Syndicate (2012)

 PC
User Score
6.0

Mixed or average reviews- based on 434 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 143 out of 434
  2. Mixed: 168 out of 434
  3. Negative: 123 out of 434
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  1. whitespider999
    Feb 21, 2012
    6
    This game emulates the setting of an emotional, deep science fiction world. It sets up story threads that can evolve. However that's all anything is in this game amounts to, suggestions at a better game. The moment you step back, and take the game at what it is, a mindless shooter - the more you will get out of it - at least in singleplayer. Furthermore, if that's what you want out of thisThis game emulates the setting of an emotional, deep science fiction world. It sets up story threads that can evolve. However that's all anything is in this game amounts to, suggestions at a better game. The moment you step back, and take the game at what it is, a mindless shooter - the more you will get out of it - at least in singleplayer. Furthermore, if that's what you want out of this experience. You found deus ex slow and ponderous, and you are more of an action junkie. Then this game's singleplayer, is solid enough. It has inventive mechanics and satisfying gameplay. Unfortunately that gameplay never really evolves. It introduces 'breaching' however it never really expands on that concept. It just gives you waves of enemies that require the same useage of an inventive core mechanic. That's the main gameplay separator between this game and say, half life 2, deus ex, bioshock, or other beloved first person games. Those games constantly change things up, either by providing a toolset, or changing the environmental useage of an inventive ability (half life 2 gravity gun, options and tools in deus ex and bioshock). And that's a shame, because based on the first few levels of co-op. it seems like those scenarios are better designed and require significantly more management and thought. (Although still not remotely on the same level as other games). Co-op is a far deeper, and better experience for someone like me who prefers first-person-thinkers. And that's the conflict right there. I could reccomend this game to action junkies who don't want to think, however that is simply the singleplayer portion of the game. The other 50% of the money you are paying is a co-op mode that requires a different thought process. So in the end, both first person thinker players, and action junkie players only get half a game. And a not-fantastic half a game for either side. I have made the game sound terrible, yet - it actually holds a lot of promise. It keeps flirting with the idea of it being deeper than it is - and you can see it reaching out... However a valiant failure is not a 10/10 game nomatter what angle you come in from.… Expand
  2. LighterThings
    Mar 29, 2012
    5
    Syndicate for PC is what the term "Console Port" was coined for. The developers did not even bother trying to add a feature that would show the player the actual keys needed to be used for the keyboard/mouse combo. Even if you changed your settings from the default 360 controller, all the instruction shown were for the 360 controller. Any popups or tutorials were stuck on that, so the onlySyndicate for PC is what the term "Console Port" was coined for. The developers did not even bother trying to add a feature that would show the player the actual keys needed to be used for the keyboard/mouse combo. Even if you changed your settings from the default 360 controller, all the instruction shown were for the 360 controller. Any popups or tutorials were stuck on that, so the only way to know which keyboard key to use was to pause the game, find the corresponding 360 button to find out its control, then look under the keyboard mapping to find out what key you would actually need to hit, and even then that did not work.

    The game looked great, and it seemed compelling enough to play, but without a 360 controller (or another PC-enabled controller configured to work like a 360's), the game was impossible to play past five minutes.    … Expand
  3. Ottomic
    Feb 17, 2014
    7
    It's a fun romp of a game, about the same quality as a FEAR installment. Top notch graphics, very good voice and motion capture. Although it is another generic shooter at its core, it has some nifty quality details that will make you keep smiling and say "cute!", and that sets it apart from the rest: the sci-fi setting, the atmosphere, the alternate firing modes, some seriously kickassIt's a fun romp of a game, about the same quality as a FEAR installment. Top notch graphics, very good voice and motion capture. Although it is another generic shooter at its core, it has some nifty quality details that will make you keep smiling and say "cute!", and that sets it apart from the rest: the sci-fi setting, the atmosphere, the alternate firing modes, some seriously kickass weapons, lots and lots of Codex-like info pages, the breach system, skills you unlock across the game; it all works very well, and it brings a frantic and fun gunplay that allows for a variety of ways to solve the situations the game throws at you. The UI feels "realistic" while remaining useful for the most part, the weapons feel meaty and useful, the enemies will usually put up a fight (if the AI gets around to it), and once you get used to the controls, they are actually pretty responsive, with the exception of maybe the slides, which are kinda spotty. On the downside though, it feels like a straight Xbox port, with a very narrow FOV that together with the flashes and postprocessing effects made me feel a bit unconfortable a couple of times. You can breeze through the game on Hard without dying too many times, the plot is neither very clear nor really interesting, and the player never does any choice, so the game more of takes you by the hand across a variety of rooms and tells you "alright, now kill these guys. Now these ones. Now these." until you reach the end.

    There's also the cheese value of this game, which cannot go unnoticed. Everything will be labeled, from "hobo" to "bench", which I found kinda funny as it seems like the protagonist has severe memory issues. There will be nonsensical cutscenes presenting enemies on a circle and a camera panning around "hacking" indows on the side, and most of the chip extracting scenes are so over the top violent that you can't help but to chuckle a bit.

    All in all I say this is a good game if you get it for about ~10-15€. It's fun for kiling an afternoon or two with, I've heard very good things about the coop missions (haven't tried them myself) and the gameplay is nice enough to at least make me consider a second playthrough in a future. And although it doesn't really fit in the 'Syndicate' series of games, as a standalone FPS I say it's a good choice if you wanna pewpew some baddies but you're tired of military, CoD-like games.    … Expand
  4. NegativeNine
    Mar 2, 2014
    7
    [German / Deutsch]
    Das Spiel gibt einem schöne Schlauchlevel, eine 6/10 Story mit 4/10 Hauptcharakteren, viele Gegner, viele Waffen, viel Geballer und damit, was man von einem Shooter erwartet.
    Die Waffen im Spiel machen zum größten Teil Sinn, allerdings gibt es einige Waffen, die zu schwach, zu stark oder schlicht dasselbe sind, wie andere Waffen. Da hätte man einiges streichen können    [German / Deutsch]
    Das Spiel gibt einem schöne Schlauchlevel, eine 6/10 Story mit 4/10 Hauptcharakteren, viele Gegner, viele Waffen, viel Geballer und damit, was man von einem Shooter erwartet.

