Disclosure Alert: Alpha Protocol: Episode 16: Swan Sung

In this episode, I want to kill President Sung. Also, we spoil who the assassin actually is from 5:30 - 8:20. If you're following along, yet haven't beaten the game yet, skip that section of the video. Also, I spoil it in the second to last paragraph in the text following the video.


I took what anaphysik said to heart and really thought about. And then I realized something. In either interpretation of President Sung's character, he's a complete and total moron. For the sake of argument, I'm going to give the game the benefit of the doubt and assume that we can prove that the riots will occur without even hinting at a potential assassination, even if that makes no sense.

In my interpretation as a typical amoral politician, when Sung is confronted by the possibility that he could die for his cause, then he would take the side of caution in favor of his life when you can prove that their is at least one genuine threat at his rally (a riot) and put on a bulletproof vest. He wouldn't be afraid of "showing his weakness to the world" because there would exist the possibility of Mike being right on both counts. If Mike can prove one threat, but insists there is two, any typical politician would want to be as safe as possible. That's why gov'ts have highly trained security detail. He would not dismiss an assassination as "merely your conjecture."

In anaphysik's interpretation, where Sung is a wanna-be martyr trying to die for his people, he's stupid for a different reason under an entirely different circumstance. Sure, I'll give anaphysik that it makes sense if you choose to prove the riots. However, if you choose to prove the assassination, then why not put measures in place to quell the riots anyway. It's not like your in danger of "looking like a petty dictator" if it turns out that people were really trying to cause a riot. And besides, we would have literally just proved and attempt on Sung's life. In that case, he's justified in bringing extra guards on that merit alone. Any savior-of-his-people would want to place their safety and the hands of rioters as a top priority. They would not dismiss the riots that would kill innocent people as "merely your conjecture."

So if Sung's a moron by either interpretation, then I conclude that he is a moron.

And another question, if Omen Deng is such a great intelligence agent, should he not be aware that the guy who is supposedly trying to kill President Sung walked right up to the guy with proof of a conspiracy against him, trying to convince him there is a genuine threat to his life? For being a boogeyman in the intelligence scene, he looks dumber and dumber the more you get into this plot and the longer you analyze it. At the very least this would cause some doubt to creep in. And don't say that he wouldn't know. After all, the point to him being here is stopping the president's assassination. He'd have someone on watch.

*SPOILER WARNING*
And then Scarlet Lake appears. Really, her being the assassin would've been a great twist had we spent a bit more time getting to know her character and allowing her to feed you misinformation. It'd be perfect to have her use her journalist cover to her advantage in that way, making Omen Deng make sense. And the bullshit about not doing collateral damage which she tells you if you confront her on it later  makes zero sense. Basically, the whole plot to Taipei is stupid and doesn't make a lick of sense. Don't worry, I promise the other two are better.
*END SPOILERS*

Lastly, it is really weird that I'm so bloodthirsty in these LPs because when I play these kinds of games I'm such a White Knight Paragon that it's almost disgusting to other people. Also, the LA Noire video he and I reference is this one, which highlights how dumb LA Noire's interrogations can get at times.