Sega actually confirms Alpha Protocol delay

I'm much more interested in this game than Mass Effect 2. not that ME2 won't be good, no no, it will be great. but this one appeals to me far more. it's the semi-real world aspect. like a Jason Bourne/ James Bond RPG. exciting, if they get it right.

Already done? An RPG? From Obsidian? That's a good one. *bursts out laughing*

First time playing an Obsidian-developed rpg I take it? Have a seat over here while I 'splain to ya how the world works.

Obsidian is more famous for making buggy games than they are for making RPGs... and RPGs are all they make. Well, RPGs full of game-breaking bugs. Every pushback of an Obsidian-developed title you can be sure occurred because they tried to ship it full of bugs, and the publisher (in this case, Sega) pushed back. Likely it's because it's a new franchise for Sega, a company not exactly known for quality themselves these days, and they don't want to kill it in the nest (which bad reviews because of massive bugs would surely do). I might be willing to put on one of those nice tin-foil hats you've got myself, except it's Obsidian we're talking about.

Now, on to the subject of "taking out features" to make DLC? I can safely assume you don't know the first thing about software development and possibly don't even know what "programming" is, correct? I ask because if you knew even a tiny, tiny bit about how software is produced, you would know that would be the least efficient, most ridiculous way to develop DLC. DLC is indeed sometimes planned form the start, but it's never a feature or content that was going to be in the game but then they decided it should be DLC instead... rather it's planned from the start to be DLC. You see, after a game first goes on sale, there is a 3-6 month sweet spot, give or take depending on the game/genre, where most people who bought the game are still playing it, or still interested enough that they'd be inclined to buy some DLC for it. So to make sure they hit that time-window with DLC, developers have to frequently begin DLC development long before the game itself actually ships. Sometimes before game development is even finished just to ensure it gets into the testing/certification pipeline in time to release in a timely manor.

That said, your tinfoil hat DOES look fetching on you!

I dunno about you, but I have no trouble with the thought of playing an RPG and an action game at the same time. And frankly, except for multiplayer Splinter Cell will be over in a flash if it's like the others in the franchise/follows the trend of modern games in general. If memory serves it's campaign isn't longer than 10 hours... I figure 4 playthroughs max to get everything spot-on perfect, which leaves plenty of time for Alpha Protocol! ;)

no, i feel the same. I can certainly play those 2 games back to back. I'm just worried about the effect this might have on overall sales, as the average gamer will probably throw their money @ splinter cell before Alpha Protocol, on name recognition/ series loyalty alone. which could mean this game doesn't get a sequel (if it ends up deserving one).

it's all good, i've had this problem sometimes too. anyway, that makes sense, ME2 is a big-budget sequel improving on an already excellent game, while this is a new IP that has been delayed more than once, has suffered marketing problems, and is from a developer known for less than perfect games. still, i'm optimistic.