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. frederik1478
    Aug 23, 2023
    3
    The worst thing can be is boring and this is boring with this sad. They made the chronicles of Riddick and the darkness video game but it just feels like they were asked to made a generic first person shooter and they did the best they could and sadly it was not fun.

    It doesn't help that playing this on a Xbox 360 fills really uncomfortable with all the bloom and lighting and all the    The worst thing can be is boring and this is boring with this sad. They made the chronicles of Riddick and the darkness video game but it just feels like they were asked to made a generic first person shooter and they did the best they could and sadly it was not fun.

    It doesn't help that playing this on a Xbox 360 fills really uncomfortable with all the bloom and lighting and all the things that just doesn't look good. They are forcing this system to do things it was not meant to do.

    The shooting is satisfying but at a point they get armored enemies that take so many bullets that is stopped being engaging to fight them. The story is just there. It's hard to give a s*** about any character. It is really hard and it's just kind of there the story dark cyberpunk without any light of reason to live in it. It's just so draining.    … Expand
  2. eva3si0n
    Jun 18, 2023
    8
    Syndicate is not a bad first-person shooter from Starbreeze. Syndicate is an example of how you can have an excellent development team and idea, but not realize the potential. Syndicate is an excellent corridor shooter that has the rudiments of gameplay of more modern games. But all this lasts 3.5 hours, the characters are almost unscribed and the setting is almost undisclosed. Either EASyndicate is not a bad first-person shooter from Starbreeze. Syndicate is an example of how you can have an excellent development team and idea, but not realize the potential. Syndicate is an excellent corridor shooter that has the rudiments of gameplay of more modern games. But all this lasts 3.5 hours, the characters are almost unscribed and the setting is almost undisclosed. Either EA allocated such a small budget, or Syndicate was originally designed as a B-project. Syndicate has already forgotten everything. Speaking about cyberpunk in the early 2010s, no one will remember her after Deus Ex Human Revoluton and it's a pity. Starbreeze has been unlucky throughout the history of the studio, but it was possible to make an excellent franchise from Syndicate.… Expand
  3. Roberty
    Jul 8, 2019
    10
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  4. Lerder5
    Jul 4, 2019
    10
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  5. iddqd4
    Mar 19, 2018
    8
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  6. 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
  7. Samanosuke0
    Jan 17, 2016
    8
    Syndicate is a innovate game with a excellent gameplay. The ambiance of the game is one of the best already done in the videogame history. You can fell inside the world in 2069. How immersive this game is! The history is "good", with a narrative different. Many people didnt like the way that the history is tell, but i think a great point (and a lack of reading books to this people). If youSyndicate is a innovate game with a excellent gameplay. The ambiance of the game is one of the best already done in the videogame history. You can fell inside the world in 2069. How immersive this game is! The history is "good", with a narrative different. Many people didnt like the way that the history is tell, but i think a great point (and a lack of reading books to this people). If you think that the main character (Kilo) is mute (he is really mute, he was muted to say the truth) it's surprising how was interesting to see the chars batlling intellectualizedaround you. The coolest point of the game is the co-op multiplayer. There are many types of innovative weapons, tons of skills, and skill tree. Very, very, very, very fun! Worthy to play twice!… Expand
  8. He_Never_Helps
    Sep 27, 2014
    8
    First off, there are so many potential drinking games in Syndicate that i'm shocked it's not the all time favorite 1player FPS on college campuses. Especially since a college education makes the real-world parallels and references in this, and most modern games, so much more entertaining.

    Also, because i dearly love you grammar-challenged freaks of mine, i also feel obliged to mention    First off, there are so many potential drinking games in Syndicate that i'm shocked it's not the all time favorite 1player FPS on college campuses. Especially since a college education makes the real-world parallels and references in this, and most modern games, so much more entertaining.

    Also, because i dearly love you grammar-challenged freaks of mine, i also feel obliged to mention that this is not the same Starbreeze that made the Riddick games or the first Darkness. Same brand name, different people.

    if i've got the story straight, the majority of the original swedish Riddick/Darkness team left to form MachineGames (which now belongs to Bethesda, which is promising, A riddick/fallout meld could be very special indeed), who most recently made the most recent Wolfenstein. The New Order. I also heard that some of the team took a cashhat from 505 and are since responsible for the remarkable (and very swedish) Brothers.

