Today is day two of Alpha Protocol videos on Destructoid featuring new information on Henry Leland. Trust him and make an ally, or burn him and be on his bad side, you decide. Don’t forget to check out yesterday’s videos featuring Sie and Grigori! More to come, check back every day for more videos and more characters!

It’s Alpha Protocol week over at Destructoid! Every day this week, Destructoid will have exclusive new videos posted detailing the characters in our upcoming modern day spy RPG. Today’s videos feature characters from Russia, specifically Grigori and Sie. These videos will give you a bit of info behind the characters before you face up against  – how will you treat them, will you create an ally or exploit their weakness and earn a foe?  You’ll get your chance to choose their fate on June 1st.

Check back tomorrow for new videos, there are some interesting characters to meet in the world of Alpha Protocol.

Recently, we set out to Boston to visit a the Penny Arcade East convention and show off some of our titles and one of my favorite games, Alpha Protocol. It’s always a bit of a downer to be back in the office after a fun event, especially such an active event like PAX, but the added bonus is to post all the fun photos from the show for those that couldn’t attend. If you haven’t been to a Penny Arcade and you consider yourself a gamer, you have to come; it’s great. Penny Arcade is just fun and it’s filled with people that love games; from the costumes, to the attire, to the smiles and good-natured conversations. I’m a fan.

One of the joys of coming to an event like PAX is meeting die hard Sega fans and fans of our games. One of our favorite things is when we can walk over user feedback to our teams and relay conversations and opinions back to the Sega. Fans are passionate, we’re passionate; it works out great. So in walking the floor of PAX, I have two pictures of fans I met that make me smile and a brief description of each. The first is a shot of someone rocking our Bayonetta Penny Arcade T-shirt. I love the photo because you can tell how proud he is to have it and be at Penny Arcade. I was equally excited to see him with it on!

The second image is of a Sonic fan, Max, who I met at the booth. We talked about Sonic 4 and how it wasn’t on the show floor (boo) and general discussions on the Sonic series. We had a small number of shirts to pass out to mega fans, costumed fans, and general supporters and Max wanted one and I wanted to give him one. Before we could pass along a shirt, I asked him jokingly to prove how big a Sega fan he was and man, did he come through and reveal his Sonic pride. First a shirt, which was enough for me, but then a wallet, keychain and even pulled out a NeoGeo pocket to reveal a Sonic cartridge, nice. It was awesome and a shirt well earned.

Cosplay – Two Bayonettas

One thing that always catches me off guard is costumes. I love them. I’m thrilled when people take the time to create them, and I love the attention to detail in the outfits they create. While at the show on Friday and Sunday, I had the good fortune of meeting not one, but two Bayonettas! Both looked the part perfectly, complete with expert hairdos, attention to detail, and both very tall. Enjoy the photos of their efforts, including a surprise visit by Luka. The costumes were amazing and one of the unexpected highlights of the show for me, thanks for being awesome and coming by the booth!  More photos are available on our Flickr of the costumes, head on over to check them out.

Sega Classics

Penny Arcade is a celebration of all things gaming, which includes not only current releases and big booth spaces, but also smaller rooms for table top gaming and a whole section devoted to old school / classic gaming. The classic section held a good deal of games ranging from a variety of systems and Sega stuff was very prominent. For your general enjoyment, you can walk in, grab a Dreamcast game of your choice and relax with a gem you haven’t played in a while – all free of charge and for the pure enjoyment of the activity. Walking through, I saw Sonic Adventure DC, Streets of Rage 2, ToeJam and Earl, and a big crowd around Bomberman on the Saturn.

