Game Informer April Issue Info, Reviews and more

Alpha Protocol

(1 player action/RPG)

Developer: Obsidian Entertainment
Platform: PS3/360/PC
Publisher: Sega
Release: Spring 2009

"A modern day espionage focused action/RPG that takes you on a suspenseful ride in the vein of James Bond, Jack Bauer, and Jason Bourne. Take a wet-behind-the-ears greenhorn agent up through the ranks to become a bona-fide super spy."

-Main character is Michael Thorton, a fully trained but inexperienced young operative who has the world turned upside down when a mission goes wrong.

-Title "Alpha Protocol" is a phrase that is used when operatives go underground to work off the grid. Usually reserved for senior agents.

-Battle system is similar to Mass Effect but have more in common with Uncharted. It revolves around real time combat with an emphasis on gun play and high tech gadgets.

-Third person perspective, action orientated gameplay

-Close quarters combat can be a last resort or primary method of fighting depending on how you spend skill points you have earned.

-Skill system is based most closely on Fallout. It's classless, you have 10 skills and 10 ranks in each skill. Skills don't simply improve things like accuracy, they improve the way your character will perceive situations.

-The game will suit all play styles from the run and gunner to the stealth assassin.

-Extremely in depth dialog system that is a mix of Mass Effect and Indigo Prophecy. Once conversations happen, that's it, no revisiting the NPC to try to talk again and again. System is named the Dialog Stance System. You dictate your characters tone in a conversation by pressing a corresponding face button. Options can be cool and suave others can be brash/impatient.

-You can have multiple active missions in different countries and travel freely between them.

-Lots of girls and romance subplots. You'll meet tons of different girls on missions and yes you can bag them all.

-Current control scheme for selecting powers and weapons is similar to Bioshock.



Other items of interest in the April Issue

Guitar Hero Aerosmith

Final Fantasy A2: Grimoire of the RIft confirmed for release in NA this summer
PREVIEWS:

Saint's Row 2
Prototype
GTA4
The Bourne Conspiracy
Battle of the Bands
This is Vegas
Spore
Stargate Worlds
The World Ends With You
Boom Blox
Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
The Incredible Hulk

REVIEWS: (SO = Second Opinion)

Rainbow Six Vegas 2: 9.25 (SO: 9.5)
Army of Two: 7.5 (SO: 6.75)
MLB 2K8: 8.5 (SO: 8)
Condemned 2: Bloodshot: 8.75 (SO: 8.75)
Frontlines: Fuel of War: 7.25 (SO: 7.75)
Turning Point: Fall of Liberty: 3 (SO: 3.5)
Conflict: Denied Ops: 5.75 (SO: 6)
Bully SE: 8.5 (SO: 8.5)
Lost: Via Domus: 6.75 (SO: 7.25)
Twisted Metal: Head On Extra Twisted Edition: 7.25 (SO: 8)
Lost Odyssey: 8.5 (SO: 8.75)
Dark Messiah of Might and Magic: Elements: 8 (SO: 8.25)
Sins of a Solar Empire (PC GOTM): 9 (SO: 9)
Super Smash Bros. Brawl (GOTM): 9.5 (SO: 9.5)
Opoona: 5.5 (SO: 5)
Final Fantasy VII CC: 7.25 (SO: 7)
Professor Layton and the Curious Village: 7.5 (SO: 8.75)
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: RoF: 6 (SO: 7)
Assassin's Creed: Altair's Chronicles: 6 (SO: 5)

Loose Talk:

Xbox Live 2.0?

Talks about the recent job posting for a program manager.

Bionic Terminator.

Rumored that next gen Bionic Commando developer Grin is getting started on the next Terminator video game project.

What Else is EA Planning? A Console?

Speculates that EA may enter the console arena in 2010. They're waiting to see if PS3 sales pick up first.