Syphon Filter: The Omega Strain

The off and online modes of play are good concepts, but unfortunately have enough hiccups to make either one completely enjoyable.

Not only is it hard to actually go out and complete the objectives, but finding your way around the levels to figure out what you have to do is also a huge pain since accessing the map doesn’t pause the game, giving enemies ample opportunity to riddle you with bullets.

It’s a good game, but a taxing game experience. Overall, the game left me feeling like it was worked on for so long and overly tweaked for online play, with not too much attention paid to the single-player campaign.

One of those games that did not live up to the hype that its fan base put out for it.

If you can forgive the unimaginative AI and time-intensive design, Omega Strain stands as an accomplished shooter.

If you have access to a broadband connection and take well to online co-operative games, then The Omega Strain might just be worth your time and money, primarily thanks to the massive collection of cool unlockables. However, the single-player aspect is so unbalanced and unpolished that the each mission quickly becomes a chore, a menial, labored process.

Espionage action games have evolved beyond the standards this series helped establish, but Syphon Filter's combat and accompanying controls remain too old-school for their own good. [June 2004, p.65]

A disappointment. The game lacks polish thanks to enemies that never stay dead and a lock-on method that is only so-so.

I just do not like these controls. It feels like you can do nothing via the weapon inventory system quickly, changing from an empty sidearm to a ready loaded one particularly slow given the fast paced environment you’re in.

It doesn't raise the bar for online cooperative gameplay and even the basic character movements made me shutter.

A disappointing package that clocks in much closer to the other Syphon Filter sequels instead of standing up to the fantastic original game.

If the control had been more intuitive and the combat had been tightened up, the game could have been more enjoyable, but as things stand, most should give Sony's new shooter a wide birth.

Doesn't quite live up to the simple fun and excitement of the original game, mainly because it seems to have been designed with its co-op multiplayer mode in mind.

There is fun to be had, and the online portion is a nice diversion, but unless you’re a die-hard fan, there is little here that hasn’t already been done better somewhere else.

A frustrating game when played solo that becomes a divide and conquer race through almost puzzle-like missions when played online.

The online mode makes up for some of the problems with Omega Strain, but if you don't have the PS2 adapter, or not a fan of the series, there is very little for you in the game.

Cooperative multiplayer and the basic gunplay thrills don't quite make up for bad control and ugly graphics.

The story is prime Syphon goodness, with twists and turns aplenty and several very poignant moments. [June 2004, p.94]

Straightforward run-and-gun action gets the blood pumping...Until you have to stop to check the map, which is all the time. That's a problem because looking at the map doesn't suspend the action. [June 2004, p.94]

It has no huge deficiencies that make it a bad game, but it was clearly built with online play in mind and the solitary gamer may feel a bit cheated in the difficulty of the single-player mode. I know I did.

Plays as though its developers were simply going through the motions. There are better third-person military shooters out there...lots of them. [June 2004, p.27]

This feels every bit a PSone game whose stretch outreaches its grasp in every aspect of its being.