Alpha Protocol Retrospective - The Best Bad Game

[@ChrisDavis_Games]

Timestamps: Intro - 0:00 Making of - 3:00 What I (sort of) Like - 8:47 What I Dislike - 23:34 Conclusion - 41:03

[@darknessviking]

eagerly watching this and waiting for any random "should be more diverse" commentary

[@Camina.Drummer]

I will be truly saddened if your channel ever goes down, you're easily one of my favorite creators on KZbin. Another great video as usual. Hope your subs pick up.

[@nietzchepreacher9477]

Looks like they have

[@ajaxmcjones9387]

​@@nietzchepreacher9477 and he's gone again 😢

[@biddlestone]

Alpha Protocol has it's flaws. What it gets right is the one thing that every other CRPG I've played gets wrong: Shorter playthroughs with more player agency and meaningful choice and roleplaying that dramatically changes how the game plays out. This is a true roleplaying game. If you look at it from that perspective it's one of the greatest CRPGs ever made.

[@vrapbrap]

The short length of it was a real plus. I didn't mind playing through it 3 times due to the game not being any longer than it should. Had it been some crazy long epic, I probably wouldn't have replayed it at all and would have missed out on all the fun jank.

[@ethanmontgomery581]

Check out Tyranny, it hits all those same notes for a CRPG

[@mediamusings6875]

I agree. It's always frustrated me that lot of choice heavy games require such large commitments for a second run. I want to experiment with other choices, but I can't just say "Hey I want to do a Sith run through of KOTOR this weekend." I did two runs of this game back to back when I first played it (and a third run a few months later) because a single playthrough wasn't a huge time commitment, and there were a lot of moving pieces you could change in later playthroughs. I assume developers don't make games that way because they are afraid a lot of players won't replay the game and miss all the work that went into the multiple routes (I think Deathloop was Arkane trying address that problem in their own way), but it was something I really liked about this game.

[@simondaniel4028]

@@ethanmontgomery581 Came to the comments to say this.

[@AC-hj9tv]

​@@ethanmontgomery581Tranny is a perfect example. Did many things right

[@mileator]

Yancy Westridge is actually a pretty interesting character. If you ever get a chance to talk to him in the epilouge; barring you have positive standing with him, that is; he'll reveal to you that he never wanted you dead. He'll tell you that most people in Alpha Protocol were expecting your return, and how much of a disappointed, confused, pissed-off, father he is for you going rogue. He reveals that Parker was the one who disobeyed orders and sent the Rockets, and Mina was the one who cut you off from Westridge who was trying to rescue you. It's all rather poignant as it puts Mina Tang's manipulation, and Michael Thorton's paranoia into perspective. He plainly states, that had you had just trusted in the good standing relationship that you had built with him, and called him, he would have done everything in his power to get you safely back home to Alpha Protocol, and back to work. If you pay attention, Darcey, Security, and Yancy all ask in an exhausted irritable tone: "Are you done?" As in: Are you done being a rebellious teen disappointment? Are you done playing in the mud puddle? Are you done having a temper tantrum? And to make this even more hilariously insane, you can call Mina Tang out after you awaken from the halbech explosion, Lampshading this revelation. The game goes "Ho ho, yeah, you know the truth now, Mr. Replay, but to bad; Thorton doesn't actually know that, so you still HAVE to go with Mina, but hey. I see you." It's god damn refreshing.

[@molnet999]

what's so frustrating is how EASY it is to point out EXACTLY where alpha protocol fails and succeeds, but since it sold so bad there won't be a better iteration

[@SolidSnake240]

I wish I could fund a new spy/secret agent rpg like this but on an even bigger scale. Lol

[@molnet999]

@@SolidSnake240 yeah it's such a solid idea

[@AC-hj9tv]

​@@molnet999a metal gear solid idea..😎

[@ShootingStar1313]

Dialogue system broken down into the 3 JB's: Suave - James Bond Professional - Jason Bourne Threatening - Jack Bauer

[@shodan6401]

Three things, Chris: 1. This is one of those, "Worst Games That I Enjoy" - I totally agree. 2. I also really like stealth. I wonder if you'd enjoy The Velvet Assassin? Worth a thought... 3. You can't leave us. There are so few quality long form video critiques and yours is top shelf. I believe that the subscribers will come. I'd subscribe twice if I could... We love you, man.