    Die Waffen im Spiel machen zum größten Teil Sinn, allerdings gibt es einige Waffen, die zu schwach, zu stark oder schlicht dasselbe sind, wie andere Waffen. Da hätte man einiges streichen können oder besser anpassen sollen.

    Die Steuerung des Charakters ist Standard und hat sich leider nicht sonderlich weiterentwickelt: Kaum geländegängig, was im urbanen Szenario aber kaum weiter auffällt. Über kleine Hindernisse wird gesprungen, geöffnet oder geklettert werden kann nur da, wo es vorgesehen ist.

    Da man sich nicht um Nebenelemente in der Spielwelt geschweige denn Handlungsfreiheit bemüht hat ist die Spielwelt zwar nett anzusehen aber klinisch tot. Der Shooter ist damit relativ schnell durchgespielt und dank absolut linearer Handlung sowie fester Skriptsequenzen ohne großen Wiederspielwert. Wer Abwechslung sucht kann maximal einen anderen Schwierigkeitsgrad auswählen oder Chipaufwertungen unterlassen / anders setzen.

    Syndicate macht trotzdem Spaß, solange man sich noch an der imposanten Spielwelt sattsehen kann, Interesse an dem Zukunftsszenario hat, welches das Spiel darstellt, gern mit den Waffen im Spiel hantiert gegen die Gegner im Spiel oder die Herausforderungen mag, vor die einen das Spiel bei den Bossgegnern stellt.

    Ich persönlich würde Syndicate als eigenständigen Titel ohne Beachtung der originalen Syndicate Serie eine 7/10 geben, weil es im Großen und Ganzen bugfrei ist, Shooter verspricht und Shooter liefert, die Spielwelt wirklich gut aussieht und die Kämpfe größtenteils funktionieren.

    Meine größten Kritikpunkte am Spiel sind die Art der Gegnergenerierung[1] und die Regenerationsmechanik[2], die einfach nicht zu Syndicate passt.

    [1] Die Art, wie Gegner in die Spielwelt gebracht werden wirkt arg gekünstelt: Sobald man einen Punkt überschreitet oder ein Objekt bedient öffnen sich irgendwelche Türen, aus denen Gegner strömen, teils Welle um Welle statt einmal alle zusammen. Für die Gegner öffnen sich dazu mit einem Mal irgendwelche Räume, Türen etc., die vorher verschlossen waren und es nachher teilweise auch wieder sind. Statt sich also den Weg freizuballern läuft man irgendwo lang, wo irgendwo um einen herum irgendwelche Türen aufgehen und Gegner rauskommen. Nachher sind diese Türen und Räume entweder wieder verschlossen oder vollkommen leer.

    [2] Die Regnerationsmechanik ist aus Call of Duty: In Deckung warten, bis die Regeneration startet, die relativ schnell 100% der Gesundheit wiederherstellt. Für Syndicate ist das aber unpassend, da man meist solo gegen mehrere Gegner antritt, die einen zu umzingeln versuchen, teils Granaten werfen und abgesehen davon gibt es im Spiel Flugdrohnen und gelenkte Projektile. Da passt so eine Regenerationsmechanik Marke 'In-der-Ecke-hocken' einfach nicht.

    Beim Original "Syndicate" hätte sich EA aber nicht bedienen müssen für dieses Spiel, denn bis auf einige Begriffe oder Namen aus dem Original hat das Spiel so ziemlich gar nichts mit ihm zu tun.    … Expand
  5. jelikey
    Jul 1, 2016
    7
    This game emulates the setting of an emotional, deep science fiction world. It sets up story threads that can evolve. However that's all anything is in this game amounts to, suggestions at a better game. The moment you step back, and take the game at what it is, a mindless shooter - the more you will get out of it - at least in singleplayer. Furthermore, if that's what you want out of this
  6. fryzee
    Mar 3, 2012
    6
    It's OK, Simple as that, It runs fine on my i7, nvidia 240gtx. I read that many people had problems with it running poorly, which i'm yet to experience. I will never understand why it's banned in Australia. Stupid. But anyway, it's not worth anything above $50 and I would recommend it only to true FPS lovers and when you can find it on a cheap sale.
  7. GeorgeA
    May 12, 2012
    5
    Another COD inspired shooter in futuristic setting, probably one of the most forgettable ones in recent years. The story maybe isn't that horrible, but it's so terribly told, you just don't care about anything, be it the main silent protagonist, the world or the characters. The same, by the way, happened in Crysis 2, who had the same writer (Richard Morgan's style, I take it?). The levelAnother COD inspired shooter in futuristic setting, probably one of the most forgettable ones in recent years. The story maybe isn't that horrible, but it's so terribly told, you just don't care about anything, be it the main silent protagonist, the world or the characters. The same, by the way, happened in Crysis 2, who had the same writer (Richard Morgan's style, I take it?). The level design is as generic as it can be (corridors, hallways and again corridors), missions are utterly boring and completely uninspired(kill that, take that, retrieve that and etc). The so called three "Dart Powers" are fun to use in the beginning, but after two-three hours the novelty wears off. They are not anything special either- just "Knock down, blow up or befriend the enemy SWAT soldier". Even the shooting parts aren't the best-enemies take half the clip to be killed, AI, while trying it's best, just doesn't offer much of a real challenge, even guns scream generic.The graphics, like everything else, are average at best: low details, bad textures and the infamous bloom coupled with great effects here and there. The sound,on the other hand, is a positive side : weapons sound OK most of the time, the voice acting is hammy sometimes (who voiced Merit?!), but nothing really bad and music fits the game's stupid, soulless shootouts pretty well.The co-op is all right, but nothing really special. The only real bright spot is probably "InfoBank", an in-game codex, which contains huge amount of interesting (and unfortunately, completely useless) data. In all, it's so sad to think, that such an interesting universe, with so much potential, is wasted on a generic shooter. With that kind of setting even a twelve-year old can write a better story and characters. I was expecting so much more from the creators of Escape from Butcher Bay.… Expand
  8. CMASC
    Mar 7, 2012
    7
    This game is not bad but not that good either, the co-op is indeed more like the original game but the single player story line is just bland and tasteless, I only wish they would have gave more freedom or sandbox style gameplay, otherwise the game is a great shooter, love the mechanics and the futuristic atmosphere of Syndicate, I can recommend getting this game when the price drops.
  9. MBGeek
    Feb 22, 2012
    5
    Cool atmosphere and well optimized for any pc brought down by a REALLY bad case of console convertion-itis...LOL. Typical port with no way of turning off the gamepad and every action you need to do shows the GAMEPAD button you need to press...so if your using a keyboard/mouse your SOL and end up hitting every key as there seems to be no consistency to what key does what. Full disclosureCool atmosphere and well optimized for any pc brought down by a REALLY bad case of console convertion-itis...LOL. Typical port with no way of turning off the gamepad and every action you need to do shows the GAMEPAD button you need to press...so if your using a keyboard/mouse your SOL and end up hitting every key as there seems to be no consistency to what key does what. Full disclosure in that I haven't played more then 2 hours but that is because of the bad port making it difficult to play on the PC… Expand
  10. holodoc
    Feb 24, 2012
    5
    As generic as an FPS can be. The only thing that this game has in common with its famous predecessor is violence. If you have nothing against repetitive point blank execution scenes where innocent civilians are treated as pure target practice than by all means go for it. I mean the original Syndicate was bloody that's for sure but here its presented in such a distasteful way that it heartsAs generic as an FPS can be. The only thing that this game has in common with its famous predecessor is violence. If you have nothing against repetitive point blank execution scenes where innocent civilians are treated as pure target practice than by all means go for it. I mean the original Syndicate was bloody that's for sure but here its presented in such a distasteful way that it hearts the stomach.

