Product Description
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Syphon Filter's balance of an intriguing storyline and thrilling
mission-based gameplay rightfully earned the game lots of
critical accl and a position on the 1999 bestsellers chart.
Syphon Filter 2 introduces a new set of objectives requiring
smarts, stealth, and a steady while running (and kneeling,
crouching, walking, rolling, climbing, jumping) through multiple
levels.
In the game, players assume the roles of secret agents Gabriel
Logan and Lian Xing. Framed for a crime they did not commit, the
two must race against the clock in order to prevent the sale of
the Syphon Filter virus to a terrorist nation. Played from a
third-person point of view, the story takes gamers from the
streets of Moscow to the Agency's secret Syphon Filter lab. Such
a dangerous mission requires effective weapons and gadgets;
naturally, the agency provides an arsenal of more than 25
enemy-stoppers, including a cross bow, a sniper with a
night-vision , tear , binoculars, and other goodies. New
to the series is a two-player, split-screen mode featuring fast
head-to-head combat action in 20 arenas. --Eric Twelker
.com
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Although it's not nearly as well crafted as Metal Gear Solid,
Syphon Filter 2 will definitely appeal to those looking for
something more than your basic shoot-'em-up. The gritty espionage
plot here is a continuation from the original game, with players
once again controlling Gabe Logan and, for the first time, Lian
Xing, two operatives on the lam from their former outfit, the
Agency.
Syphon Filter 2 is broken up into missions bridged by cinematic
story sequences; players must successfully complete each
mission's objectives in order to progress to the next one. While
gameplay is rigidly linear, there's great variety in the mission
objectives, 3-D environments, and weapons/equipment of each
mission.
Not a game for the easily frustrated, Syphon Filter 2 involves a
lot of trial-and-error replay, along with the requisite cursing
and throwing of the controller. While each mission objective is
clearly stated, many of them aren't as straightforward as one
would think. A vague control scheme--your character can jump, but
there's no jump button--along with the fact that it's really easy
to die add more fuel to one's ire. --Joe Hon
Pros:
* Gritty espionage plot
* Variety of mission objectives, 3-D environments, weapons, and
equipment Cons:* Frustrating trial-and-error gameplay and vague
control scheme
* Poorly designed two-player split-screen mode
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From the Manufacturer
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Exiled from the world's most powerful secret organization Gabe
Logan and Lian Xing are the world's only hope of stopping the
sale of the Syphon Filtervirus to the highest bidder. Utilizing
the most deadly high-tech weaponry ever designed enter the tense
world of stealth and intrigue where it's not who you know but
who's on your side. Beware the enemy within.
Review
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The original Syphon Filter was a great game. It mixed genres
very well, producing a more action-oriented experience than Metal
Gear Solid and providing it from the behind-the-back perspective
that powered games like Tomb Raider. Syphon Filter 2 picks up
immediately after the first game left off, both in story and in
execution. While some features have been added, the resulting
game feels more like a hastily-produced mission pack than a true
sequel. If you didn't play the original game to its completion,
the plotline of Syphon Filter 2 won't really make any sense at
all. The game assumes that you know the characters and the roles
they played, and that you know that Gabe Logan, the hero from the
first game, and his assistant, Lian Xing, have been sold out by
the mysterious Agency, and it appears that the Agency is actually
behind the Syphon Filter virus, which is currently running
rampant throughout Lian Xing's body. Luckily, after each
prerendered story sequence, a brief screen of text explains the
action so you at least know what you're supposed to do in each
level. The game uses a lot of video between levels, so much so
that it takes up two discs, though this game isn't really much
longer than the first one. Syphon Filter vets should be able to
blaze through the first disc in three or four hours. The mission
design is a little bland. For the most part, it alternates
between full-bore action missions and stealth-laced adventures,
where you must restart the mission if you're spotted by an enemy.
This levels give the game an annoying trial-and-error feel.
You're forced to simply try a mission over and over again until
you find the one correct path. In the early part of the game,
you'll switch between playing as Gabe and Lian, but this is
mostly to keep the story moving, as the two characters play
identically. This game adds a two-player deathmatch mode into the
mix. You can select from many of the game's different characters
and scaled-down versions of the one-player game's levels (some
are locked at first), but the control, camera angles, and overall
feel of Syphon Filter don't lend themselves very well to a
mulitplayer component. Playing the game with head s turned on
makes it even more ridiculous, since anyone with any sort of head
skill can clean up with little effort. The control is
largely the same as in the original game, but the analog portion
has been refined. Gabe can now walk, making precision movement
possible. Also, Gabe can jump over gaps. The jumping is handled
automatically, so if you run at a jumpable gap, Gabe will leap
over it with no input from the player. This can make some levels
(the train level, for example, which features a lot of jumping) a
real hassle. Graphically, Syphon Filter 2 remains unchanged from
the original. It still looks good, but at the same time the style
of the animation and textures looks a little stale. Also, the
sound and music are similar in theme, but the voice-over work
isn't nearly as clean as the original's was. Some of Gabe's lines
and vocal inflection really don't fit the current situation,
making it sound as if he were lounging by the pool instead of
taking heavy fire from entrenched enemies. If you were a big fan
of Syphon Filter, you may get a kick out of the sequel, but the
lackluster mission design and super-convoluted story really
cancel out the improvements to the game's control. If you missed
the first game, it's a much better (and likely cheaper) game than
Syphon Filter 2.--Jeff Gerstmann--Copyright © 1998 GameSpot Inc.
All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form
or medium without express written permission of GameSpot is
prohibited. -- GameSpot Review
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