So why did I travel all the way to Penny Arcade East to spend most of my time off the floor? We had a very special limited demo for some the gaming press to show off Alpha Protocol. The game, as you may or may not know, features a high degree of choice and reactivity, which we did our best to show off to the people in attendance. The real challenge in demoing is in the reactivity, rather than the choice elements. Choice is something people understand, while reactivity is subjective to what you, as the player, do throughout the game. Reactivity in Alpha Protocol is what makes a custom experience, what makes one scenerio play out differently than before, and ultimately shapes the choices you make (both obvious and subtle) in the long and short term of the game. The demo featured, in part, how one conversation in one small part of the world could play out, depending on how you treated a key character in the game up until that point. Unlike other games of the choice RPG genre, the two outcomes we offered are only two extremes outcomes of many – play the section of the game again and you could hit a completely different outcome, that’s just how Alpha Protocol works.

To help further illustrate the heavy emphasis on freedom of choice and overall game reactivity, Obsidian Entertainment was on hand for a Penny Arcade Panel, “But Thou Must”, which looked at the history of choice in games, a look at how Alpha Protocol will change choice and reactivity in games, and the importance of Apple Juice in the development community. On hand for the talk was Joseph Bulock [Cinematics Designer, Obsidian Entertainment], Shon Stewart [Lead Cinematics Animator, Obsidian Entertainment], Matt MacLean [Lead Systems Designer, Obsidian Entertainment], and Chris Avellone [Lead Designer, Obsidian Entertainment]. The panel was completely packed and for good reason, Obsidian Entertainment has made a name for themselves in creating excellent games with excellent choice mechanics. The panel went great, informative, and funny. The best part is we got the entire thing on tape and we’re working to get it out and uploaded for everyone to view. I won’t spoil any of it, except to say it was a great presentation and well worth the trip to Penny Arcade.

So there you have it! Be sure to check out our flickr page for a few more photos from the show floor and as always, leave us your comments!

SEGA and Obsidian Entertainment are at Penny Arcade East this weekend to show off our upcoming game Alpha Protocol! In a very special panel at the PAX event, Obsidian Entertainment will be showing off a bit of the choice mechanic within Alpha Protocol, read on for the full description:

But Thou Must: Choice in Games

Role-playing games need choice to propel the plot and motivate the player. The methods can vary from smoke and mirrors to extreme branching reactivity – what is the right balance to strike in a game? This panel dissects SEGA and Obsidian’s Alpha Protocol, the issues involved with introducing choice into a real-world spy genre, and presenting the consequence to the player – along with the consequences it had for the development team.

Panelists Include:
Joseph Bulock [Cinematics Designer, Obsidian Entertainment]
Shon Stewart [Lead Cinematics Animator, Obsidian Entertainment]
Matt MacLean [Lead Systems Designer, Obsidian Entertainment]
Chris Avellone [Lead Designer, Obsidian Entertainment]

I think Alpha Protocol is one of the more unique games on the market, bringing in some pretty revolutionary changes to choice based games. Come to the panel and see for yourself, I hope to see you there!

Attention Alpha Protocol fans! If you will be in (or can get to) San Francisco next Wednesday (March 10, 2010), you could see a demo of Alpha Protocol in person! SEGA staff will be doing off-site demos for press during GDC next week, and we’ve carved out some space to have you sit in.

Details

Day: Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Time: Appointments on the hour. First appointment at 10am, last appointment at 4pm. Maximum of 2 people per appointment.

Location: The Palace Hotel, San Francisco. The address is 2 New Montgomery St in the SOMA district. Here are walking directions between the Moscone Center (where GDC is) and the Palace Hotel.

How to Get In

If you would like to attend, please leave a comment on the blog with your name, times you prefer, and if you are bringing someone with you. Remember, we have a maximum of 2 people per appointment! Please remember to use your real email address when you comment, so I can follow up with you to confirm your times. I will fill the spots on a first come, first served basis.

Hope you’re excited to see the game!

We’re proud to announce that Alpha Protocol will be on store shelves in North America on June 1st, 2010. It will be available on Xbox 360, Playstation 3, and PC.

To go with this announcement, we’ve got a new logo (see above), some new screens, and new pack fronts for all three platforms. We also have a new trailer, which you can see on the Alpha Protocol page on Facebook. If you’re not a fan of Alpha Protocol on Facebook yet, now is a great time to become one!

