An okay FPS that has nothing to do with the Syndicate universe.
The gameplay was Cyberpunk styled, and relatively unique at the time for its high level of violence, and gritty approach to world conquest. It had a well balanced difficulty, which spiked up swiftly towards the end as you developed and researched new and more lethal technology inbetween missions.
This theme of technological research tied in well to the theme of corporate espionage and conflict that was the backdrop of the game, although a lot of the elements of corporate warfare was left to the imagination of the player. All in all, it was a solid game with a high level of fun and replayability that spawned a significant expansion pack and a sequel.
This latest iteration of the game universe takes away some of the key elements, changing them up for something that is a little bit of palatable to the new crop of console and PC gamers. The isometric view has been changed to a First Person view, and the squad based combat scaled back to straight up shooter mechanics, meaning that the game bears little resemblance to its 19 year old namesake.
Syndicate as it is now is a FPS, with a few interesting game mechanics that try to tie together the strands of corporate espionage and intrigue. It casts the player as an 'Agent' with a chip implanted in their brain that allows them to manipulate electronic devices and brainwaves, exerting control over computers, guns, and enemies soldiers and agents.
The graphics used to present the world are both slick and slightly greasy. There is ample use of interesting lighting effects and post processing, but most of these seem to be hiding less than stellar textures and modelling rather than accentuating high quality. The physics engine is generic, the HUD is inoffensive, and the effects relating to the Chip based special powers come through a more written interface than anything. Character models are not bad, but are not going to impress current gen console users. The guns are modelled nicely, as are the environments, but they don't make an impression beyond their immediate appearance.
The sounds and voice acting are passable, with no stand outs. Things sound how they are supposed to, although sometimes the electrical sounds, beeps and boops and squeals, can get annoying. The enemies suffer from a bit of repetitive communication, with radios and shouted orders getting old and familiar quickly.
Story-wise, nothing draws you in. It is a decent effort at trying to recreate the corporate theme of original, while filling out a bit of plot twisting and back stabbing. But it seems a little overdone, and has less to do with the action on screen than you might expect. After completing the game, I struggle to remember exactly what was going on, or why I was doing certain things. Even in the middle of the game, I felt no real connection to any of the characters, and the 'Agent' I play is just a blank slate to project without redeeming characteristic.
The multiplayer is great, if you can get a match together. Fast and furious, but over quickly. The special DART powers make for a much more tactical experience than the single player, and the challenge of a human player being at the other end of the gun pointed at you makes it much more visceral and satisfying to score a kill. However, it does get old after a while, there is not a lot of variety in the maps or play styles, and the number of people playing is not massive.
To put the whole thing together, I was pretty underwhelmed with this game. I was not expecting a remake of a classic, but was expecting more story, and action that was more centred on the the corporate theme and was so heavily invested in the first run of games. Now is a good time to hit that theme, with the Global Financial collapse creating a much more volatile feeling towards big business.
Its an okay FPS that lasts a few hours, and the multiplayer is good for a couple of hours more. For $110NZ it was not really good value for money though. I like the idea of Syndicate as a FPS, and more of an influence on the story from Deus Ex and the original games would possibly have helped here, a more story driven game probably would have made things better. But this game is a good start to the serious, it lays the foundation for better things.
Give it a go, it will fill in a couple of hours, but try and get it secondhand or on special.