While Sega still hasn't responded to our multiple requests for confirmation on the delay, the publisher's official web site is typically a good resource for this kind of information. The PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC versions are all listed loosely for "Spring, 2010" but earlier today, some of those dates were for a more solid May 6, 2010.

We'd put that release date in pencil on your personal calendars, not pen. Just to be on the safe side.

Alpha Protocol [Sega]

Recently updated ship dates from GameStop and Amazon.ca list Alpha Protocol for June 1 and June 30, 2010, respectively. Most online retailers still show the game due the last week of October of this year, but if two independent retailers are showing a delay, don't be surprised if others follow suit.

If those retail listings are accurate, it wouldn't be the first time Alpha Protocol has been pushed back. The game was penciled in for a release as early as February 2009. Perhaps Sega took some of Sony Computer Entertainment America's rumored comments about the game to heart?

Whatever the reason may be, if Alpha Protocol has indeed slipped, it will join the recently delayed Blur as one of the many titles that will miss the typically heavy fall release schedule.

We've reached out to Sega of America to verify that change, but haven't heard back yet.

A posting on the Obsidian forums from a forum administrator, picked up by Giant Bomb, attempts to clear the air by noting "it is true that we are no longer working on the game, and we wanted to finally announce that officially to everyone who has been following its development." In case there was any confusion about that, the post ends saying that Aliens RPG is "no longer a product that is in development."

Sega also confirmed in a statement that the title is kaput. "At this point, SEGA has no plans to move forward with the Aliens RPG," says official word.

The role-playing game from the dev team responsible for Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II and the forthcoming Alpha Protocol was announced in December of 2006, but was never shown publicly.

Sega still has plenty of Aliens licensed game coming down the pipe, with Aliens Vs. Predator and Aliens: Colonial Marines shooting for every platform that can handle 'em.

The Official State of Obsidian's Aliens RPG, by The Guildmaster [Obsidian Forum Community via Giant Bomb]

In the game you play as a highly customizable Michael Thorton, a CIA field agent on the run from his former superiors. Developers Obsidian Entertainment describe the game as a modern-day espionage role-playing game, but it plays just like a shooter.

That's not surprising since the game is being developed by the same team that created Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II.

The first thing I got a look at was one of Thorton's many safe houses. It's here that you can customize your character's clothing, weapons, gadgets and upgrade his skills.

Thorton can be upgraded through ten different skills, all of which can have significant impact on the type of character he is from brawler, to techie, to smooth James Bond spy.

Weapons are broken down into four categories with mods for each which essentially buff or nerf the gun. There are also armor mods for Thorton.

Some of the skills I saw in action included one that slowed time down while Thorton took enemies down with melee attacks. Another scanned an area for enemies, allowing Thorton to pop up and take them down quickly with his gun.

I was most intrigued by the way the weapons operate. Since the game plays like a shooter, but is actually an RPG, Obsidian had to find the right mix to reflect both styles of play. What they ended up with was a system that used your skill ratings and the weapon type to impact the size of your targeting reticule. The more skilled you are with a weapon, the better the weapon is, the smaller the reticule is.

So when you're fire off shots with a gun you're not proficient with, your reticule is pretty big and the shots can go anywhere in that targeting circle, either hitting or missing your target depending on how much space they take up in the reticule. It's a great way to have skill levels impact a shooter without taking control away from the player.

I'm really looking forward to how this game shapes up as it nears it's October release date for the PC, PS3 and Xbox 360.

The new game was revealed by Bethesda's Pete Hines who said that the publisher is working with Obsidian Entertainment on the title.

It will be coming out next year for the PC, Playstation 3 and Xbox 360.

"It is not a sequel to Fallout 3," Hines said. "It's simply another Fallout game in that universe."

It will be the same sort of role-playing game experience seen in Fallout 3, he said. The game's official reveal, with more details and a look at the game down the line.

Hines added that this title will have no impact on what Todd Howard and his team are working on.

Obsidian Entertainment is the development studio that rose from the ashes of Black Isle Studios, responsible for developing Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords, Neverwinter Nights 2, Alpha Protocol, and Sega's Aliens: Crucible RPG, which is currently on indefinite hold.

What gives with those button options in this screen? Threaten? Virus? Passphrase? Yes, please!

Making RPG-style character progression work in a realistic setting—more realistic than, say, Mass Effect or Final Fantasy, for example—always seems like a challenging thing to get right. We're not sure if Obsidian has pulled it off, but if they do, it may bode well for that in limbo Aliens RPG the developer was working on.

Make sure to stick around for the chinstrap bearded bad guy at the end. He looks like the Abe Lincoln of the terrorist underworld. Not something we see enough of. Evil dead presidents, I mean.

“It all depends on how you treat them,” Rucinski said. If you have a strong relationship with female characters, they may help with missions. However, he told me that some of them are “bats–t insane” and can get you into trouble. “One may ask you to assassinate a high-level person,” he added. “Maybe that’s not something you want to do, but she’s really hot. But there are obvious repercussions.”

See? These are the sorts of decisions guys named Michael have to deal with every day. We don't want to kill, but the ladies are so hot! Alpha Protocol will let players get busy with women via Mass Effect style cutscenes, with achievements for being a total manslut as well as just saying no repeatedly. Achievements for having sex? Fox is going to have a field day.

‘Alpha Protocol’ Will Have Plenty Of Sex Scenes, ‘Ladies’ Man’ Achievement [MTV Multiplayer]