surreal
05-30-2010, 02:46 PM
I see that some posts like "game sucks" are surfacing. So in order to even it out I'll write down why the game is actually great.
I've had some free time since the 28'th and played through AP twice, this is what I think of it.
Pros
1. It achieves most of the goals that were set (i.e. as advertised).
2. The dialogue is probably one of the best things seen in this decade. Although Fahrenheit already implemented timed dialogues, I don't think they were really as great as here. VO is varying from "OK" to downright spectacular.
3. The plot, though resembles some of Tom Clancy's titles, is much more involving and doesn't feel as shallow at all. In fact some aspects of it are very good. There are a lot of twists, and most chances you won't be able to foresee them all. Almost all of the twists actually make sense (actually I can't figure out only one twist). Your choices really feel meaningful, and instead of directly executing you might try subtler approaches for more insight. Many choices in the game make you feel really dirty and morally ambiguous. Oh, and if you'll always choose Bourne style (or Sherif like, if you prefer) you'll feel downright stupid in many parts (and not without a good reason).
4. Most characters are memorable and more importantly unique. Some of these types you won't see in other games. Interesting like Sis, hilarious like Heck or SIE (if you're into their thing), hard to figure out like Parker and Albatross, naive like Madison, oh and there is also Scarlet (who is anything but naive BTW).
Interaction with all these characters is really great (if you've learned their dossiers and know how to push their buttons, given they have ones ;)).
There are also numerous NPC's who'll try to push your buttons too! And given the timed conversations you really have to think on your feet.
5. Gameplay can get really fun once you get used to it, and know how to utilize your abilities. It's somewhat console oriented but still fairly manageable. Not something that should scare of seasoned PC gamers at any rate. The game always rewards you with perks (there are tons of them) that suit your style of play. The only time you'll be really punished is if you'll try to go "jack of all trades" route. But hey, any self respecting RPG will punish you for that. The downside to it, is that some missions are better suited to certain styles, while other missions for other styles. However, I tried two totally different approaches and they both worked well enough in most situations.
6. Although not a classic RPG by definition (after all Michael is a predefined character) it grasps fairly well the other aspects of RPG. And Michael is not so bad to identify with, given you can shape his personality, which is most important. And you can!
Cons
1. Somewhat rigid gameplay (for instance, ME2 is more streamlined). Acceptable for me though.
2. If you spend your AP points wisely and utilize your powers correctly, after some level (I think around 10) you become quite unstoppable. Boss fights turn into a joke, really. And by the end of the game you'll be the ultimate super agent - one man army.
3. Point 2 is mostly due to a very simplistic AI. Well, you can't have it all in one game! It's only understandable that some parts will be more basic than others.
4. There are some bugs here and there, but nothing game breaking. They're mostly visual anyways, which is totally tolerable. Oh, and do remember, this is Obsidian, their games aren't the most polished in the technical department. Furthermore, given the scope of this game and the size of the studio, I think it's forgivable.
5. If this means anything to you (to me it sure doesn't, I still play q3a with high picmip :cool:), the animations aren't state of the art "BW style". But they work, and that's what important. Don't get me wrong, they're not bad, they're just no as detailed as in some other titles (especially BW's).
6. There are many games with better raw graphics and more detailed textures if that's what you're looking for, though if that's the case, AP is probably not for you anyways.
7. Level layout is mostly linear (with a few exceptions), though given the scope of the game, most chances that it won't bother you too much.
In between
1. Checkpoint savegames. This has its merits and downsides. The clear merit is that it makes you accept your dialogue choices unless you're willing to replay some parts of the game. Also, the checkpoints are generous enough, and in case you'll fall dead you won't have to replay for hours. This approach does limits creative approaches to combat though. And thats about the onliest downside I can see.
2. You might find that some NPC's didn't get enough screen time. But this is up to you really.
3. Soundtrack. I think this will ignite some fires. Some tracks are really great, while others are not so much...
4. Sometimes (given the correct dialogue choices are chosen) Michael seems to know far mar than you. It might break some RPG elements for rigorous RPG'ers. The problem here is that you don't see it coming. But those dialogues are rare (I didn't encounter this more than twice). Those options often arise if you confront your target directly (generally in a way they don't like), and indeed it seems to be the best option to confront the target, but it would've been nice if this info was accessible to the player prior the conversation.
