With the holidays right around the corner, now is the perfect time to pick up a few goodies at a discount! Now through November 1^st, select North American titles on the PlayStation Network are available at special prices.

Nothing to wear for Halloween? POW – Dress your Home avatar in the Alpha Protocol Tactical Gear pack for only $14.99!  10 hour drive to grandma’s house for Thanksgiving?  BAM – pick up the SEGA Genesis Collection for PSP for the low price of $12.99! Need a Christmas gift for yourself? KAPLOW – SEGA Rally Online Arcade for PS3 is only $6.99. A complete listing of sale items is below.

PlayStation 3:

Crazy Taxi: $6.99 (30% off)

SEGA Rally Online Arcade: $6.99 (30% off)

Gunstar Heroes: $2.99 (50% off)

Alpha Protocol Tactical Gear pack: $14.99

PSP:

SEGA Genesis Collection: $12.99 (20% off)

Crazy Taxi: $6.99 (30% off)

Phantasy Star Portable 2: $19.99 (50% off)

Valkyria Chronicles II & Valkyria 2 DLC Pack 2: $22.99 (almost 50% off), $13.79 for PlayStation Plus members (almost 70% off)

Extending your role play from our recent Alpha Protocol into the real world might cause some resistance from local authorities, international spy organizations, global arms merchants, etc. Instead, we recommend heading into PlayStation Home and picking up some of the new outfits available now (North American Home only).

Quite a few options have been digitally crafted into the PlayStation Home universe, allowing you to mix and match, or go for your favorite character. Be it one of the ladies of Alpha Protocol; Sie or Scarlett – or the commanding Michael Thorton himself – even take on one of the G22 with your own signature nightvision goggles. Without fear, you can bring your love for Alpha Protocol into a world that will be far more accepting of your passion.

Alpha Protocol Gear for Male or Female Avatars

Alpha Protocol Baseball Cap (headgear) - A classic choice in headwear. Show your support for Obsidian’s Modern Espionage RPG!

Alpha Protocol Tactical Vest (torso) – The perfect companion every good spy needs to have all their gadgets and tactical tools ready at a moment’s notice.

Alpha Protocol SWAT Utilities (Legs) – Serious utility pants for serious tactical situations.

Alpha Protocol Helmet (headgear) – Every good spy knows that when the bullets start flying you’ll need a helmet to make sure you don’t lose your head.

Sie’s Beret (headgear) – Need something sexy, dangerous and of course stylish? Try this beret worn by the fierce and unpredictable ex-Stasi operative.

Alpha Protocol Night Vision Goggles (headgear) – The elite G22 demand only the best in enhanced optics for their top secret incursions. Now these custom goggles can be yours.

Alpha Protocol Tactical Vest with Grenades (torso) - Fitted tactical vest equipped with incendiary grenades, just in case things get out of hand.

Alpha Protocol Logo T-Shirt (torso) - A very stylish choice in t-shirts. Show your support for Sega’s Modern Espionage RPG!

Alpha Protocol Tactical Vest with Knife in Shoulder Holster (torso) - Fitted tactical vest, with a stealthy knife that is always within reach. Additional vest options for pistol, rifle, knife, pistol & knife, pistol & knife & grenades, pistol & rifle, and shotgun options available. Pick the option that best suits your playstyle!

Alpha Protocol SWAT Utilities with Pistol on Leg Holster (legs) – SWAT utility pants with pistol, the cornerstone for any tactically minded agent. Additional leg option with only a knife or knife & pistol available for when you want to get in close.

Male Avatars Only

Michael Thorton Suit – Get decked out head to toe in the gear worn by Michael Thorton himself.

Female Avatars Only

Sie Costume – Sie puts bullets in faces. Lots of bullets. Lots of faces. This female predator has a tough look to match her hunting habits.

Scarlet Lake Costume – Get the look of one of the award-winning and multifaceted photojournalist from Sega’s Modern Espionage RPG.

