The rumor mill is stirring yet again, and this time Mass Effect is in the mix. According to a recent job posting at the Electronic Arts website, BioWare is currently on the hunt for a new Multiplayer Programmer to “take existing single player user experiences and make them multiplayer safe”. What this means to their existing franchises are unclear, but tons of speculation is looking towards the possibility of Mass Effect 3 going the multiplayer route.

When thinking about combining the action role-playing and stealth genres, one might think “wow, that sounds like a great idea!” and of course they’d be right. But they also might get a bit ahead of themselves and think about guys such as Sam Fisher, Jason Bourne, or even James Bond and start to contemplate how bad-ass they’d be in that fantasy of naivety.

Well, Alpha Protocol combines the action role-playing and stealth genres, but not in the way you might think. In this game you are not a Sam Fisher clone nor are you a bad-ass. At least not right away. Some people may tend to forget about the whole “role-playing” aspect and ignore the fact that it takes work to become the ultimate killing machine. Along with that, there will also be some very important choices to be made.

Not simply the choice between good and evil like the majority of role-playing games, but the kind of decisions that tend to blur the lines and truly test the human condition. These choices become very prevalent within each dialogue sequence. They are presented in such a quick fashion that they should be considered more of an on-the-fly judgment aside from anything else. The “Dynamic Stance System” as it’s properly named, keeps the conversations in real time and you only have a moment to think before you act.

Michael Thorton, kicking guys in the face in Asia…

Unlike the typical good, bad or neutral responses that most RPG games apply, these are more based on aggressive, professional or suave stances, which can all interchangeably be considered as good, bad or neutral responses given the context of a conversation. This dialogue system is an amazing way to keep the pace of a deeply enthralling story and what you ultimately decide to do with these snap judgments can lead to a multitude of outcomes in the world of Alpha Protocol. Multiple endings, branching plot points, or even missing out entirely on meeting important characters are just the tip of the iceberg.

The cast of characters in Alpha Protocol is very well represented with their eclectic and captivating vocal performances. Everything from a promiscuous, yet deadly, German mercenary to the almost stereotypical Russian tank of a boxer (think Dolph Lundgren in Rocky IV) it seems as though they have all the bases covered. Nolan North even makes an appearance as a borderline psychotic CIA agent who apparently can’t find his keys.  The soundtrack itself leaves a little something to be desired, but other than that the audio in general is fairly average at best.

The first major decision you’ll be making when you begin the game is concerning your main character’s background. Much like in the way of Mass Effect, you begin by choosing a military history of sorts for the story’s protagonist Michael Thorton. You’re given the task of becoming a Soldier, Field Agent, Tech Specialist, Freelancer, or Recruit. All backgrounds start out with pre-selected skill sets with the exception of the Freelancer and Recruit classes, who both begin with a blank slate.

…and obscure office corridors

The difference between these last two character classes is that the Freelancer receives 31 Advancement Points (AP) to do with as you please while the Recruit begins the game with nothing but alternative dialogue options during your training, which can also greatly affect the game’s final outcome. The Recruit class is a much more difficult path to begin with, but if completed it unlocks the ability to begin a playthrough as the Veteran class. This particular class starts agent Thorton off with additional dialogue as well as three tiers on every skill equaling a total of 120 AP points.

AP points are awarded to you once you earn enough experience points by completing specific objectives during your missions throughout the campaign. It is something to note that not all of these pre-selected skill points are locked in place within each character class at the start of your playthrough. You can essentially remove all skill points from any given class at the start if you have the desire to fully customize your agent to suit your needs.

When you get into the game itself one of the first things you notice is how the cover system works. Initially it may seem like a pretty decent cover-to-cover system that’s comparable to any other game that uses the Unreal Engine, but unfortunately it seems that a few basic fundamentals were left high and dry. There is no way to vault over small bits of cover. This can be forgivable as it’s not always needed in terms of gameplay, but the major disappointment comes from the fact that some doorway entrances won’t allow you to properly snap to cover. It can lead to a disturbing amount of frustration for someone who is trying to go for a more stealthy approach, considering early in the game your stealth skill is more towards the shallow end of the pool.

Unfortunately the combat system isn’t very cohesive even for RPG standards

The shooter aspect is also a bit on the frustrating side if you aren’t able to invest enough AP points early on. But even so, it doesn’t feel all that well executed to begin with seeing as just because you aim your target reticule at someone, it doesn’t mean you’ll actually hit your mark. Each weapon has its own statistical rating of Damage, Accuracy, Recoil, and Stability and it feels almost impossible to find a weapon proficient enough to be accurate in the middle of a long range firefight. You can always go for a “critical” shot by holding aim on a target for a certain period of time, but you never really get the chance unless you sneak up on an enemy and continue on unseen.