[@MegaCygnusX1]

To date no other game has nailed a realistic conversation system like Alpha Protocol, it's unique and the one thing I expected so see outlive the game, not even Obsidian revisted it which is a shame. Also, I get PTSD flashbacks any time I hear "Turn Up The Radio" these days - I immediately start scanning the vicinity for coked up, knife wielding Russian mobsters who might be charging at me with ill intent.

[@JG-po6ff]

Things go better with rock!

[@beefjerky007]

God I love this game. It’s so broken, but GOD I love this game

[@ghostwarrior3878]

Agreed

[@jerrymathewninan6739]

Same here. The only game I've replayed so many times.

[@CaptainEggcellent]

Love your videos 👍

[@dreed100]

Steven is awesome Is he an actual agent Or Just a crazy person thinking himself as super agent who got involved in seedy world of espionage I believe both. A properly trained professional who snapped and went rogue.

[@Bale4Bond]

I remember loving the dialogue options and "Undercover Agent / James Bond" aspects of the game, while enduring the terrible gameplay.

[@vallraffs]

I haven't played Alpha Protocol, but looking at it it weirdly reminds me of Mass Effect 1. Especially it's shooting, but also the moving and even minigames. Makes it fun to imagine how things could have gone if Obsidian had gotten to make a sequel for it, with the kind of budget increase Bioware got when it made ME2.

[@nobel11]

It definitely has a lot of Mass Effect 1 flavor in its overall package. And quite a bit of Deus Ex: Human Revolution. It almost feels like a bargain bin version of those kind of stealthy, actiony, choice games from that PS3 Xbox360 era.

[@silentspartan46]

Hooray, my favorite underrated game. It hits that sweet spot of janky but just good enough to be worth going through, at least once.

[@Xertaron.]

The reason why broken stealth is so fun is because the game doesn't have any stealth system, so being able to literally punch people out while invisible becomes hella fun. It helps that it's so replayable and has so many choices to experiment with. This lets you basically skip the gameplay and get to the good parts. Or you can use it sparingly and save it for particularly difficult encounters. The game recently became purchasable on GOG and if any game deserves it, it's this one. And yes, hard difficulty is terrible, normal can be difficult during bosses if you don't invest into any combat skills - even martial arts can get you through.

[@Rythian]

This is one of my favorite games ever, despite definitely not being... "good" as such. But it's just so interesting and unique. It's a game I recommend all the time, but with plenty of caveats. Great video, Chris.

[@jamesmelton4381]

This is high praise from a chill cool guy

[@NJoCaulfield]

Absolutely my favorite terrible game. It's like the game flew too close to the sun; with more polish, it could have been genre defining, but unfortunately, it instead became a directionless pile of missed opportunities. I played through this game SO many times to see what it had to offer, and I always enjoyed it in that "definitely broken but not completely" way. It really is like a bad TV show in video game form. I love it. Really glad people are paying attention to it; I'd love to see Obsidian tackle this style of game again.

[@Eonymia]

Good news: GOG is now selling Alpha Protocol

[@nobel11]

I'll always have the utmost respect for Obsidian, they always seem willing to take risks and try all sorts of ideas. And it's hard not to root for an underdog, even one that has a lot more misses than hits. It really helps, too, when the production teams includes so many of the creators of some of my all time favorite games.

[@Largentina.]

They remind me of Arkane. But they're obviously an immersive sim studio. I don't like all of their games, or even play all of them, but I always respect them and I'm always rooting for them.

[@Jaydogg222]

The BEST and most COMPLEX choice system I have ever seen in a game. No other game has come close before or since.

[@stinkbanana2522]

Honestly I'd give it a 6/10. Anything above a 5 is worth playing in my book and Alpha Protocol is definitely worth playing.

[@Haarba1]

Still one of the best dialog systems I even saw in games, not to mention crazy branching. You first dialog is had consequences for the end game. Some things are pretty hard to do even when you think you know what you need to do. Even in 2021 this game better than most RPGs... not like its hard considering 2077 is an RPG now...

