Alpha Protocol disappeared from digital store shelves back in 2019 due to expiring music licenses. Back in March, some four years later, it returned via GOG. Now it's once again also available via Steam.
]]>It's deeply frustrating and disappointing when games get pulled from store shelves due to licenses expiring, and too few ever return. So it's great news that almost four years after Sega stopped selling Obsidian's fascinating spy thriller RPG Alpha Protocol on Steam due to music rights expiring, it has returned to sale on GOG. I'm always surprised that Alpha Protocol hasn't reached serious cult classic status because, as much as parts are distinctly wonky, the globetrotting sneak-o-shooter fizzes with ideas for intense dialogue, branching plot, and reputation systems with consequences. You do feel like a spy going up against the world, backed up only by shifty allies and a ridiculous pair of giant sunglasses.
]]>Last time, you narrowly ruled that mimics are better than tactically sealing doors. Why would anyone want to lock away a beautiful pearwood chest that surely contains oodles of treasure and absolutely no consequences? This week, I ask you to choose between stress and pressure and panic and mistakes, and simply having a nice time helping a friend without a care in the world. What's better: timed dialogue choices, or a stress-free co-op helper?
]]>Obsidian's quirky espionage RPG Alpha Protocol is the latest to be de-listed from Steam. The game's store page confirms that it was removed from sale at the request of the publisher, Sega, whose rights for the game has expired. While no longer for sale, players who bought it during its nine and a half years of availability can still download and play it, and keys from other sellers should still work. While much maligned at launch and best played with a gamepad back when such things were unfashionable, it was a sneaky RPG well worth experiencing at least twice.
Update: Sadly, the reason for de-listing the game is as mundane as it gets. As reported by cheery RPS fan-site PC Gamer, Sega's music licenses for the game had expired, and while Microsoft have purchased Obsidian, Sega still hold the Alpha Protocol rights.
]]>Cyber Monday is, of course, a pure and honest celebration of all things cyber. We hack the planet as one, united against corporations, capitalism and the class divide. Then we all burn our 4K televisions and go off to have a massive rave-orgy in an abandoned sewer. Such is the way of the Cyber Monday Warrior.
But it's not all talking in C++ and overthrowing distant tyranny. Cyber Monday is also a time to remember the sacrifices made in the name of the hacking. None of these are quite so tragic as otherwise great games laid low by poorly-judged hacking minigames, forcibly inserted by executive pressure to pad out the running time. Today, let us honour the fallen.
]]>Since its foundation in 2003, Obsidian Entertainment has worked with seven different publishers. Commencing with LucasArts on Knights of the Old Republic II, Obsidian has since signed contracts with Atari, SEGA, Bethesda, Square Enix, Ubisoft and most recently, Paradox Interactive. In fact, up until Pillars of Eternity [official site], every single game Obsidian had made was funded and distributed by a different publisher.
This is a highly unusual state of affairs, and has proved precarious more than once in the company's history. But it has also provided Obsidian with a unique insight into how the world of publishing works, and how the relationship between developer and publisher has changed in the last couple of decades. This topic is especially pertinent today, as new methods of funding and distributing games have seen a significant shift in the power dynamic between developers and publishers.
I spoke to CEO Feargus Urquhart about how it all works (and doesn't).
]]>The times change, and we change with the times. Or in the case of RPGs, not. I've always felt this a bit of a shame, especially in games like World of Warcraft, where your character is officially hanging around long enough to see the leaves fall off the trees and the snow to cover up the capital cities. That's why I was quite keen on both Fallout 4 taking the time to redecorate Diamond City a little for at least Halloween and Christmas, and last week, to see a mod take the next step and give the Commonwealth a makeover for all seasons in a way that nobody's really tried since Lords of Midnight 3 way back in the 90s. Whole minutes of fun with the system clock there!
But then as now, it's hard not to start wondering how time could be given its due as more than the fire in which bad movies turn out to be even worse than they initially seemed. Maybe it could be our friend too, and in so many interesting ways.
]]>Have You Played? is an endless stream of game recommendations. One a day, every day of the year, perhaps for all time.
It's nice and all that Obsidian are crowdfunding a trip back to the '90s, but I wish they were able (and willing) to revisit something a little fresher. Alpha Protocol is my favourite game they've made, an RPG from 2010 which used timed conversations and silent branching to make the adventures of a super spy feel exciting and unpredictable. Yes, it's jolly wonky in ways - Obsidian made it - but it feels like the fresh green bud of what could've been an exciting branch for RPGs.
