By John Walker on March 16th, 2009 at 7:29 pm.
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.
16/03/2009 at 19:35 Optimaximal says:
Wasn’t it Gorky Zero or something?
16/03/2009 at 19:38 Tomo says:
Hmm. Looks ok. Bit hard to believe it’s an RPG from that trailer though.
And I saw a lockpick minigame in there somewhere :/
16/03/2009 at 19:39 Pidesco says:
I’d like to point out that Chain Shot is just one of many special abilities, as opposed to the balance breaking VATS.
16/03/2009 at 19:42 Larington says:
Isn’t The Agency supposed to be modern day. Not that its been released yet (Besides, I’ve heard that its dice rolling not proper shooting, so I shan’t be bothering with that one). Reserving my judgement on this until more info leaks into the Internets.
Heh, being able to heal your character up from the inventory screen is far more balance breaking than VATS.
16/03/2009 at 19:51 tekDragon says:
Oh lord… they recycled the moronic lockpicking mini-game from Oblivion.
16/03/2009 at 19:56 O.DOGG says:
I’m really looking forward to this one. Hopefully SEGA will let the guys at Obsidian finish it before it’s released.
16/03/2009 at 19:59 John Walker says:
I thought about Gorky’s Zygotic Zero. I reviewed that for PC Format back in the day. And Aurora Watching, the sequel, for Gamer. Neither were RPGs, however. The were stealth action. Where neither the stealth, nor the action, worked. But they were Polish. I feel the need to reproduce the game features for GZ, as listed on the box:
“Different camera perspectives”
“Gameplay adjusts to the gamers (sic) needs and wants”
“Tactical stealth action at it’s (sic) best”
However, the prize for best box boast still goes to one of my favourite games ever, Legacy: Dark Shadows. It not only quotes positive review lines from Just Adventure forum posts, but in the features list, below “Non-linear dialogues”, lies:
“No aliens, no time travel”
Er, I went off topic a bit there.
16/03/2009 at 20:03 Dominic White says:
As snarky as folks might be about Obsidian not finishing their games, they get a free pass for KOTOR 2 at the very least. Midway through development, the publisher ended up cutting their deadline by six months, leaving them with a half-finished game with only time to develop a quarter of one.
It’s why there’s huge amounts of amputated content still lurking around in the data files. Whole planets, even! They spent most of their now-truncated development time trying to seal things off and make it actually playable, rather than the whole ‘finishing it’ they had budgeted for.
So long as they’re not forced into rushing Alpha Protocol, it could be very good.
16/03/2009 at 20:11 Mike says:
‘It will take more than guns!’
and there goes the hardcore Gear of War crowd…
16/03/2009 at 20:13 Meat Circus says:
This is just Planescape: Torment with guns. Meh.
16/03/2009 at 20:16 Nimdok says:
Cold Zero wasn’t very spy-ey, but it was a Polish, modern-day, and an Action RPG. In fact, aside from the Splinter Cell setting in this one it feels a lot like Cold Zero…
16/03/2009 at 20:25 Mad Doc MacRae says:
So if it takes more than guns, force, and technology, why does the trailer only show those things…
And wouldn’t a real spy focus on developing humint and data collection?
16/03/2009 at 20:27 Thants says:
There was Spycraft back in 1996. Although I guess it was more of an FMV/Series of mini-games kind of thing.
Man, I remember that game being awesome, although it seems like it’s probably aged badly.
16/03/2009 at 20:36 John Walker says:
Nope. I played Spycraft last year, and it’s still awesome.
16/03/2009 at 20:46 Garg says:
Obsidian strike me as a developer that will eventually make a truly great game; I really enjoyed NWN 2 and the first expansion, and KotOR 2 would have been more than just good too if it hadn’t been unfortunately curtailed. Here’s hoping that this is their great game.
16/03/2009 at 20:54 Hunam says:
Contrary to what Garg says above, I have a fear that this is going to be another Vampire: Bloodlines. That is to say, fantastic action rpg with an excellent story and fantastic characters, hidden behind broken game mechanics, dated techniques (take a look at the animation and ragdolls in AP, looks almost hitman 1) leaving an unfinished game that will take the developer down with it, eventually the fans will pick up the slack and joy will be had.
I hope to god that doesn’t happen, Obsidian are my Favourite Development House in the World™ but I just can’t shake the feeling. If they don’t push the ‘Modern day Mass Effect’ PR steamroller they might just disappear.