[@YourEvilHenchman]

"SIE, a russian mercenary" come on, Chris, her codename is literally the German word for the pronoun "she".

[@Griff00]

saw this on my front page, really loving the succintness of the video; subscribed and im excited to through your other uploads, hope to see you do more!

[@AlucardNoir]

I might be wrong but I think Disney already did a prequel/sequel to Snow white and the seven dwarfs where they did in fact explain why Grumpy was called that. I think it was called Once upon a time, and it ran for something like 5 or 6 seasons on ABC - a Disney owned channel.

[@Qwedgeonline]

I know it takes ages for you make these videos due to the amount of effort involved, but I sincerely hope you don’t quit.

[@roguerifter9724]

I played this twice. Once as a Tech Specialist who trained in Assault Rifles and Shotguns, and once as a Freelancer with lower Tech levels but higher Assault Rifle and Submachine Gun levels. One thing I found was how the results of choices could surprise me. On my first run I focused on the big picture so I made a choice that was painful for my character but I thought would disrupt the enemy's goals more. On the second run I was less focused on the big issues so I went with the opposite path only to find my choice in the second run actually did much more damage to the enemy's plans.

[@DonYagamoth]

Fascinating analysis, thank you - it feels like all videos I've watched about this game, have a slightly different approach, yet largely agree with the concept you described ^^ Ah... That's why I randomly have this game in my STEAM library. It's one of those, that just randomly appeared, and there was no way of removing it from the library, which greatly annoyed me at the time

[@arkhe1n107]

Just so you know, Alpha Protocol was literally gave away a few years ago. It was Sega's anniversary or something. They gave away a bunch of Sega published games. That's how I got mine. You might wanna check out if you don't own a copy by chance.

[@BucklingSwashes]

Holy shit, I remember hearing about that Dwarves game YEARS ago and thinking it sounded stupid (though now I'd honestly be kind of intrigued). I had no idea who Obsidian was at the time.

[@Ranakel]

I have fond memories of this game, but I'm pretty sure if I returned to it (somehow) the flaws would hit me in the face like a sack of bricks. So I'm quite happy staying with those fond memories, and now this video reminding me of some of those fun times back again. And think loving a bad game, while like as common as loving a bad film (like you said), isn't something weird. The easy example is the David Cage games, since they are bad movies wearing a bad video game disguise. But personally, Drakengard 3 stands out as a terrible 3D action fantasy game, crass in more places than one, and completely inconsistent in tone. And also one of my favorite games I wouldn't ever seriously recommend without a list of caveats long as my arm..

[@sionfiction9566]

I'm very sorry to hear about your subscriber woes in recent videos. If it helps from a motivational point of view, I love your videos & think your technique & delivery have improved no-end in the last 2 years or so. It's hard to do this sort of long form analysis without it feeling rambling - But I feel like you have a strong structure & tight scripts behind your work. I look forward to your videos with the same anticipation I have for Noah Gervais; who's one of the pioneers of this "Intensive/Extensive Critique" video style. Your voice is a valuable one within that field & I truly hope you are able to keep making these essays. In more practical terms, I shall be sure to mention you when I'm commenting on other channels & social media platforms. I believe the popularity of many "influencers" was initially sparked by grass-roots community efforts. I know it's awkward, but perhaps you could ask more of your watchers to spread the word. Good luck to you Chris, & very best wishes... Sion

[@Omgacow1000]

Finally got around to playing this game. I agree with pretty much all the negatives you said (especially the boss fights) but the stuff that works in the game works so well for me. The amount of choice and ways the games react to choice is absolutely incredible. Also I hope you keep making videos in some capacity Chris, I have loved all the content you put out

[@aetherfukz]

Alpha Protocol, for however janky it was, still to this day is absolutely one of a kind. There simply is no other spy thriller roleplaying game where you have mass effect style dialogs and huge influence on the story and characters, while still having 3rd person shooter/stealth in it (however janky). I so wish we'd get another game like this, with the proper development time and budget. Imagine something like a AAA Mission Impossible or James Bond game.