    There are also too many scripted quick event driven sequences which simply ruin the whole experience. Breaching can be fun sometimes but its essentially completely unnecessary because in most situations all you need to do is run into a room full of enemies with your guns blazing and leave none alive. In the end I will not rate it 4 for not being a decent sequel to the original game but for being a pretty generic, repetitive and essentially boring FPS.    … Expand
  11. Rebelstar
    Feb 22, 2012
    7
    Decent graphics, nice cyberpunk story line, nice ambient music. It's a pity they included popular dubstep, all charm of some scenes immediately disappeared once I heard this music. They should take ambience feeling (music, color and light) from some Mirror's Edge stages.
    Game engine optimized well, runs very well on my 6970. Also good news for the Eyefinity users, it comes out of the box    Decent graphics, nice cyberpunk story line, nice ambient music. It's a pity they included popular dubstep, all charm of some scenes immediately disappeared once I heard this music. They should take ambience feeling (music, color and light) from some Mirror's Edge stages.
    Game engine optimized well, runs very well on my 6970. Also good news for the Eyefinity users, it comes out of the box - in the game menu you can choose "Amd Eyefinity" option. I did a little test run for those who interested in multi-monitor gaming http://youtu.be/lY9w96gQT4c    … Expand
  12. crogue
    Feb 25, 2012
    5
    But its got #SKRILLEX!!! Poor use of the license (and dubstep) aside, this is ALCP (Another Lazy Console Port). Overall its a generic shooter that feels 10 years old. Most of the over mentioned comments are spot on: a poor Deus Ex knock off, terrible graphics and criminal overuse of bloom lighting effects. I would also add bad AI, numerous typos, missed references to controller keys,But its got #SKRILLEX!!! Poor use of the license (and dubstep) aside, this is ALCP (Another Lazy Console Port). Overall its a generic shooter that feels 10 years old. Most of the over mentioned comments are spot on: a poor Deus Ex knock off, terrible graphics and criminal overuse of bloom lighting effects. I would also add bad AI, numerous typos, missed references to controller keys, uninspired combat & story. Movement and shooting is so awkward, i've just been running up on fools and melee'ing them to death.… Expand
  13. HighwayUK
    Mar 8, 2012
    7
    I remember playing the proper RTS syndicate games as a teenager, and whiel this has a smell of the concepts, it falls way short of being a decent reboot of the series and simply feels like Deus EX HR done on the cheap to keep console fans happy.

    It not a boring game, but its not a headliner either... settled for mediocre generic shooter skinned to look better than it is with its pretty    I remember playing the proper RTS syndicate games as a teenager, and whiel this has a smell of the concepts, it falls way short of being a decent reboot of the series and simply feels like Deus EX HR done on the cheap to keep console fans happy.

