SEGA and Obsidian Entertainment have released a new trailer for Alpha Protocol. This clip focuses on the ‘Dialogue Stance System’, also known as DSS (and you’re reading this article at The Black Panel or, as we now prefer, TBP).

The DSS was always a big selling point for Obsidian Entertainment. They bandied about the slogan ‘your weapon is choice’ and Senior Producer, Ryan Rucinski, promoted the ‘three J.B’s’ approach to the game (character responses based on the personalities of Jason Bourne, James Bond or Jack Bauer) when speaking to The Escapist.

From the trailer, we see examples of how the DSS works. You can take a subtle approach and attempt to charm your way into or out of a situation or you may opt for all out aggression. At one point, the main player has the option to select ‘warning’, ‘dismissive’, ‘honest’ or ‘execute’ when speaking to an NPC. Execute seems a little extreme compared to the other approaches. Can’t there be an in-between ‘rough him up a little’ option?

Hopefully the RPG elements of the Alpha Protocol will provide a genuinely immersive experience for the gamer. I doubt whether most will be blown away by the pedestrian voice acting they’ve witnessed in the trailer.

Alpha protocol is still scheduled for a May 27 release on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.