    (Now, a very quick Darkness tip for Halo-Fan and everyone else who's ever complained about the controls in the darkness:

    Having trouble eating hearts on the fly? Here's the trick. Don't aim at the victim. just rock on over him while giving w/a few quick taps of the *NOM Nom nom* button and your toothiest phallic appendages will auto-nom those hearts. Darkness is one of my favorite games (and i'm really not into FPS unless the story absolutely owns me), and the only complaints i've ever heard are either about quirky control things, all of which prove easily adapted to once u suss out the trick to it (which is usually super-instinctive, suggesting that the problem run & Gunners are having is an hyper-familiarity w/the controls of other shooter which mostly require that you point your gun at everything to interact w/anything) and some furrow-yer-brow & roll-yer-eyes complaints like "there's too much reading/talking/walking and not enough aimless murdering of anonymous bipeds"...)

    The impotant thing to note is that starbreeze has always done something rather akin to what Ninja Theory does. They take action games and give them the story of a well-paced RPG,

    In that sense, Syndicate is true to the Riddick vision. And if you enjoy a well executed codex, the story is deep and broad. If you don't like reading (wether u ignore the codex or not) you'll likely find the story confusing or, at best, thin. But it's not. Not really.

    it rather reminds me of the initial media response to the ending of Assassin's Creed one. If you hack(ed) all the computers and stole all the keycards and enjoy an old fashioned pen and paper word/math puzzle (or have the presence of mind to look up the answers and translations on YouGooglPedia), and have a basic working knowledge of human history, AC1 has one of the most satisfying cliffhanger endings...ever, really. Even better than Back to the Future 2.

    -_-'

    But if you're reviewing on a deadline, or just not terribly curious or clever, it can appear to have no ending at all, beyond some gibberish written in meta-magical subject 16 blood. That's IF u think to hit Y after the credits.

    It's not gibberish.

    It's fkn COOL. Several games worth of foreshadowing, and a mention of Yona Guni. Look that up if u wanna get excited about the future of AC. Eventually they gotta go far east, right? Ninja v. Samurai anyone?

    OK. I digress, and wildly.

    I like Synidicate. I really do.

    Normally, an FPS won't keep my attention past the first 90min unless it goes the way of Deus Ex or FarCry3 or The Darkness; Lots of story, lots of atmosphere, and at least some exploration and interaction.

    Syndicate circumvents my prerequisites by giving me as much backstory as i want to read, being really satisfying, and being perfectly visceral. It's just...nice to play. There's a tale being told in a very Starbreeze sorta way (for which i commend them, not actually being Starbreeze). People compare it to Deus Ex, and that similarity is there. It also shares some visual cues w/watchdogs.

    In a way, it reminds me of FEAR. Not for any specific tangible reason, it's mostly a feeling, based on good AI and how the pacing of the story gives me that possessed, "One more checkpoint" and then "okay, one more and then i'll..." and then "my eyes hurt. This is the last checkpoint." and then "Ohh, pretty new scenery...i'll just have a peek"...

    ...and then u look up and the game is cleared and it's 3pm two days later.

    Plus, Cyber-Punk is just...groovy, man. Like, "I totally smoked a doob w/William Gibson & Neal Stephenson" groovy.

    But If you think Crysis3 and Halo3 are the be all and end all of gaming perfection, you're probaly better off w/something else. The draft, for example,

    Highly recommended for the FPS averse who want some striking, playable, clever FPS action in between replays Resonance of Fate (along w/Nier, the most underrated JRPG of the generation) and Assassin's Creed...19, this game should entertain, Especially @ $10 on XBL.

    Gotta love them one-day XBL sales.

    I hope this is useful.    … Expand
  9. 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.
  10. 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.
  11. battleTerror
    Mar 5, 2014
    9
    There's something you need to know straight away: Syndicate has the best flame thrower ever in a videogame. In fact all the weapons are superb and it's perhaps the games greatest strength. I bought this a few years ago and unfortunately there were so many other good games released around the same time that it's taken me this long to finally finish the campaign. It's a shame because there'sThere's something you need to know straight away: Syndicate has the best flame thrower ever in a videogame. In fact all the weapons are superb and it's perhaps the games greatest strength. I bought this a few years ago and unfortunately there were so many other good games released around the same time that it's taken me this long to finally finish the campaign. It's a shame because there's alot of quality in Syndicate even if it's sci-fi stylings are not quite in the top tier. However, considering that Starbreeze is a relatively small developer the game punches far above it's weight in the genre. It certainly doesn't deserve to be dismissed as 'derivative' by the press and critics. The story is anaemic but who the hell cares. Brian Cox voices the bad guy so what more do you want? If action is what you came for it's here in spades and refreshingly different from a COD title, with some nice twists via a slick interface that facilitates its 'breaching' gameplay. Breaching allows you to lock on to an enemy and hack its assets in real time for strategic advantages, and it's nuanced enough that you often feel compelled to replay certain areas with different strategies. To top it off the sound is truly phenomenal. High recommended for action fans and if there's ever a sequel sign me up.… Expand
  12. TheBoldman
    Aug 19, 2013
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Now I loved the original Syndicate and played it to death on my Amiga back in the day. I'm not one of these moaners who got their knickers all twisted cos it was rebooted as an FPS. I like the idea of evil corporations doing battle in the future. Well, not in real life, just in games and movies! So I was willing to give it a try.

