Very stylish if somewhat shallow
User Rating: 8.5 | Syndicate X360
I hadn't heard much about Syndicate before I picked it up on discount, I don't believe this iteration even sold many copies, so I was somewhat hesitant to shell out twenty dollars for it. So far I am pleased that I did, Syndicate is a game with a lot of pizzazz, the whole integrated ocular HUD your character boasts reacts realistically to head movement, blunt force, lighting changes and scans your environment labeling objects at distance with holographic tags. This doesn't usually prove to be of much help, but it looks really damn cool. In fact a lot of the design choices in Syndicate seem to be directed at creating a very believable and immersive experience. I am just around 2 hours in and while the story hasn't enthralled me thus far, the gun play and interesting set pieces have been enough to keep me occupied. Guns pound in a very satisfying and powerful manner, grenades dismember bodies and send debris flying every which way, and you can slide across the floor sending enemies falling over only to then stomp on their neck and end their struggle. It isn't needlessly gory, but the violence has a good weight to it, and so far it has not been a mindless slog. Star Breeze studios has crafted great narratives in the past with Riddick and the Darkness, I will have to play more to see if Syndicate receives that same attention.