Also, I want them to make more D&D stuff. Maybe even resurrect the Planescape setting. Eberron is for losers.
16/03/2009 at 20:59 chris hyde says:
That was so boring I couldn’t even make it to the end of the trailer.
16/03/2009 at 21:07 Stijn says:
Isn’t Alexander Brandon in charge of Obsidian’s sound department? Alexander “Deus Ex, Unreal Tournament, Jazz Jackrabbit 2″ Brandon?
Well at least the music will be good then.
16/03/2009 at 21:15 Hunam says:
It’s about time they hired some programmers worth their salt in my opinion.
16/03/2009 at 21:22 LionsPhil says:
“Oh lord… they recycled the moronic lockpicking mini-game from Oblivion.”
Yup, another “bah” about that from here. Horrid little thing. *tink* *tink* *tink-SNAP* *violent murders…and in the game!*
16/03/2009 at 21:22 roBurky says:
Huh. This actually looks interesting. I’m sure I’ve seen RPS mention this before, but I skipped over it because of the very generic name.
16/03/2009 at 21:27 Andrew Dunn says:
It is a very generic name. It’s like an airport novel title.
16/03/2009 at 21:36 ...hmm... says:
generic music too :(
and also: “every decision could be your last”
… no quicksave?
16/03/2009 at 21:38 Svengali says:
> This is just Planescape: Torment with guns. Meh.
What does that even mean? You get a floating skull that dispenses wisecracks, personal history, *and* ammo?
16/03/2009 at 21:42 Jeremy says:
Yeah, I’m not going to buy this game because the lockpicking sucks.
16/03/2009 at 22:01 Dorian Cornelius Jasper says:
@Svengali:
I assumed he was making meta-snark.
16/03/2009 at 22:01 Hermit says:
> Svengali
Yes, only the skull is also diamond-studded and on the run from a crazed, heavily armed rap artist.
16/03/2009 at 22:01 wvanh says:
I think they could use a new cinematics director/editor.
“It will take more than guns” followed by 30 seconds of shooting everything that moves.
“It will take more than force” followed by 30 seconds of forcing fists and feet into people.
Doesn’t really give me the impression it will.
16/03/2009 at 22:08 Svengali says:
@Dorian:
That makes sense. Blame my assumption to the contrary on having read the WoW forums. Ever.
@Hermit
As long as the skull uses the word “bitches” regularly.
16/03/2009 at 22:20 Panther says:
Dan Brown: Alpha Protocol?
Mini-games?
Wierd mass-effect conversation model?
Action-based twitch gameplay?
Gee… sounds just like the RPG I always dreamed of…
16/03/2009 at 22:36 Alex says:
Is there a way to actually buy Planescape: Torment at the moment that doesn’t involve eBay and spending more money than a new console release?
16/03/2009 at 22:45 Pags says:
Careful, Damien Hirst has sued for less.
I hope that I can get through this game without firing a single shot or karate-chopping a single baddy. That’d make it a real Avellone game imo.
16/03/2009 at 22:46 Kanamit says:
Subscribe to Gametap. Not really buying, but it’s the only legal way to get it without paying a lot of money. And it doesn’t have mod support, so you can’t use the community bugfixes.
16/03/2009 at 22:56 Tworak says:
I dunno, could be cool. I really really really don’t like all the brown, though. Jesus christ.
16/03/2009 at 23:20 Lukasz says:
Just pirate Planescape and the first moment you can buy it, do so.
nobody loses, everybody wins.
16/03/2009 at 23:39 Adventurous Putty says:
I love Obsidian for KOTOR II, broken gem that it is, so I have faith that Avellone will pull something sexy out of his ass for the story that puts the rest of the RPG devs to shame.
Hm, that didn’t sound quite right.
17/03/2009 at 00:14 SanguineLobster says:
Hmm, I think a company could make a game about spies that focused on information control, maybe setting it before the internet to avoid all that hacking nonsense.
Oooh, that could be a good multiplayer game, everyone plays a spy in an autocratic society and the goal of the game is to get all of the other players arrested and killed for knowing too much.
17/03/2009 at 00:17 Wulf says:
Obsidan: One of the last bastions of intelligent games. Strong characters, complex storylines, keep-your-damn-steroids-thank-you-all-the-same. I’m surprised no one mentioned that, really.
