Syphon Filter Review | Important Head Shots, Long Missions, Inconsistent Rules

Stealth Boom Boom | A Stealth Video Games Podcast

In the late '90s, Sony was looking for an action espionage thriller. They were looking for their GoldenEye. So, they turned to the only studio they knew that could pull it off: the one that made Bubsy 3D. We're going back to 1999 to look at the first game in a long-running PlayStation exclusive series. We're talking Syphon Filter.

On this episode of Stealth Boom Boom, we look at how the first iteration of this game was set 200 years in the future in a a post-apocalypse world. We also discuss how developer Eidetic (who would go onto become Bend Studio) were "making it up as [they] went along," as well as the TV advert that was very PlayStation.

In our review, you'll hear some chat on the OPM 47 demo disc, the ambiguity of safe distances to enemies and the noise you make while crouching, Buzz Lightyear, a distinct lack of cover, a radar that doesn't stick to the rules, enemies that appear out of thin air, tank controls (but mostly strafing), a gymnast's somersault, a weighty secret agent, running through glass, awful first-person aiming, corner peeping, the importance of headshots and flak jacket-wearing baddies, gas grenades, the DANGER bar, a shotgun with range, setting guys on fire with the taser, the sense of achievement when you complete a big multi-objective mission (and how annoying it is to see "Objectives Incomplete" when you reach your goal), the deflation you feel when the game asks you to effectively repeat a level, hopping atop a train carriage, James Bond in a museum, a perfectly standard story that's delivered in a senselessly convoluted way, characters being disinterested in their own conversations, and a really big jump.

After all that, the lads take you through what some of the critics were saying about the game around the time it came out, and then they give their final verdicts on whether Syphon Filter is a Pass, a Play, or an Espionage Explosion.

For those who would like to play along at home, we'll be discussing, reviewing and dissecting LEFT ALIVE on the next episode of Stealth Boom Boom.

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