    It not a boring game, but its not a headliner either... settled for mediocre generic shooter skinned to look better than it is with its pretty run of the mill texturing etc by PC standards. Deus EX HR may not be perfect but it does everything this does better.    … Expand
  14. PosMatic
    Mar 10, 2012
    7
    Syndicate WILL let you burn a couple of hours, but that will be the end of it. The game is wrapped with a decent graphics and sound system and even has a nice game play and animations, BUT, you will not see anything new in it - Nothing. The story is about an security agent with bio-tech augmentations that will do everything to protect his company, kinda like Deus-Ex - But not. ShootingSyndicate WILL let you burn a couple of hours, but that will be the end of it. The game is wrapped with a decent graphics and sound system and even has a nice game play and animations, BUT, you will not see anything new in it - Nothing. The story is about an security agent with bio-tech augmentations that will do everything to protect his company, kinda like Deus-Ex - But not. Shooting system is pretty good - you can slide and shoot at the same time (Just love this!) have Human/Machine-Mind-Hacking that you use against you enemies. Co-Op system is one of the Pros of this game and you can spend a decent time with a friend. Overall, the game is decent but definitely not a Must-Have.… Expand
  15. Arkveveen
    Jan 26, 2013
    7
    A juicy and solid shooter with a lovely, dystopian science fiction setting. A gun lover's paradise packed with ludicrously sexy, fun weapons and great firefights. The interaction with cover adds to the immersion during these firefights! You have to use your brain a bit more in this game because enemies WILL try to flank you at every turn, but you have upgrades you can get in a fun systemA juicy and solid shooter with a lovely, dystopian science fiction setting. A gun lover's paradise packed with ludicrously sexy, fun weapons and great firefights. The interaction with cover adds to the immersion during these firefights! You have to use your brain a bit more in this game because enemies WILL try to flank you at every turn, but you have upgrades you can get in a fun system that is similiar to the classic talent tree to level the playing field along with the DART Overlay (which is like bullet time and allows you to see through cover). Now, for the flaws: Hacking ("Breaching") seems more of a gimmick and is not used nearly enough it seems. Also, the much maligned health regeneration is back in spades, but it makes sense considering the sci-fi setting. The areas tend to be corridors and shooting galleries which confounds matters further, but at least there seems to be a variety of them. I reccomend this game, for fans of shooters and guns. Because really, if you enjoy that rush you get when you aim down the sight and hear bullet casings hitting the floor, then you'll love this game. Otherwise, its just another first person shooter that I only reccomend to those who enjoy first person shooters of all kinds.… Expand
  16. MustisTheCat
    Oct 16, 2013
    7
    A mediocre first person shooter, though extremely frustrating at times. The gameplay mechanics are good, not too complicated or varied, just standard stuff. 90% of the game is fast, running and shooting, 10% is hacking. The gunplay is exceptional, all of the guns are loud, have a nice recoil, though there is only few of them. The controls are intuitive, so it is easy to use all of theA mediocre first person shooter, though extremely frustrating at times. The gameplay mechanics are good, not too complicated or varied, just standard stuff. 90% of the game is fast, running and shooting, 10% is hacking. The gunplay is exceptional, all of the guns are loud, have a nice recoil, though there is only few of them. The controls are intuitive, so it is easy to use all of the cybernetic features of your character. All of that is enhanced by believable soundFX and music. Sadly, all of that is somewhat ruined by questionable level and story design. The shooting would have been a nicer experience if the creators gave it more thought. Most of the fights is shootouts in open arenas, often with very scarce cover. If you do not play in coop mode with other humans, you are alone vs 10-50 enemies at once. Retaliating enemy swarm after swarm gets tiring fast and doesn`t make much sense. Even the fact that there are up to 6 types of them doesn`t change that. The same goes for the bossfights. I like the basic LEVEL-BOSS layout, although here the player ends up mostly at a big disadvantage against a boss and numerour other enemies, again in an open arena. This results in really lot of cheap player deaths. Moreover, the bosses have a special weakness that is not in any way explained, so you have to figure it out yourself, mostly after 4 or 5 deaths. Also, the mini puzzles are not explained so you often end up just standing in a room trying to figure a way out. The single player campaign on normal difficulty setting took me 5 and a half hours from which at least 20 mins is story cutscenes. I was tired with the game after 4 hours but went on just to beat it. I got the game for $10 and I don`t feel ripped off, but I would`t pay anymore for Syndicate.… Expand
  17. Furious2517
    Mar 6, 2012
    6
    From Russia with love (Google Translate sry=)
    Syndicate, what can I say about this game, or rather what it looks like? Deus Ex. this is obvious, cyberpunk, implants, corporations, the future, even such a small element of the RPG as pumping. However, it is still easy postrelkushka ... am feeling a parody, the battles are not dynamic, the game is short, simple story, the ending of anything.    From Russia with love (Google Translate sry=)
    Syndicate, what can I say about this game, or rather what it looks like? Deus Ex. this is obvious, cyberpunk, implants, corporations, the future, even such a small element of the RPG as pumping. However, it is still easy postrelkushka ... am feeling a parody, the battles are not dynamic, the game is short, simple story, the ending of anything. This is not a very interesting game, and I'll tell you simply, if you have not met the new products, you can while away the evening with a syndicate, but it is a game which is to bypass the majority, I was suddenly fell Syndicate and I did not expect. And did not get anything interesting, this game only gets 6 points, but rather 5.5 Frome Russia with love    … Expand
  18. zonetrooperex
    May 29, 2012
    5
    The biggest problem with this game is simply it's generic nature (guns, setting and story). It is just so by the numbers and I've never pressed LB so much in any other game (breach hack ability). Arrg I would not recommend it to anyone with taste.

    The bosses are really horrible and each enemy is taken down in 2 ways. The textures are horrible and covered up in a bad attempt of glare and    The biggest problem with this game is simply it's generic nature (guns, setting and story). It is just so by the numbers and I've never pressed LB so much in any other game (breach hack ability). Arrg I would not recommend it to anyone with taste.

    The bosses are really horrible and each enemy is taken down in 2 ways.

    The textures are horrible and covered up in a bad attempt of glare and lens flares.

    I played it on a PC with an XBOX 360 controller on Hard difficulty.    … Expand
  19. soundofvictory
    Jan 29, 2013
    7
    I'm judging this based only on the singleplayer game itself and from the perspective of someone who generally enjoys first person shooters (and played through the game on hard the first time) . This is a good first person shooter. The shooty bits feel really nice. There are a few audio options similar to the battlefield games which allow you to customize to your liking (hi-fi, homeI'm judging this based only on the singleplayer game itself and from the perspective of someone who generally enjoys first person shooters (and played through the game on hard the first time) . This is a good first person shooter. The shooty bits feel really nice. There are a few audio options similar to the battlefield games which allow you to customize to your liking (hi-fi, home cinema, etc.) On the right settings and with good speakers/headphones, this game sounds nice! The guns have a ton of bass and sound satisfying to fire. Additionally there is tons of visual feedback all over the screen for all the shot interactions.

    The story is ok and cliche, but if you take the time to read through the various logs and other backstory, there is more depth than is intiially let on.

    I haven't played a significant amount of the 1993 Syndicate, but I think this reboot hits all the right checkboxes: dystopian future run by corporations where individuals are cannon fodder combined with crazy sci fi technology. It's not an isometric tactical thingum, but I think that was really more a limitation of the technology of the time rather than a necessity to the franchise.

