Released: 1999

Difficulty: Just Right

Time Spent: 10 to 20 Hours

The Bottom Line: "Solid"

Headline: Perfect Shot!

Syphon Filter is a damn great player. While this game goes for the story of MGS, it almost reaches what that game managed to accomplish just in the field of Action instead of Strategy.

The game looks beautiful with strong textures, nice models, satisfying explosions, and loads quickly. The cinematic clips usually hold out well, but some become wretched and there is some occasional grain. The sound has great music but the acting stays so professional that it has a tendency to act melodramatically while the effects are mostly fully realized.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Wbk-zkXWW7Q

After watching this I feel like Keanu Reeves would make a good actor for Gabe

The game play is very effective with either manual or automatic aim, controls are smartly laid out, levels stay varied but the tasks have only so much differentiating one to another. Most of it involves run & gun, stealth tactics, pop out & shoot, escort, or activate something. The AI is simply brilliant; enemies avoid stupidity, remain always active and so forth. Enemies use shoot and cover techniques if they're alone with something like a sniper; but become more confrontational if they're holding a shotgun or machine gun. They usually at least try to avoid a thrown explosive that ricochets and lands beside them, and they realize if your silenced shot just missed them. The same sometimes apply for groups as they can ambush you! Syphon filter progresses well to the end; however, I occasionally could not figure out what to do, but getting to the end at least didn't have a completely obvious ending.

Gabe, maybe you're too close to that subway train

The game is just really solid in its field shooting, no vehicles, and no multiplayer. Mostly shooting and some occasional interrogations; it is a great game to purchase as the 12-15 hour game is worth many more trips than just the first.

8.5/ 10 GREAT (PS1)

+Solid shooting and controls

+Technically well produced

+Brilliant AI

-Sometimes, it feels a little too focused on shooting action

TWiSTEDmerc