Free Stuff & Blog Reader Appreciation!

Readers of the Sega blog and quick redeemers can pick up a few freebies from within the blog. Take the codes below (first come first served) and enter into PlayStation Home redeem field to take a bit of Alpha Protocol with you – this is a thank you to all the readers who read and support us!

Sie’s Outfit (Female avatars only)
CK73-T9BG-6R7A
GHLH-FTBA-RGDT
L9BB-TQBC-GPEH

Michael Thorton’s Combat Gear (Male avatars only)
5K78-5FBH-PJGF
G26A-49BR-BG32
AFMK-N5BT-R7R8

At long last, Alpha Protocol is now available for PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360. If you haven’t followed the blog or know little about the game, here’s a bit of background… the game follows Michael Thorton, a rookie spy tasked with tracking down a group of fanatical terrorists behind a tragic missile attack on a passenger jetliner. Soon though, Thorton discovers there are much more devious forces at work, and before he realizes it, he is pulled into a dark and dangerous conspiracy orchestrated by ruthless, corrupt businessmen determined to control the fate of the world. He must use every tool and skill at his disposal to stop a cartel hell bent on shaping the world as they see fit.

Your Weapon is Choice – Create Your Own Adventure

Create and customize your game to your liking, playing up relationships with reputation, both through direct actions and in conversation to earn allies and spark rivalries. Play stealthy, aggressively with guns blazing, or creatively with gadgets or a mix of any of the skills available at your disposal – there is no ‘right’ way to play, the game is completely up to you and Alpha Protocol will reward you at every step. Depending on how you play through your first go, you’ll want to revisit the game and see the alternative sides to some of the more major choices. Alpha Protocol is one of the better RPGs I’ve had a chance to play and I’m looking forward to the player reactions once they get their hands on it.

Alpha Protocol is now available, if you’ve picked it up or are just looking for conversation – join the discussion in our forums!

With six days and counting until Alpha Protocol releases, we’ve gotten our hands on some pretty nice swag – an Alpha Protocol iPod Touch or two – and we want to give them to you, the Alpha Protocol and Sega fan!

The iPod Touches are 8 gig models and feature a very nice Alpha Protocol skin across the back of the device; perfect for your audio enjoyment needs on the go. We’ve lined up some good opportunities to find the Alpha Protocol iPod Touch across a few different websites, so if you are hungry for some extremely slick swag, look no further than the links below:

GameTrailers Newsletter – Trivia Contest

The newest GameTrailers newsletter features a whole lot of Alpha Protocol, including an interview with our own Matt Hickman and some trivia questions to earn you one of two iPod Touches. Head on over and submit your answers by June 1st.

Sega Shiro – Caption Contest

Sega Shiro is running a caption contest, featuring the above image and two others. If you’ve got a funny caption in mind, head on over and submit your best ideas. Enter quick, the contest ends on May 29th.

Sega Bits – Design a Spy Gadget

Put your art skills (or lack thereof) to the test and design your own Spy Gadget on Sega Bits for a chance to pick up an iPod Touch. You have until May 31st to enter.

Alpha Protocol Wikia – Your Favorite Spy Movie

Wikia Gaming has created an Alpha Protocol Wiki and are kicking it off with a contest to award an iPod to two lucky participants. To win, all you need to do is create a Wikia account and mail them with your favorite Spy movie. Head over to read up on Alpha Protocol and learn more about the characters, weapons, and environment you’ll be playing in very soon.  All entries must be submitted by June 6th.

Joystiq – Spytouch

Joystiq has 3 iPod Touches to give away and wants to know what you think a Spy would do with an iPod Touch. If you’ve got some ideas, head on over and send them in.  Contest ends on June 2nd.

