Editor's note: After a rather dry month in May, we get a couple of interesting RPGs choices in June. While I'm going to dig into Alpha Protocol after Electronic Entertainment Expo (you know, E3's fancier name), and I'm eager to get my mitts on Puzzle Quest 2 — even my wife liked the first one! What about you, Bitmob? Anything on this list pique your interest? Or have you given Alpha Protocol a try yet? -Jason
Fans of role-playing games have plenty of options these days. RPGs come from most corners of the world and with different styles. This can make it hard for gamers to makes sense of the multitude of games. But take heart! This monthly column breaks down each month's new RPGs, including gameplay descriptions and word on the street about a game's quality.
RPGs are bouncing back from a slow month with several notable releases, including the latest from one of the best Western RPG makers of all time and a sequel to one of the strangest genre mashups in recent memory. June has something for every taste, so let’s take a look.
The Main Event:
Alpha Protocol (PlayStation 3/Xbox 360/PC)
Release Date: Out now
Obsidian frequently gets a bum rap these days. Many view them as a sloppy-seconds developer, creating inferior sequels and expansions to established Western RPG franchises. But what a number of people don’t realize is that they’re actually storied developer Black Isle, developer of top-tier WRPGs like Fallout and Planescape: Torment.
Reformed shortly after Interplay dissolved the studio in 2003, Obsidian's releases since have been fairly underappreciated in the shadow of the previous efforts of established franchises. Still, many recognize Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2 and the Neverwinter Nights 2 expansions as underrated classics, showcasing the same design sensibility as the Black Isle of old. The fact that they’ve finally releasing a new game again is a big deal.
Unfortunately, reviews haven’t been kind to Alpha Protocol. Most lament the numerous bugs and lackluster shooting segments. A recent post by an anonymous developer suggests internal problems with development of the game, placing blame on both Project Director Chris Parker and Sega.
Combat, however, was never the main draw of Black Isle games — it was both the dialogue and the sense of meaningful choice. This game uses a dialogue system similar to Mass Effect, but twists it in several important ways.
Alpha Protocol lacks a traditional alignment system. Rather, it categorizes all actions as one of three different approaches: Professional, Aggressive, and Suave, with none of these being “good” or “bad.” You must provide each response before a timer runs out, giving a sense of urgency and providing a realistic flow to conversation. Finally, characters you interact with form opinions on you based on your approaches, changing the story. And since the usual “good and evil” scale is out of the picture, these effects are far more interesting. Though it may have had a troubled development, it still retains the progressive spirit of the old Black Isle. You just have to wade through some rough patches.
Most Promising:
Puzzle Quest 2 (Xbox 360/DS/PC/iPhone)
Release Date: June 22
After Puzzle Quest: Galactrix failed to catch fire, it comes as no surprise that Infinite Interactive decided to go back to what brought them to the dance in the first place. They're not messing much with the Puzzle Quest formula, though they've added some new modes. Tournament Mode gives multiplayer the Pokémon treatment, having each player form a team of monsters to battle each other.
Single-player receives several improvements as well. The world map feels more fleshed out, and minigames for things like unlocking doors are new, which appear in the form of — you guessed it — a Bejeweled game. New features abound, but the core is the same: You play a game of matching three or more gems to do damage to your opponent with several RPGish abilities and leveling within the usual linear RPG structure of towns and dungeons. The bizarre combination worked the first time, and it looks to work again. Sometimes more of the same is good.
Biggest Risk:
Trinity Universe (PS3)
Release Date: June 29
Here we have yet another Nippon Ichi PS3 game. You should know the drill with any NIS game at this point: If they didn’t develop it, it is likely that it is buggy and/or not worth playing. And this has even more parallels with the past, as this is a crossover of characters from many NIS published games, including from the Disgaea and Atelier Iris games. Critics universally panned Cross Edge, the last NIS game that did this. At least it seems to be culling different ground, given that it is a dungeon crawler of sorts. Seeing as preview coverage of this game has been pretty much nonexistent, however, use the old rule of thumb: Wait for the reviews.
The Rest:
The only other thing this week is yet another Mass Effect 2 DLC package. It comes with the requisite new planets and quests with a focus on an A.I. run amok. You know what you’re getting here, so if you want more Mass Effect 2, then you’ve got it.
Delay of Game:
Hexyz Force successfully launched last month with a downloadable version on the PlayStation Network, but the retail release was mysteriously missing. Websites seem to now indicate that the boxed release was set for today, so if you were holding out for a physical copy, your opportunity is finally here.