Alpha Protocol from Obsidian Entertainment and SEGA was delayed a couple times for unknown reasons. Our guess would be that those delays were to create a far better gaming experience overall. While it’s still got some big flaws, it’s not too shabby.

Alpha Protocol has been dubbed the espionage RPG. It’s certainly got strong elements of both, but at times still feels more like standard action game or TPS. That’s not to say there’s not a lot of interesting gameplay, it’s just that some missions end up being all-out shooting matches making it seem less like espionage and more like deathmatch. But when things go sour on an operation sometimes there’s no other option but to start shooting.

In the role-playing game area you have some control over how your character develops. In the very beginning you get to choose the type of character you’ll play, whether it’s a field operative who’s good at stealth and infiltration, a tech specialist who knows how to use every device to maximum benefit, a decorated soldier with a talent for languages (which has no bearing on the game) or a freelancer who has done various types of bodyguard and work-for-hire. Each of these will give you a base skills package to use until you get to a point where you can specialize your character tweaking it to fit your game style.

There are also three levels of difficulty and another option Recruit or Veteran. The latter gives you a specific dialog during training as part of the storyline. Once you complete the game on Recruit you can go back and play through Veteran, however I don’t see much of a reason to do so.