Disclosure Alert: Alpha Protocol: Episode 22: "Tank You!" "Don't Mansion It"

This episode is filled to the brim with explosions, punching, shooting, and punching while shooting. Needless to say, Aldowyn has abandoned any notion of being "discreet".

I'm extremely disappointed we missed the scene with Surkov in his office. Odds are we didn't get it because we pissed Grigori off. (As it turns out, for some reason he didn't like having a vodka bottle smashed in his face. Something about "assault" or some such nonsense.) It's a nice scene that serves as a great setup for the secret endgame of this hub. There're also some very good jokes to make at the expense of both Surkov and his bodyguard. It's a real shame. We were aiming for showing you something different, but we accidentally missed out on content at your expense. Sorry, guys. It's only a contact mission, but it's an important one.

I love how Albatross and SIE emphasize to different approaches to the same mission, even if the missions themselves don't change. The entrances to the mansion mission really show off how one is more subtle while the other is more reckless. Choosing between multiple handlers can easily work, but it's a shame that the game only uses that concept so many times and often leaves you with Mina. (Random fact: The conversation between Mike and Mina, regardless of which person you chose to go with, is the exact same. It's just that with Albatross, he and G22 are sniping the guards while SIE... you know.)

Skype is... okay. It generally works fine, but unless your connection is excellent, it has a terrible tendency to occasionally drop calls. Since a few members, particularly me, have poor connections, dropping calls is fairly common for us. Unfortunately, this time Aldowyn's connection was the one that went (which is exceedingly rare), which is a problem since HE'S recording the Skype call. It resulted in a bit of a clusterfuck as far as our session went. Not the first time, and doubtless it won't be the last. Thought you all might appreciate a window into how we record this show. Thankfully, Aldowyn had the common sense to edit it down a bit.

We were talking about the choice to save Albatross/SIE in this mission. It makes sense to have that choice if you choose SIE, since she'd no doubt lead the charge. The thought that it should've been Sis instead of Albatross makes sense, but I have to assume they didn't do that because Sis could potentially be dead at that point in the story. We'll talk more about that choice when it comes up later. Yes, it's stupid