[@dejureclaims8214]

This game and VTM: Bloodlines are my secret shames; I've installed them both about five times, spent hours modding and tweaking away features like the terrible FOV, played for a few hours, and then uninstalled. Maybe I'll give an OP stealth run a go now that I've seen this.

[@SpoopySquid]

This game really needs a reboot, or at least a spiritual successor

[@GiggleBlizzard]

I love this game, wish there were more games like it. An obsidian developed spiritual sequal would be cool, a james bond style spy-drama just for fun you know.

[@thrillainthemanilla1409]

Loved the video. In terms of your thing about subscribers I think you should do more titles like you’ve done in the past that are a little more clickbaitish. Such as is “Blank really that GOOD?” And things like that. Also reviewing popular games would help. I guarantee if you did a DS3 or Bloodborne critique rn it would pull massive numbers. Also upcoming big games like Elden Ring. I think Dragon age Inquisition could pull some number too considering how you’re mass effect vids did. I’ve been a subscriber of yours for a long time so I can tell the lesser known games don’t pull as much I would base your next review off of the search data in KZbin and get big that way and then once you’re comfortable with the number of subscribers, then you can do the lesser known games. Thanks for the content man always appreciated

[@BlarGames]

We need more spy games that focus on tense dialogue and not blowing your cover these days..or just any. I love Metal Gear and James Bond, don't get me wrong, but it would be nice to see more games try to depict what real-life espionage is all about, even if that means less shooting or crouching behind low walls..

[@raresmacovei8382]

24:40 Chris Davis is a lawyer. That's an unexpected KZbinr character development

[@lioneart19]

Alpha Protocol has a great concept. It really needs a sequel or spiritual successor to achieve what it tried to do!

[@stinkbanana2522]

I really hope this game gets internet infamous so we get a remake/sequel

[@vrapbrap]

The first time I picked this up, I played it for an hour and thought "what an awful game never touching this again" Until I had no internet for a while and this was just staring at me in my library, mocking me. Turned out to be a pretty good time. Frustrating, janky but oddly fun.

[@Caspenar]

Before watching video I can say that I am so happy someone else remember this gem. It was completely overshadowed by the first Mass Effect, but I loved it anyway. And I LOVED the dialogue and dossier system. I wish more games had similar amounts of choice/conseqence as well. If only it was more polished it could've been a whole franchise able rival the Bioware's Sci-fi trilogy

[@TylerJBrown192]

The comparison at the end between AP and Deus Ex: IW is pretty much perfect, IMO. Great job as always, Chris!

[@FreelancerB10]

28:31 gave me some serious "Word around the office.." vibes.

[@Rainbowhawk1993]

Perhaps a new game can be made which is a mixture of Deus Ex’s gameplay with Alpha Protocol’s dialogue and branching paths.

[@15awesomehighfive]

I accidentally scratched my first copy of AP. So I bought a second one. Lent it to a pal. Lost it to a pal. So I bought a third one. Second hand one. My 360 shone its red light. So I saved for months and bought another 360. Finally thought I'd get to play AP, but it got lost during a move. So after 3 years since I first bought the original, I rented another copy and played it. Still can't say if it was worth it. I did buy a fourth AP though. The only other games I bought so many times were Deus Ex and Mass Effect.

[@desotodesun3449]

I've beaten it 5 times and am very used to no kill hard runs but man if the boss fights aren't the worst in videogame history.

[@Jghost11]

My least and most favorite is the Brayko fight. Least because of how tanky he is and most favorite because of the music lol.

[@blakehansen5434]

I never played this game but the premise is so fascinating. I’d love a remake or a game made in a similar vein.

[@sebogothic]

I love Alpha Protocol. Especially the last mission that can be played in many different ways. You can become such a bastard by taking off the lovers first (Scarlett, Mina, SIE) and then tossing Leland an explosive and blowing him up when he thinks we're on his side. I can't find this ending anywhere on YT. I completed AP four times and completed the last mission about five times in the final pass. Even the ultimate opponent may be different. Defects? A bit annoying boss fights, especially Brayko. Shooting was bad too, so I was sneaking most of the time. However, I did not mind a certain simplicity of the individual levels. I'd like to see a sequel with better shooting and levels straight from the last Hitman.

