Syphon Filter

Sony Bend has done it again. The first handheld Syphon Filter was a powerhouse, and its sequel, Logan's Shadow is no different. Series star Gabe Logan may not have the personality of Solid Snake or the instant recognition of Sam Fisher, but he's got them both beat by a country mile when it comes to portable action. Without a doubt, this is the small-scale action franchise to beat.

According to the ESRB, this game contains: Blood, Intense Violence, Partial Nudity, Strong Language

If I was to reduce Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror to a mathematical formula, one way of looking at it might be: Sam Fisher + Solid Snake - Distinct Personality = Gabe Logan. However, in terms of gameplay, it might be more like Kill.Switch + (Splinter Cell - stealth) + (Metal Gear - wackiness) + (Action x 2) = Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror.

Omega Strain marks the first appearance of the franchise on the PlayStation 2—and while the hardware allows for a lot of new gameplay enhancements (including online play with several other people), the end result is a severely flawed game that never works quite as well as it should.

According to ESRB, this game contains: Blood, Strong Language, Violence

According to ESRB, this game contains: Animated Blood, Animated Violence

The original Syphon Filter was an all out mission-based action title that had a lot going for it to separate it from the pack. Using an over-the-shoulder perspective, it placed you in the role of Gabriel Logan (Gabe to his friends) as he chases after members of a terrorist group and tried to prevent them from destroying the city. Plus, while hes at it, he had to capture a top-secret biological agent called the Syphon Filter. The game hinged on me completing a series of main objectives (one per level), but in order to meet those objectives I had to complete smaller, more specific tasks in a predetermined order. These tasks ranged from hostage rescues to bomb defusals and, to 989 Studios' credit, they were meshed seamlessly into the overall storyline of the game.

My experience with the original Syphon Filter was limited to the extremely brief demo that came with my PlayStation. On that basis, I somehow concluded that the game was a cheap Metal Gear Solid ripoff (at the time, I was utterly engrossed in the Hideo Kojima masterpiece and didn't want to be bothered). Now that I've played Syphon Filter 2, I not only realize that my skepticism of the first game was unfounded and ridiculous, but that I also may have missed out on a pretty good 3-D action game.

Game Description: 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 rifle with a night-vision scope, tear gas, 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.