    If you like FPS, you will probably like this. On a side note, it reminds me of The Darkness 2 in the gameplay department. Both have mostly shooting happening, but with one new element which adds additional variety to the design.    … Expand
  20. drakenseng
    Mar 25, 2013
    7
    This is a solid first person shooter. There are some nice variety in weapons but overall you have your handy pistol most of the time. What makes this game a bit more fun is the ability to combine your gun combat with the 'dart overlay'. you can make enemies commit suicide, persuade them to join you and fight their comrades, backfire used to knock enemies down, and it also slows down time aThis is a solid first person shooter. There are some nice variety in weapons but overall you have your handy pistol most of the time. What makes this game a bit more fun is the ability to combine your gun combat with the 'dart overlay'. you can make enemies commit suicide, persuade them to join you and fight their comrades, backfire used to knock enemies down, and it also slows down time a bit when you are in overlay. Overall, though the game is a bit average. Stages are pretty linear, and you dont get to use the dart too much. there are stages of gun fighting where you must defeat enemies in an area to proceed. If done similar to the way, Bulletstorm game was then i think it would've been much better. Its like a mash of crysis and deus ex. crysis with the use of power ups and deus ex leveling character system. a good solid shooter but can get repetitive and boring after awhile.… Expand
  21. badrain
    Feb 27, 2012
    6
    It's NOT a proper Syndicate game. What did you expect? On every trailer it looks NOTHING like Syndicate or Syndicate Wars. There's no point in **** about it. That's what they did and maybe it was not a good idea, but what's done is done. There's only one question now - is it a decent game? Well, partly yes. Single player storyline is focused around Eurocorp agent Miles Kilo. We dontIt's NOT a proper Syndicate game. What did you expect? On every trailer it looks NOTHING like Syndicate or Syndicate Wars. There's no point in **** about it. That's what they did and maybe it was not a good idea, but what's done is done. There's only one question now - is it a decent game? Well, partly yes. Single player storyline is focused around Eurocorp agent Miles Kilo. We dont know much about him and that won't change through out the game. Making him a silent protagonists wasnt a good idea... it's hardly ever a good idea. Story is generic to say at least, but it holds up, somehow. Gunplay is fun, it's the best part of the game along with so called "breaches". You can literally "hack" someone and force him to commit suicide or side with you for a moment. Nice idea, nice possibilities. Apart from that, the whole gameplay feels like a copy of Deus Ex, but without the rpg and stealthy elements. Yes, there's an upgrade system, but it changes nothing really. Oh yeah, lower recoil ...or 20% more health. Great. Like the others said, it's a generic shooter. I had fun, but nothing really to come back to. It's barely decent. Then the co-op mode - far better. It involves Left4Dead-like gameplay, including strong cooperation between 4 players. As single player appears to be a generic shooter, co-op mode is a fps game with tactical elements. You can choose your class, earn experience, upgrade your agent and your weapons. There's no way You burst in and kill everyobody, not without a significant help of your agent-friends. I haven't play it for long, but im looking forward to do that. It holds a lot of promise. Concluding, generic single player, good co-op... I feel some missed opportunities here. Six out of ten is my final word. It means - good game. Just good. Should have been much better, but still - co-op saves it all.… Expand
  22. Rukumouru
    Nov 13, 2012
    7
    Syndicate - Single Player: The single player is good. No more, no less. Challenging combat, some puzzles, a dash of platforming... Occasionally, however, you encounter unskippable cutscenes (that, albeit quite short, are still unskippable) or button-mashing sequences upon forcing open some paths like a jammed door. This particular "Mash 'F' a dozen times to open a door" happens much moreSyndicate - Single Player: The single player is good. No more, no less. Challenging combat, some puzzles, a dash of platforming... Occasionally, however, you encounter unskippable cutscenes (that, albeit quite short, are still unskippable) or button-mashing sequences upon forcing open some paths like a jammed door. This particular "Mash 'F' a dozen times to open a door" happens much more than it should, and drags down the overall experience somewhat. The story is actually rather good, deep and insightful, but you'll have to find out most of it on your own (through the Journal, just hit TAB in-game) as what is presented to you in the form of cutscenes is just the bare-bones. Judging the entire storyline just from what is presented in actual gameplay is a huge mistake, and it'll seem like a boring, generic and plot-hole-friendly run-off-the-mill plot to anyone who doesn't bother to read carefully into every line of dialogue and every single Journal entry. That is not to say, however, that the story presentation, being average as it is, is not to blame for decreased immersion, lest you take your sweet time in the Journal. The gunplay is delightful, especially when combined with the DART6 Overlay (slow motion, heat-vision, more resilience to bullets and higher damage, all in one), your Breaching capabilities and the DART6 upgrades. You can slow down time and hack enemy brain or weapon chips for increased lethality: Persuade them into fighting for you and then shooting themselves in the face, force them to commit suicide by means of grenade (causing high splash damage) or even hack various enemy weapons simultaneously to backfire, causing damage to their owners and making them vulnerable for a few seconds. Add to this an incremental upgrade system that'll have you choosing your own upgrade path into more health, better shields or accuracy, longer Overlay (slo-mo) or increased enemy breaching effectivity and very, VERY accurate hipfiring from the get-go, and you'll be enjoying one hell of a blend between old-school pinpoint hipfire on the move and the tactical element of slowing down time to plan your enemy Breaching in real-time for the best lethality. Did I mention this game is hard? Not impossible by all means, but much harder and old-school fast-paced than your average manshoot. Both you and your enemies also have very high health pools, making this closer to a skill-based shooter than an ADHD "shoot first and you win" Call of Dutyfest. There are three difficulty settings- Easy, Normal and Hard- and on Normal, with moderate exploring and decent manshoot skills you'll be clocking in at about 7-9 hours, leaning towards the 7-hour side as your skill increases. BOTTOM LINE: The single-player is not so gratifying when it is about watching an unskippable cutscene or mashing a button to open a flippin' door. Thankfully, the main focus is shooting things and f*cking with their minds, so it's generally fun. Oh, there is also unique bosses that require unique strategies to beat. BOSSES IN A SHOOTER. Syndicate - co-op: Enemy breaching, DART6 Incremental upgrades and the DART6 Overlay are back in the co-op, although Overlay no longer slows down time. Still does everything else, however. 9 stages that rely almost completely on combat in different shapes, be it escorting a team member while he carries something or tackling down a boss with a dozen minions kicking your collective arse. Featured in this mode is the unique ability to breach your friends: If they are alive, the breaching time will be short and you will restore their full health. If they are dead, breaching will take plenty of time, but you'll get them back in the fight. You have to be within short range to start a breaching process, but once started, you can move freely and shoot things if keep the breach button held. This may sound overpowered, but this game WILL kick your ass and you will need every single advantage you can take. So long as it's four guys in the squad you'll be fine... If you can handle a challenge. This mode is EXHILARATING, as it has NONE of the faults of the Single Player, CAN BE PLAYED BY YOURSELF (once you level up a bit) and EXPANDS upon the strenghts of the single-player. There are many more DART6 Upgrades, many more weapons, you can upgrade said weapons, MANY more breach applications... Exquisite. 9 missions doesn't sound like much, but on the easiest difficulty (there's Normal, Hard and Extreme this time around.), but on Normal they'll last you about 4 hours on your first playthrough. Difficulty changes the stages significantly (different enemies and strategies, random minibosses...) and even within the same difficulty, things are slightly randomized. You will be coming back for more again, and again, and again, and again... And if any DLC is ever released, you can bet your ass it'll be Co-Op. SCORE: Single player: 6/10 Co-Op: 9/10 Final Score: 7/10… Expand
  23. SuicideMachine
    Feb 28, 2012
    7
    Let me put it straight - This isn't a Syndicate, does it matter? Not really! It's a game built on everything that sells great nowadays, mixed with elements inspired by original game - an example of low risk policy taken by publisher, a game which can be sold on every platform, not only PCs. Does this really make a game bad? No, at worst it will make a game generic, not being able toLet me put it straight - This isn't a Syndicate, does it matter? Not really! It's a game built on everything that sells great nowadays, mixed with elements inspired by original game - an example of low risk policy taken by publisher, a game which can be sold on every platform, not only PCs. Does this really make a game bad? No, at worst it will make a game generic, not being able to compete with other shooters that had a higher budget. So, what's good about new Syndicate? And what's bad?
