1. Summary
2. Background
3. Hype

Spy fiction is a favorite genre for many readers around the world, and for good reason. While actual spy work is not all that glamorous or interesting, spies in novels can be suave lady-killers like James Bond or secretive combatants like Jason Bourne. Obsidian aims to mix in a number of different sources in spy-related media to form a compelling action-RPG that draws the player in through some pretty intense and entertaining schemes. The most obvious comparison that is made are the three J.Bs: James Bond, Jack Bauer, and Jason Bourne. These three characters give more inspiration to the game than anything else, although there are a number of other things mixed in as well.

James Bond is quite possibly the most famous spy in all of fiction. Created by Ian Fleming, he has gone on to create a massive and popular franchise of books and movies, and for good reason. James Bond is the ultimate male fantasy. He's suave, cool under pressure, incredibly intelligent, irresistible to the ladies, an amoral loner, and best of all, lethal to his enemies. He is what every man wishes he could be, and in a sense, is the most unrealistic portrait of espionage to ever be put on paper or the big screen. In Alpha Protocol, James Bond is the debonair aspect of the main character, and certain handlers play up this fictional mystique greatly. The main character also shares Bond's fondness for firearms as well.

Jason Bourne is another hit of spy fiction precisely because he does not know what kind of spy he is. Waking up with amnesia after being shot and falling into the ocean, the books chronicle his attempts to figure out who he was and escape his enemies. He's much more of a reasonable character than James Bond, especially since he is not all he is hyped to be, but his martial prowess and involuntary talent for hurting people help him to survive. In the world of Alpha Protocol, this translates to the player options of investigating and questioning NPCs for information. Espionage isn't all about sabotage, after all. It's mostly about who knows what, and if you are caught in a massive web of manipulation, it is best to know who has your back.

Finally comes Jack Bauer. While not a spy by most standards, he does have an espionage element to him. Specially, counter-espionage. Jack Bauer is the most ruthless interrogator and combatant in most spy fiction, and will do anything it takes to do the right thing, even if it means going down a dark path. This is represented in the game by the array of violent options given to the main character as he converses with NPCs. You can get aggressive and in their face, torture them methodically, or engage in violence, such as slamming someone's head on a desk, as a means to an end. This utter ruthlessness is one of the darker aspects of Alpha Protocol.

The first game that Alpha Protocol can draw direct comparisons to is Mass Effect. Obsidian has a track record of working closely with BioWare, so this resemblance is not surprising in the least. Revealing an interface much like the aforementioned space RPG, Alpha Protocol includes a list of things that BioWare's epic has almost to the T. These include things like modifying your weapons (although it offers no cosmetic changes in Mass Effect), a system of ability upgrades more focused on prowess with equipment rather than direct abilities, and the real-time conversation system. All in all, it looks a lot like a more customizable Mass Effect, and that's not a bad thing.

The second of the two games that directly resemble Alpha Protocol is Thief. Created long ago, it functions in much a similar way to Alpha Protocol. You have a central hub from which you get missions that are located within self-contained non-linear levels. The biggest different here is that Thief is both focused much more around stealth and is set in a time where all those fancy spy gadgets don't exist. However, one must acknowledge the definite similarities between the two games. If Alpha Protocol lives up to these similarities, then it just may be one of the best games around, as Thief is still incredible to this day.