14 DAY TRIAL // As my colleague previously mentioned, I shall be playing Alpha Protocol from a Jason Bourne-inspired perspective. This means that I will engage in a game that promised me I could play it as I wished, to accommodate choices and actions that would be the result of my asking the question: What would Jason Bourne do? This also means that I have to play it smart, taking out my enemies swiftly and silently, but I need to make sure that I can face a direct confrontation as well, because Bourne is certainly not made of glass.
This plan translated in-game in a focus on stealth skills, pistols and martial arts, with a secondary focus on toughness (which is directly linked to the health level), technical aptitude (more because of the horrible and unfair mini-games that you have to complete in the title) and assault rifles. Story-wise, I thought that choosing the professional approach in-game and trying to do the right thing, but also relentlessly pursuing my enemies and being merciless with those who betrayed me would fit with the Bourne character.
As for the gameplay, the buggy cover system and the sometimes uninspired level design make stealth pretty difficult at times, but not as difficult as many reviewers have stated. Most of the time, the game rewards planning ahead and trying to outwit your enemies. I bought all the intel before the missions, like a careful Bourne-type character would do, and this helped open up stealth pathways or show where alarm-linked video cameras would be in the level. The silent method does not work by hiding in the shadows, as in most other stealth games, but by activating certain powers that make you invisible or silent for a limited amount of time. When it works, the stealth is good fun, when it doesn't, you'll usually blame the cover system.
From the point of view of the narrative, I had to make some hard choices that involved letting a terrorist leader live, because of the possibility of bringing down the evil corporation that was behind it all. Mina, the first character you meet in the game and your colleague in the government agency that hired you, seems to have taken a liking to my honest, good-natured and professional attitude and does remind me of Julia Stiles' character in the third Bourne movie, risking her life for my safety. This is all for now, but this diary of the Bourne and Bond approaches will continue during the next days.