    Let's start with the fact - it's not a good PC port. In fact, the port is pretty bad - it has low FOV (admittedly, it isn't the lowest FOV ever, but it's obviously too low for PC), game lacks text chat in COOP and VOIP configuration is extremely limited. Sometimes during loading to a COOP game, Syndicate also crashes. On the opposite side, PC version is obviously well-optimized and I'm glad, developer didn't block access to a game's console - unfortunately, it simply isn't enough to make up for the flaws of the port.
    Now to the core of a game. Syndicate like most of shooters nowadays is divided into singleplayer and multiplayer (COOP) component. Singleplayer is - well, slightly generic at times. It's pretty linear with occasional scripted events. You play a character of Miles Kilo - a prototype agent of EuroCorp enhanced with DART 6 chip. In Singleplayer this chip offers 3 functions - Breach (used for opening doors, disabling turrets, shields etc.), Suicide (that makes the enemy to commit violent suicide, by blowing himself up) and backfire (basically causes enemy weapon to backfire). With that, there is also DART Vision â    … Expand
  24. Panther117
    Mar 17, 2012
    7
    From the creators of The Darkness comes new game a reboot of old series Syndicate. Game delivers good gameplay, weak plot, awesome coop, nice graphics, and cool soundtrack. Not much to say about how this product copies months ago released Eidos game Deus Ex:Human Revolution, Syndicate only flaw is in ridiculous storyline. The only thing saves this game is very awesome 4 player coop with 10From the creators of The Darkness comes new game a reboot of old series Syndicate. Game delivers good gameplay, weak plot, awesome coop, nice graphics, and cool soundtrack. Not much to say about how this product copies months ago released Eidos game Deus Ex:Human Revolution, Syndicate only flaw is in ridiculous storyline. The only thing saves this game is very awesome 4 player coop with 10 missions and nice upgrades. You can take enemy chips and use them to upgrade your own to make yourself stronger, agile etc. Game is also challenging so run and gun tactic canâ… Expand
  25. ZootMan
    Feb 27, 2012
    7
    I've read a few comparisons between Syndicate and Deus Ex Human Revolution, but allow me to clear one thing up for a potential buyer of this product...you are following a tightly honed script in this game, much as you would in a Call of Duty-style experience. Aside from cosmetic/stylistic similarities, this and DE:HR are very different games. The choice is in the combat, which can beI've read a few comparisons between Syndicate and Deus Ex Human Revolution, but allow me to clear one thing up for a potential buyer of this product...you are following a tightly honed script in this game, much as you would in a Call of Duty-style experience. Aside from cosmetic/stylistic similarities, this and DE:HR are very different games. The choice is in the combat, which can be extremely gratifying. You might even compare this closest to Fear 2 Project Origin, as Syndicate employs a similar slow motion system...Both games have a similar problem: A severe lack of any identifying character or relate-able narrative. At least Fear scares you with vague horror tropes- here, we are offered an array of unlikable characters in an incongruous cyber punk melange...and yes, once again you play the 'silent badass' protagonist, for the umpteenth time, it seems. Starbreeze has done some great work in the past with riddick and the darkness in terms of character, so it is odd to see a lack of any character depth whatsoever......................AND HERE IS A BIG PET PEEVE-----------you know all those 'wonderful' "jam on (insert button/key here) X number of times to initiate first person animation sequences proliferating in FPS games today? (...that Battlefield 3's single player felt it needed to use...*cringe*) Well, be prepared to to do about 50 of 'em over the course of this relatively short campaign. I am not joking or exaggerating...in fact, a drinking game would get you well and fully blasted by about a half hour in at the rate they feel the need to crank these bad boys out....so, to fully digress, this is not a game you will return to. Or recall much from. But, you will get into the high scoring level to level and YOU WILL have a good time with the combat.....just, be ready to...ugh. You know.… Expand
  26. Jefferystar94
    Aug 3, 2012
    7
    A short, bland, but sometimes entertaining singleplayer campain is saved by an excellent co-op multiplayer mode. If you have some friends that are willing to play, Syndicate is worth at least a rental or a twenty dollar buy.
  27. jbuck1911
    Jul 10, 2012
    5
    Game is mediocre at best, Not going to write a lengthy review, other players have already pointed out the flaws in this game. I just had to point out this reviewers post. LMFAO! Can't tell if he's being serious or if this is a joke because he gave the game a 10, and he said "best shooter in this year in this moment!" and " And now, I played this game with very very plesure." . Read hisGame is mediocre at best, Not going to write a lengthy review, other players have already pointed out the flaws in this game. I just had to point out this reviewers post. LMFAO! Can't tell if he's being serious or if this is a joke because he gave the game a 10, and he said "best shooter in this year in this moment!" and " And now, I played this game with very very plesure." . Read his other reviews. Made me laugh. YuRown92 Feb 24, 2012 10 " I wait this game from their moment, when it was announced. And now, I played this game with very very plesure. Starbreeze maked very style game, very clever game, very interesting game. On my mind, the best shooter in this year in this moment! "… Expand
  28. megaepiclp
    Mar 29, 2012
    5
    Syndicate is a heavy first person shooter for Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and PC that is set in the year 2069 where the use of the DART chip has rendered all other electronic devices obsolete. The government has also been replaced by large mega-corporations known as syndicates. You are an agent that works for one of these corporations, who starts the game by testing a prototype dart 6 chip.Syndicate is a heavy first person shooter for Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and PC that is set in the year 2069 where the use of the DART chip has rendered all other electronic devices obsolete. The government has also been replaced by large mega-corporations known as syndicates. You are an agent that works for one of these corporations, who starts the game by testing a prototype dart 6 chip.
    The proâ    … Expand
  29. RealMuthaF
    Jan 23, 2013
    6
    I haven't played the original Syndicate so I don't have any hard feelings on the franchise turning into an FPS, but this game is mediocre in all ways. The graphics are pretty but not outstanding, and the blinding lens flares are actually annoying. The core gameplay is regular shooting + some original weapons and the cool breaching mechanic + entertaining boss fights. The singleplayerI haven't played the original Syndicate so I don't have any hard feelings on the franchise turning into an FPS, but this game is mediocre in all ways. The graphics are pretty but not outstanding, and the blinding lens flares are actually annoying. The core gameplay is regular shooting + some original weapons and the cool breaching mechanic + entertaining boss fights. The singleplayer story is forgettable and we've got another silent protagonist which is so lame, though the world of Syndicate's got potential, and the background info you can see in the intel pieces is quite interesting.Gameplay gets more fun in the quite well done co-op mode. So, my verdict is that it's a passable mediocre shooter, earning a solid 6/10.… Expand
  30. carbonic
    Jun 26, 2012
    5
    A game that has not had time to be finished. Lacks configuration options, story is patched together and multiplayer lacks finishing which sadly makes it a bad investment.
    Much of the problems could have been patched but EA has not given the developers the word to do so, so Starbreeze Studios can't do it. EA apparently doesn't have high thoughts of this game, would also explain why they    A game that has not had time to be finished. Lacks configuration options, story is patched together and multiplayer lacks finishing which sadly makes it a bad investment.
    Much of the problems could have been patched but EA has not given the developers the word to do so, so Starbreeze Studios can't do it. EA apparently doesn't have high thoughts of this game, would also explain why they sold it 50% off only two weeks after it released on Origin.
    Lots of good ideas, poorly finished.    … Expand
  31. The_Doc
    Nov 6, 2012
    5
    What can I say? It looks pretty. The hacking gimmick is plain. The campaign is ridiculously short. Despite the hype for the weapons, they are just cookie-cutter guns. Levels are extremely linear, some are simply boring while others are quite fun. The plot is extremely predictable and cliched. As a whole, Syndicate could have been a much better game.
  32. gloriouspotato
    Jan 8, 2015
    6
    Despite its solid gameplay mechanics, the game still feels awfully repetitive due to its lack of variety. There are no exploratory or investigative elements to the game such as puzzles to break up the long stretches of battle upon battle. There isn't an engaging story to hook you in, and there isn't even much when it comes to enemy variety. I suppose the graphics and sound design isDespite its solid gameplay mechanics, the game still feels awfully repetitive due to its lack of variety. There are no exploratory or investigative elements to the game such as puzzles to break up the long stretches of battle upon battle. There isn't an engaging story to hook you in, and there isn't even much when it comes to enemy variety. I suppose the graphics and sound design is decent, though the amount of bloom is rather excessive. All in all, a fairly unremarkable game that didn't leave much of an impression.

