Syphon Filter 3

Sony surprised the gaming community when it announced that Syphon Filter 3 was going to be a PSOne title. Most expected it to be a PlayStation 2 release, but the latest installment of Sony�s flagship spy series is a welcome addition to the PSOne library. Despite a high level of difficulty, the game is proof positive that the original PlayStation still has plenty of life left within.

Syphon Filter 3 returns players to the role of Gabe Logan, master spy. Following up on the events of the previous game, this release explains a lot of the backstory behind the series as Gabe finds himself in front of a Congressional investigation to explain his role in the agency and the Syphon Filter virus scare. Unfortunately for Gabe, Congress is not looking for answers, but for a scapegoat. Players will need to combat both terrorists and enemies within in order to save to world once again.

As the game begins, the first thing most players will notice is the difficulty level. Syphon Filter 3 differs from most �super-spy� videogames in that the player is not super-human. In fact, Gabe is quite vulnerable to damage.

The realism level in the game is extremely high, with location-based damage a primary feature. A well-placed head shot can take out almost anyone, including you. This forces players to take things slowly and plan out an attack. Running into a room like Rambo is the fastest way to end the game. Slow and stealthy is the only way to survive.

Players who are new to the series will undoubtedly be shocked by the difficulty level. Unlike other games, there are no introductory levels to get players used to maneuvering around and surviving in the Syphon Filter world. As soon as the game starts, players are thrown into battle and expected to hit the ground running. This can result in some serious frustration for beginners. Those that have played the other games in the series should not have any trouble.

A great example of this is the first level of the game. Gabe is assigned to take out a terrorist leader and his cohorts. After you set up position in a hotel room across from the target with a sniper rifle and eliminate the original group, the terrorists will respond in force. Players who remain in front of the window will last for approximately a minute before landing on the ground in a bloody pulp. In order to survive, Gabe has to pull back from the window and take cover before returning fire.

The game is broken up into individual story segments. Each level is introduced with an FMV that explains the mission before tossing the player into the fray. Because a lot of the story is done flashback style, the levels are not necessarily in chronological order. This also means that the levels are independent of one another so there is no need to try to conserve supplies as you move from mission to mission.

Weapon variety is nice, with players having the option to use a wide range of armaments. Most weapons though are optional. Very few individual weapons are required to play. In fact the average player can get through the game by sticking to two or three primary weapons and simply ignoring the rest. It would have been nice if the extra weapons were required as opposed to just being there for the sake of being there.

Visually Syphon Filter 3 pushes the PlayStation to its limits. While it does suffer from lack of texture detail and some rough edges, the problems are more hardware limits than anything else. Swap out the textures with high-resolution versions and the game could easily be a PlayStation 2 title.

Like most games, Syphon Filter 3 uses an automatic camera system. The camera works well the majority of the time, however it does have a few issues when you are indoors in a small room or hallway. When playing outside in an open area the camera is at its best.

Control with the analog stick is spot-on, with the exception of maneuvering through doors or around tight corners. Gabe sometimes seems to have the turning radius of a small truck, which can make it difficult to pick up a needed item in close quarters. Running around a room shooting at enemies, or sniping from a hidden perch though is smooth as butter. There is nothing more satisfying than taking out a wandering sentry with the sniper rifle.

In addition to the main game, Syphon Filter 3 also features a series of mini-games accessible from the title screen. These games do not have any bearing on the main game, instead they simply provide an extra way to kill some time and kill some terrorists.

Syphon Filter 3 may have some flaws, but the good outweighs the bad by a very large margin. Beginning players should probably check out the original game first, everyone else can snag Syphon Filter 3 without worry.

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