My favorite spy game is unquestionably Alpha Protocol. Now, even I have to admit that technically, this one is a bit of a mess – but that in no way should take away from the beauty of its branching story and in-depth conversation systems.
Taking the role of Agent Michael Thornton, you are cut off by your government and left to try and prevent catastrophe by yourself – a plot that will no doubt be familiar to anyone who has seen any James Bond film made in the last 30 years. Where it sets itself apart, however, is how you go about doing this.
You have a huge depth of options available to you as you build your Michael, allowing you to create the spy you want as you move through the game. You can choose to be a master spy, specializing in hand to hand combat and stealth, allowing you to silently take out or evade all in your path, fight like a commando with a range of weapons, or use espionage to overcome locks and security to avoid dangers in your path.
But while all of these elements will affect how you face combat, it is really how you handle your interactions with people that truly sets Alpha Protocol apart. Every conversation is meet by three or four options, and any one of them can ingratiate or sour them to you. It isn’t limited to the conversation though, as your acts in battle will also impact their reactions – or if you will see them at all.
As I said earlier, it’s a bit of a mess technically, with bad some character builds making combat trivial while other made it near impossible, but it allows for such a rich tapestry of interactions I can’t help but give it an 8/10.
Danni’s pick of Spy Game was The Operative: No One Lives Forever, starring Cate Archer, AKA the most incredible female secret agent. No One Lives Forever is a spoof of the spy genre or, more specially, the Roger Moore’s era of James Bond.
Cate Archer makes an excellent protagonist because she takes the patriarchal stereotype of a spy persona and twists it on its head. Archer knows when to be cool and when to be unlikable, even to towards you as the gamer.
But what kind of spy would she be without gadget – and Cate comes packing. Sleeping gas hidden inside her perfume lets her slip past enemies undetected, sunglasses help her detect evidence and landmines, she has a briefcase rocket launcher, and most devastating of all, she has a coin that can be tossed as enemies to baffle them. Hey, supervillains can’t always afford the best help.
Talking of villains, there are plenty to contend with. Over the course of the game and its sequel you must ninjas, mimes, Scottish bare-knuckle fighters, and a German opera singer.
This combination of parts and the games semi open-world creates a wonderfully bizarre mix of Hitman, Deus Ex, and Austin Powers. Wannabe stealthy and impress yourself with your inventive use of gadgets? Go ahead. Or you can go in guns a blazing like Pierce Broznen at his most indestructible.
It’s a brilliant mix of that is sadly no longer available due the franchises ownership writes being confused between a number of companies. Still, it is well worth a look if you can find a copy on Ebay.
Maria selected The Saboteur as her Spy Game. In this open-world sandbox you play as the roguish Sean Devlin, an Irish car mechanic who collaborates with the French Resistance during World War 2 after his friend is killed by a Nazi Officer.
True, you may not be a spy like James Bond, but you are sabotaging the Nazi’s by infiltrating their facilities to gather intelligence, and destroying strategic resources.
So often WW2 games are restricted to strategy or first-person shooters, that its really fascinating to have a different way to interact with this moment in history – particularly in the oddly vibrant setting of occupied Paris.
In the missions you have to rescue people, collect important objects, sabotage Nazi basements… all making use of Sean´s stealth, combat, and - of course - vast quantities of dynamite.
You will work better using stealth than melee combat. It’s better try to be invisible, because Nazis are everywhere and if one of home detects you the alarm will start to ring and you’ll be death.
Although Sean is supposedly a normal guy he has impressive climbing skill – allowing him to leap all over the worlds various towers and buildings to gain access to every single spot you can imagine. And because this is Paris, that includes Notre Dame Cathedral and even the Tour Eiffel. A handy talent when the 3rd Reich are hot on your tail.
But for all of Sean´s attempts to nab the lime light, it is really Paris that steals the show. The beautiful city is stuffed full of bars, cabarets, and other locales to make it feel alive, and you can explore all of them freely. The world around the city is also filled with locations to visit, like the beautiful village of Le Havre.