Here are the new screens and pack fronts. They are also on our Flickr feed for your viewing & downloading pleasure. I put the full press release below as well.

Pack Fronts

Press Release

SEGA’S ALPHA PROTOCOL, THE FIRST MODERN DAY SPY RPG; TO HIT STORE SHELVES ON June 1st, 2010 IN NORTH AMERICA

SAN FRANCISCO (February 25, 2010) – SEGA® of America, Inc. is proud to announce that Obsidian Entertainment’s long awaited Alpha Protocol™ is hitting store shelves this summer. The espionage game, a fiercely original take on the role playing game genre, will launch in North America for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system, the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and PC on June 1st, 2010.

“The wait has been worth it. It is time for an RPG to go beyond fantasy and space,” said Sean Ratcliffe, Vice President of Marketing for SEGA of America. “The genre needs a shot in the arm, and renowned developer Obsidian has delivered. Alpha Protocol will be the absolute best it can be and we look forward to revealing fresh aspects of it to the community in the upcoming months.”

With a plot torn from today’s headlines and more twists than a season of “24”, Alpha Protocol brings a new level of modern day realism to the world of RPGs. Tasked with uncovering the perpetrators behind a tragic missile attack on a passenger jetliner, players dive into a story rich with characters and locations to discover an international arms-dealing conspiracy. Through their actions and choices, players direct the outcome of the game as they ultimately decide who to befriend, trust or kill.

In Alpha Protocol, players assume the role of rookie spy Michael Thorton and are given unprecedented control over the development of his abilities and interactions with other characters. Customizable character skill-sets, attributes and weapons all play an important role in allowing gamers to tailor Thorton to their play-style.

Gamers that pre-order Alpha Protocol through GameStop will receive the Exclusive Assault Pack, containing exclusive weapons and ammo like the UC Regulator high damage shotgun and Rittergroupen Grizzly high accuracy rifle. For more details visit www.gamestop.com.

Alpha Protocol is set to release on June 1st, 2010 on the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system, the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and PC. For more information visit http://www.alphaprotocol.com/us/main.php

About SEGA® Corporation:
SEGA®Corporation is a worldwide leader in interactive entertainment both inside and outside the home, encompassing consumer business, amusement machine sales and amusement center operations.  The company develops, publishes and distributes interactive entertainment software products for a variety of hardware platforms including PC, wireless devices, and those manufactured by Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.  SEGA® Corporation’s Web site is located at http://sega.jp.
About SEGA® of America, Inc.:
SEGA® of America, Inc. is the American arm of Tokyo, Japan-based SEGA Corporation, a worldwide leader in interactive entertainment both inside and outside the home.  The company develops, publishes and distributes interactive entertainment software products for a variety of hardware platforms including PC, wireless devices, and those manufactured by Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.  SEGA of America’s Web site is located at www.sega.com.
About SEGA® Europe Ltd.:
SEGA® Europe Ltd. is the European Distribution arm of Tokyo, Japan-based SEGA® Corporation, and a worldwide leader in interactive entertainment both inside and outside the home. The company develops and distributes interactive entertainment software products for a variety of hardware platforms including PC, wireless devices, and those manufactured by Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. SEGA Europe’s web site is located at www.sega-europe.com.

About OBSIDIAN ENTERTAINMENT:
Obsidian Entertainment is an entertainment software development company passionately dedicated to making high quality, next generation games for PC and console systems. Obsidian was founded in 2003 by five game development veterans who’ve produced, programmed, and/or designed award-winning role playing games for a variety of platforms over the last 15 years. The five founders are: Feargus Urquhart, Chris Parker, Darren Monahan, Chris Avellone and Chris Jones. Obsidian Entertainment’s Web site is located at www.obsidian.net.

###

“PlayStation”, “PLAYSTATION” and “PS” Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.

