This puts you in place to unravel a conspiracy involving the defense contractor-known as Halbech-that built those missiles in the first place, along with voting machines, Middle East construction projects, and just about any other recent hot-button item that can make the corporation seem shadier than Haliburton and Blackwater combined. But as you get closer to the truth behind these missiles, your new buddies back at home base decide you're something of a liability. The game opens with Michael getting ready for his first assignment, which sends him to Saudi Arabia on the trail of some terrorists who have come into possession of some American-made missiles, which they promptly use to shoot down a civilian airliner. He's the new guy at an ultra-secret, above-the-law spy organization called Alpha Protocol. The game puts you in the role of Michael Thorton. Also, a thin layer of buggy, unpolished grime permeates just about every aspect of the game, muting its high points until much of the final product feels like a mess. But Alpha Protocol is incredibly tragic, as its action-all that shooting and snapping I was talking about a second ago-is usually pretty terrible. But by basing itself more on the original Mass Effect than on Splinter Cell or GoldenEye, the game offers a deeper, more authentic spy feel, where you're just as likely to talk your way out of a situation as resort to basic violence. To be clear, Obsidian's Alpha Protocol contains both of those things.

Instead, most interactive spy work gets reduced to shooting guys or sneaking up behind them and snapping their necks. Games rarely deal with the social side of spying-well, it feels social when James Bond is doing it, anyway. I'm always game for a good spy story, but the traditional treatment of espionage in video games leaves a little something to be desired. Place points in stealth and you can literally become invisible for short stretches of time.

Download alpha protocol ps3