and was incredibly disappointed.

 

Thankfully, I stuck it out and had a tremendously good RPG experience, and now -- when I play the beginning -- I have absolutely no problems with it. Which leads me to believe that my problem wasn't ever really with the game but my not being very good at it.

[Orchomene]

I remember that several years ago, being bad at the beginning of a game wouldn't have tagged the game as a bad game.

[FlintlockJazz]

To be honest, I think the criticism regarding the first thirty minutes -- and the beginning of the game in general -- is fair. If I had no familiarity with Obsidian, or if I was somewhat new to RPGs, I'd have probably given up pretty early... because I really didn't like the game to start with and was incredibly disappointed.

 

Thankfully, I stuck it out and had a tremendously good RPG experience, and now -- when I play the beginning -- I have absolutely no problems with it. Which leads me to believe that my problem wasn't ever really with the game but my not being very good at it.

Did you play as Recruit first time round and then as Veteran or one of the others in subsequent playthroughs? I'm finding that the initial points you get at the beginning as a Vet really do make a hell of a lot of difference for the enjoyment of the first section, though it could just be me knowing what I'm doing this time round.

[Amentep]

To be honest, I think the criticism regarding the first thirty minutes -- and the beginning of the game in general -- is fair. If I had no familiarity with Obsidian, or if I was somewhat new to RPGs, I'd have probably given up pretty early... because I really didn't like the game to start with and was incredibly disappointed.

 

Thankfully, I stuck it out and had a tremendously good RPG experience, and now -- when I play the beginning -- I have absolutely no problems with it. Which leads me to believe that my problem wasn't ever really with the game but my not being very good at it.

Did you play as Recruit first time round and then as Veteran or one of the others in subsequent playthroughs? I'm finding that the initial points you get at the beginning as a Vet really do make a hell of a lot of difference for the enjoyment of the first section, though it could just be me knowing what I'm doing this time round.

 

I restarted after getting through the opening and - having some idea of what I was doing and what the skills actually did - magically had a much better opening that I did first time around after recreating my character.

[FlintlockJazz]

To be honest, I think the criticism regarding the first thirty minutes -- and the beginning of the game in general -- is fair. If I had no familiarity with Obsidian, or if I was somewhat new to RPGs, I'd have probably given up pretty early... because I really didn't like the game to start with and was incredibly disappointed.

 

Thankfully, I stuck it out and had a tremendously good RPG experience, and now -- when I play the beginning -- I have absolutely no problems with it. Which leads me to believe that my problem wasn't ever really with the game but my not being very good at it.

Did you play as Recruit first time round and then as Veteran or one of the others in subsequent playthroughs? I'm finding that the initial points you get at the beginning as a Vet really do make a hell of a lot of difference for the enjoyment of the first section, though it could just be me knowing what I'm doing this time round.

 

I restarted after getting through the opening and - having some idea of what I was doing and what the skills actually did - magically had a much better opening that I did first time around after recreating my character.

Aye, I must admit the first playthrough I didn't spend any ability points at all until I got to Saudi Arabia as I had no idea what to go for. If I had known that you could change them when you choose your specialisation I'd have worried less about how many points I had to spend.

[Minchi]

I think they should have some kind of system where they could make a game without being hindered by a review and when its finally finished they will allow the people to review it after the final product is done. I think the movies are starting to do it too and so do games as well...

 

Thats what i think...whaddya say about it?

Edited June 10, 2010 by Minchi

[Hoarse Whisperer]

The reviews are for the most part crap. That's an issue with the review process (be it the method by which it's reviewed, or the incentives that drive the review) and not an issue with the game. The game has some flaws, but they are easily overlooked by anyone who's interested in what the game is really trying to offer the player.

 

I'm on my first playthrough as a spy, and realistically there are very few improvements needed. I suppose my main complaint is being forced into certain gun-fights by the script. But it's a very satisfying experience overall. There's constant auto-saving to try and prevent you from re-loading saves to undo minor mistakes or re-do conversations, but imo that adds to gameplay as it doesn't let me try to micro-manage the experience.

 

Very few professional reviews give the consumer anything reliable. What's best is looking at the user comments below, most of the time. You get the opinion of someone who wants to play it for fun, not someone who played the game for work.

Edited June 11, 2010 by Hoarse Whisperer