    Overall rating - 6.3/10    … Expand
  33. yo_mama_so_fat
    Oct 22, 2014
    6
    Syndicate is an innovative sci-fi FPS that throws you into the deep end of corporate espionage. Solid gameplay mechanics are overshadowed by repetitive missions. Doesn't live up to its potential but definitely worth a try.
  34. Pinochi
    Aug 10, 2022
    5
    1 из 10 - сюжет. Он крайне простой и скучный, да и в сеттинге "киберпанк" ничего нового не приносит и не рассказывает.
    1 из 10 - музыка. Игра 2012 года с дабстепом, без комментариев.
    5 из 10 - геймплей. За 6 часов он не успевает надоесть к концу игры, но и звёзд с неба не хватает. Можно было бы сделать динамичнее и быстрее, но тогда так было не принято. 4 из 10 - визуал. Графика    1 из 10 - сюжет. Он крайне простой и скучный, да и в сеттинге "киберпанк" ничего нового не приносит и не рассказывает.
    1 из 10 - музыка. Игра 2012 года с дабстепом, без комментариев.
    5 из 10 - геймплей. За 6 часов он не успевает надоесть к концу игры, но и звёзд с неба не хватает. Можно было бы сделать динамичнее и быстрее, но тогда так было не принято.
    4 из 10 - визуал. Графика безусловно устарела, но глазам больно не делает. Проблема с контрастом. Всё либо очень тёмное, либо очень светлое, раздражает. Дизайн локаций и персонажей довольно скучный. Стандартное недалёкое будущее.
    7 из 10 - звук. Для 2012 года нормально.