Technically the game has a few drawbacks with its random frame rate issues and the ability to see through walls while crouched in cover. It’s nothing that ever really breaks the game in any significant way, but it’s definitely noticeable. The enemy AI also has its problem of getting stuck within pieces of the environment and the fact that they’re just kind of dumb doesn’t help the situation much either. If a battle with multiple enemies occurs, they’ll typically run around aimlessly and barely bother to find cover. When they do that’s usually when they’ll get stuck. Not to mention the “brawler” type of AI that will not even take a shot at you with his gun, but instead charge you head on like a bull ducking and weaving until you finally land a shot and kill him.

Ultimately after all that’s “technically” wrong with the game it still boils down to how fun the game really is. Alpha Protocol is certainly an entertaining and uniquely deep experience once you understand how important the setup is and how carefully you need to craft your own agent Thorton. With every decision you make you’ll be left hoping that you won’t regret those actions later, and it’s that facet that will keep you more and more involved as the story progresses. In the world of espionage there is always a choice to be made. So let’s hope you make the right one.

The long awaited Obsidian RPG Alpha Protocol has finally reached the end of production by announcing today that the game has gone gold. For those of you unfamiliar with the term: a game that is “gold” means that development is over and the only thing left to do is for DVD boxes to be made, and DVDs to be pressed. In other words, there won’t be another delay this time. You know what’s a perfect way to celebrate this news? Watching the new vignette dedicated to the main character:

For a franchise with only one game under its belt, BioWare has successfully ensured that the Mass Effect universe will continue to have as much depth and complexity as ever.  Compared to its predecessor, Mass Effect 2 stands confident as a vastly improved-upon action role-playing game. The presentation of its engaging cinematics, graphics, sound and dialogue sequences, all lend themselves to the game’s polished sheen. Of course, the game isn’t perfect and with only a few missteps it certainly comes pretty damn close.

Taking place shortly after the events of the original Mass Effect, Commander Shepard and his crew are now en route to seek out and destroy any additional geth forces. From the beginning it is noticeable that the game is bleaker in tone and the following events only pursue further down that path. The plot in Mass Effect 2 – in essence – is a suicide mission and not even the hero is safe from what could inevitably be his demise. Also, since the choices you make in conversation could lead to this end result, BioWare has upped the stakes with a new feature to their dialogue system.

Conversations now have an interrupt component in place that will allow you to break up a cutscene with either a renegade or paragon action. This new characteristic takes the scene to a whole new level of fluidity and keeps the feel of the game right where it needs to be. Fast paced and emotionally driven. The voice acting only adds to these sequences and, on a whole, have greatly revitalized what was an epic tale from the start.

The characters in Mass Effect 2 only add to the capacity of the game and, with a combination of faces old and new, you will be gathering ten companions to journey along on your quest to save the galaxy. Granted, some of the crew you obtain throughout the game will be a bit more interesting than others but all will encompass a deeper back-story that will allow you to gain their trust for the mission ahead. Not only will acquiring their trust help you in the long run, but it will also grant you access to an extra ability that each character has available once you complete their given side mission. These side missions are far more interesting and along the lines of the main story when it comes to their presentation and, with that being said, it’s hard to look at them as just side missions. The only thing that makes them so is that fact that they’re optional.

It’s obvious to those who played the first Mass Effect that BioWare has taken into account the amount of criticism they received concerning their combat system. The AI squad mates aren’t anywhere near as inept as they were the first time around. No more charging head on into the line of fire where death surely awaits. Now, more often than not, your crew has enough sense to take cover when coming under fire. However, I did have the occasional problem of this nightmare reoccurring when a squad mate was equipped with a shotgun and couldn’t help but be out of range. A slight oversight that could have been fixed by allowing your squad mates to switch to a more appropriate weapon if needed. Or better yet, by not omitting the squad command to take to the nearest form of cover.

With that being considered, the squad controls have been greatly improved and you can now control the position of each member individually. This greatly improves your strategic performance throughout the game as it gives you a broader range on the battlefield to direct your attacks. One other downside I observed was that the button mapping for the squad didn’t feel as sensitive as I was used to. I found myself having to press the d-pad multiple times in order for them to rally back at my position or to shoot out a quick biotic attack. Be that as it may, this is just a nit-pick and may not be the case for everyone.

