Obsidian Entertainment, the studio who created Knights of the Old Republic 2, haven't really been heard from in a while. There was the news over a year ago that they were working on an Aliens RPG, but while the Aliens FPS has been seen, the RPG has been nowhere to be found. With their current project still totally under wraps, Obsidian announced via Game Informer a wholly new project, Alpha Protocol. An action RPG based on stories and characters like James Bond, Jack Bauer, and Jason Bourne, Alpha Protocol's gameplay is similar to Mass Effect and Uncharted, with the focus being on stealth, guns, and gadgets, but giving you the ability to use fists and feet if necessary. What makes this one interesting is your position as a young spy who must perform missions, gather information, and travel the world. Now, as long as Obsidian can handle the concurrent development cycles, this new game could be really good (and if they're allowed to finish this time, unlike KOTOR II). A collection of quick impressions after the break.
[Via NeoGAF]
-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.