Sega Twitter – Free Stuff Friday for May 28

If you are unfamiliar with our Free Stuff Friday or haven’t seen this weeks video, then you’ve made me feel very sad. The Free Stuff Friday promotion on Twitter this week has two Alpha Protocol packs to giveaway, each with a copy of the game (xbox 360 or PS3), a signed poster from the Obsidian Development team, and an iPod Touch.

Alpha Protocol is nearly here, launching in North America on June 1st! We’ve got two special trailers to show off, one you might have missed and another that’s launching today. The one you may have missed is the special Mike Thorton music video. Not quite what you would expect, but a perfect addition and change of pace from the videos we’ve been circulating recently. Next up is our Choose Your Own Adventure trailer, exclusive over at MetaCafe and worth a play and replay to see how things play out.

Both videos can be viewed below, let us know what you think!

Mike Thorton Music Video

A nice change of pace from the videos we’ve been putting out, the Michael Thorton music video. It’s not what you think it will be, watch and see.

Choose Your Own Adventure

What a perfect way to show off a game based on choice, than a trailer where you choose the path and play it as you see fit. You’ll have to click in and view the video as it uses some custom flash at the end to link you to the specific videos. It’s a bit of a ride and you make the final call on how it plays out. Finally a trailer where you get to actually choose your path and decide your own fate.

With Alpha Protocol coming out in less than a month, the previews are starting to hit from across the gaming web. If you are on the fence or just need a refresh on what our upcoming Spy RPG will be like, check the previews below:

GameTrailers

XL Gaming

Hands on Preview

GamesRadar

How to be a silent killer
Our 10 favorite spy gadgets
Shooting and fighting explained

Gaming Union

Hands on Preview

1Up.com

Preview of the dialog and reputation systems

Zavvi.com

Hands on Preview

Game Revolution

Xbox 360 Preview

G4

Hands on Preview

Sega is very pleased to announce today that Obsidians’s espionage RPG “Alpha Protocol” has gone gold and is headed off to manufacturing. Alpha Protocol is scheduled for release on June 1st in North America and in Europe on May 28 for Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and PC.

Alpha Protocol unites role-playing, stealth, and action gameplay into a single experience that captures what it feels like to operate as a modern day spy. With production values on par with a blockbuster action movie, the consequences of the player’s actions in the high stakes underworld of arms dealing can be explosive. Perhaps unleashing on suspected terrorists with the Pentagon’s latest weaponry is the best move… or maybe just stay in the shadows and stay cryptic in your interactions. There isn’t a single correct approach.

Alpha Protocol ups the stakes in the RPG genre with the integration of the innovative Dynamic Stance System (DSS), dialogue tech that allows the player to pick a ‘stance’ instead of a direct answer. Players need to think on their feet, because in Alpha Protocol a key weapon IS choice – and every decision not only shapes your relationships with in-game characters, but it changes the entire world around you.

I’ve got a big post on the DRM solution for the PC version of Alpha Protocol. I know this info was discussed recently and there were many concerns, which is expected for DRM. I’ve talked with our teams and given some of the other solutions out there, this seems pretty straight forward and very accommodating. The only major requirement is an internet connection, and there are workarounds if you don’t have a PC connected to the internet. Here’s the official statement on what to expect:

The system chosen for Alpha Protocol is Uniloc: SoftAnchor. The system will allow the user to activate Alpha Protocol online immediately out of the box and once activated the user never needs to worry about activating again. The activation can be used on a limited amount of PCs, and can be deactivated through our online servers allowing the user full control over their license – should they need to re-install, swap machines or suffer a catastrophic hardware failure on their normal PC.

In the future, SEGA will be releasing an unprotected patch of the game to alleviate any fears of not being able to play the game when the Uniloc servers won’t be around anymore.

We also do not use Steamworks – the Steam released version will use Uniloc DRM.

We’ve got a full FAQ detailing exactly what to expect, but please, ask questions if you have them and I’ll do my best to get them answered.