The cover system was also very carefully refined. No more running up and hoping that you snap to cover in time before the bullets start flying. This time there is actually a button press involved and it is much more akin to the Gears of War style cover mechanics. However, there are a few aspects that seem to have been overlooked in the process. Case in point; there is no way to crouch. Since combat in this game is a bit more tactical, it would have been nice to maintain just out of reach while trying to flank enemies. Especially considering the higher difficulty settings where these kinds of strategies play a huge role. There is also no blind-fire which seems like it would have been an obvious augmentation from the first game but, alas, it is nowhere to be found.

BioWare has made it a key point to their development process, to take into consideration what fans of their games are saying. While Mass Effect 2 corrected some of the problems that people had with Mass Effect 1, there were still some who had complaints with the game.

Mass Effect 2’s project director, Casey Hudson, demoed a bit of a newly announced DLC entitled “Kasumi’s Stolen Memory” at GDC yesterday. The new content features a brand new recruit — a space rogue — named Kasumi who has a penchant for collecting rare artifacts.

In a recent interview with MTV, Casey Hudson stated that “Obviously we have a tremendous amount of interest from people in Hollywood to make a major motion picture about Mass Effect.” The project director of Mass Effect 2 also said “The most important thing for us is, we don’t just want to see a movie get made; we want to see a great movie get made, if it’s going to get done at all.”

No word on if it would follow Commander Shepards storyline, or if the film would just be in the Mass Effect universe. Either way, it will most likely be awesome.

-Via MTV Movie Blog-

Anticipation is rising for BioWare’s Xbox 360 exclusive, Mass Effect. With legendary titles such as Baldur’s Gate (the PC ones, not the subpar console games), Neverwinter Nights, and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic already in their repertoire, one couldn’t help but to expect the same detail poured into what is being considered “Game of the Year” in 2007. Mass Effect is planned to be the first entry in an epic trilogy for the Xbox 360. BioWare hopes to allow players to take their fully customizable hero and progress through all three games. If BioWare accomplishes this feature, it will truly become the “can’t miss” game of 2007.

It’s easy to think, that with a trilogy, the writers may in fact be spreading a storyline too thin and a single game’s content could be minimal to accommodate three game’s worth of material. That’s far from the truth with Mass Effect. In fact, the creators designed the first game as a self-contained journey conclusive with a definitive ending to itself. Even after a player fulfills the main quest, they may continue their adventure by exploring the universe and completing any available side quests. BioWare does plan on releasing downloadable content through Xbox Live allowing players to further their gaming experience.

The year is 2183, the human race has only recently become part of the space-traveling galactic civilization, and you are Commander Shepard, the first human Spectre. A Spectre is a sort of Special Forces rank that is responsible for the most significant and difficult missions throughout the galaxy. As a seasoned Veteran, Shepard is authorized, by any and all means possible, to get the job done. Depending on what choices you make, or how you want to play the game, Mass Effect will ultimately require the player to make sacrifices as people’s lives hang on every decision.

Harnessing the power of Unreal 3’s Game Engine leaves little limitations to Mass Effect’s revolutionary conversation system. Unlike the pretentious marionettes of previous games, the conversations seem more like a cut scene rather than a random chat with an NPC. BioWare is focusing on dynamic camera angles, tone of voices, and emotions instead of specifically scripted lines to keep the game fresh and exciting. For example, if you were to walk away from a conversation, the NPC would become upset and likely treat you different the next time you interacted.

BioWare is allowing players the ability to travel from a number of different planets. Throughout your travels, you’ll be running into resistance, both on the ground and in the air. Confrontations occur in real-time squad-based action that will be used as problems arise. The player can choose to pause the action and control each member’s set path, target, and action to be performed for each member of the squad. If this is too slow or overwhelming for particular users, the game’s AI can accommodate nicely to the user’s needs. Also, a player can take control of another squad member to try and better control the fight.

The Outlook:

BioWare promises a grand adventure for their new epic series and seems to be on target for a prompt delivery. The developers have not said exactly when that delivery will be, but they have said many times the wish to have it out no later than first quarter of 2007. The game will encompass many customizable features to appeal to all types of gamers. BioWare has not made any hints towards a multiplayer feature for Mass Effect. The main quest will take roughly 25 hours for the typical gamer to complete, excluding time for any of the plentiful side quests that a player can embark upon along the way. The amount of content, gorgeous animations, distinguishable locations, and the extensive story behind the game will allow players to receive the most from their investment.