© 2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Microsoft, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox LIVE and the Xbox logos are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies and are used under license from Microsoft.

Check out Gametrailers most anticipated games of 2010 and enjoy a taste of our own Alpha Protocol.  Footage hits at the seventh maker, we’re definitely looking forward to this our adventures with Michael Thorton…

Obsidian Entertainment has posted another blog about our upcoming Alpha Protocol on IGN.com. In the blog, Audio Producer Mike Dowling shows how a conversation comes together from concept to execution. Having seen the game in action, the dialogue trees can be pretty interesting, especially when you consider the complexities of the conversations. The blog outlines this quite well, even showing visuals of the flow charts to give you a sense of how intricate they can be, here’s a taste:

At the beginning there are three possible starting points for the scene that either goes along in the standard matinee to Stance Choice to matinee format; or things get more complex dependent on the variables the player has already set throughout the course of the game. Which hub has the player gone to after Saudi first? What activities did the player do in said hub? And once in Moscow did the player go to Grigori first or not? Each of those variables are accounted for in the first few moments of the scene.

Take a look at the full blog over at IGN!

I have to admit that I really like Seattle. The scenery is beautiful, the city is nice, and it’s nowhere near as polluted as that one other city I once lived in for a summer – Seattle really is a very cool place.

It was raining this morning, but was mostly light and we hopped in the car to drive over and start getting ready for the Alpha Protocol sessions. I left from there to move over to the SEGA Booth at the convention, where I’d be stationed and taking pictures for the rest of the day. That said – let’s get to it!

Crowds gather quickly around Bayonetta as Matsumoto (left) passes out special postcards.

I talked SEGA with this Destructoid community member for a good 20 minutes – his name tag is also pretty funny, you can see it in more detail here.

More Bleach cosplay! Ikkaku dropped by to hang with Kon and the gang at the SEGA booth!

I’ll be impressed if you recognize this one quickly. Any ideas? (The Shadow plushie is a hint.) This girl is actually cosplaying Maria, first shown in Sonic Adventure 2!

4:30 PM meant one thing only – Phantasy Star Trivia! The guys went head to head, and Jonathan (on the left) emerged the victor! Both went home with free swag, and Jonathan scored a PSU Figurine!

I spotted this Sonic fan passing by the booth, and had to grab a picture – these hats (Sonic, at least) were really hard to find last week in Toronto!

More Bayonetta! The stations stayed completely full for the entire day – a testament to the fact that the people at PAX are definitely true gamers. We had a number of people echo sentiments from last week’s Fan Expo, specifically saying that they thought Bayonetta beat God of War 3 in every way!

A look at part of Bayonetta’s costume. A hardcore fan who actually knows about the character she’s cosplaying just makes me happy. She also did an excellent job disappointing passerby who thought she was just a dumb booth babe they could flirt with, and whose favorite game would be “pong”. We’ll be doing a special interview with her soon to talk about how she made the costume and inspiration behind her passion!

The Phantasy Star guys chat it up and talk PSU, PSP, updates, and more. Also, we heard you like Rappies.

A group of Alpha Protocol fans who scored themselves some free T-shirts. We asked if we could just grab a picture of them holding the shirts, but they all wanted to put them on instead. No arguments there!

As the hours passed and the show was about to end, we all got together for a group shot. I’d like to give special thanks to all the cosplayers here – once again, awesome job! Oh, and keep your eyes peeled tomorrow for a special video of Kon riding a mechanical bull. It’s just as awesome as it sounds, I promise.

For the full set of today’s pictures, including more pictures from Bayonetta’s fan costume, check out our Flickr set, here!

We’ll be flying back to San Francisco tomorrow – but that still leaves one last day for pictures, meet-ups, and trivia! Speaking of Trivia, Valkyria Chronicles Trivia is tomorrow at 11:00 AM, and General SEGA Trivia starts at noon. Good luck to all those competing for the rare swag we’ve brought along!

More pics, news, blogs, and one super-awesome video coming tomorrow!