Alpha Protocol - Closure Alert - Part 3

Aldowyn, anaphysik, and I continue our redemptive journey with Closure Alert - Part 3. Here, we finish dealing with Shaheed, and discover that the Halbech missiles weren't stolen. In the ensuing chaos, we're turned loose to stop a cold war from turning into a real one.



Way back in the day, I was one of the few people who defended Alpha Protocol's timed dialogue system. At the time, I liked them for the way they kept the conversation flowing at a good pace, to keep up the illusion that the player is part of a spy movie.

#120: The Wasted Potential of Tomb Raider

It's no secret that I was a big fan of Tomb Raider (2013). As my friend Sam and I explored in our Interactive Friction season on that game, it wasn't perfect, but it served as an excellent branching point to build a whole franchise off of. When the credits rolled, both of us were excited to see what direction Crystal Dynamics would go in future games. But now, after playing through the following two games, Rise of the Tomb Raider and Shadow of the Tomb Raider, I'm left feeling snubbed. It's less certain now that there is a clear direction for the series. Bluntly, both games are emblematic of a wasted opportunity to really explore Lara's character and expand on it, repeating too much of the 2013 reboot's story and systems in contexts that don't make sense.