5. Length. This one is tough. In AP you must replay the game to see different outcomes, twists, dialogues, etc etc. I need to compare it to something, for instance ME. In ME1 you really don't need to replay. ME1 somehow feels almost the same no matter what you choose, ME2 is by far better, but still it's not "the real thing". AP tries (and to an extent) succeeds in changing the feel of the game (based on two playthroughs). One playthrough of AP is shorter for completionists (like myself) than ME1 and ME2. However, ME1 without the secondary assignments is extremely short (in ME2 Garrus even jokes about it), so if you've never bothered with them then AP will feel very long. If ME2 is your standard, then AP will be shorter (though I'm not sure how it'll actually feel for you). But remember, AP is a game that meant to be replayed and not just to try out new tactics in combat.
It's somewhat hard to compare this game to modern titles on the grand scale, but I'll try to break it into parts against ME1 and ME2 (because they're the easiest to relate to and they're very popular).
Plotwise: AP >> ME1 > ME2
Scope: AP >> ME2 > ME1
Choices: AP >>> ME2 >> ME1 (ME1 and most of ME2 don't really have morally ambiguous choices, it's just Ruthless vs Jesus).
Dialogue: AP >>> ME2 > ME1 (actually ME2 is somewhat ridiculous next to AP in this department)
Characters: AP > ME2 > ME1 (ME2 features some really great characters, but IMHO, AP takes the cake here).
VO: ME2 > AP > ME1 (it's hard to compete with Martin Sheen, but nonetheless AP doesn't pale)
RPG elements: AP > ME1 ~ ME2 (though all three of them are hardly RPG's, they just posses some of the RPG elements).
Combat gameplay: ME2 >>> AP >> ME1 (but AP is by far more diverse. And face it, the combat in ME1 was outright stupid, you just stand and shoot)
Animations: ME2 >> ME1 > AP
Soundtrack: ME2 >> ME1 ~ AP
GFX: ME2 >> ME1 > AP
Thx for the read, and hope you'll enjoy the game if you decide to buy it...
I've had some free time since the 28'th and played through AP twice, this is what I think of it.
Pros
1. It achieves most of the goals that were set (i.e. as advertised).
2. The dialogue is probably one of the best things seen in this decade. Although Fahrenheit already implemented timed dialogues, I don't think they were really as great as here. VO is varying from "OK" to downright spectacular.
3. The plot, though resembles some of Tom Clancy's titles, is much more involving and doesn't feel as shallow at all. In fact some aspects of it are very good. There are a lot of twists, and most chances you won't be able to foresee them all. Almost all of the twists actually make sense (actually I can't figure out only one twist). Your choices really feel meaningful, and instead of directly executing you might try subtler approaches for more insight. Many choices in the game make you feel really dirty and morally ambiguous. Oh, and if you'll always choose Bourne style (or Sherif like, if you prefer) you'll feel downright stupid in many parts (and not without a good reason).
4. Most characters are memorable and more importantly unique. Some of these types you won't see in other games. Interesting like Sis, hilarious like Heck or SIE (if you're into their thing), hard to figure out like Parker and Albatross, naive like Madison, oh and there is also Scarlet (who is anything but naive BTW).
Interaction with all these characters is really great (if you've learned their dossiers and know how to push their buttons, given they have ones ;)).
There are also numerous NPC's who'll try to push your buttons too! And given the timed conversations you really have to think on your feet.
5. Gameplay can get really fun once you get used to it, and know how to utilize your abilities. It's somewhat console oriented but still fairly manageable. Not something that should scare of seasoned PC gamers at any rate. The game always rewards you with perks (there are tons of them) that suit your style of play. The only time you'll be really punished is if you'll try to go "jack of all trades" route. But hey, any self respecting RPG will punish you for that. The downside to it, is that some missions are better suited to certain styles, while other missions for other styles. However, I tried two totally different approaches and they both worked well enough in most situations.
6. Although not a classic RPG by definition (after all Michael is a predefined character) it grasps fairly well the other aspects of RPG. And Michael is not so bad to identify with, given you can shape his personality, which is most important. And you can!
