|
|
|
SYPHON FILTER (PS)
|
Publisher: Sony.
Developer: SCE Studio Cambridge. Released: April 2001 (Europe). Genre: Third-person shoot 'em up. Posted 23rd October 2017. By Shane Battams © 2017 |
When you cast your mind back to 1999, it was an unfathomably strong year for the PlayStation. Metal Gear Solid would debut in PAL territories, Final Fantasy VIII would become the most anticipated sequel in recent memory and a bevvy of classics – from Wip3out to Silent Hill – would be released. Syphon Filter, a new I.P. which struggled in development and was nearly cancelled outright on a few occasions, seemed doomed then. But the sum of its loose parts actually results in a brilliant game.
Gabe Logan and Lian Xing, two members of a secret agency, are sent out when biological attacks result in the murder of a fellow agent. Covered up by drug operations, bio-terrorist Rhoemer hits close to home with bombs planted over Washington and it’s up to Gabe, along with his partner Lian, to stop the terrorist through a globe-hopping mission that has a few twists and turns along the way. It’s a remarkably powered story, with excellent writing and voice-acting which punctuates a decent spy-chase. Gabe is a gruff, likable protagonist and Xing makes for a good companion.
Syphon Filter is a tremendous mix of open-ended level design, solid shooting mechanics and other disparate elements including stealth and platforming. It’s a jack-of-all-trades, but it somehow mixes into a cohesive whole. The game takes place over 20 missions which run the gambit of these gameplay mechanics, keeping the action fast-paced and varied for the most part. Yet despite how fast it feels, there’s a solid ten hours to be had from the first playthrough, and an unlockable hard mode adds another go, should you be brave enough to stomach it. It feels meaty and substantial.
|
|
First-person allows you to admire the detail and the square heads
This action game definitely benefits from solid, if familiar, mechanics. Many of the stages focus on gunplay, which is achieved via an intuitive combination of third-person locking and first-person aiming. It’s a remarkably smooth system, allowing Gabe to strafe when precision isn’t needed or pop clean headshots when accuracy is key, especially as armoured guards eat through ammo supplies unless you pop a clean shot at the head (and beneficially, you can use their armour to restore your health). The weaponry also deserves a nod, with a wide selection of weapons encompassing shotguns and pistols, nightvision sniper rifles and grenade launchers. And of course, there’s the tazer, which ignites enemies if you hold it long enough, which is sickeningly satisfying.
Outside of the above, you are sometimes tasked with partaking in mandatory stealth sections, and the mechanics work well here too. Gabe can crouch-walk and enemies have a clear line-of-sight to help you avoid detection. There’s no melee move, forcing you to carefully time silenced shots or avoid combat outright, and the penalty for detection is often a checkpoint restart. One section, in particular, challenges you to avoid detection while tailing a guard which is nightmarish, but gratifying to break through. The last piece, platforming, works pretty well too despite Gabe’s tank-like movement. It’s a decent mash of several mechanics.
But it’s the impressive missions which truly stand out here. There’s a general focus on action, and this can lead to some brutal yet engrossing confrontations. Chasing down one of the terrorists through a Washington train tunnel, forcing you to dodge oncoming trains from both directions, is exhilarating. A tense yet gratifying game of cat-and-mouse is played through a collapsed tunnel, where you can utilise night vision to take advantage of the dark. A tough trawl through Washington Park, mixing bomb threats with hostage situations, is breathtaking. It’s remarkable how expansive and deep these missions feel, with layered objectives that can often be approached in multiple ways. The difficulty does have a tendency to spike at times, and a lack of mid-mission saves can drive you up the wall, but it’s the sense of accomplishment which is so rewarding because it feels like you made an error, rather than the game punishing you through poor design.
Outside of the above, you are sometimes tasked with partaking in mandatory stealth sections, and the mechanics work well here too. Gabe can crouch-walk and enemies have a clear line-of-sight to help you avoid detection. There’s no melee move, forcing you to carefully time silenced shots or avoid combat outright, and the penalty for detection is often a checkpoint restart. One section, in particular, challenges you to avoid detection while tailing a guard which is nightmarish, but gratifying to break through. The last piece, platforming, works pretty well too despite Gabe’s tank-like movement. It’s a decent mash of several mechanics.
But it’s the impressive missions which truly stand out here. There’s a general focus on action, and this can lead to some brutal yet engrossing confrontations. Chasing down one of the terrorists through a Washington train tunnel, forcing you to dodge oncoming trains from both directions, is exhilarating. A tense yet gratifying game of cat-and-mouse is played through a collapsed tunnel, where you can utilise night vision to take advantage of the dark. A tough trawl through Washington Park, mixing bomb threats with hostage situations, is breathtaking. It’s remarkable how expansive and deep these missions feel, with layered objectives that can often be approached in multiple ways. The difficulty does have a tendency to spike at times, and a lack of mid-mission saves can drive you up the wall, but it’s the sense of accomplishment which is so rewarding because it feels like you made an error, rather than the game punishing you through poor design.
|
|
"I said I like my fries crispy! FRIES! Not FRIARS!"
Syphon Filter is a strange beast in terms of technical prowess, as it boasts tremendous detail (blocky heads aside) at the expensive of performance. The environments are expansive, detailed and well mapped, looking great in action. There’s even some interactivity like smashable glass panes. There’s a good sense of variety too, moving from Washington to snow-covered facilities and more gothic-inspired Europe surrounds. But the game struggles to keep up with the action, as issues such as warping textures, frame-rate drops and blocky characters can spoil it. The FMVs also look a bit dated, compared to other games of the time. The sound is far more consistent though. Voice acting – as mentioned – is superb, the music scores balance very well and mix some wicked bass-lines with more heart-pounding blasts and the guns and explosions sound great.
Syphon Filter is greater than the sum of its parts. It can be inconsistent at times, especially in the difficulty and visual departments, but it makes up for this with some incredible mission design, fantastic moments and a wealth of content to enjoy. It also boasts some impressive sound design and a decent story to sink your teeth into. Those turned off by a challenge may want to think twice about this one, but everyone else would do well to check out this tremendous action game.
Syphon Filter is greater than the sum of its parts. It can be inconsistent at times, especially in the difficulty and visual departments, but it makes up for this with some incredible mission design, fantastic moments and a wealth of content to enjoy. It also boasts some impressive sound design and a decent story to sink your teeth into. Those turned off by a challenge may want to think twice about this one, but everyone else would do well to check out this tremendous action game.
|
|
VERDICT
Visual: 7/10
Audio: 9/10 Gameplay: 9/10 Longevity: 8/10 OVERALL: 9/10 |