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Syphon Filter is a third-person shooter/stealth video game developed by Eidetic and published by 989 Studios for the PlayStation. It is the first game in the series of the same name, the plot centering around special agents Gabriel Logan (infamously called 'Gabe' to both in-game characters.
Syphon Filter 2 will sell. You know it, we know it. But it's our job to tell you that it's a subpar sequel to one of the best games last year; and in typical 989 fashion, SF2 is sloppy, rushed and rehashed. The game engine itself offers no substantial improvement, other than a feeble 'jump' function that you can't even control, and the ability to save at checkpoints. However, the price we pay for such minor improvements far outweigh the rewards. It seems that by allowing you to save (and restart) at each checkpoint, Eidetic has open license to create some of the most linear and frustrating levels ever. What happened to the classic arctic base level from the original SF, where triggering an alarm sent you up shit creek but kept the game rolling just the same? As it is, SF2 has lost all sense of spontaneity. Expect to run each gauntlet over and over again with machine-like precision until you've figured out the lay of the land. And why did Eidetic destroy the balance between run-and-gun versus stealth game-play? Overall, there are a lot more stealth missions, each filtered through SF2's harsh mission parameters (read: get caught, start over and over and over and over.). However, there's a cool string of levels in Russia that really bring back the old SF feeling, but it's over all too soon and before you know it, Logan's sneaking around with his Taser again. A huge disappointment comes in the form of SF2's multiplayer mode. Granted, it's nice being able to unlock characters and levels to use in DM, but what's the point when the actual DM game is so barebones and shallow? Two-player versus always comes down to grabbing the grenade launcher, locking the target and ka-boom, instant frag. If you're lucky, you'll pull off a non-camper head shot--thanks to how painfully slow it is to aim your gun. We know it was silly of us to expect a real sequel from 989, but hey...we can always dream.
People say:
The first SF combined the best elements of games like Metal Gear Solid and Tomb Raider, with just the right balance of difficulty between its action and puzzle-oriented levels. The fact that it had a decent plot and gripping interludes only added to my surprise. Unfortunately, it appears the only thing that carried over to SF2 was the story, which picks up tightly where the first one left off. Even as it resides on two CDs, almost all the levels on disc 1 are a complete letdown. It isn't until the beginning of disc 2 that the game even resembles the SF I fell in love with last year. Instead of tense and dynamic environments that gave you room to exude your style of play, SF2 requires you to do things exactly as they've planned it...as a result, you often feel like you're playing around their limited events triggers. Imagine a Metal Gear Solid where the game ends every time you're spotted by a guard-that's how frustrating SF2 is! Each level is a laborious exercise of trial-and-error, where you constantly learn things the hard way. And to up the difficulty, enemies can now perform head shots with uncanny accuracy, be it in pitch-black fog, or from rooftops against a running target. That's not gameplay, that's frustration. You don't understand how it breaks my heart. SF2 looks like SF, but it's only a hollow shell of its former self.
It's not that Syphon Filter 2 is a bad action game. It's just a bad sequel to the excellent original. Cheap death lurks everywhere. Enemies score headshots on you before you even know they were there. Baddies toss grenades all around your position. Stealth missions screech to a halt every time you're caught. The numerous checkpoints help, since you don't have to cover too much old ground when you mess up, but expect major frustration.
The story of Syphon Filter 2 could be extremely cool. It would actually be quite fantastic if it didn't have the game associated with it. All the tedious running around and shooting stuff does very little to further the pace of the story. Sequels should, as a rule, improve on their predecessors, but SF2 (while more 'epic' than the original) is a far more linear and tedious affair. It's harsh too...you'll try some sections sooooo many times before you get it right.
Having never played the first game, I didn't know what to expect. I'd heard plenty about how good the first game was. What I found was an incredibly frustrating action game. Whatever happened to the concept of fair play? And although some people are turned off by the extremely low-detailed character renders in the cinema, I think it works to achieve a real comic-book look. After hearing how good the first game was, this is a bit of a letdown.
Overall rating: 9.5
Syphon Filter | |
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Genre(s) | Third-person shooter, stealth |
Developer(s) | SCE Bend Studio |
Publisher(s) | 989 Studios(1999–2000) Sony Computer Entertainment(2001–7) |
Platform(s) | PlayStation, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable |
First release | Syphon Filter February 17, 1999 |
Latest release | Syphon Filter: Logan's Shadow October 2, 2007 |
Syphon Filter is a third-person shooteraction video game series developed by SCE Bend Studio (formerly Eidetic) and published by Sony Computer Entertainment (previously 989 Studios), that has appeared on the PlayStation, PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portablegame systems. In the series, Syphon Filter is the name given to the mysterious biological weapon.
![Syphon Filter 2 Ps1 989 Pt13 Syphon Filter 2 Ps1 989 Pt13](https://norwaybeachstalkerlake.com/images/games/PS1/21669.jpg)
Games[edit]
Game | Metacritic |
---|---|
Syphon Filter | (PS) 90/100[1] |
Syphon Filter 2 | (PS) 81%[2][a] |
Syphon Filter 3 | (PS) 73/100[3] |
Syphon Filter: The Omega Strain | (PS2) 65/100[4] |
Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror | (PSP) 87/100[5] (PS2) 70/100[6] |
Syphon Filter: Logan's Shadow | (PSP) 85/100[7] (PS2) 71%[8][a] |
Syphon Filter (1999)[edit]
![989 989](/uploads/1/2/7/2/127226973/162374028.jpg)
The plot centers on special agents Gabriel Logan and Lian Xing who are tasked by the United States government to apprehend an international terrorist named Erich Rhoemer.
Syphon Filter 2 (2000)[edit]
The plot picks up immediately after where the previous Syphon Filter ended. Gabe sets out to cure the virus while being targeted as a terrorist by the US government.
Syphon Filter 3 (2001)[edit]
Gabe and his team are suspected of treason. Summoned to prove their innocence, the team recounts the incidence that led to this moment. In the background, Gabe moves to rid the world of Syphon Filter once and for all.
Syphon Filter: The Omega Strain (2004)[edit]
Gabe, now commander of a government agency, leads fresh recruits in the battle to stop a deadlier strain of the virus from emerging. Follow the new recruit, Cobra, as he/she fights the omega strain virus.
Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror (2006)[edit]
Syphon Filter: Logan's Shadow (2007)[edit]
Notes[edit]
References[edit]
- ^'Syphon Filter Reviews'. Metacritic. Retrieved March 25, 2014.
- ^'Syphon Filter 2 Reviews'. GameRankings. Retrieved March 25, 2014.
- ^'Syphon Filter 3 Reviews'. Metacritic. Retrieved March 25, 2014.
- ^'Syphon Filter: The Omega Strain Reviews'. Metacritic. Retrieved March 25, 2014.
- ^'Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror Reviews'. Metacritic. Retrieved March 25, 2014.
- ^'Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror Reviews'. Metacritic. Retrieved March 25, 2014.
- ^'Syphon Filter: Logan's Shadow Reviews'. Metacritic. Retrieved March 25, 2014.
- ^'Syphon Filter: Logan's Shadow Reviews'. GameRankings. Retrieved March 25, 2014.
External links[edit]
- Syphon Filter series at MobyGames
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