A quick play through of one of my most beloved PlayStation experiences.
It’s full of jank and bullshit, but the rewind feature on PS5 makes it far more fun. Eternally GOATed.
It’s full of jank and bullshit, but the rewind feature on PS5 makes it far more fun. Eternally GOATed.
The subway fire level unironically scared the pants off of 8 year old me. I kept watching my brother play though.
A wild experience, I fondly remember the city level.
Nice beginning of the franchise.
It's alright. They kept trying to make it good.
Classic spy third person shooter. If you like Goldeneye 007, or something like Hitman, but in retro, this is a perfect game to try.
Controls and gameplay are just a bit dated, so not a perfect score.
Controls and gameplay are just a bit dated, so not a perfect score.
Thank god for save states since there are many moments that will cheaply kill you. I enjoyed the non linear gameplay of the first few levels. Got to the first stealth level and jumped off quickly. It’s really punishing and cheap with how enemies will jump out from nowhere and requires delicate precision to pull off headshots. I honestly think this plays better than Goldeneye (controls and enemy-wise) with worse level design and an overwrought plot that will cause anyone’s eyes to glaze over.
TPS excelente pro PS1, mas que envelheceu como leite e com uma escolhas duvidosas de gameplay que geram um frustração absurda se você não jogar com save state.
07/10.
07/10.
Taze everyone to flames.
Completely unprompted, and for absolutely no reason, this game has a "Taser Cam", where when you taser someone, the camera shifts so that you can view them wriggling with electricity. The taser has no ammo, there is no time limit to how long you can tase someone, the game will just let you char someones body in a brutal manner out of nowhere
Com clara inspiração nos filmes de ação dos anos 90 e 2000, Syphon Filter entrega uma experiência de ação constante, rápida e intensa, com partes de stealth aqui e acolá.
O jogo oferece uma ótima ambientação, com bons gráficos e um som bem construído, já que tiros e explosões são efeitos que ocorrem com certa frequência. A atuação de voz segue um roteiro repleto de frases de efeito, com uma execução boa para a época, vale dizer. Da parte da trilha sonora, essa envelheceu melhor, com composições que atendem à ambientação da trama, com temas mais do que adequados para momentos lentos, agitados e para os desenrolares do enredo, contribuindo positivamente com a narrativa. É uma boa trilha, mas tirando o tema principal, não achei particularmente memorável.
Dos gráficos, eles são bem feitos, com bons efeitos de explosão, e há alguns recursos que dão um toque a mais, como os vidros quebrando durante as trocas de tiros. Há uma grande variedade de cenários, passando por locais urbanos, bases militares, um castelo (sim, um castelo), museus, além de se passarem em diferentes partes do dia e em climas variados, como a missão noturna em uma base militar russa coberta de neve. Os modelos humanos são competentes, e com uma variedade coerente à do cenário, ou seja, vai ter boneco com traje de segurança e outros com uniforme militar com a devida camuflagem. A animação não é ruim, mas poderia ser melhor, pois todos os personagens quando correm parecem que empregam um esforço muito maior do que a velocidade com que de fato estão se movendo, problema agravado com o protagonista, pois o jogador o vê praticamente o tempo inteiro.
Em termos de jogabilidade, pode-se dizer que ela é satisfatória na maior parte do tempo. Era um momento em que ainda se estava aprendendo a desenvolver jogos funcionais em 3D, e era frequente encontrar controles extremamente travados, o que não é o caso aqui. Syphon Filter tem controles bem fluídos para o período, mas que não se saem tão bem quando é necessário circular por ambientes mais apertados. Não é uma jogabilidade perfeita, mas as concessões que pede frente à atualidade não são muitas, tampouco fortes (acho mais aceitável que controles tanque, por exemplo).
Das ideias bem executadas, há o caso do conceito de travar a mira em um alvo, visto a princípio em um jogo totalmente diferente que saiu pouco antes, no caso, Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Outra ideia inovadora foi a presença de um botão situacional (aqui o triângulo), que executa funções como escalar objetos, acionar dispositivos, abrir portas, etc.
