Action points can be assigned to an assortment of attributes, from stealth and pistols to sabotage and technical aptitude, which all lead to different skills. Stealth-oriented spies can complete the entire game without killing an enemy, while destructive types can bring out the body armor and heavy artillery. Key role-playing features like dialogue trees, skill points, and equipment upgrades are included, with characters who will react in different ways based on your approach and reputation.The action takes place from a third-person perspective as you complete objectives however you see fit, depending on the direction of your character.

What sets Alpha Protocol apart from traditional action games is the level of customization you have over your character and the options you have while interacting with others. From inside computer-equipped safe houses around the world, you'll converse with your handlers, glean intelligence, review dossiers, and receive new missions. It's unlikely we'll ever get a sequel, but even now I'm going to keep dreaming.Billed as an 'espionage RPG,' Alpha Protocol casts you in the role of secret agent Michael Thorton as he embarks on a series of international operations set in Rome, Moscow, Tai Pei, Saudi Arabia, and other exotic locales. Alpha Protocol isn’t a classic, but it’s earned a place as a cult favourite-just like everything Obsidian does.' There’s potential in the idea, be it of letting players experience a more open, branching form of spy fiction, or just not letting RPGs languish in the realms of fantasy or post-apocalypse. More importantly, there are lessons here that should be learned from and built upon. 'It throws a lot of design spaghetti at the wall, and some of it sticks.

Phil revisited Alpha Protocol in 2017 and found it hard to stay mad at its missteps, even after taking off the rose-tinted goggles. If you never picked up this gem, however, you'll need to find other ways.

If you own Alpha Protocol, you'll still be able to play it, and you'll keep being able to download it whenever you want. 'Following the expiry of Sega’s publishing rights for Alpha Protocol, the title has been removed from Steam and is no longer on sale,' a Sega spokesperson told me.

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