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.

I wished the series would continue on ps2 but alas things changed. When the first game came out 20 years ago, it was Metal Gear but made by Sony. The graphics and controls might look dated by now but back then this was a surprise hit for 989 studios, known for making sports games that didn't do as well as EA until MLB the show came out and became Sony's flagship sports game series.

Although I remember loving this game back in the day. I feel this game hasn't aged well. I should explain...

-Often wonky camera. Yes, this IS common in games of this era, but in a stealth game like this you REALLY need to have a good camera, and you don't get that here.

-Stealth levels often devolve into frustrating, tedious exercises in trial and error. Unlike some other stealth games from the era such as Metal Gear Solid and Hitman, being spotted in a stealth section of the game almost always FAILS the mission. This approach to progressing means you'll find yourself getting just a liiiiiiiittle bit further each time in the stealth sections, only to be spotted and have to restart at the last checkpoint. Ugh.

-The game thankfully features analog support, which is nice, but often the controls feel clunky. Especially when messing around with climbing up ledges. This wouldn't necessarily be a problem...in theory. But the harsh penalties for being spotted combined with controls that can make it hard to have precise control over your character add to the frustration.

There ARE some positive things about this game though. The selection of weapons is good, and targeting opponents with the lock-on feature works most of the time. Voice acting in the game is alright and the voices are easy to make out in the mix. Also the cutscenes are animated well by PS1 standards.

But really, at the end of the day the one skill you really need to beat this game is patience. LOADS and LOADS of patience. It's kind of a waste really though, because if you have the patience required to beat this game you should be using it on something more worthy...like learning a musical instrument...or raising kids.

This was not my first Syphon Filter game, but it was my OFFICIAL first Syphon Filter game. I played SF1, but I never beat it, nor did I bother to try to. I borrowed SF2 from someone back in the summer of 2001, and I immediately got into it. Let's break down why:

GRAPHICS: Certainly not the BEST graphics ever seen on a PS1 game, but you have to admit, this game looks a lot better than most other PS1 games. Even the explosion effects are nice to look at. No complaints here. However, the only complaint I have is the character models. For some reason, most of the characters don't seem to have faces, and in one cutscene, Gabe and Lian's pictures are on a news broadcast, and both of them look like a faceless Bonnie and Clyde. The problem with the faceless character models was remedied in SF3, though, but if you're like me, you won't care about the missing faces.

GAMEPLAY: The physics engine is not a legendary make-up, but you won't find yourself complaining, either. Since this is 2004, people expect better from a game's physics engine, but this game was made during the PS1's final breaths, so of course it might feel a little...off. I haven't played the newest SF game "The Omega Strain," but that game may prove these physics obsolete. Also, the targetting system of SF2 is perfect. You have two target modes...manual and auto fix target. Holding L1 down will switch you to 1st-Person View, and fix the green target reticle on what you want to shoot.

Hold down R1 to automatically fix your target to nearby enemies. You will find that auto fix will be THE most commonly-used function. You also get an enormous selection of weapons to choose from. You'll only run across certain weapons at certain points, but if you access all weapons into your inventory at once, you will see there's enough guns to do your secret agent bidding. Even when you pick out a target, a small info tab will point to them, telling you what's happening with them. So, if you aim the target reticle at someone's head, the info tab will tell you you're about to make a headshot. Info tabs will also tell you if the enemy is wearing a Flak Jacket. This will force you to perform a headshot. There's also a multiplayer mode, but don't expect an iteration of GoldenEye or TimeSplitters. You and a friend are chucked into the playing field, and are forced to shoot each other for points. That's basically all the multiplayer is about, but you still might have a LITTLE fun doing it.

SOUND: The sound is probably the best ear party you can possibly have. Shooting un-silenced .45s as others fire back practically sounds like a war.

And don't complain about the music...at least it sounds better than SF3's quiet and unexciting tunes.

STORY: Simply put, the Syphon Filter virus runs rampant for the second time around, and it's Gabe Logan's and Lian Xing's job to contain it. The game is long enough...it'll probably last you quite a few hours if you die a lot, but if you know what you're doing, it will certainly be no problem. There's also a lot of agent/spy talk, which contradicts how the actual CIA would work. Gamers who just play something to shoot something will probably be turned off by the dialogue in this game, but if you actually like listening to secret agents talk about shipments provided by the NSSOAA after NASDAQ collapsed in 2007, and the CIA requested a peace treaty with the Taliban (by the way, none of that ever happened in the game), then you'll be engulfed into the storyline and dialogue.

BOTTOM LINE: If you're looking for a good PS1 Syphon Filter game, get this instead. Don't be a fool like me and blow $45 on SF3 when it wasn't that great...take your time now and spend $20 or $30 on a far more superior secret agent adventure. Though the game does not put a candle to the James Bond games (the GOOD ones, anyway), it's still enough to keep you gun-totting CIA-style for a few hours.