Following its triumphant return to GOG this past March, Sega and Obsidian’s 2010, er, classic, Alpha Protocol has been relisted on Steam. It was previously delisted in 2019 due to music licensing.
There’s a caveat here. While GOG updated Alpha Protocol with new gamepad support and a myriad of other fixes, the community is reporting that the Steam version does not follow suit. GOG also added achievements that were not included in the Steam re-release. There’s no indication that Sega intends to implement these changes.
Still, if you don’t use GOG and didn’t purchase the game between 2010 and 2019, you can now grab it again. While James Stephanie Sterling didn’t like it (to put it charitably) at its release in 2010, I really enjoyed it. I found the dialogue system in which you needed to watch reactions to learn how best to charm your target to be rather enjoyable.
There’s also a memorable scene with Jim Cummings voice acting a gelato man.
It definitely has its jank, though. A lot of it. You can practically feel it in every moment. However, the ambition behind its branching, choice-driven storyline is enough to make up for its flaws. I guess what I’m saying is that I recommend it. Just set your expectations appropriately.
