It's unlikely we'll ever get a sequel, but even now I'm going to keep dreaming. Alpha Protocol isn’t a classic, but it’s earned a place as a cult favourite-just like everything Obsidian does.'

It offers much freedom and an exciting story, but it's fresh setting of international intrigue only rarely touches on reality and is for the most part unoriginal. There’s potential in the idea, be it of letting players experience a more open, branching form of spy fiction, or just not letting RPGs languish in the realms of fantasy or post-apocalypse. Alpha Protocol is an ambitious and entertaining action-based role-playing game, but suffers from several irritating flaws. More importantly, there are lessons here that should be learned from and built upon. 'It throws a lot of design spaghetti at the wall, and some of it sticks.

Phil revisited Alpha Protocol in 2017 and found it hard to stay mad at its missteps, even after taking off the rose-tinted goggles. If you never picked up this gem, however, you'll need to find other ways. If you own Alpha Protocol, you'll still be able to play it, and you'll keep being able to download it whenever you want. Upgrade skills such as physical combat, weapons mastery, cutting-edge technology and even seduction as you grow in experience and complete missions. 'Following the expiry of Sega’s publishing rights for Alpha Protocol, the title has been removed from Steam and is no longer on sale,' a Sega spokesperson told me. As the first modern day spy role-playing game, Alpha Protocol offers unprecedented control over the development of Thortons abilities and his interactions with other characters.

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