Has anyone played Alpha Protocol? Thoughts?
I've beat it twice.
It shouldn't exist given that they had to go back and basically redo it all over again before shipping and what we got is the epitome of "unpolished."
The combat system looks and feels like a standard cover shooter but the mechanics give way to you spending cash for weapon upgrades...
Underneath that is a layer of spending points like you would in Mass Effect to spec your character the way you want to play the game (stealth, guns blazing, tech and gadgets, being stellar in conversation).
...unfortunately, there's only a few good spec sets to choose from if you want to be successful on harder difficulties (and Rookie, which basically gives you a blank slate (with no points) from the start that you have to fill in as you go along; it gets... rough).
This leads into having to metagame when you should be enjoying the story and convo trees (again, comparable to Mass Effect with the added wrinkle of characters remembering how you acted later on AND you're on a timer so you gotta think on your feet when you have to choose between being cordial and slamming that fucker's head onto the table).
If you can find it for around $20 or less, pick it up for the experience but unless you're going to fall in love with it within a few hours (it DEMANDS multiple playthroughs if you want to hit New Game+ and unlocks), don't expect a GOTY candidate.