—————————

The PC version of Alpha Protocol uses an internet based licensing system. After installation, the user is required to enter a valid product registration code (license key) in order to begin playing the game. An internet connection is necessary to do this.

Your registration code, like the software and license that you purchased is your property. Please keep it in safe place and don’t give it out to others.
We have endeavored to deploy a licensing system that is fair and does not inconvenience users. You can have the software installed on an unlimited number of computers and can actively use up to five installations at any one time. The software informs you if the installation you wish to use is not active and will guide you through the process of transferring licenses from those that are active with just a few mouse clicks.

FAQ’s

What licensing system is used on Alpha Protocol?
We have chosen the Uniloc SoftAnchor system to protect Alpha Protocol.

Why does SEGA recommend that I keep my product registration code secret and safe?
If other people have access to your product registration code, then they may be able to install and use the game using your license. This may prevent you from being able to play the game. It’s very important that you do not post your product registration code on the internet.

How will this licensing system affect me?
You will need an internet connection to activate the game.
After installation of the game and upon first launch, you will be prompted to enter your ‘activation key’, which is supplied with the game. You simply enter this key into the text entry box provided on the screen, click the ‘Activate’ button and within 30 seconds your copy of the game will be activated and ready to play.

You will not need to repeat this process unless you significantly change your machine hardware, or you deactivate your product (please see the deactivation section below), or install it on another machine.

How many times can I activate?
Each ‘activation key’ can be used to activate Alpha Protocol on five (5)different computers at any one time. Activation on a unique computer is referred to as a ‘license seat’. With five license seats, this allows you to play the game at home, on your laptop and using other computers you might have access to.

What if I want to transfer the game to other computers, more than five over the life of the product? I have multiple computers at home and often swap them out you see.
While there is a limit to the number of computers you can use Alpha Protocol on at any one time Sega isn’t restricting the number of computers you can install the game on over the life of the product.

In order to do this you will need to deactivate older installations though. The best way of doing this is to install the game on the computer you want to play the game on and follow the on-screen instructions. Please see the FAQ’s regarding transferring licenses and deactivating older licenses below.

What happens if my computer crashes? Do I lose that license seat?
No, you can deactivate that particular installation and you do not need access to that computer in order to do that. Please see the FAQ’s regarding deactivating a license below.

What if I change a large percentage of hardware? Do I lose that license seat?
As each computer is identified by a unique digital signature, sometimes changing hardware will cause the product to require re-activation via the internet. This will be considered a new installation so it will require a new license seat. However you do not lose the license seat because you can deactivate the old one, effectively having it credited back.

Just start the game as normal and if this is an issue you simply enter your ‘activation key’ into the activation screen and click ‘Activate’, as you did when you first activated the game.

At this point, if you have reached your license seat limit you will be taken through the process of deactivating the previous installation which only takes a few mouse clicks.

If you have not reached your license seat limit then within 30 seconds of reactivation you will be playing the game as you did before. In this case, you can still get the older license seat back via our web based deactivation option (please see the deactivation section below) or just wait until you install the product on more computers.

Am I protected for the future if the Uniloc service is discontinued?
Yes, we take your rights as a consumer very seriously, so we will provide a version of the game without license management (available as a patch) in around 18-24 months after release. We can’t be specific about the exact date due to business factors, but rest assured that we will provide an unprotected patch, as we did for Football Manager 2009.

I do not have internet access. How do I activate the game?
The game is being sold as an ‘internet required’ product for the purposes of activation. However, for those that have purchased the game and are installing on a computer that does not have an internet connection then there is an alternative way of activating the license. Please see the Web Based Activation notes below.

Do I need to have internet access to play the game?
No, you only need internet access to activate the game. After you have installed and successfully activated the game internet access is only recommended to assist in license management.

We wanted to provide a realistic solution so that customers can play the game without interruption in cases where an internet connection is down or is unreliable. We also wanted to support laptop users, who might wish to play on the move without internet connection.