    The first thing that struck me about Syndicate was the world that Starbreeze have created graphics are good, the atmosphere and futuristic world seem to be well-rounded and thoughtful. Effectively, this is Deus Ex Lite. Not quite as rich as the Deus Ex world, but a different take on the dystopian Blade Runner future Earth where there are two widely segregated societies the "haves" and the "have-nots" the overworld and underworld. I like the sand pit tick awarded straight away.

    As an FPS, Syndicate also ticks all of the boxes. Basic FPS controls with a gimmick of being able to hack people (cos they've got chips in their heads!) and machines to aid you along the way. Soldiers using cover to their advantage? Hack the barriers to expose them. Flying bots got shields? Hack those shields away! Reinforced glass in the way? Hack the liquid nitrogen conduits, freeze that sucker to make it brittle, and then blast your way in! This is good. It's thoughtful and makes you feel powerful. But possibly not used as extensively as it should have been.

    The hacks actually distil down into three basic hacks, or "breaches", that you can always undertake in combat if you have enough juice. Backfire causes enemy weapons to, er, backfire. Suicide causes... you get the idea! And Persuade causes enemies to attack their mates before topping themselves afterwards just like in Bioshock. These are cool for a while, but ultimately become quite boring and formulaic. I often found myself waiting to use these hacks on more powerful opponents, but then you find that they have advanced firewalls so you can't use them! And then you don't use them.

    The idea of morality is also not really explored. There's another parallel here with Bioshock Infinite it doesn't matter whether you choose the bird or the cage. It's the same here. You can walk around like an absolute dick and snap the neck of anyone that you come into contact with hobos and all, but it doesn't seem to mean anything. There's no bad karma coming back at ya. No enforcers to bring you in. In fact, the other Agent who you share some missions with is actually more of a complete tw*t than you could ever be! And you know you're gonna have to shoot him in the face at some point. It's one of those gaming/movie inevitabilities!

    I found that the game also had some weird difficulty spikes. Some areas seemed ridiculously difficult and then I would cruise along for ages until the next overly difficult bit. And these weren't always boss battles. There's a bit with flying bots, people. A controller-throwing section. You just need to find the little hidy-hole that allows you to survive the waves. What also made the bit annoying is that you are given a rocket launcher, with ammo caches on the wall, but you always drop the f*cking thing when you're out of ammo. So you find yourself sprinting out of cover to pick up the bloody gun again so you can then sprint to the nearest wall to refill and... aaaarrrggghhh!

    The voice acting is really good. Any game with actors like Brian Cox (not the astronomer my other half fancies... the old guy who was in Sharpe), Rosario Dawson and Michael Wincott is on to a good thing. However, I was sure that Michael Wincott was actually Lance Henriksen.

    Some of the bosses are just plain annoying. This is another odd parallel with Deus Ex: HR is that the bosses there were as annoying as f*ck. The thing that gets me is... when you have FPSs like this where there is an element of strategy (hacks etc), then why is your character always immasculated when it comes to these boss battles in so far as you cannot use any special abilities effectively? OK, yeah, in some you can raise cover. But it becomes a straight shooter. This is what made the Deux Ex: HR and, to a lesser extent, the Alpha Protocol bosses infuriating as, if you had chosen to be a stealthy bugger, you were f*cked cos you were completely outgunned!