]]>Well, it's official: Chris Avellone has joined the Torment: Tides of Numenera team. Kickstarter's overwhelming monetary might has pushed another old band back together again, and now this one's ready to give belabored brain birth to another tale for the ages. And dimensions. And whatever other creative gravy giblets they can fit into their twisted turducken of a setting. But Torment's hardly the only thing on Avellone's increasingly busy mind, as he's also got both Project Eternity and Wasteland 2 to worry about. Oh, and let's not forget that exceedingly tantalizing Star Wars pitch Obsidian CEO Feargus Urquhart was so thrilled to discuss. It's tough, then, to imagine that Avellone has even a spare second these days, but he somehow managed to shove aside a few for a chat, so we used it as wisely as humanly possible. To discuss kindly stick figure knights and giggle at bad naming jokes, of course. Also, all of the above, Avellone's role on Torment, and what an Alpha Protocol sequel would look like in a post-Walking-Dead world.
]]>Looks like Obsidian headbrain Chris Avellone's earlier talk about getting 'Kickstarter fever' based upon Double Fine's happy day (they've now passed $1.3 million in funding by the way - which, as Tim Schafer notes, is more than the budget for Day of the Tentacle and almost that of Full Throttle) wasn't idle chatter. Obsidian have just posted a forum thread asking for community suggestions as to what they should make, were they to start a Kickstarter-funded game. Obviously this is purely theoretical right now and there are absolutely zero guarantees, but as they're clearly feeling out the ground here, you should go and make sure that the ground they feel is green, pleasant and potentially profitable. And, ideally, old-school RPG-shaped.
]]>So - no Alpha Protocol 2 then. This perhaps unsurprising news emerges from a C&VG interview with Sega West's President Mike Hayes, with the relative meaty bits torn free by VG247, the finest jackals of the videogame press savannah. Key quote: "“Let’s speak very commercially; the game hasn’t sold what we’ve expected, therefore we won’t be doing a sequel". Well, that'd explain it. The interesting thing for me though is how important he positions metacritic, stating explicitly that an RPG needs an average score in the high eighties to be a hit. While that's arguably not true, it puts the blame entirely on the game simply not being good enough. Good, yes... but not good enough. I actually bought it myself, but only have got a couple of hours in, bouncing off the surface and having trouble finding the will to return to it. Still - it's an obvious shame that an attempt to break the Fantasy/Sci-fi duopoly on the genre failed, because an accountant's logic will mean that further attempts are even less likely. As in "Look what happened to Alpha Protocol". My 70s punk RPG will never be. Despairing emoticon.
]]>If you haven’t read my experiences with the first couple of hours of Alpha Protocol, it’s worth reading those first, since I’ll be building on top of that. That done, here's Wot I Think:
]]>We had hoped to bring your our Alpha Protocol WIT by now, but a series of unfortunate circumstances means that it's much delayed. You might even have your own Thoughts to Wot below. So here is a description of the first hour or two, which isn't a very pretty sight. I'm absolutely sure things much improve after this, especially now I have the game in a state in which I can play it at all. So yes, this is especially negative. No, this absolutely is NOT our review of Alpha Protocol, and anyone who says it is gets a dead arm.
]]>Alpha Protocol is so close that if you go outside and look to the horizon you'll just see the tip of its hat. In a strange reversal of fortunes it reaches Europe on the 30th May, not making it to its native US until 1st June. We grabbed this chance to talk with producer Matt Hickman about the development, balancing role-playing and combat, and moral ambiguity.
]]>This is disorientating. Much-delayed Obsidian secret agent RPG Alpha Protocol has hoofed out of couple of new videos. Thing is, they introduce characters we were introduced to at length a year ago. So, if the marketing cycle is taking it from the top again, just what have Obsidian been doing to the game for all this time? Applying a thick, classy layer of ultra-polish, hopefully...
Or maybe not. Carry On Spying below.
]]>Game Trailers have a good interview with the Alpha Protocol team, which has reawoken my interest in the game. I think a combination of a disappointing E3 and some hefty slips has left me a little unsure about this one, but the footage here, along with the confident suggestions of the game letting me play it how I choose to, reminds me this is Obsidian. I trust Obsidian! Hooray! Take a look below and see if you have the same reaction. The game is due 1st June, which is AGES away.
]]>And lucky old Europe should get Alpha Protocol a few days earlier on May 28. SEGA have accompanied this announcement with a new story-trailer, which you can see below courtesy of IGN. Well, I say story, it's impossibly vague, suggesting something about nuclear weapons, something about loved ones in peril, and something about Russian-lady sexytime. It's still almost impossible to call whether this will be one of the games of the year, or whether it'll get tangled up in its own garrote and be whisked off in the body-bag of history. Oh well, not too long to wait until we find out.
]]>The news that spy-RPG Alpha Protocol has been delayed has been around for a while now, but official word of a spring release has just arrived from Sega. "Alpha Protocol, Obsidian Entertainment’s much anticipated RPG, will be moving to a Spring 2010 release date," says the release. So no firm date, but it's looking like around March for the game. lan Pritchard, European Managing Director at Sega said: "By pushing Alpha Protocol to Spring 2010, we can ensure that the game will be released in the best commercial release window possible and will also receive the focus this true AAA titles deserves." And that's probably for the best, as the game had a bit of a poor showing at E3, and John was pretty cautious about it in our coverage. Still, we're all hoping for the best on what looks like one of the most interesting RPGs on the horizon. If this delay can give Obsidian the time they need to pull it off then we'll be happy.