I have internet access but I am having internet connection problems. How do I activate the game?
You should contact your internet service provider and ask them to troubleshoot your internet connection problems. In the meantime you can choose to wait until you have a reliable internet connection or take advantage of the Web Based Activation process (see below).

I have internet access on my computer, yet Alpha Protocol is not able to authenticate. What’s the problem?
In this case you likely have a hardware or software firewall that is preventing internet access directly from within the Alpha Protocol software. Most firewalls still allow users to browse web pages so you can either modify your firewall settings or use Web Based Activation (see below).

Do I need the disk in the drive to play the game?
No we have chosen a solution that does not require the game disc to be present during play; you will need to retain your game disc in a safe place though, should you require it to reinstall the game in the future.

Transferring a License Seat/License Seat Deactivation

I have installed Alpha Protocol already and I want to install it on another computer. How do I do this?
Simply install the game on the other computer. If you haven’t reached your license seat limit then installation will proceed and you will be required to activate the game as you did when you first installed.

I have installed Alpha Protocol on five machines, so I have used all my license seats. I want to play Alpha Protocol on another computer so how do I transfer a license?
Simply install the game on the other computer. If you have reached your license seat limit then you will be guided through the quick process of deactivating an older installation, which takes just a few mouse clicks. You do not need access to any of the previous installations in order to do this, but you do need to be connected to the internet.

How do I deactivate my key from my computer?
There are two methods:

1.If you have access to the internet, just uninstall the game while the internet connection is active. We take care of deactivation for you in this case, but please bear in mind if the internet connection is not reliable or drops out during the un-installation then deactivation may not occur.

2.In order to provide greater flexibility we have created a deactivation service. Simply navigate to the following our website (not yet active) and enter your ‘activation key’ and you will then see all of the devices associated with your key. Simply click to delete the device(s) that you no longer require. Once you have successfully deactivated the device(s) you can then re-use the key on new devices, up to your limit of five (5) seats (please refer to ‘How will this affect me?’ section for information on seats).

Please bear in mind that this is the exact same process that you will be guided through if you install the game and attempt to activate having used the five license seats. Generally people will not need to go directly to the web site.

Web Based Activation (if you are experiencing issues trying to authenticate, or do not have Internet access on the computer you are trying to authenticate)
Alpha Protocol requires an internet connection to activate the software license.

To activate from within the application itself, the software must not be blocked (by a firewall) from sending and receiving data over the internet (Port 80 – standard HTTP port). For many users this will not be an issue and it will be handled automatically.

Users with firewall issues will always have the option of updating firewall settings. However, in the cases where you can still browse the web via a web browser it may be easier to use Web Based Activation.

Web Based Activation may also be of interest to if you are a user with no internet connection, have an unreliable internet connection or a firewall that will not allow even web browsing and you can still activate the software via another computer that does have web access.

This process involves saving a file and transporting it to the computer that does have web access. Using that computer you upload the file to a website and in response save another file out and transfer it back to the machine you wish to activate software on. A local network, USB memory stick, floppy disk or other writable media are ideal for the purposes of transferring the files between the two computers involved.

In all cases please proceed to install the game on the computer of your choice and you be provided with full guidance to assist you in activating through the web page. The URL is provided at that time.

Support

I’ve been through the FAQ and I’m still having problems, is there anything I can do?
Yes, if you continue to have problems and need further assistance, please contact a Sega technical representative by submitting a support request ticket at http://help.sega.com.

Today we have three new Alpha Protocol videos to show off following an exclusive pass over at Destructoid! A perfect way to enjoy the last remaining hours in your workday, or maybe a perfect way to start the weekend. Enjoy!

Day 4 – Scarlet Lake

Day 5 – Mina Tang and Conrad Marburg

Today is day 3 of our Alpha Protocol trailers on Destructoid with a new video featuring Konstantin Brayko. Enjoy!