To really highlight the cities significance, The Saboteur makes fantastic use of color. Areas occupied by Nazis are washed out and almost black and white,
Taking the role of Agent Michael Thornton, you are cut off by your government and left to try and prevent catastrophe by yourself – a plot that will no doubt be familiar to anyone who has seen any James Bond film made in the last 30 years. Where it sets itself apart, however, is how you go about doing this.
You have a huge depth of options available to you as you build your Michael, allowing you to create the spy you want as you move through the game. You can choose to be a master spy, specializing in hand to hand combat and stealth, allowing you to silently take out or evade all in your path, fight like a commando with a range of weapons, or use espionage to overcome locks and security to avoid dangers in your path.
But while all of these elements will affect how you face combat, it is really how you handle your interactions with people that truly sets Alpha Protocol apart. Every conversation is meet by three or four options, and any one of them can ingratiate or sour them to you. It isn’t limited to the conversation though, as your acts in battle will also impact their reactions – or if you will see them at all.
As I said earlier, it’s a bit of a mess technically, with bad some character builds making combat trivial while other made it near impossible, but it allows for such a rich tapestry of interactions I can’t help but give it an 8/10.
Danni’s pick of Spy Game was The Operative: No One Lives Forever, starring Cate Archer, AKA the most incredible female secret agent. No One Lives Forever is a spoof of the spy genre or, more specially, the Roger Moore’s era of James Bond.
Cate Archer makes an excellent protagonist because she takes the patriarchal stereotype of a spy persona and twists it on its head. Archer knows when to be cool and when to be unlikable, even to towards you as the gamer.
But what kind of spy would she be without gadget – and Cate comes packing. Sleeping gas hidden inside her perfume lets her slip past enemies undetected, sunglasses help her detect evidence and landmines, she has a briefcase rocket launcher, and most devastating of all, she has a coin that can be tossed as enemies to baffle them. Hey, supervillains can’t always afford the best help.
Talking of villains, there are plenty to contend with. Over the course of the game and its sequel you must ninjas, mimes, Scottish bare-knuckle fighters, and a German opera singer.
This combination of parts and the games semi open-world creates a wonderfully bizarre mix of Hitman, Deus Ex, and Austin Powers. Wannabe stealthy and impress yourself with your inventive use of gadgets? Go ahead. Or you can go in guns a blazing like Pierce Broznen at his most indestructible.
It’s a brilliant mix of that is sadly no longer available due the franchises ownership writes being confused between a number of companies. Still, it is well worth a look if you can find a copy on Ebay.
Maria selected The Saboteur as her Spy Game. In this open-world sandbox you play as the roguish Sean Devlin, an Irish car mechanic who collaborates with the French Resistance during World War 2 after his friend is killed by a Nazi Officer.
True, you may not be a spy like James Bond, but you are sabotaging the Nazi’s by infiltrating their facilities to gather intelligence, and destroying strategic resources.
So often WW2 games are restricted to strategy or first-person shooters, that its really fascinating to have a different way to interact with this moment in history – particularly in the oddly vibrant setting of occupied Paris.
In the missions you have to rescue people, collect important objects, sabotage Nazi basements… all making use of Sean´s stealth, combat, and - of course - vast quantities of dynamite.
You will work better using stealth than melee combat. It’s better try to be invisible, because Nazis are everywhere and if one of home detects you the alarm will start to ring and you’ll be death.
Although Sean is supposedly a normal guy he has impressive climbing skill – allowing him to leap all over the worlds various towers and buildings to gain access to every single spot you can imagine. And because this is Paris, that includes Notre Dame Cathedral and even the Tour Eiffel. A handy talent when the 3rd Reich are hot on your tail.
But for all of Sean´s attempts to nab the lime light, it is really Paris that steals the show. The beautiful city is stuffed full of bars, cabarets, and other locales to make it feel alive, and you can explore all of them freely. The world around the city is also filled with locations to visit, like the beautiful village of Le Havre.
To really highlight the cities significance, The Saboteur makes fantastic use of color. Areas occupied by Nazis are washed out and almost black and white,
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Tech