 Genre: Third Person Shooter Players: 1-8 |
| Once every blue moon, a game arrives on a system which simultaneously defines a console and sets a new standard for a games on the system. Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror is that game and is also the best in the series history. For those unfamiliar with the once laughably nicknamed “Metal Gear Solid Killer”, Syphon Filter is a third person action game starring special agent Gabe Logan. He’s been called in to take care of a project only known as Dark Mirror, which is a global threat according to the government. Just like in Daxter, the story in Syphon Filter is the weakest aspect of the game, but the way it is presented is something else. The directing, camera angles and general feel is of a high budget movie and is definitely one of the really cool things about this game. When first starting the game, I recommend you undertake the training course to learn the controls. They’re very intuitive and Syphon Filter has the best control scheme of any shooter yet. The analog stick is used for movement and strafing while the face buttons are used to aim. Sensitivity seems to be just right and makes aiming not feel like a chore. The D-pad is used a lot as well, with the up button used for main actions such as opening doors or reloading your weapon. Down button is used to crouch and the left and right buttons can be used in two different ways. Holding down the left or right button brings up a menu allowing you to choose the relevant item or weapon you want with the corresponding face buttons. While tapping the buttons will result in either Gabe using the last selected gadget or toggling fire modes for the weapon such as single shot, burst fire and full automatic. It seems complex at first, but once you get comfortable with the controls they work extremely well. You’ll infiltrate many different locations and possess different weapons in each. Some missions require a lot of stealth while others can be played more in “Rambo” style. Not using any stealth will result in a lack of ammo and sometimes a quick death. There are sniper, escort and AI co-op missions and none of them are dull or overly difficult. In fact, Syphon Filter maintains a fair difficulty level throughout and each mission provides a fun challenge. As mentioned before the presentation in the cut-scenes are top notch but it doesn’t end there. Graphics, sound and in-game voice acting is all fantastic and creates a feeling of immersion which keeps you playing the game to see what happens next. As expected, multiplayer is a lot of fun and the game features up to eight player infrastructure which has been sorely lacking in many PSP games. As soon as I completed the game once through I decided to play it again which is a rare occurrence. After a dull first year the PSP is getting some quality titles and this is not a game to be missed.   |
| PSP-Spot Score (out of ten) Graphics: 9.1 Sound: 9.2 Controls: 9.0 Gameplay: 9.1 Overall: 9.2 Buy it at Play-Asia.com - Your One-Stop-Shop for Asian Entertainment |