Syndicate

 Xbox 360
User Score
7.3

Mixed or average reviews- based on 189 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 117 out of 189
  2. Mixed: 46 out of 189
  3. Negative: 26 out of 189
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  1. M9ki
    Jul 11, 2013
    7
    I was currently bored and have not played any games for a while when I stopped and took a look at this game at first I looked and I was like hmmm,but it was worth a try currently playing it now and its different but fun to play.In the long run for me its been very difficult but no matter will I beat it.
  2. qwilly74
    Feb 28, 2012
    5
    yes this game looks good and plays ok but lacks story, this game does nothing to pull you in and does nothing new , if you play a lot of games ,then this game wot do a lot for you, its like have sex with no claimax
  3. sias
    Mar 1, 2012
    6
    Syndicate is a real mixed package. The single player is horribly short-lived (around 6-7 hours on the hardest difficulty), has a bland story that's not particularly well told, boring characters that are never fleshed out, very linear level design based mostly on taking out waves of enemies, and an overall uninspired and unoriginal feel that borrows heavily from other games (Deus Ex:HR andSyndicate is a real mixed package. The single player is horribly short-lived (around 6-7 hours on the hardest difficulty), has a bland story that's not particularly well told, boring characters that are never fleshed out, very linear level design based mostly on taking out waves of enemies, and an overall uninspired and unoriginal feel that borrows heavily from other games (Deus Ex:HR and Crysis 2 especially). It's another case of brilliant concept - bad execution. in fairness the gunplay and breach mechanics wherein you hack enemy cybernetic brain chips to make them commit suicide etc are quite fun. But in regards to the breach mechanics, it's a shame that Syndicate never bothers to try and make the use of them in interesting or tactical ways and they quickly become redundant. However, the co-op multiplayer in Syndicate is actually quite brilliant. There's tons of weapon upgrading, breach upgrading and other levelling mechanics that are fun to play around with. Creating your own syndicate and recruiting other people is great fun, with leaderboards to keep up with how well your syndicate is doing in the world market. Also, the breaching mechanics are much better in the multiplayer with added abilities such as group heal to really bring the need for team work together. Unlike the single player which is really quite straight forward and easy, the co-op is actually challenging - even on normal difficulty and requires a good amount of team work to succeed in some of the tougher missions. It's such a shame that the Syndicate single player is so inept when the multiplayer does nothing but shine! They almost feel like they don't belong to the same game with the multiplayer obviously getting more time during development. Overall a very disappointing reboot of the franchise, saved from the greatest depths of the bargain bin by a very good co-op.… Expand
  4. THE_COCONUT_MAN
    Feb 25, 2012
    5
    A co-op outing that feels more involving than most as team work is essential. Taking down the bigger enemies and playing doctor as a team makes for a tight experience. The sound and visuals are compelling if not a little rough around the edges. However, the one area where this game falls flat (at the time of writing) is the way in which is consistently crashes the console, a problem forA co-op outing that feels more involving than most as team work is essential. Taking down the bigger enemies and playing doctor as a team makes for a tight experience. The sound and visuals are compelling if not a little rough around the edges. However, the one area where this game falls flat (at the time of writing) is the way in which is consistently crashes the console, a problem for which i know a lot of people are experiencing. This stands as mark of EA's tradition of kicking a game out of the door too early.… Expand
  5. InformedGamer
    Mar 6, 2012
    7
    This is an ok game. The single player mode is ok but won't light the world on fire. Multiplayer is the best way to play this game in my opinion. I would wait for it to drop to $20-30 before buying it. I'm glad a got a $20 credit for pre-ordering on Amazon. That truthfully was why I bought it at launch. It definitely took a different spin from the original. I think they should have stayedThis is an ok game. The single player mode is ok but won't light the world on fire. Multiplayer is the best way to play this game in my opinion. I would wait for it to drop to $20-30 before buying it. I'm glad a got a $20 credit for pre-ordering on Amazon. That truthfully was why I bought it at launch. It definitely took a different spin from the original. I think they should have stayed closer to their roots but what was done wasn't a train wreck. If you like Sci Fi or FPS this might interest you.… Expand
  6. GidBix
    Apr 5, 2012
    6
    Syndicate is actually a pretty good game with a brutally difficult co-op mode. My only complaint (and I have the same complaint with most games) is that it just felt kind of repetitive by the end. The shooting mechanics were great and the guns felt super powerful, but the non-scaling co-op mode and repetitiveness wore on my be the end.
  7. Yerczeys
    Jul 5, 2014
    6
    Most of the game was pretty fun. But ya know how long I spent watching first person cut scenes of my character getting the crap kicked out of him? A minute. That's a long bloody time to watch yourself get slapped about.
  8. ShootTheZombie
    May 9, 2012
    7
    Another Generic shooter added to the packed market. What is even worse is that Syndicate does not offer anythign special. It is just shoot, disable electronics, shoot. The story also suffers from creativity. Without spoling the mediocre plot, the story turns out to how you would expect it to. There isn't even any Multiplayer, except for 4 player Co-op. The reason I am giving a 7, is due toAnother Generic shooter added to the packed market. What is even worse is that Syndicate does not offer anythign special. It is just shoot, disable electronics, shoot. The story also suffers from creativity. Without spoling the mediocre plot, the story turns out to how you would expect it to. There isn't even any Multiplayer, except for 4 player Co-op. The reason I am giving a 7, is due to Syndicate being entertaining, and the whole cyber punk feel was quite immersive. A definite rental, not much else.… Expand
  9. diehard-gamer
    May 30, 2012
    5
    I really wanted to like this game, but ended up disliking it. I liked cyperpunk/near-scifi games like DeusEx and SystemShock, and had hoped this would be more of the same. Story looked promising, the fell away. Graphics are good(ish), but not brilliant. Locations are generally misty or glaring. I guess its supposed to represent the grim neon future (a la blade runner) but just I found itI really wanted to like this game, but ended up disliking it. I liked cyperpunk/near-scifi games like DeusEx and SystemShock, and had hoped this would be more of the same. Story looked promising, the fell away. Graphics are good(ish), but not brilliant. Locations are generally misty or glaring. I guess its supposed to represent the grim neon future (a la blade runner) but just I found it really annoying. Enemies are quite intelligent and on 'normal' setting, if you hesitate too long in front of a couple of them, then they will slap you down - which is a good thing. Still, being a super agent, you can get through without undue difficulty. 'I thought Bullet Time' (or whatever its called in Syndicate) was nice, but I really liked it in Max Payne 1&2 too. Then I met the first enemy super agent. After he'd defeated me about 30 times in a row, I gave up on the game in bored frustration. Now, I generally like 'end of level bosses' - I thought Binary Domain was great - but enough is enough. Maybe I had a bad day, maybe you'll like Syndicate more than I did.… Expand
  10. LiquidGamer
    Apr 3, 2012
    7
    Great concept, fun to play... But I am not the biggest FPS supporter. It had some unique qualities but the story and voice acting kept me unattached to the main character. "Terminatrix" is the term coined on the podcast referring to this title. I liked it but I sure didn't love it.
  11. dumle
    Jul 4, 2012
    6
    Syndicate is a pretty standard corridor-shooter with a gimmick. The gimmick works well enough but in the end you are going to run down a linear path slaughtering enemies with the old shotgun just as you have thousands of times before. As far as corridor-shooters go syndicate is pretty generic. That doesnt mean that it is bad since most AAA-shooters are alright time-wasters and if you areSyndicate is a pretty standard corridor-shooter with a gimmick. The gimmick works well enough but in the end you are going to run down a linear path slaughtering enemies with the old shotgun just as you have thousands of times before. As far as corridor-shooters go syndicate is pretty generic. That doesnt mean that it is bad since most AAA-shooters are alright time-wasters and if you are looking for a few hours of entertainment you could do worse. + setting, environments, weapons, hacking-gimmick, music. - story, bloom-effects, bosses, endless shooting… Expand
  12. Paulystan
    Jun 3, 2014
    7
    Enjoyable, mindless shooty killing with something of a story in there. Not enough RPG element to really make it interesting and it would have been nice to see a few start up choices that the games syndicate wars should have inspired. A FPS with one or two nice effects but nothing amazingly special.
  13. gamingisgreat
    Feb 22, 2018
    7
    Syndicate is a solid FPS.