[@creatorsfreedom6734]

If you Liked this Game Chris then you will probable Like , Project Snow Blind

[@tarouyamada2686]

The TPS/action aspect isn't great, but the dialog choices and dossier mechanics were IMO. Flipping people to your cause, just inciting bullshit, setting up and getting your payoff was super fun. Also, hitting Leland served no purpose at all, but was super satisfying, not gonna lie :D This was my first CRPG, followed by New Vegas, every other CRPG just pale in comparison IMO as far as choice and consequences go.

[@saadhasan2518]

I actually really like this game and it's one of my favourite RPGs due to its choice system which makes multiple playthroughs interesting, also some of the characters are really memorable like Marburg, SIE, Brayko etc. the stealth in this game when it works feels great and the pistol is really broken because when you have expert or master level chain shot it makes the boss fights really easy, the best weapon combo was easily the pistol and assault rifle, with my favourite mission hub being either Moscow or Taipei with Marburg boss fight in Rome being my favourite one, I played this on both Xbox 360 and PC and on controller the mini games were doable albeit tough on hard difficulty on both versions

[@Lemmiwings]

The spy genre is probably the only one, that isn't milked to death yet. Obsidian should really consider to have another go at it.

[@simondaniel4028]

This video and others you've done (cRPG Series in particular) is stellar. I'd be curious to know thoughts on Wasteland 3. Particularly enjoyed the Arcanum video. One of my favorite games but I'd not play it today. I always hoped old school Fallout would go open-source. Letting the fans put together something like the gzdoom of classic RPGs. Speed up that combat some along with a few interface tweaks and they're perfectly playable decade 202X.

[@Icepick614]

Love the vid Chris! Also I'm sure you have a backlog of games for videos but I would love if you had a Death Stranding video one day. Cheers and keep up the good work, I can't wait for the Divinity 2 vid 👍

[@steampunkerella]

the game is a joy to see all the permutations of things play out, i've played thru like 6 times

[@OmegaEnvych]

Just for your information. In the trailers they were showing Moscow Level and there they put (accidentally) instead of fire exit directions a meme that translates from Russian into: In case of fire Kill, Steal Fuck Geese Await for Honk in response. I'm not joking, this was hilarious

[@DungeonDiving]

Planning on doing Pathfinder Kingmaker?

[@amongstus4418]

Definitely hit the nail on the head of "This game is a complete disaster but it's a beautiful disaster"

[@SinaelDOverom]

IN CASE OF FIRE: KILL, STEAL FUCK GEESE WAIT FOR A DIAL TONE This is a real sign that was in the game at the time of release, it was in russian, apparently devs took a russian fire box sign off the internet, but couldnt distinguish it from a meme edit version since they don't have a single russian speaker on the team, so they took that instead.

[@nathanfries1520]

I love reviews like this because they really have to explore why we like things that are very flawed

[@RavenStorm332]

Alpha Protocol has the best dialogue system of any RPG but I think that Obsidian spent so much time on the dialogue system that the other systems suffered

[@KaoticReach1999]

Extremely underrated

[@theguyinthere]

thank you for not leaving KZbin man i really like these vids.

[@elreperoni]

Nice. Now I have something to do tonight! :D

[@SNOwyte]

This and Godfather II are two of the most underrated and unappreciated games of this time period

[@carlosthejakl8493]

Boiling point road to hell was my favourite bad game growing up

[@ghostwarrior3878]

I picked up this game from eBay 3 years ago for the PlayStation 3 and I actually really enjoyed my time with it The story while.... Cringe inducing it was, I still enjoyed it, and the characters u meet ( personally I liked Scarlet Lake).

[@CrimRui]

I dislike the gameplay but love the atmosphere and characters. The game felt like a best Bourne game with a story. Love the choices and conversation with characters. Some near the end had me on the edge of my seat.

[@JRYYD]

Hello Mr Davis I 10 out of 10 for your work so far, I quite liked your history of CRPG series primarily the Fallout parts of your work, will you be returning to the world of Fallout or TES at anypoint?

[@CyborgSodaCollects]

My friend and I have an inside joke about the crouch walk...it's a booty jump crouch.

