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.
The combat indicates it could even be real-time shooting, but of course it won’t be so simple. There’s something called “chain shot”, which lets you enter a slo-mo mode, setting up your attacks, sounding similar to Fallout 3’s VATS system. And more importantly, this won’t be a game of running around and shooting at men. Unless, I guess, you choose to play it that way. The hints given so far suggest a Deus Exian approach to encounters, with each mission completable in numerous ways, partly based on taste, and partly based on how you’ve levelled and tailored your character. There’s also apparently going to be sizeable downtime, between missions. You can head back to your pad, chat with friends via your computer, watch the news to catch up on your exploits. Oh, and there’s going to be some chatting.
Being an Avellone/Urquhart game, dialogue is going to play an enormous role. Conversations will allow you to chose your response, and thus your personality, using the Dialogue Stance System. It seems that in Alpha Protocol you won’t be given the usual luxury of weighing up your choices for too long – there’s a timer forcing you to pick quickly, in the pace of natural conversation. There’s a few more details in the dev commentary video we showed you last November.
However, none of this is shown below, which focuses purely on action. The trailer claims it is the first modern-day spy RPG. There has to be an obscure Polish game that beat it in 2002 or something – first person to think of one wins an imaginary prize. Do enjoy.
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“It will take more than guns.”
*cue shitloads of guns*
Actually, I think there were enough guns on show to get the job done. For a Spy RPG, it didn’t seem very spy-y. I hope I’m wrong though, but I’d think for a spy game, you’d be better off going in a Thief/Splinter Cell/Hitman direction than an action-filled direction. Would you rather take out guards to reach your goal, or steal a uniform and infiltrate under their noses. It may just be me, but I’d prefer the “My name’s Garrett and I’m just one man that’s not too tough, I need to be careful” approach to the “Bond. James Bond *explosion*” approach.
@John Walker – Cyborg wise we’re very nearly at Deux Ex levels on the mechcanical side of the things; e.g.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0_mLumx-6Y&NR=1
We just need a reliable neuro-interface, but as providing brain tissues grafts on silcone work out, that could be very near future.
That said, the office security guard at my office is a balding essex boy called Steve rather than a robot spider, so your point on DX still stands.
Rei – I think Obsidian are chasing mainstream RPG success. Whilst a sneak-and-spy would appeal to those of us that loved Thief, it’s not going to appeal to your Gears of Killzone: Halo Fallout knuckleheads like a Bond vs Bourne vs Bauer action-em-up. And Obsidian have never pretended otherwise, to be fair – they’re not pretending this isn’t an action spy game, heavy on the popcorn.
Avellone’s been quietly making his games more “accessible” since Torment, from increasing the combat focus to making the newb game far more immediate to seriously shredding the dialogue. Fortunately even a less complex Avellone game is still great, but I think he’s made his opus and now he’s trying to, y’know, make a living.
looks brillsupertasticelent
Ours is a moustachio’d man callled John, who you don’t want to get on the wrong side of for reasons of colossal priggishness.
Security Guard fight!
“Great western RPGs have consisted of moments where the narrative changes based on the motivation of the characters. We want to place these moments throughout the game and not at one point. Generally speaking, there is usually a good and evil path for the player to take, which follow very similar stories. We are using a more complex variant on that system, based on relationships. Your relationships can change based on how you have come across characters in the past. What missions you choose to do first, as well as the choices you make, will change the story and state of the world”
That quote from Tim Ernst one of the producers is what has me interested in the game regardless of the actionariffic trailer. I think it was in some discussion about Alecs recent playtest of Kotor where obsidians focus on relationships as roleplaying came up. It sounds to me as though theyre trying to push that to the forefront of the story. Which sounds good to me, as long as the action and other gameplay mechanics don’t totally suck. Oh and as long as the bloody thing is actually finished when they release it.
Drewski – You make a fair argument. I shall enjoy a bag of popcorn while playing.
i figure it’s obsidian, how bad can it possibly be?
I don’t think action is going to take away from this game’s quality, and it doesn’t mean it’s going to be a “dumb” game either. Also, I watched that video, and it doesn’t seem like there are that many guns in the game, it is definitely not FarCry. It showed more hand to hand combat than guns. Regardless, I think I will enjoy the game, it seems like a pretty cool idea and has the potential to be great stuff. I loved the Bourne series and having a game similar to that style of spy-ness sounds pretty great to me.
“i figure it’s obsidian, how bad can it possibly be?”
Oblivion comes to mind.
“Oblivion comes to mind.”
Huhwhat? Obsidian had nothing to do with Oblivion.
NWN2, on the other hand…
That music sounded an awful lot like “Clubbed to Death”…
Like their paraspawn Troika, Obsidian has really some great ideas hidden by crap implementation. I don’t know if it’s mismanagement or bad luck or only knowing the same pool of crappy programmers or what. I know that Lucasarts being soulless corporate stereotypes helped in ruining KOTOR2, and NWN2 (like its predecessor) just felt clunky, in no small part due to the D&D ruleset implementation — I usually felt like the combat was getting in my way of having fun, rather than being the source of it.
I almost wish Obsidian just basically subcontracted out as a story/theme/character design team. There are quite a few development houses that can put together a solid engine with decent gameplay mechanics and level design, but very few developers can put together the narrative like Avellone and crew.
“The first modern-day spy RPG.”
Couldn’t you apply that label EVERY DAY and have it be accurate? And the longer it takes to be released — does that make the claim less valid?
It’d be quite a stretch to label DX as a “modern-day spy” game.
Anyway, I loves me some DX, Thief, Hitman, Splinter Cell, so this looks to be right up my proverbial alley.
I’m calling Deus Ex “modern-day” in terms of aesthetic, rather than literally. It was very much the pre-9/11 world brought to life, government paranoia and all. Then they added robots and sunglasses because it was FRIGGING AWESOME.