    Итог = 4,5.
    Игра не вызвала какого-то отвращения, просто проходняк, но из-за отсутствий игр в сеттинге "киберпанк" можно и поиграть.    … Expand
  35. dandalis
    Nov 19, 2016
    6
    At start i had hard time liking this game, controls and animations on PC feel very clumsy, aiming feels overly hyper sensitive with insane mouse acceleration (turns out you must disable the V Sync to make the game even playable), insane over usage of bloom and chromatic abomination effects that can cause eye strain.

    But somehow i got used to it and half way thru i started to enjoy    At start i had hard time liking this game, controls and animations on PC feel very clumsy, aiming feels overly hyper sensitive with insane mouse acceleration (turns out you must disable the V Sync to make the game even playable), insane over usage of bloom and chromatic abomination effects that can cause eye strain.

    But somehow i got used to it and half way thru i started to enjoy playing the game. With few unockable upgrades game becomes more friendly to play. Gunplay is pretty solid and guns themselves sound beefy, good audio design and animation work make gunning down enemies pretty fun. Syndicate has a decent amount of guns to play with, both standard projectile based and futuristic types. Game is exteremely linear giving very limited exploration options and plot is forced down your eating hole. I had a feeling they could've add some choice options for you as a player to tailor your story a bit like in Mass Effect.

    Cyberpunk setting will be very inetersting to fans of such genre. Developers have put a considerable amount of work to create a interesting futuristic setting and lore behind it that you get to explore while playing, if you choose so. Story itself felt too bog standard and unimpressive, but its not bad, it just does it work and thats it, ending also couldve been better.

    Performance wise it ran pretty well on maxed settings on my GTX 650, apart from already mentioned V Sync bug. Graphics are OK, sadly lots of people got fooled by its insane visual FX usage to call them ''best of 2012'', futuristic setting also probably made the game look better than it is. But then again its a well made game knowing that it didnt had that massive of a budget.

    Solid game for futuristic action FPS junkies that i can easily still reccomend in 2016.    … Expand
  36. Bottlecaps
    May 25, 2019
    5
    Syndicate is a game that did exactly what i expected of it. and that is not a good thing. because i could look at the box and after the first 5 minutes of game play i knew how the story ends.

    Story: the story is so predictable i didnt even take it seriously, sure the world is cool but the story REALLY takes away from that (at least for me ) im not gonna spoil it for any one though.    Syndicate is a game that did exactly what i expected of it. and that is not a good thing. because i could look at the box and after the first 5 minutes of game play i knew how the story ends.

    Story: the story is so predictable i didnt even take it seriously, sure the world is cool but the story REALLY takes away from that (at least for me ) im not gonna spoil it for any one though. because i may just have experienced an over abundance of media and seen all plot points coming a mile off. but to me is cliche and under whelming. its an excuse for the action and thats all it needs to be i guess.
    story: 2/10

    World building: as bad as the story was its world was a high point. A world where considerations are the super powers and ran like country's, where corporate espionage is punishable by death and each company has its own pmc and you are considered an asset not a human. each company like a country dose seem to have their own set of weapons and fire arms development witch is a nice little detail. i liked the world it was good and had a lot of potential but i think because this was a very liner shooter the world takes the seat way in the back of a dodge grand caravan and was put there to make all the annoying problem children feel better.
    World building: 6.4/10

    Graphics: they arnt awful but certanily not great. far cry 3 came out this same year and that game still looks great today. and 2012 really isn't that far off. the graphics do have a decent style to them. the animations are stiff occasionally but detailed enough to make up for some of the stiffness. i don't like the over reliance on bloom . felt like the sun was always in my eyes.
    Graphics 5/10

    game play: its a generic linear shooter and that's exactly what i expected of it. mowing down generic soldiers in this game was fun. and if that's what you expect is a basic shooter then you can get a lot more enjoyment out of this game then if you expect a deus ex type game. the guns for the most part a fun but the shooting feels a little awkward and clunky. not a lot but enough to be annoying not necessarily frustrating.
    gameplay: 5.5/10

    Sound design: the voice acting was just ok BUT the music was actually really good its all high octane dubstep. and dubstep was a huge trend in 2012 and sure at the time it wasn't the best design choice because of dubstep fatigue. but the songs in this gave me the same feeling as doom(2016) sound track did just for a different setting maybe not as technically impressive as dooms is but a similar impact on me none the less. the music fits the tone and the setting perfectly. the gun sounds were good as well. not annoying like some shooters iv played this year but not bad satisfying enough.
    sound design: 7.5/10

    2+6.4+5+5.5+7.5= 26.4
    26.4/5= 5.28

    this game had alot of potential and to some it ruined a good IP. its mindless and can be fun if you take it that way. the setting was under utilized but the music was great. its not a bad game just painfully average.    … Expand
  37. r03vg
    Apr 17, 2020
    7
    Довольно революционной считал работу со звуком - он меняется, в зависимости от помещения, в котором вы находитесь.
  38. shauntmw
    Apr 24, 2020
    6
    I played this on EA Origin, and exclusively on the single player campaign only.

    This is a very standard cover-based, action shooter FPS game, but you have a special ability that you can use on your enemy to gain a little advantage over them. The special ability feels like a lost potential. It can be quite fun, but the game and level design doesn't seem to benefit a lot on those. The    I played this on EA Origin, and exclusively on the single player campaign only.

    This is a very standard cover-based, action shooter FPS game, but you have a special ability that you can use on your enemy to gain a little advantage over them. The special ability feels like a lost potential. It can be quite fun, but the game and level design doesn't seem to benefit a lot on those.

    The graphics are great, the music is not bad. The gun-play are mediocre at best. the story are quite negligible, it is just like a linear shooter, where you go sections by sections, clearing enemy clones wave by wave, with some occasional boss fights that are just tougher bullet sponge.    … Expand
  39. Akadoo
    Jun 27, 2021
    7
    Игра понравилась,средняя для своих лет вышла и короткая,так как на один вечер.
  40. kndr
    May 21, 2021
    6
    Okay fps game with little bit hacking mechanics. Nothing too special but you can have fun with it.

Awards & Rankings

54
#54 Most Discussed PC Game of 2012
49
#49 Most Shared PC Game of 2012

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
69

Mixed or average reviews - based on 16 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 16
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 16
  3. Negative: 0 out of 16
  1. Hyper Magazine
    May 14, 2012
    60
    An ok campaign with potentially great co-op marred by uninspired design, poor storytelling and glitches. [June 2012, p.76]
  2. PC PowerPlay
    Apr 27, 2012
    50
    When it's not going out of its way to be terrible, Syndicate is simply mediocre. [May 2012, p.54]
    Read full review
  3. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Mar 22, 2012
    70
    Neither a disappointment nor euphoria – it's Syndicate, excellent multiplayer action game. Unfortunately, the whole single-player campaign feels like a five-hour tutorial. [March 2012]
See all critic reviews »