10 Great Characters WASTED In Terrible Video Games

There's actually an amazing game inside Alpha Protocol. It's well-written, with dialog options that have significant consequences throughout the game, and takes place in a world of spies - a setting not often explored in video games, surprisingly. And I don't mean "spy" as in "stealth." I mean forming strategic alliances, turning assets, manipulating organizations - you know, the fun stuff. And playing the game is fun too... when it works.

That last tidbit is important. Because you'll only experience all of that cool stuff if you're willing to trudge your way through an absolute swamp of technical issues: crashing, DRM, frame rate drops, sound cutting out, NPCs not spawning. It's borderline unplayable.

Steven Heck is the player's main contact during the Beijing arc of the game. In a game where your contacts are always spies, mercenaries or criminals, Heck stands out as a, well, you never really know. He claims to be with the CIA, but actually seems to be a solo, freelance trouble-maker who trades in high value favors and an ability to create chaos.

His tactics are usually a spectacle, involving heavy weaponry, high-powered explosives and lots of screaming. He's the ultimate distraction.