Sega has confirmed that there will be no sequel for Alpha Protocol, crushed by slow sales and middling reviews. Because yes, reviews actually have a strong influence on sales.
I didn't want this to happen. The game is very good, but for some reason American reviewers really hated it, specially a short-sighted idiot from Destructoid with a taste for self-promotion (with features like "Jimpressions", "the Jimquisition", and probably something called "Jimbecility" in the near future) who was so off-the-mark as Tom Chick was when he "reviewed" Deus Ex ten years ago in a perfect storm of cluelessness. According to Chick, Deux Ex was a "cliché-riddled game" with "an uninteresting story", "generic soundtrack" (wait, what?!), and "isn't all bad, though; I'd say it's only 90% bad". Amazing words for what is now considered one of the best games in history (or even the best, period).
Now Alpha Protocol is getting the bad rap, even if a lot of people is really enjoying the game. This reminds me of what's been happening to M. Night Shyamalan for the last few years. All of his new movies have been torn to pieces by critics, and the last one is no exception. The Last Airbender has at this point a pitiful 8% at Rotten Tomatoes, which means 92% of the American critics hated it.
But the thing is, a lot of people went to see The Last Airbender. After earning $40 million during its first weekend, it's not a disaster. So Shyamalan's planned trilogy could very well happen, if word of mouth is good and people keep going to watch it.
It didn't go that way for Alpha Protocol. European reviews were usually kinder, and I was even considering to buy the PS3 version (I originally bought it for PC) to support Obsidian's effort. But now it's too late. I guess a future for RPGs with lots of choices is now crushed, as it was for Deus Ex, one of the few games with real significant choices. In the amazing coverage by RPS celebrating Ten Years of Deus Ex, some people express their disappointment because nobody followed the trail opened by it: "I just assumed that games were going to be like that in the future."
Alpha Protocol is truly one of the few games in which the player can actually shape the story in visibly different, complex ways, even changing your allies and foes and getting to fight different people as a consequence. Despite its few weaknesses (the actually decent combat system is hated by many), expect in a few years some articles wondering why this great game failed.
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Problem with Alpha Protocol is only a few people actually finished the game and even fewer played it at least twice (which is almost mandatory to actually realize how good it is). I'm aso pretty sure some "reviewers" didn't even get past Saudi Arabia.
ResponderEliminarBut then again, is their loss. I enjoyed the hell out of it.
PS: lo siento por no responder ayer vía Steam, estaba fuera.
If you play AP only once, you don't even realize how extensive is the influence of your input in the game. I agree with you: probably many American reviewers didn't even reach any of the endings.
ResponderEliminarIn a way, that is what happened to me when I checked this Alpha Protocol joke (in Spanish). I assumed that it was a Flash movie and I didn't pay attention to the dialogue options, so I didn't learn about the multiple endings until I read the comment you left there!
PS: Me lo imaginaba. Yo también suelo aparecer como "Online" sin darme cuenta cuando dejo bajando un juego y me voy a otra parte.
@Danda: that flash game is a little piece of art. Gamesajare is definitely one of the three best spanish videogame blogs.
ResponderEliminarAlso, after I give Mass Effect my third and last try (I started playing twice but gave it up) I will probably play Alpha Protocol again. I want the Heck's ending.
PS: you own more than 400 steam games! I thought I got a huge ammount of games with my 80+ list, but yours is just insane.
I agree! Gamesajare has some of the best original content in any Spanish video games blog, as I told one of its members a couple of days ago. I tried to help to carry some of that content into English a few days ago, but bad luck intervened :(
ResponderEliminarI'm completely crazy about video games, no joke. After giving up my True Love, music, I only have games and my family in my life at this point. I hope I find a more healthy hobby in the future.
I've read now probably hundreds of opinions about Alpha Protocol in blog comments and forums, and A LOT of people are actually convinced of Alpha Protocol's greatness. Also, a few hours ago I checked some videos with story excerpts like the amusing Michael Thorton, psychopath (clearly inspired by those "Shepard is such a jerk" videos) and a few different endings: you kill Leland, you join Leland, you leave Mina to die, you betray Mina and she hates you but you spare her... Lots of different options, all of them solid and avoiding that usual feeling you get sometimes when you realize, "oh, no, I got the bad ending". None of those STUPID American reviewers bothered to acknowledge the insane amount of work Obsidian must have done to make it all work.
@Danda: that "Michael Throton psycho" vid was just fucking awesome. I'm totally following that path on my next playthough.
ResponderEliminarAlso yes, I bet not a single reviewer who scored less than a 6 really finished the game more than once. Shame on them.