[BE88] The Strategist

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Updates stopped for this blog. Last post 20 August 2013.

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Syphon Filter: Logan's Shadow

This is the first game I've completed playing on the PSP, and there's a darn good reason why I managed/wanted to complete this game. I've kept away from FPS games on the PSP, mainly because its really difficult to aim. However, I decided to give this game a go.

The player takes the role of Gabe Logan, the main character in the game. This guy has been on previous Syphon Filter titles both on the PS2 and PSP. You are part of the IPCA, usually called The Agency. Apparently, a terrorist group has managed to get its hands on some dangerous technology which has the ability to cause massive destruction in the world. Gabe Logan is sent to retrieve this technology. Somehow, most of the other secret agencies around the world, such as Russia and China, know about this technology and are also out of get it. Many other developments happen in the story which I shall not say here.

The gameplay is great, thanks to the amazing controls for the game. Aiming isn't too hard, and accessing your arsenal of weapons and utilities is smooth, fast, and easy. For your information, you can carry up to 3 guns, a knife, grenades, night vision goggles, infrared goggles, EDSU goggles (used to locate important items), and a flashlight. I might have left out some that I don't remember. All those items are accessed by using the D-pad. This game puts some PC games to shame as some PC games don't even make it that easy for the player to access that much in the inventory.

You can lean against walls and large objects, where you can take your aim before popping out to fire at the enemies. You can also blind fire from behind whatever you're hiding, suppressing the enemy, and possibly killing them. Health is regenerated automatically after some time of not being in a battle, very similar to Call of Duty 2. However, health goes down a lot more easily than in Call of Duty 2, therefore there is the need for armour in the game. Unfortunately, the armour doesn't regenerate by itself. There is also a grenade indicator, which again, is very similar to Call of Duty. The enemy does not throw much grenades at you, so this feature isn't very prominent. Apparently health regeneration and the grenade indicator are new features which were not in Dark Mirror, the prequel to Logan's Shadow.

You can also do a number of interesting things you wouldn't really expect in a PSP game, such as grabbing an enemy and using him as a human shield. However, when attempting to do this, you'll have to press a random sequence of buttons which will appear in order to grab the enemy successfully. This kind of adds some level of excitement and unpredictability. You can't grab hold of the enemy forever, so you can kill them while they're grabbed.

Right, button sequences. You most likely experienced this in God of War. Press buttons repeatedly to push heavy objects away and such. One part I like is the button sequence to hack a computer to obtain information. The button sequence is long (about 8 buttons), and the time needed to press these buttons is short. Simply put, there's no time to think.

There's also underwater combat. Sometimes, you'll be given a rebreather, which allows you to breathe underwater. Sometimes, you aren't given it. If you aren't given the rebreather, then you'll have to handle the oxygen meter that's ticking away dangerously somewhere on the screen. What I like about underwater combat is that bullets will take longer than usual to travel, and the rate of fire is drastically reduced. On land, bullets usually hit the target right after you press the trigger. Underwater, you'll have to predict where the enemy will be. Ever seen the slow-mo bullet effects in The Matrix? The bullets underwater travel just like that. There are weapons specially designed to work underwater, such as the spear gun and bolt pistol. These guns have ammunition which travel faster underwater than normal bullets, but still slower than on land.

You will also work with friendly AI. Usually, you'll be the one who creates an opportunity to, maybe, fire a RPG at a helicopter while you distract it. You'll have to tell the AI to fire at the helicopter, usually using the "select" button.

Enough about how the game works.

The graphics look amazing for this game. It looks sharp, it looks clean, and it doesn't look pixelated at all. Easily on par with Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core. The movies for the game also look sweet, as you will be able to see in the trailer. In fact, both movie and in-game footage can be seen in the trailer.

Voice acting is great, with nothing out of place. Emotions and laughters of trickery are voiced well, with good sound effects too. I haven't really heard much music, but I read around that its good as well. Apparently, the music is done by Azam Ali, who has worked on 300 and The Matrix Revolutions.

There is also multiplayer, which you can play online with other people in the world. That's pretty rare on the PSP, as most of the time its just between PSPs in the same vicinity. I haven't tried it yet, but there's deathmatch, team deathmatch, rouge agent, retrieval (basically CTF), and sabotage. There are seven maps in total.

This is one game you definitely have to play if you have a PSP.

Syphon Filter: Logan's Shadow Trailer (1:22)

Intro movie to first mission (3:18)

Graphics: 9.5
Sound: 9
Gameplay: 9.5
Lasting Appeal: 8.8
Overall: 9.5

posted @ 9:08 pm
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