Beta Protocol [reblog]
by Raycevick
2020
So I've finally enjoyed The Outer Worlds, Obsidian's latest RPG romp meant to rekindle the magic of Interplay's Fallout 1&2 in tone and... it does a decent job. I think the reason the game didn't click with me at first is because like most RPGs, the introduction is kinda dull, you're uber limited on items, equipment, and weapons, and you're just fighting sentry turrets.
Having by passed the initial worlds though, coming back I found myself binging the game.
And that's probably because it's the complete opposite of Alpha Protocol. Obsidian's Espionage RPG might very well be a game I adore, but it's also exhausting. Seeing level after level break is funny, but like a two hour comedy special, there's only so many jokes I can take before being mentally numbed. After steeping my head into that sea for three months, The Outer World's comparative polish feels like more than just coming up for air.
Combat might very well be dated but the weapon variety is great, most of them are actually satisfying to use, and the Fallout equivalent mechanics such Tactical Time (V.A.T.S.), are just as if not more satisfying.
Most importantly though, unlike what I played of Bethesda's Fallout 4, this game feels smooth. The animations, textures, worlds, and engine all feel clean, optimized, and organized. Having been conditioned by Obsidian's previous work to expect something as basic as a walking animation to break, it's made my time with The Outer Worlds a good contrast.
That contrast however doesn't start and end with combat and exploration. It appears in its dialogue, quests, and interactions, which is where this game starts to draw the short end of the stick.
What makes Alpha Protocol a gem is how much of an RPG it is, while forgoing so many of the RPG hurtles that we've become accustomed too. Looped conversations, stiff NPCs, anti-climatic quests, etc.
All of those come back with a vengeance in The Outer Worlds.
Characters that you've done personal side-missions for, build a reputation with, and potentially find yourself on the opposite side of a morally-grey war over, die in gameplay without a single line from you, them, or anybody in your crew.
Dialogue trees will end a conversation after you've started one quest, forcing you to speak with the person you just end the conversation with to ask them a question, like how much is their fish?
And the awkward pauses with textures popping in with each cut are an absolute constant.
These things don't make The Outer Worlds a bad game, if it did, I wouldn't keep playing it, but it does make The Outer Worlds decidedly... standard. And I find myself at a real crossroads. Because Alpha Protocol is a game I could binge, and be exhausted by the end. The Outer Worlds I can binge, and feel just as content as I did when I first entered.
But I suspect one is going to have a much greater takeaway.
In Alpha Protocol, when I found out that Conrad can be killed in Rome, and that Michael can confirm to Conrad's boss that he bombed a Crusade's exhibit both to cause a terrorist attack, and send a message to the US Government branch that betrayed him, I was giggling like a caffeinated child.
The Outer Worlds... I've chuckled at some of my character's dialogue options, Ellie and Parvati are likable, and the art-style is gorgeous but, there's been nothing like those highs from Alpha Protocol, nor its lows, and I can't decide which one I prefer.
But I know which one will be more memorable, and that likely, answers my own question.
The Outer Worlds, is this.
Alpha Protocol, is this.