Há também uma mira manual, acionada em L1 que funciona muito bem. Segurando do X para se manter agachado, e os gatilhos para se mover para os lados, é possível manter cobertura (em um protótipo da jogabilidade que seria refinada alguns anos depois) para mirar direto na cabeça dos inimigos, o que garante uma morte instantânea. Com o decorrer do jogo, dominar essa ferramenta se torna essencial, pois os adversários passam a usar um colete de balas que é uma verdadeira esponja de danos, fora que quanto menos se atinge esses coletes, mais inteiros eles ficam quando são dropados, o que é um recurso precioso, pois a curva de dificuldade cresce bem, e com certeza o jogador receberá danos.
O level design é das coisas mais interessantes do jogo, com objetivos variados e que mudam com o decorrer dos acontecimentos, e há fases que dão um maior grau de liberdade para o jogador escolher a maneira com a qual vai lidar com os desafios, e a ordem em que fará isso. No âmbito do design não tão bom assim, há as já citadas missões stealth, que achei frustrantes, pois em caso de ser visto, das duas uma: ou surge do NADA uma horda de inimigos digna de um Musou, ou a missão falha e tem de se começar tudo de novo (ou pelo menos do último checkpoint). Algo no mínimo bem punitivo para um erro que pode ser pequeno.
Já que mencionei altos e baixos, isso também se aplica para as lutas contra os chefes. Algumas são bem feitas, mas outras nem tanto, sobretudo a última, em que tive de assistir uma gameplay para se ter uma ideia do que fazer.
Pegando esse gancho dos chefes, é válido falar em como eles estão inseridos na trama da obra. É um enredo que envolve uma ameaça terrorista de um grupo autônomo, sem ligação (oficial, diga-se de passagem) com nenhum governo e é composto por terroristas de várias partes do mundo, o que faz com que eles sejam dublados com sotaques estereotipados. Algo do momento, ressalte-se.
Syphon Filter garante uma experiência legal, e com algumas concessões, alguém que o jogue hoje além de ter umas boas horinhas de entretenimento terá contato com um jogo que dialoga diretamente com o universo do cinema, em um período em que formas de linguagem e estética cinematográficas se tornavam mais presentes na indústria de games. A meu ver, o jogo tem qualidades o bastante para valer por si só, indo além do campo da curiosidade histórica por conta das ideias interessantes que executa.
O jogo oferece uma ótima ambientação, com bons gráficos e um som bem construído, já que tiros e explosões são efeitos que ocorrem com certa frequência. A atuação de voz segue um roteiro repleto de frases de efeito, com uma execução boa para a época, vale dizer. Da parte da trilha sonora, essa envelheceu melhor, com composições que atendem à ambientação da trama, com temas mais do que adequados para momentos lentos, agitados e para os desenrolares do enredo, contribuindo positivamente com a narrativa. É uma boa trilha, mas tirando o tema principal, não achei particularmente memorável.
Dos gráficos, eles são bem feitos, com bons efeitos de explosão, e há alguns recursos que dão um toque a mais, como os vidros quebrando durante as trocas de tiros. Há uma grande variedade de cenários, passando por locais urbanos, bases militares, um castelo (sim, um castelo), museus, além de se passarem em diferentes partes do dia e em climas variados, como a missão noturna em uma base militar russa coberta de neve. Os modelos humanos são competentes, e com uma variedade coerente à do cenário, ou seja, vai ter boneco com traje de segurança e outros com uniforme militar com a devida camuflagem. A animação não é ruim, mas poderia ser melhor, pois todos os personagens quando correm parecem que empregam um esforço muito maior do que a velocidade com que de fato estão se movendo, problema agravado com o protagonista, pois o jogador o vê praticamente o tempo inteiro.
Em termos de jogabilidade, pode-se dizer que ela é satisfatória na maior parte do tempo. Era um momento em que ainda se estava aprendendo a desenvolver jogos funcionais em 3D, e era frequente encontrar controles extremamente travados, o que não é o caso aqui. Syphon Filter tem controles bem fluídos para o período, mas que não se saem tão bem quando é necessário circular por ambientes mais apertados. Não é uma jogabilidade perfeita, mas as concessões que pede frente à atualidade não são muitas, tampouco fortes (acho mais aceitável que controles tanque, por exemplo).
Das ideias bem executadas, há o caso do conceito de travar a mira em um alvo, visto a princípio em um jogo totalmente diferente que saiu pouco antes, no caso, Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Outra ideia inovadora foi a presença de um botão situacional (aqui o triângulo), que executa funções como escalar objetos, acionar dispositivos, abrir portas, etc.
