Syphon Filter 2

The original Syphon Filter was an undeniably flawed bit of fine gaming. Put somewhat in the shadows by the mighty Metal Gear Solid, it struggled to find the attention it deserved. It was a game that rewarded perseverence with a combination of realistic violence, dense plot and challenging gameplay. SF2 takes all that was good in SF and runs with it, creating a monster of a good game. Quite daring for a sequel, SF2 takes place only a few hours from the end of the first game, making numerous references back to events from the last few days. This does somewhat alienate new gamers, but the rewards from playing the two games back to back just can't be denied.

When I first completed SF2 after a few days playing, I was almost tempted to think it was too easy. But remembering the zillions of times I'd been swiss cheesed for not thinking something through enough I realised that it was a tough game, but one so well plotted that it's almost impossible to put down until you've worked the story through to it's conclusion. What stands out are the little details that have somehow been crammed into the game. Soldiers who would be drones in most action games (Tomb Raider anyone?) are given character by simple dialogue. As you sneak around, nearly all of them are chatting away, complaining about the cold, making radio reports, even joking with each other. It's a simple touch that goes a long way to enhancing the atmosphere of the game, lending what at heart is a guns blazing gung ho actioner the feel of a well plotted adventure game. Of course the action is paramount, and fans of the sneak-em-up genre will not be disappointed as you blast a blazing trail across Colorado, Russia and New York in some of the most heart pounding shoot outs yet seen on the Playstation. All in all, this is an unmissable stretch of the old Playstations capabilities, from a programming studio that clearly has a movie in them somewhere.