On a related note I bought a used copy of Alpha Protocol for $7 the other day and have played an hour or two and have already lost interest. I went into it knowing that the gameplay was going to be pretty lousy, but I had heard that the choices you make in the game significantly affect the way the plot plays out (unlike Mass Effect where there are really only peripheral changes), but unfortunately that plot appears to be TOM CLANCY'S: STOP THE TERRORISTS which is supremely uninteresting. If it turns out to be a wacky Metal Gear style plot then I might pick it up again, but otherwise I guess I'm going to have to read a book I GUESS.
idk if i'm remembering this wrong but i remember finding the gameplay of it a little difficult to get into first, like the first levels were kinda wonky anyway, with the gameplay kinda evening itself out when you unlock more skills and shit to make the progression of the game a little easier. like i remember finding stealth almost impossible early on in the game but reasonably functional at times later on. it's been long enough since i played it(and it stuck with me that little to make my memories kinda hazy) so i don't really know if this was my doing or the way the game worked.
i kinda enjoyed alpha protocol for the most part, but i wouldn't really call it a particularly good game. the story itself was more or less the focus but takes too much of a broad strokes approach for it to be really engaging or interesting for more than a few moments. the plot itself was just empty, and it almost gets saved by a couple conceptually interesting characters, but none of them stand in the foreground enough to really direct the story experience. i think i found the game more interesting for ALMOST being an exceptional game but taking too many wrong paths in the execution of it.
i dunno. play it if you feel compelled to do so, as it's not the worst game you'll ever play, but you're probably going to have a better experience with a book.