Há também uma mira manual, acionada em L1 que funciona muito bem. Segurando do X para se manter agachado, e os gatilhos para se mover para os lados, é possível manter cobertura (em um protótipo da jogabilidade que seria refinada alguns anos depois) para mirar direto na cabeça dos inimigos, o que garante uma morte instantânea. Com o decorrer do jogo, dominar essa ferramenta se torna essencial, pois os adversários passam a usar um colete de balas que é uma verdadeira esponja de danos, fora que quanto menos se atinge esses coletes, mais inteiros eles ficam quando são dropados, o que é um recurso precioso, pois a curva de dificuldade cresce bem, e com certeza o jogador receberá danos.
O level design é das coisas mais interessantes do jogo, com objetivos variados e que mudam com o decorrer dos acontecimentos, e há fases que dão um maior grau de liberdade para o jogador escolher a maneira com a qual vai lidar com os desafios, e a ordem em que fará isso. No âmbito do design não tão bom assim, há as já citadas missões stealth, que achei frustrantes, pois em caso de ser visto, das duas uma: ou surge do NADA uma horda de inimigos digna de um Musou, ou a missão falha e tem de se começar tudo de novo (ou pelo menos do último checkpoint). Algo no mínimo bem punitivo para um erro que pode ser pequeno.
Já que mencionei altos e baixos, isso também se aplica para as lutas contra os chefes. Algumas são bem feitas, mas outras nem tanto, sobretudo a última, em que tive de assistir uma gameplay para se ter uma ideia do que fazer.
Pegando esse gancho dos chefes, é válido falar em como eles estão inseridos na trama da obra. É um enredo que envolve uma ameaça terrorista de um grupo autônomo, sem ligação (oficial, diga-se de passagem) com nenhum governo e é composto por terroristas de várias partes do mundo, o que faz com que eles sejam dublados com sotaques estereotipados. Algo do momento, ressalte-se.
Syphon Filter garante uma experiência legal, e com algumas concessões, alguém que o jogue hoje além de ter umas boas horinhas de entretenimento terá contato com um jogo que dialoga diretamente com o universo do cinema, em um período em que formas de linguagem e estética cinematográficas se tornavam mais presentes na indústria de games. A meu ver, o jogo tem qualidades o bastante para valer por si só, indo além do campo da curiosidade histórica por conta das ideias interessantes que executa.
A product of his time, this game was impressive back in the day. The controls were sloppy with a weird movement but was an enjoyable game. The main theme was an amazing soundtrack
I must say that i played this using the ps plus classic emulator, and honestly I think it enhanced the experience, cause of the rewind feature (without it, the game could be easily classified as frustating, and my rating would be lower).
Besides the strange control scheme and some unintuitive game design ( I Highly advice using a guide if you get stuck), which are due to it being more than 20 years old, This game has a lot to show: a Museum, a catacomb, a castle, a russian missile base, and a lot of interactivity with the enviroment, like shooting chandeliers, test tubes, locked gates and so on. It's more action oriented than metal gear, but there are some obligatory stealth sequences too. It's realy fun overrall and realy surprised me
Besides the strange control scheme and some unintuitive game design ( I Highly advice using a guide if you get stuck), which are due to it being more than 20 years old, This game has a lot to show: a Museum, a catacomb, a castle, a russian missile base, and a lot of interactivity with the enviroment, like shooting chandeliers, test tubes, locked gates and so on. It's more action oriented than metal gear, but there are some obligatory stealth sequences too. It's realy fun overrall and realy surprised me
PlayStation Classic Console
I always disliked this game when I was younger. But it's an odd bit of PS history now, and on PS5, so I figured why not -- I'll beat the fucker.
Man, it's tough. Thank goodness for the rewind feature on the PS5 emulator. It's also aged much worse than MGS and just about every other sacred cow on PS1.
With that said, I enjoyed what it tried to do. Which is while I'll be suffering through the sequel shortly.
Man, it's tough. Thank goodness for the rewind feature on the PS5 emulator. It's also aged much worse than MGS and just about every other sacred cow on PS1.
With that said, I enjoyed what it tried to do. Which is while I'll be suffering through the sequel shortly.
