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> Results: Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror
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Every gaming platform has genres that work better than others based on system performance and controls. Sony's PlayStation Portable has wonderful graphics, but many game types suffer due to the limited controls. Developers seem to have a particularly tough time with fighting games and first person shooters. Last fall SOCOM U.S. Navy SEALs Fireteam Bravo proved that a solid shooter was possible on the platform if the pacing was appropriate. Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror betters SOCOM in every way, producing an excellent story-driven shooter with robust and exciting multiplayer. This is one of the best games available for the handheld.
Despite efforts to optimize the controls, you are aware of and fighting with them the entire game. The default settings will probably work well for most gamers, but there are times when you want faster response, and other times when you want more precision. The great thing is that the game transcends control problems to produce a compelling experience. This is a story driven experience complete with fully fleshed out characters. Graphics are truly stellar. Nothing seems scaled down for portability. Everything from the characters to weapons to environments are so detailed and varied that you find yourself stopping to look around the environments after more than one firefight. You also care about the characters and are interested in seeing the story unfold to its conclusion. The relationships and dialogue are believable, and the action integrates very well within the story. The game leans heavily on a couple of first person shooter clichésﾗbabysitting and timed missions in particular are overdoneﾗbut within the context of the story it is hard to argue against their inclusion. The weapons, gadgets and gameplay mechanisms like crouching and buckling against walls all work well and the controls are laid out in a way to make these actions efficient. The problematic control is operating the sniper scope to aim while moving in crouched stance.  Sony had a ﾑbeta test' for the multiplayer game of Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror for about two months before release, and everything worked great during that test, so it is not surprising that the multiplayer component of the final release is robust. There are objective-based and deathmatch modes, with the objective modes allowing teams of players to take opposing sides of missions based on different parts of the single player game. The deathmatch modes include standard ﾑfree for all' and ﾑteam deathmatch', and also a mode called ﾑRogue Agent' where one person gets the Rogue Element which gives them special abilities to kill most anyone on the map. It is derived from the old ﾑKill the guy with the ball' mode from Marathon 2: Durandal, and plays very much like ﾑJedi Master' mode from Star Wars: Jedi Outcast and is a ton of fun. While it is still difficult to imagine fast-paced action shooter like the DS game Metroid Prime: Hunters working well on the PSP, with Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror Sony has produced an intense and thrilling experience full of slower-paced heart-pounding action. The combination of excellent story, good controls and robust multiplayer in a package that looks great and has acceptable loading times makes this an unqualified winner for the platform.  
There are not too many games in which you watch a child die. But that is exactly what you will see repeatedly in Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror as you fail to save a young girl from her death repeatedly. There is cruelty, taunting and torture. There is some brief partial nudity in a scene, but that is one of the smallest concerns with the game. The level of violence and intensity is clearly intended for an adult audience, and at no point does the game compromise its delivery to be appropriate for anyone but adults.
This review edited by Dave Long Comments? Chat about it in our forums! Format For Printing | Tell A Friend | Digg | Slashdot | del.icio.us | Buy This Game Browse Amazon.com's selection of "syphon filter" themed games Home > Review Archive > Video Games > Results: Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror |
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