Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror
An all around great game.
Tags: Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror Categories: PSP Reviews, Reviews
Posted by David Hinkle on Apr 14th, 2006
| Title | Players | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror (title page) | 1 - 8 | ||
| Developer | Publisher | Genre | Online |
| Action | Yes | ||
 |
The Syphon Filter franchise made an acclaimed debut back on the original PlayStation and has since slowly fizzled into obscurity. With its debut on the PSP in Dark Mirror, it has managed to achieve success again through excellent use of the platform and overall great play mechanics. It’s OK to like Gabe Logan again, so those of you PSP owners out there awaiting a good action title need to give this a whirl.
 |
The story revolves around terrorists attacking chemical plants, with the stage being set as Gabe penetrates a facility in the cold winds of Alaska. The story itself takes all kinds of twists and turns, and is fairly compelling throughout, albeit short. The game only has seven missions, but playing through each is a fun jaunt enhanced by the game’s competent controls and film-like presentation.
 |
A lot of the game revolves around methodically traversing enemy-infested areas as you peek from behind corners, popping out for mere seconds to down a handful of terrorists with well-placed headshots. A lot of the game is placing your back against cover and popping out to take down enemies when exposed and silently creeping about when not. When exposed, you’ll have to use the four face buttons as a second analog stick, something fairly clumsy from the get-go, yet easily acclimated into your mindset after a mission or two. It’s these short firefights that make the game just so much fun and constantly engaging. Should the player just not get it, the inclusion of lock-on aiming will be a sight for sore eyes.
 |
Gabe wouldn’t be a super spy if he didn’t have cool gadgets and super-sleuthing maneuvers. You’ll have some slick goggles with several vision modes such as night and thermal. Along with that, you’ll find various zip lines strewn about the environments, allowing you to glide from one place to another, although you are never able to create zip lines where you wish. Your sniper rifle also comes equipped with different projectiles such as gas and electric darts.
 |
The multiplayer is excellent, thankfully made more so through the inclusion of not just ad hoc mode, but infrastructure as well. Game types online are varied from objective-based game types to a variant of the Juggernaut game type made famous in Halo called “Rogue Agent.” Infrastructure mode also has full implementation of buddy lists, leaderboards, clans, and full on support for voice chat via the PSP headset, all of which makes for a very robust and impressive online experience.
 |
The graphics in the game also shine, from the excellent presentation to the cutscenes in the game’s main campaign right down to the action in-game. Bright, clean textures help bring the clothing and environments to life, while a sustained frame rate that rarely dips no matter how many players or enemies are onscreen at once never bring the gameplay to a halt. The occasional glitch in a door frame or exposed seam where a wall touches the ground exists, but it’s hardly something as predominant as all of the positive aspects of the game’s visuals.
 |
Syphon Filter Dark Mirror showcases all of the possibilities of the platform and executes them flawlessly. While the single-player campaign could’ve stood to be somewhat longer, it’s fun throughout. With the inclusion of the varied multiplayer, the game has a large amount of replay value. For those looking for a competent third-person stealth/action title on the PSP, they need to look no further.
| What Works | Score |
|---|---|
|
+ Great single-player campaign + Multiplayer has a lot of depth + Solid controls |
8.7 |
| What Doesn't | |
| - The face buttons for aiming could be difficult to grasp | |
| Under the Shrink-wrap | |
| A must own for any PSP owner's library. | |
[ Post the first comment | View related posts ]
Tags: Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror
Posted by David Hinkle on Apr 14th, 2006 and is filed under PSP Reviews, Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can post a comment, or trackback from your own site.