Some of their work has been stimulating, and even moving (in the case of Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer), and I personally find it easier to tolerate an average game with a better World filled with vibrant characters rather than a fantastic game filled centered around a plot written by someone on a napkin and acted out by drama school rejects (most of the mainstream these days, sadly).
But that’s just my take on it. You go, Obsidian. I just hope this isn’t the last game due to, y’know, the buying trends of the masses.
17/03/2009 at 00:18 hoof says:
I sort of feel the same about this as I did about that Bioware Sonic game – studio I love doing game that has very little appeal for me. Is it true that their Alien rpg is canned? I was much more interested in that than in generic action spy rpg…
17/03/2009 at 00:33 Conquests says:
chris hyde> agreed, it was painful for its consoleness cinema crap, but right in the end there’s the only positive element… they wrote “your best weapon is choice”
it sounds like some a mockery but not sure to whom.
17/03/2009 at 01:10 Thiefsie says:
larf at the matrix rip off music.
Unfortunately as much as I want to like this game, it reeks of GENERIC all over. Graphics, premise, name, music, etc.
I might give it a chance being that it is obsidian… but still.
17/03/2009 at 04:19 Daniel says:
MCA is writing it.
That is all.
17/03/2009 at 06:45 Al3xand3r says:
First modern/sci-fi RPG? Um, Deus Ex?
17/03/2009 at 06:49 Al3xand3r says:
Also, lol @ having the exact same lockpick as Oblivion like someone else said. It’s merely mirrored lol.
But I can see myself liking this, I don’t mind the generic look, there’s only so much you can do with “real world” style stuff. As long as the story is actually good and they do have a lot of choices to make that affect the course of the plot, since that’s the only RPG aspect they keep hyping it better be good.
17/03/2009 at 07:10 Bobsy says:
@Al3xand3r: First modern SPY rpg. But I still think Deus Ex counts. Ho hum
On “every desicion could be your last: does that mean it’s very hard then? Gah.
And the music: I thought we stopped ripping off Clubbed To Death years ago. I’m naive.
17/03/2009 at 08:18 mister slim says:
Deus Ex isn’t really set in modern-day, though I suppose that will eventually be true.
17/03/2009 at 09:56 PC Monster says:
Showing a healthy degree of promise: me like.
17/03/2009 at 09:58 Ian says:
As long as Nocturnal turns up and lets us get by Oblivion’s lockpicking game with Oblivion’s Skeleton Key it’ll be fine.
Or the ability to explode doors open.
Or just steal the key.
Or something.
17/03/2009 at 10:26 skalpadda says:
This really didn’t catch my interest at first, but then thinking of the writing in KotOR2 and given the setting, this has the potential for some pretty interesting and, if you choose it, controversial story telling.
I couldn’t care less about combat or graphics in a story driven RPG, so it’s a bit disappointing that the trailer doesn’t show anything else. And indeed, groans aplenty at the Oblivion lock picking and the music. Give us juicy RPG goodness instead :)
17/03/2009 at 11:03 John Walker says:
Al3xand3r – Unless they’ve been keeping the cybernetically augmented humans a secret, I’d suggest DX isn’t set in the modern day.
17/03/2009 at 11:05 Rei Onryou says:
“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.
17/03/2009 at 12:30 phil says:
@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.
17/03/2009 at 12:42 drewski says:
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.
17/03/2009 at 12:44 The Sombrero Kid says:
looks brillsupertasticelent
17/03/2009 at 12:45 PC Monster says:
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!
17/03/2009 at 13:53 Jockie says:
“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.
17/03/2009 at 14:14 Rei Onryou says:
Drewski – You make a fair argument. I shall enjoy a bag of popcorn while playing.
17/03/2009 at 14:32 dhex says:
i figure it’s obsidian, how bad can it possibly be?
17/03/2009 at 15:24 Jeremy says:
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.
17/03/2009 at 19:44 Erlam says:
“i figure it’s obsidian, how bad can it possibly be?”
Oblivion comes to mind.
17/03/2009 at 19:55 pkt-zer0 says:
“Oblivion comes to mind.”
Huhwhat? Obsidian had nothing to do with Oblivion.
NWN2, on the other hand…
17/03/2009 at 21:43 BeamSplashX says:
That music sounded an awful lot like “Clubbed to Death”…
18/03/2009 at 04:08 perilisk says:
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.
18/03/2009 at 07:17 Matzerath says:
“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?
18/03/2009 at 08:08 BigRocks McHugenuts says:
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.
18/03/2009 at 10:29 Bobsy says:
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.