Syphon Filter: The Omega Strain

The best game in the series since the original. Online or off, the game has plenty of replay value, tons of weapons and cool levels and a player customization feature that rules. Don't be put off by the controls because they actually rock.

Some of the missions are a bit ambiguous, the respawn ponts don't work as well as they should, and the visuals really haven't evolved too much since the previous installment, but as a whole, The Omega Strain emerges as one of the PS2's most irrresistable online titles. [May 2004, p.98]

As a single-player game, Syphon Filter: The Omega Strain is quickly lost in the crowd. But thanks to its online cooperative mode, the game truly shines. [June 2004, p.12]

The sound effects are varied and realistic but the musical soundtrack steals the show. Not only is there plenty of musical variation but it matches the moods of the game perfectly.

Tense, powerful, and gripping.

A first class title. At points it becomes boring and many fans of the series won't see enough continuity to keep them happy, but it's got plenty of depth and style.

Even without the attraction of variable online play, The Omega Strain would be a winner thanks to its tough, smart missions, and huge rewards system.

With the control issues and the respawning and the floaty movement, The Omega Strain is kept in check from becoming a more immersive experience and is instead more of an arcade-style shooter.

The game falls short in too many spots and it is a major disappointment on the overall. This game left me feeling bad.

What Sony forgot to do was fix the control scheme and think a bit harder about how the game was presented in the single-player section.

Somewhat of a disappointment. The frustrating controls along with some other issues, the game is kept from being a true must-have title.

While it's no masterpiece, Omega Strain is worth playing for online junkies who've grown tired of the endless hours of "SOCOM II." Those that lack a network adaptor should probably rent first.

Best of all, online team play lets you and three buddies dispense hot leaden vengeance from Tokyo to Yemen. [Mar 2004, p.39]

Would the game have succeeded on a much higher level had the focus been placed completely on either a one-player campaign or just the multiplayer? In the end, I feel like the experience was diluted for unnecessary reasons, with the game appearing to walk the fence, trying to offer a compelling foundation spread across two different modes of play. [May 2004, p.51]