Don't-mention-the-taser don't-mention-the-taser don't-mention-the-taser don't-mention-the-taser don't-mention-the-taser don't-mention-the-taser don't-mention-the-taser don't-mention-the-taser don't-mention-the-taser don't-mention-the-taser don't-mention-the-taser don't-mention-the-taser don't-mention-the-taser don't-mention-the-taser don't-mention-the-taser don't-mention-the-taser but seriously though the taser was so rad right
This is the game from two eras: the era of spy movies and spy military adventures and things like that, as well as the era of limited 3d controls of weird or digital pads of the time.
In terms of presentation game kind of nails it: it indeed feels like movies "Speed", "True Lies", "Mission Impossible" and James Bond movies of the time. The presentation is a bit simplistic, world is more abstract. You can see the game's budget by seeing cutscenes made with in-game models. It is silly but I dare to say that I liked it more than MGS in that regard even.
In terms of gameplay, it is in the alley of first and third-person adventures and shooters on consoles of the time. The limits of the original digital pad forced alternative gameplay mechanics which I enjoyed for what they are. Don't expect it to be as simple as 3rd person FPS as Max Payne, but rather something in the spirit of Tomb Raider mixed with Golden Eye. I generally liked it for what it was, and how those mechanics were utilized. I used leaning and cover, learned to use aim, etc. Bosses and tactical situations force you to adapt to this game's gameplay mechanics.
Not a super hit, but very solid and enjoyable title from the original PlayStation. If you liked Medal of Honor 1 or Perfect Dakr on N64 - you may try this one.
In terms of presentation game kind of nails it: it indeed feels like movies "Speed", "True Lies", "Mission Impossible" and James Bond movies of the time. The presentation is a bit simplistic, world is more abstract. You can see the game's budget by seeing cutscenes made with in-game models. It is silly but I dare to say that I liked it more than MGS in that regard even.
In terms of gameplay, it is in the alley of first and third-person adventures and shooters on consoles of the time. The limits of the original digital pad forced alternative gameplay mechanics which I enjoyed for what they are. Don't expect it to be as simple as 3rd person FPS as Max Payne, but rather something in the spirit of Tomb Raider mixed with Golden Eye. I generally liked it for what it was, and how those mechanics were utilized. I used leaning and cover, learned to use aim, etc. Bosses and tactical situations force you to adapt to this game's gameplay mechanics.
Not a super hit, but very solid and enjoyable title from the original PlayStation. If you liked Medal of Honor 1 or Perfect Dakr on N64 - you may try this one.
This is Syphon Filter. A game where you play as Superman 64 Clark Kent lookalike Gabe Logan in a stealth suit, in a mission to stop terrorist warlord Eric Rhoemer and eliminate all traces of a new, Nazi wet dream chemical weapon: Syphon Filter, a virus that can target and wipe out any specific genetic group at choice.
I don't really have much to say about this game that some other reviews haven't said already. I don't consider the gameplay to have aged that badly as everyone says. On the contrary, the strafing, dodging and leaning from walls coupled with the "danger meter" where enemy bullets can only hit you if you stay as an easy target in the open for too long, all make me think they knew there would be some inherent clunkiness to the combat in a game like this on the PS1 with hitscan bullet physics and digital controls (the game does have dualshock support but it's very unreliable, you might as well aim with the dpad), so these were some pretty functional workarounds they came up with. Being able to run and roll past enemies who miss all their shots for a few seconds also gives it another pinch of 'playable 90's action spy flick'. It honestly makes me wonder how a modern TPS with a similar mechanic would play like or experiment with it.
Moreover, i think the real flaws in the game are found in the missions themselves. As other reviews have mentioned, yes, the first level gives a good, yet very misleading first impression with it's massive size, with most of the other levels in the game being linear and more of what you'd expect from your other PS1 TPS. Although Washington Park being basically a MGS stage and Pharcom Warehouses with the infighting enemies and underground tunnels came close to replicating that. The Stronghold levels in the Cathedral were also neat, along with the plot twist that follows.
Many of the latter levels, though, just feel like the game repeating itself. "Rhoemer's Base" is basically the park level except with planting explosives instead of defusing them, and with stealth where if you get caught too early you might as well restart as enemies will spawn infinitely once that happens, The Stronghold Catacombs level is just a worse version of the Expo Center level with a mix of trailing and stealth, now followed by an escort mission, which makes me think this game was probably patient zero for all those escort levels in 6th gen games.