[@Jghost11]

A year late but I love this game. I think if you are well versed in the combat mechanics and aren't too dumb in what you upgrade you could easily beat this game on hard. For example you only get to specialize in 3 things but you could easily choose Tech, Health, and Hacking and still get through the game just fine. Since the other abilities are still effective without being mastered. If that makes sense. In fact I actually like playing with Tech and Hacking skills because of how much extra money or gadgets you could get by using them. Brilliance or Brilliant (I forget its actual name) is the most overpowered ability in the game in my opinion because you can stack it with any other and reuse multiple before you need it again.

[@NakasDougen]

For me the most broken build in alpha protocol is specialising in health and melee combat. You just sprint around through a blizzard of bullets and beat everyone up . Looks absurd though

[@MrDumdumkilla]

Love this game. Even though it's frustrating af lmao the lockpickicking with the shoulder buttons 🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬 and the embassy mission

[@DeimosXVX]

Would love to see your take on Octopath Traveller and it's unusual RPG mechanics.

[@tommygun6866]

It has it's flaws, plenty of them, but MY GOD do I love this game!

[@cmleibenguth]

Story and decision structure sounds like more like advanced mass effect and proto Until Dawn. Hope they make a less buggy remake or sequel one day

[@marcosdheleno]

"broken but brilliant". there's a point when broken is just broken, and AP long passed that. no amount of good ideas can do anything. unless you get a massive mod overhaul. that's all there will ever be here.

[@solosword7958]

This and spec ops the line are on my to do list.

[@nietzchepreacher9477]

We miss you!

[@ThroughLidlessEye]

I’m the exact opposite, I can find things to enjoy in a bad game (or even just a game I don’t like) but watching bad TV and movies feels like a complete waste of time.

[@emirnazir362]

Pls come back

[@inurokuwarz]

I love this game and I will die defending it but uh, also, Wow I did not remember the graphics being *that* bad. I knew they were rudimentary but I think it speaks well to the visual design of the game that I remember liking everything I saw, even though it's heinous to actively look at it.

[@xxczerxx]

Choice in games is possibly my favorite thing about them, yet is so seldomly done with big budget titles . This is why Fallout New Vegas might be my favorite game ever....and guess who the dev team was for THAT game 😅

[@Bobo0451]

Super happy to see this video in my inbox

[@wowsnav]

I wouldn't even call this a bad game, it's just VERY consolized. I really wonder what this game would have been like if it was a PC exclusive with a bit more development time, especially since it had Josh Sawyer and Chris Avellone both working on it. I believe being forced to work within console limitations is what really made this game suffer.

[@LordSerion]

I liked this one. Played it as a stealth-specializing pacifist and aside from the hacking, I liked it a lot.

[@kevorka3281]

Playing it for the first time but dear lord it's hard to enjoy it on Hard when there's so many bugs and it's so damn clunky

[@silasjeffery4556]

Greater than the sum of its flaws.I love this game. 5:24

[@Ikcatcher]

The biggest twist here is finding out you’re a lawyer

[@Schabiq]

The making-of story makes me wonder whether Obsidian are just extremely poorly managed - the background of every single release of theirs is a horror story.

[@castrochris94]

Great video man. I hope making videos works out for you

[@OfficialAlienF]

Alpha Protocol is definably a really dirty hidden gem

[@mokajones74]

Did this game do deadeye bullet time before red dead?

[@MacOriginalGamer]

I agree that the game is flawed. I still love it for what it is. Obsidian is a criminally underrated developer. They have great ideas, and if a publisher let them loose to do what they wanted to do, they could, arguably, make the greatest game of all time. I noticed their brilliance in KOTOR II and F:NV, before even playing AP here. As flawed as AP is, I still enjoy it for the different choices you can make to reach different outcomes. I finished a play-thru the other day on my channel.

[@Laxhoop]

Shame you can’t get this anywhere, anymore.

[@GaboJ28]

Another great review that I would probably watch several times. Thanks for the content.

[@FirstnameLastname-my7bz]

This game is gold at least for the fact that you can score with ALL of those chicks at the same time. ALL OF THEM.