Cons
1. Somewhat rigid gameplay (for instance, ME2 is more streamlined). Acceptable for me though.
2. If you spend your AP points wisely and utilize your powers correctly, after some level (I think around 10) you become quite unstoppable. Boss fights turn into a joke, really. And by the end of the game you'll be the ultimate super agent - one man army.
3. Point 2 is mostly due to a very simplistic AI. Well, you can't have it all in one game! It's only understandable that some parts will be more basic than others.
4. There are some bugs here and there, but nothing game breaking. They're mostly visual anyways, which is totally tolerable. Oh, and do remember, this is Obsidian, their games aren't the most polished in the technical department. Furthermore, given the scope of this game and the size of the studio, I think it's forgivable.
5. If this means anything to you (to me it sure doesn't, I still play q3a with high picmip :cool:), the animations aren't state of the art "BW style". But they work, and that's what important. Don't get me wrong, they're not bad, they're just no as detailed as in some other titles (especially BW's).
6. There are many games with better raw graphics and more detailed textures if that's what you're looking for, though if that's the case, AP is probably not for you anyways.
7. Level layout is mostly linear (with a few exceptions), though given the scope of the game, most chances that it won't bother you too much.
In between
1. Checkpoint savegames. This has its merits and downsides. The clear merit is that it makes you accept your dialogue choices unless you're willing to replay some parts of the game. Also, the checkpoints are generous enough, and in case you'll fall dead you won't have to replay for hours. This approach does limits creative approaches to combat though. And thats about the onliest downside I can see.
2. You might find that some NPC's didn't get enough screen time. But this is up to you really.
3. Soundtrack. I think this will ignite some fires. Some tracks are really great, while others are not so much...
4. Sometimes (given the correct dialogue choices are chosen) Michael seems to know far mar than you. It might break some RPG elements for rigorous RPG'ers. The problem here is that you don't see it coming. But those dialogues are rare (I didn't encounter this more than twice). Those options often arise if you confront your target directly (generally in a way they don't like), and indeed it seems to be the best option to confront the target, but it would've been nice if this info was accessible to the player prior the conversation.
5. Length. This one is tough. In AP you must replay the game to see different outcomes, twists, dialogues, etc etc. I need to compare it to something, for instance ME. In ME1 you really don't need to replay. ME1 somehow feels almost the same no matter what you choose, ME2 is by far better, but still it's not "the real thing". AP tries (and to an extent) succeeds in changing the feel of the game (based on two playthroughs). One playthrough of AP is shorter for completionists (like myself) than ME1 and ME2. However, ME1 without the secondary assignments is extremely short (in ME2 Garrus even jokes about it), so if you've never bothered with them then AP will feel very long. If ME2 is your standard, then AP will be shorter (though I'm not sure how it'll actually feel for you). But remember, AP is a game that meant to be replayed and not just to try out new tactics in combat.
It's somewhat hard to compare this game to modern titles on the grand scale, but I'll try to break it into parts against ME1 and ME2 (because they're the easiest to relate to and they're very popular).
Plotwise: AP >> ME1 > ME2
Scope: AP >> ME2 > ME1
Choices: AP >>> ME2 >> ME1 (ME1 and most of ME2 don't really have morally ambiguous choices, it's just Ruthless vs Jesus).
Dialogue: AP >>> ME2 > ME1 (actually ME2 is somewhat ridiculous next to AP in this department)
Characters: AP > ME2 > ME1 (ME2 features some really great characters, but IMHO, AP takes the cake here).
VO: ME2 > AP > ME1 (it's hard to compete with Martin Sheen, but nonetheless AP doesn't pale)
RPG elements: AP > ME1 ~ ME2 (though all three of them are hardly RPG's, they just posses some of the RPG elements).
Combat gameplay: ME2 >>> AP >> ME1 (but AP is by far more diverse. And face it, the combat in ME1 was outright stupid, you just stand and shoot)
Animations: ME2 >> ME1 > AP
Soundtrack: ME2 >> ME1 ~ AP
GFX: ME2 >> ME1 > AP
Thx for the read, and hope you'll enjoy the game if you decide to buy it...