Syphon Filter: The Omega Strain
- May 04, 2004 00:00 AM PST
Innovative co-op play isn�t enough to ignite this espionage actionfest with a spark of greatness.
Back on the PlayStation, the Syphon Filter series helped jump-start the craze of covert-ops games, but it�s been a long time coming to the PS2. The wait pays off with impressive multiplayer action and a big, deep game�that fails to shine like the star you�d expect.
Viral Outbreak
In this fourth investigation of mysterious viral outbreaks, series archvillain Mara Aramov escapes custody to work for yet another unknown, behind-the-scenes puppetmaster. All the series� heroes return too, largely as NPCs. Gabe Logan now heads the Agency, and you play a freshly scrubbed recruit, only directly controlling Gabe, Lian Xing, and company in unlockable bonus missions.
The idea of creating your own special agent from scratch has its charms, but Syphon Filter: The Omega Strain offers pretty limited character-creation abilities. The main problem, though, is that its missions fail to supply that impalpable sheen of exciting newness�the wow factor you get from, for example, controlling a parachute drop at the start of your mission, as you did in Syphon 3. Instead, the operations are largely routine affairs�collect samples, pull switches, and shoot bad guys�hordes of bad guys.
Those �hordes� are the game�s other serious problem. Enemies relentlessly respawn from preset points in a way that makes the combat simplistic and downright unfair. Sometimes they even teleport into existence right before your eyes�without the expected Star Trek sound effects, but with enough lethality to kill you before you can blink. No one would expect Syphon Filter to be Splinter Cell�this series has always been a run-n-gun actionfest�but the line between frenzied and frustrating has been crossed.
Inject the Antidote
On a more positive note, the four-player cooperative play is a welcome blast of refreshing air in multiplayer gaming. You team up into squads to accomplish objectives that a lone operative can�t manage, and the presence of some mates dampens the respawn onslaught and ratchets up the fun factor. Syphon Filter is also deep in replay value�you can unlock tons of skills and weapons by finishing each extensive, long mission in a set time or by completing secondary objectives. As long as you enjoy that sort of repetition, it�s good stuff.
The targeting system remains one of the series� strengths, offering excellent sniping and lock-on targeting from a third-person view. But the other controls are mired in the outdated past�strafing requires the use of the R2/L2 buttons, and the right analog stick is wasted. Inexcusably, there�s no custom-configuration option to let you tweak the controls to your taste, and the map should be a lot more helpful than it is.
Visually, Syphon Filter is very solid�there�s no razzle-dazzle of the eye-popping variety, but the game has a sharp, clean look. The audio scores the biggest hit, delivering a huge array of well-acted dialogue in an astounding array of languages, along with excellent sound effects.
In a Bubble
Espionage action games have evolved beyond the standards this series helped establish, but Syphon Filter�s combat and accompanying controls remain too old-school for their own good. If that kind of shooter or its impressive co-op play sounds intriguing, Syphon Filter�s worth renting, but most gamers have bigger fish to fry.