]]>Over on Eurogamer today are a collection of my words and phrases, strung into a number of sentences intended to give a flavour of what Alpha Protocol, Obisidian's upcoming secret agent RPG, is like. I begin approximately like so:
]]>Obsidian have released a new very detailed video guiding you through various aspects of Alpha Protocol's Safe Houses. Showing off how the Safe Houses work, with all their various character, weapon, etc modifications, it explains how important these locations are. There's your email, which lets you catch up on relationships, find extra work, and keep up with colleagues. There's access to the black market Clearing House, where you can pick up new equipment. You can also customise and upgrade weapons and armour, and all sorts. It's all below.
]]>There are a few bits and pieces from E3 that I've yet to write about. I've also thoughts on the remarkable-looking Love to come, and details on a few of Paradox's forthcoming games via Mr Stone. But here's a few that were left over. Below there's a few brief comments on Alpha Protocol, Alien Vs Predator and Rogue Warrior.
]]>So we were complaining that upcoming spy-thriller RPG Alpha Protocol hadn't shown us much of the actual game, particularly the dialogue. Well, that's changed with this new trailer, which fleshes out the talky stuff a little better, and demonstrates some of the possibilities for being a bastard to the people you deal with. But it also has some neat in-game footage showing off some of the more interesting combat move. The bit where the player cuts from melee back to ranged weapon is most interesting. Anyway, take a look, as I think this is the most revealing trailer so far.
]]>This is worth watching. Alpha Protocol, Obisidian's modern-day spy RPG, has a bunch of different options and approaches open to you, but it seems that the way you approach a mission will depend on the "handler" you decide to have run your operation. In the following video we see a mission played through under two different handlers, each one with a rather different approach. We also get to see some of that espionage stuff in action - illuminating stuff. This is one game for 2009 that I can't wait to get some hands-on time with.
]]>I just want to echo John's sentiments regarding Alpha Protocol: the forthcoming modern-day spy RPG really could end up being one of the most accomplished games this year. Real-time combat mechanics, branching dialogue trees, hub-structure environments and missions, statistics-led character progression: all set in the real world. SEGA seem to have given Obsidian plenty of time and freedom to develop this, and we'll definitely be looking at it more closely as it approaches the October release date. Anyway, two videos from Obsidian sit below the cut, and they're crammed with game footage. Go take a look.
]]>We're not in Aurora any more. Obsidian's next game, Alpha Protocol, is the least RPG-looking RPG I think I've seen. In the new video released today (below), showing lots of new in-game footage, it looks like third-person action. But do not let loose your cries of foul just yet - this is Obsidian, and while it would be nice if they'd remember to finish their games, they've yet to make a mistake. And this is Chris Avellone and Feargus Urquhart, who brought us KotOR II and Planescape: Torment. The men know how to tell a story. There is pedigree, and with pedigree comes optimism. Doubly so, since there's not a potion or magical goblet in sight: this is a spy-based RPG, set in the modern day.
]]>Obsidian Entertainment are one of the healthier looking studios out there right now, having become veterans of NWN2 and KOTOR2, and now developing the as-yet-unrevealed Aliens RPG and Alpha Protocol. In the video beyond the jump they talk a bit about the premise for their original action RPG, which is set in a contemporary super-spy espionage scenario. It's looking as talky as it is shooty, and looks like it might blend a kind of Splinter Cell approach to action with the kind of branching dialogue and quest options we've seen in their other games. An interesting an brave direction for the studio, and definitely a game worth monitoring in the coming months. Go take a look.
]]>I’ve just passed the mid-point of E3, and by this point, no matter how hard I try, it’s all starting to blend together. It’s at this point that you might start to hallucinate that everything you’ve seen was actually all just the same game - a music title set in a decaying city that featured instrument peripherals with hundreds of buttons.
Thankfully I’ve kept it together a little more than that. Though perhaps not enough! Because when I was showed Alpha Protocol, Obsidian Entertainment new action RPG set in the world of espionage, I was positive I was just being shown Mass Effect. Positive!
]]>Via the exclusive-happy Game Informer, the previously unnamed next game to come from Bioware Babies, Obsidian, has been discovered. Alpha Protocol is a spy-themed single player RPG, developed for PC, 360 and PS3, due next Spring. Via EG, and in turn the Neogaf forums, a few details from the April Game Informer have leaked.
Most importantly, it's described as,
"A modern day espionage focused action/RPG that takes you on a suspenseful ride in the vein of James Bond, Jack Bauer, and Jason Bourne. Take a wet-behind-the-ears greenhorn agent up through the ranks to become a bona-fide super spy."
]]>
.png?width=1200&height=630&fit=crop&enable=upscale&auto=webp "שחרורו של Assassin's Creed Shadows נדחה למרץ כאשר מועצת המנהלים של Ubisoft שוקל מכירת חברה")