    The gunplay is great and the weapons do pack a huge amount of punch.The inclusion of weapons such as the gauss gun that fires homing bullets,a chaingun,a laser gun,and a flamethrower are highlights. You also have 4 abilities from your dart chip which are bullet time,suicide,which forces an enemy to pull a grenade on himself. The splash damage from the grenade    Syndicate is a solid FPS.

    The gunplay is great and the weapons do pack a huge amount of punch.The inclusion of weapons such as the gauss gun that fires homing bullets,a chaingun,a laser gun,and a flamethrower are highlights. You also have 4 abilities from your dart chip which are bullet time,suicide,which forces an enemy to pull a grenade on himself. The splash damage from the grenade can take out more enemies too. Backfire,which explodes enemy weapons,leaving them unarmed for an easy kill,and Persuade,which turns an enemy into a temporary ally who will kill himself if all enemies are killed in the time where he is an ally. The AI is competent though the boss fights suck. The game also feels very cheap towards the end.

    The graphics are decent,but the framerate takes a hit at times with a minor detriment to gameplay.

    The sound design is great, and the soundtrack suits the game perfectly.

    Syndicate is a good game,so if you want a short campaign to play on a rainy afternoon,this game could keep you entertained.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

98
#98 Best Xbox 360 Game of 2012
39
#39 Most Discussed Xbox 360 Game of 2012
25
#25 Most Shared Xbox 360 Game of 2012

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
74

Mixed or average reviews - based on 65 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 40 out of 65
  2. Mixed: 24 out of 65
  3. Negative: 1 out of 65
  1. Armchair Empire
    May 13, 2012
    80
    The game doesn't create a massive fissure in the first-person shooter genre, but the DART and breach systems do add some cool wrinkles to an otherwise straightforward experience with some of the best gun play I've had in recent memory.
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  2. Xbox World Australia
    May 6, 2012
    85
    Syndicate is an excellent shooter that does a lot of things right in the gameplay department. A fun combination of excellent gunplay combined with an okay range of abilities and powers and some well put together melee moves makes the game a mixed bag that never gets too old.
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  3. Gamer.nl
    May 5, 2012
    70
    Syndicate shows a lot of potential, but never seems to come out of its shell. For that, it just feels all too familiar. It delivers on a delightful atmosphere though, and the coöp mode will keep players busy for a couple of intense hours. A fine snack, but definitely not the cult classic the old Syndicate was.
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