And Mission 19 might just be the worst mission in the whole game as it's just an endurance test with no real checkpoints through a long, pitch-black tunnel so dark that even your flashlight is useless so your best way to see what's ahead is to use the Viral Scanner you got from Pharcom Warehouses every few steps, and you have to inch your way through and slowly pick out enemies with Nightvision Sniper Rifle headshots, or else you'll be quickly killed or lose a lot of health because there's barely any cover until your reach the end of the stage. Oh, and there's also a few blind pitfalls just for funsies.
The game also ends on a very anticlimactic note. Basically, a missile carrying the Syphon Filter virus is complete and about to launch, you climb some ledges leading to a computer by the missile that conveniently contains the self-destruction codes you were looking for all along, Markinson pops out of nowhere and goes "everything according to Keikaku" and affirms that he was indeed working for Rhoemer, who then appears and shoots him before he can reveal his intentions for the Syphon Filter virus, whatever they were. Then there's a really hype timed sequence where you race through the facility to reach the mainframe and detonate the Syphon Filter missile, and then it's followed by the really anticlimactic Rhoemer bossfight. I thought you'd have to do something smart like shooting at his grenade launcher or hide behind pillars for him to blow them up and make the base collapse on top of him... but nah, just throw a gas grenade at him and he's out.
All in all, i would say the game has decent mechanics and a very great presentation but the more i kept playing it after the 14th mission or so the more i wanted to get over with it. It does make me want to give it's sequels a try though, and see how the story and gameplay build up from here. I can definitely see why this was successful enough to save the studio after the disaster that was Bubsy 3d.
I don't really have much to say about this game that some other reviews haven't said already. I don't consider the gameplay to have aged that badly as everyone says. On the contrary, the strafing, dodging and leaning from walls coupled with the "danger meter" where enemy bullets can only hit you if you stay as an easy target in the open for too long, all make me think they knew there would be some inherent clunkiness to the combat in a game like this on the PS1 with hitscan bullet physics and digital controls (the game does have dualshock support but it's very unreliable, you might as well aim with the dpad), so these were some pretty functional workarounds they came up with. Being able to run and roll past enemies who miss all their shots for a few seconds also gives it another pinch of 'playable 90's action spy flick'. It honestly makes me wonder how a modern TPS with a similar mechanic would play like or experiment with it.
Moreover, i think the real flaws in the game are found in the missions themselves. As other reviews have mentioned, yes, the first level gives a good, yet very misleading first impression with it's massive size, with most of the other levels in the game being linear and more of what you'd expect from your other PS1 TPS. Although Washington Park being basically a MGS stage and Pharcom Warehouses with the infighting enemies and underground tunnels came close to replicating that. The Stronghold levels in the Cathedral were also neat, along with the plot twist that follows.
Many of the latter levels, though, just feel like the game repeating itself. "Rhoemer's Base" is basically the park level except with planting explosives instead of defusing them, and with stealth where if you get caught too early you might as well restart as enemies will spawn infinitely once that happens, The Stronghold Catacombs level is just a worse version of the Expo Center level with a mix of trailing and stealth, now followed by an escort mission, which makes me think this game was probably patient zero for all those escort levels in 6th gen games.
And Mission 19 might just be the worst mission in the whole game as it's just an endurance test with no real checkpoints through a long, pitch-black tunnel so dark that even your flashlight is useless so your best way to see what's ahead is to use the Viral Scanner you got from Pharcom Warehouses every few steps, and you have to inch your way through and slowly pick out enemies with Nightvision Sniper Rifle headshots, or else you'll be quickly killed or lose a lot of health because there's barely any cover until your reach the end of the stage. Oh, and there's also a few blind pitfalls just for funsies.
