#alpha protocol

[dykekatana]

As a trans lesbian, I always find it really funny looking at media that are obviously done from a cishet male perspective. Like for example, the game 'Alpha Protocol' (2010). For context, the game refers to itself as "The Espionage RPG". As you can imagine you play as a spy and do all kinds of cool spy stuff like stopping political assassinations, planting bugs and blowing shit up.

The meat of the game however comes from its dialogue system. The various important characters from the game react to the choices you make and particularly what you say to them. This will change what they think of you, and they will react accordingly based on whether they like you, dislike you or are otherwise neutral. I could spend hours discussing the specific intricacies of the system, but you get the gist. Now, the other thing the dialogue choices affects are your romance options.

Like many RPGs these days, Alpha Protocol has multiple romantic interests for you to have your way with. Because it's incredibly cishet and you play a male protagonist, the only options are women unfortunately. Sorry to all the guy lovers out there, Alpha Protocol is not for you. Now, the romantic interest in particular I want to focus on in particular is SIE. SIE is a German mercenary in her 40s. Most characters in the game refer to her in someway as being old, ugly or disgusting. Or all three. Early in the game if you choose to flirt with her, one of the characters says: "If you hear a choking noise, it's me vomiting." Another implies that she smells like "Cat piss and tuna". For the most part the game makes it very clear to you that everyone finds SIE unattractive, and that you should to.

For reference, this is SIE:

Like, am I insane here??? She's so hot!!! And in a stereotypically conventionally attractive way too! She's just muscular and in her 40s. That's it! That's the whole reason the devs decided she was unattractive. During her sex scene your dialogue options are "No way in hell" and "Might as well". "Might as well"??? "MIGHT AS WELL"???!!! Thousands of lesbians would be ON THEIR KNEES begging this chick to bang them. Yet the protagonist is like "eh, I've got nothing better to do". And on top of that, in the sex scene he's annoyed!! She's got him tied to a table and is in lingerie and he's a bit miffed!! He doesn't react that way to any of the other love interests! (Who by the way are all in their 20s and rendered just as conventionally attractive).

Deeply deeply unserious game made by deeply deeply unserious men. Completely baffling to me.

[ruvviks]

CALAMITY's team alpha looking fresh

[riderofthewind]

[rigil-kentauris]

BEHOLD

my stuff

[elamimax]

I'm going to turn Mike Thorton from Alpha Protocol into a girl and see if anyone notices

[wolfleblack]

Alpha Protocol has magically reappeared for sale thanks to GoG, Sega and Obsidian

In June of 2019, Alpha Protocol vanished from sale due to music licensing issues, rendering the 2010 action-espionage-RPG unplayable to anyone who didn’t already own it or wasn’t willing to sail the high seas of piracy to get it. But now, it’s back! And it even has some improvements! Absolutely no mention of the games revival was made ahead of it simply reappearing on both Good Old Games (GoG)…

[brutalgamer]

Just like that, Alpha Protocol returns to PC thanks to GOG

Formerly long gone from online shops, developer Obsidian’s spy-themed RPG Alpha Protocol is back on the PC.

[thejediexile]

GOG just dropped an Alpha Protocol port?

Sweet time to play an action rpg with better reactivity than the Mass Effect games

[jasvvy]

alpha protocol is a perfect game with no flaws. 

[humormehorny]

When people talk about digital piracy, this is why

[devileaterjaek]

[g4zdtechtv]

Cinematech's Trailer Park - Alpha Protocol Returns to PC

The poncing is back!

[couchmoba]

I forgor to post this, sorrie x3

(my bad last one)

[rigil-kentauris]

"Currently, there are over 800 games delisted from Steam alone. So, if someone wanted to bring back a delisted game, interview its developers, hire a YouTuber, even employ their own staff to optimize its re-release, why, oh why

would you bring back

Alpha Protocol??"

[jay-in-the-notebook]

Saints Protocol

Okay, so MAYBE this is a case of "if you have a hammer, everything looks like a nail" (since I've been playing this one game a lot lately), but...

What if Obsidian did the Saints Row Remake, in the STYLE of Alpha Protocol?

Choosing a professional, aggressive, or care-free (suave) approach in conversations

Instead of factions, you could find "dirt" on different gangs

You could pick up on things your friends/enemies say, and use it to gain or lose approval

Alpha Protocol is all about betrayal and resulting independence, which I think is a premise that would translate well to a Saints Row game

I don't know about open world versus level select, but I think making the world feel more like a playground of mayhem (limited, but endlessly chaotic) would be feasible (they have done Fallout: New Vegas, after all)

Normally I wouldn't suggest having a predominantly RPG game dev team do a game in the Grand Theft Auto genre (we've seen how the folks behind Witcher 3 struggled with Cyberpunk 2077), but recently some wires crossed, and I realized being able to roleplay in Saints Row could add some much-needed tonal variety to the story.

[gargledmesh]

Some quick silly fan art I did for the new Giant Bomb show, Play It Forward where they play Alpha Protocol.