Game News Alpha Protocol Not Elite Enough for a Sequel

[Jason]

Tags: Alpha Protocol; Obsidian Entertainment

<p>According to Sega West president Mike Hayes, <strong>Alpha Protocol</strong> will <a href="http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=254575" target="_blank">not see a sequel</a>.</p>
<blockquote>"Let's speak very commercially; the game hasn't sold what we've expected, therefore we won't be doing a sequel," said Hayes.<br /><br />"The concept was brilliant, though," he added. "You know this whole thing with Metacritic where you have to be in the high 70s to mid-80s minimum [to have any success] - well, with RPGs you have got to be in the late 80s. <br /><br />"Whilst we had a good game, I don't think we had a game that had enough to get us to that upper echelon and I think that was the issue.<br /><br />"Again, the amount you need to invest to get there is so large because RPGs are naturally big projects. We've decided we won't do a sequel."</blockquote>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Spotted at: <a href="http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/alpha-protocol-will-only-live-once">Eurogamer</a></p>

 

[Freelance Henchman]

 

[M_I_C_K_E_Y_M_O_U_S_E]

That's what they get for releasing a beta. Now if they could just follow double bears lead and stop trying to pull a rabbit out of the hat with thier over ambitious ideas in the AAA production scene, maybe they'll end up with something that looks and plays as they intended for once.

 

[KalosKagathos]

That's what they get for releasing a beta.

What? A couple of scripting bugs aside (the checks for how you handled the Moscow embassy are completely broken), the game is quite polished technically.

 

[Overweight Manatee]

You heard it here: RPGs that get less then 85 on Metacritic would be better off never being made.

That's what they get for releasing a beta.

What? A couple of scripting bugs aside (the checks for how you handled the Moscow embassy are completely broken), the game is quite polished technically.

The game is horribly bugged because when you are standing behind cover and an enemy shoots you in the back of the head, you take damage as if you were shot in the back of the head. Did you not read any of the xbawkx reviews?

 

[KalosKagathos]

85/100 = 6/10, don't you know basic maths?

 

[Silellak]

That's what they get for releasing a beta.

What? A couple of scripting bugs aside (the checks for how you handled the Moscow embassy are completely broken), the game is quite polished technically.

It depends on whether or not you consider severe design flaws to be "beta" issues, I suppose.

Another nail in the coffin for Obsidian. Their pet franchise is DOA. They damn well better hope New Vegas sells like hotcakes.

 

[Tails]

You heard it here: RPGs that get less then 85 on Metacritic would be better off never being made.

Then basically Obsidian should made only Sith Lords, which is the only game having exact this score.

Damn, after cheeking Troika game scores, they shouldn't make any game at all, same with Piranha Bytes.

 

[Naked Ninja]

What? A couple of scripting bugs aside (the checks for how you handled the Moscow embassy are completely broken), the game is quite polished technically.

Um, no. Just because you didn't experience any bugs, doesn't mean they weren't there for a lot of people.

I've experienced NPCs not reloading on a save game, AI flaking out and ignoring me, and, for the first time that I can remember in the last decade, falling completely out of a level simply by walking through a door.

Also, the fucking mouse movement that required editing config files to get half decent, which still glitches every time I walk into a new room or whatever.

How any tester could have missed that is beyond me.

 

[hanssolo]

Gentlemen, a victory!

 

[Silellak]

What? A couple of scripting bugs aside (the checks for how you handled the Moscow embassy are completely broken), the game is quite polished technically.

Um, no. Just because you didn't experience any bugs, doesn't mean they weren't there for a lot of people.

I've experienced NPCs not reloading on a save game, AI flaking out and ignoring me, and, for the first time that I can remember in the last decade, falling completely out of a level simply by walking through a door.

Also, the fucking mouse movement that required editing config files to get half decent, which still glitches every time I walk into a new room or whatever.

How any tester could have missed that is beyond me.

The most embarrassing thing is the checkpoint system. Using a checkpoint system is bad enough, but they couldn't even implement it right. Instead of saving the 'state' of the level when you hit a checkpoint, it seems like they have a pre-defined "situation" for each checkpoint and just load your character into it. Hence the fact that when you reload, all your cooldowns are refreshed, enemies might vanish, you aren't in the same spot, etc. It's embarrassingly amateur.

 

[Naked Ninja]

There's also the absolutely idiotic way the checkpoint system will save as I finish a mission and when I start it, but not between. So I can finish a mission, answer some emails and then decide to quit for the day...and when I start again I need to answer the emails again.

Admittedly, you simply learn not to bother unless you're going to play some more missions, but frik it's annoying. Even if I plan to quit I still generally want to check my mail after playing a mission to find out if I have any which look interesting. And then I want to answer them.

 

[OnePostPerDay]

death to obsidian, death to popamole

 

[Silellak]

There's also the absolutely idiotic way the checkpoint system will save as I finish a mission and when I start it, but not between. So I can finish a mission, answer some emails and then decide to quit for the day...and when I start again I need to answer the emails again.

Admittedly, you simply learn not to bother unless you're going to play some more missions, but frik it's annoying. Even if I plan to quit I still generally want to check my mail after playing a mission to find out if I have any which look interesting. And then I want to answer them.

Yeah, I ran into that last night, too. Relatively trivial as far as annoyances go, but with AP, it's just another entry in the laundry list of stupid, stupid design decisions.

 

[MasterSmithFandango]

Thank god.

 

[mondblut]

"Let's speak very commercially; the game hasn't sold what we've expected, therefore we won't be doing a sequel,"

Victory at sea!

One down, two to go.

 

[Naked Ninja]

@ Silellak : Yep. It's not any one thing, it's the combined mass of bad design and bugs that does AP in.

 

[Silellak]

AP feels like an amateur development team with some good ideas was given a big budget. Which, well, is exactly what happened, at least as far as I can tell.

 

[VentilatorOfDoom]

that upsets me very much, my only hope now is that the Elder Turds 5 are released soon

 

[Volourn]

AP's problem was not bugs. It was something else.

 

[VentilatorOfDoom]

AP's problem was not bugs. It was something else.

but you won't tell us, cause it's fucking none of fucking our fucking business

 

[Volourn]

HINT: If I ever bother to actually finish AP, then I may reveal the secret. R00fles!

 

[Ogg]

and, for the first time that I can remember in the last decade, falling completely out of a level simply by walking through a door.

What ? Nearly every 3D games I played recently had this kind of bug. Nothing new here.

The other problems you're mentioning though...

 

[VentilatorOfDoom]

Obsidian should team up with the Drakensang devs, they'd provide a technically almost flawless, bugfree, optimized engine with teh orsum graffix and Obsidian could provide a less boring story and some decent characters/writing.

 

[Der_Unbekannte]

Where are the fanboys? I went into this thread expecting an epic shitstorm!
Where is my flamewar???!!!111einself