The game also ends on a very anticlimactic note. Basically, a missile carrying the Syphon Filter virus is complete and about to launch, you climb some ledges leading to a computer by the missile that conveniently contains the self-destruction codes you were looking for all along, Markinson pops out of nowhere and goes "everything according to Keikaku" and affirms that he was indeed working for Rhoemer, who then appears and shoots him before he can reveal his intentions for the Syphon Filter virus, whatever they were. Then there's a really hype timed sequence where you race through the facility to reach the mainframe and detonate the Syphon Filter missile, and then it's followed by the really anticlimactic Rhoemer bossfight. I thought you'd have to do something smart like shooting at his grenade launcher or hide behind pillars for him to blow them up and make the base collapse on top of him... but nah, just throw a gas grenade at him and he's out.
All in all, i would say the game has decent mechanics and a very great presentation but the more i kept playing it after the 14th mission or so the more i wanted to get over with it. It does make me want to give it's sequels a try though, and see how the story and gameplay build up from here. I can definitely see why this was successful enough to save the studio after the disaster that was Bubsy 3d.
atrocious gamedesign
Not sure if its me, but my first impressions of this game are rough. I did not play it until last year for the first time and its a little wooden for me to stick with. Maybe i'll give it another go later down the line.
A game that I'm sure was incredible in 1999, but is really aged in every way today, from controls to the gameplay itself.
I have a lot of memories of playing this game as a kid back in the day. Replaying it now I’m surprised 9 year old me had the patience! I don’t think I’d have bothered to finish this if the nostalgia didn’t keep me playing. MGS1 has aged gracefully in my opinion but this feels like a relic with frustrating controls and oftentimes obtuse mission objectives. I did enjoy my time playing through it though, especially with save states! I’m going to give the sequel a chance since I never played that properly when it released. It will have to be better than this for me to play through the rest of the series though.
People that say MGS controls have aged badly should play this to have any kind of perspective.
Definitely an interesting game, but some of the gameplay has not aged as well as it could've. The taser is still honestly the only weapon you'll ever need, but the movement still feels a bit floaty with the weird tank controls.
It’s still a good time honestly, definitely needs more appreciation. Definitely something I want to see come back because there was something special about starting that first level and getting sucked into it.
Decent action game that didn’t age all to well. The Expo level is my favourite with it’s variety of gameplay and unique setting, also tasering dudes off rooftops is quite funny in Washington. The maze catacomb level on the other hand is a pain and kinda sucks. Soundtrack wasn’t half bad I suppose.
Replayed this when it dropped on PS Plus with trophies and it was a bit of a disappointment.
It's quite a frustrating title. I'm questioning if I actually ever beat this as a child. I always had the feeling that I heavily preferred 2 and 3 and I'm more convinced of it than ever.
The way checkpoints don't reset alerts and keep your health dangerously low can potentially fuck up your entire mission. Enemies spawning behind you suddenly, guards spotting you seemingly arbitrarily and the hidden objectives that can potentially lead to backtracking through the entire level... There's so much frustrating stuff in here. The final boss is also an insult.
If I didn't play this with the rewind option of the emulator (I did not want to use it at first, but ended up resorting to it at the end) I might've dropped it.
I liked some of the level design though and the manual aiming being exactly at the height of enemies' heads is quite the good idea and incentivives not using the auto aim the whole time. I dunno, there is a good game under all of these issues, but it feels really rough.
Hope I'm not misremembering and 2 and 3 are actually better.
It's quite a frustrating title. I'm questioning if I actually ever beat this as a child. I always had the feeling that I heavily preferred 2 and 3 and I'm more convinced of it than ever.
The way checkpoints don't reset alerts and keep your health dangerously low can potentially fuck up your entire mission. Enemies spawning behind you suddenly, guards spotting you seemingly arbitrarily and the hidden objectives that can potentially lead to backtracking through the entire level... There's so much frustrating stuff in here. The final boss is also an insult.
If I didn't play this with the rewind option of the emulator (I did not want to use it at first, but ended up resorting to it at the end) I might've dropped it.
I liked some of the level design though and the manual aiming being exactly at the height of enemies' heads is quite the good idea and incentivives not using the auto aim the whole time. I dunno, there is a good game under all of these issues, but it feels really rough.
Hope I'm not misremembering and 2 and 3 are actually better.
It didn't age well
Less irritating than the sequel. But again, it's not aged well. The controls are sloppy and imprecise. Tasering fools until they burn to a crisp will always be fun though.
Milleti kızartan bir ip atan kalemimi unutmam. Karşı binadaki sniperları vurmaya çalıştığınız bölüm. :(