    Overall, Syndicate is one of those 7/10 or 8/10 games that is perfect for filler between other AAA titles. There is no way on Earth I would play full retail price for it. Apparently, the multiplayer is excellent, though I am not in an online gaming mood at the moment so probably won't ever play it. Actually, I did attempt a game but got kicked off the servers almost immediately. Odd. So if you like Deus Ex: HR and you want a game that is a bit similar in tone, if not gameplay, then give Syndicate a go. It was a brave move to reboot the franchise as an FPS a move that almost worked.    … Expand
  13. 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.
  14. 2shoog
    Apr 23, 2013
    9
    There is NOTHING wrong or broken in this game. This is a solid good quality game that's fun to play through several times to use different "perks". The haters don't like it because it did not meet their PRE-CONCEIVED notions of what they think it "should" have been and give it a 1. Certainly the quality of the reviewER should be taken into consideration. As a fair and competent observer,There is NOTHING wrong or broken in this game. This is a solid good quality game that's fun to play through several times to use different "perks". The haters don't like it because it did not meet their PRE-CONCEIVED notions of what they think it "should" have been and give it a 1. Certainly the quality of the reviewER should be taken into consideration. As a fair and competent observer, this is a fantastic shooter and I liked the story. You will find this a very FUN futuristic syfy fps to play if you have no preconceived notions from the original game.… Expand
  15. Alespla
    Dec 18, 2012
    8
    Amazing graphics, great playability and an interesting story. A very good game! Many negative reviews are unffair. The "boss" concept is a bit too much jap style, though.
  16. drunkenmuse
    Nov 1, 2012
    8
    Surprisingly fun FPS - enjoying Riddick but feeling that Darkness was a step back I was pleasantly surprised to find Syndicate being a step forward again. Although I didn't enjoy it as much as Riddick I did enjoy it, and for anyone looking for a solid single player run (and very enjoyable coop!) in an FPS with scifi setting - this could be your fix.
  17. DarkDjango
    Aug 20, 2012
    8
    This game fulfilled my 90's cyberpunk teenage itch. Being a teenager in the 90's I was a big fan of the original Syndicate game and it's expansion, American Revolution. This was the early days of the cyberpunk genre and although many games have filled the genre well since then I've always had a soft spot for Syndicate. Although this game is a big departure from the original it stillThis game fulfilled my 90's cyberpunk teenage itch. Being a teenager in the 90's I was a big fan of the original Syndicate game and it's expansion, American Revolution. This was the early days of the cyberpunk genre and although many games have filled the genre well since then I've always had a soft spot for Syndicate. Although this game is a big departure from the original it still maintains a feel of the Syndicate world and is a fun, great-looking game though much too short. I feel that this game had much more potential to expand it's mechanics (Deus Ex!) and the potential for a new rebooted franchise but unfortunately due to poor advertising and constraints by EA I think this is the end for the Syndicate franchise. It's a very fun game with great graphics/environments and much attention to weapon detail. It's worth playing now that it is available at a discounted price. There isn't much replayability (no new game plus option) but the ride is very fun while it lasts!… Expand
  18. FatherDoom
    Jul 14, 2012
    9
    As far as ratings go Syndicate was surely under rated. The real star is the graphics. A setting for glowiness, I guess, would have been nice, but might have taken away from immersion. While I am not a fan of Boss fights the different arena style levels more then makes up for it. Great game.
  19. 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
  20. 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
  21. 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
  22. karzok
    Apr 6, 2012
    1
    Unlike most of the reviews here I can honestly say it sucks having completed 95% of it. Hopefully you wont make the mistake of renting this like I did. If you buy it, ouch.

    The lighting is beyond terrible. Even with a calibrated plasma the settings are always too dark or too bright depending on the level/location you are currently at, you will be constantly adjusting settings as you play.    Unlike most of the reviews here I can honestly say it sucks having completed 95% of it. Hopefully you wont make the mistake of renting this like I did. If you buy it, ouch.

    The lighting is beyond terrible. Even with a calibrated plasma the settings are always too dark or too bright depending on the level/location you are currently at, you will be constantly adjusting settings as you play. It is not your tv, its the game.

    There is also the WTF effect where some lights and reflective surfaces are just too bright. Not LED flashlight bright but 5 feet from the sun bright. When you have trouble seeing because the lights in the room are brighter then staring into the sun its a problem. Its distracting, blinding. and very annoying but does seem to be used less further into the game. I assume it was a dev bug that gave certain places +6000% normal light power.

    The graphics are subpar not bad nor good. The settings for 89% of the levels are bland and boring. Despite the fact the levels take place in different areas/locales they are basically the same. Most missions take place inside buildings that strangely besides the color of the walls all look and feel the same. The game is 90% Office buildings 10% outside in back alleys/roofs or running to your transport. Unlike other games the atmosphere of this game just isn't there. You never feel immersed in the location or even in the game universe itself. There is no mention of anything about the world the game takes place in outside of what you see the main character doing. Leaving you to wonder if anything even exists in their universe other then office buildings, security guards, and nameless scientist. The game setting is in 2069 yet you see nothing about civilization or anything else, just one mission location to the next.

    Gameplay is ok. There is nothing new here or "tactical" like some suspicious reviews here some to praise. You start your mission and are lead trough each objective by your synthetic computer. While your first thought here is probably that the synthetic computer is going to be your proverbial buddy-cop providing help, comical relief, and company in the lonely world of office raiding. You are wrong, very wrong. The entire game it does nothing but expressionlessly say go here, go there, do this, do that. Its pretty much a vocal only gps. There is literally 0 story and 0 interaction with the voice in your head.

    Breach is the only special ability you have and there is only 3 types of breaches in single player. You proceed room by room, clearing each set of enemies. There is no deviation by which office building you are in. Its always the same routine. You enter a room, enemies appear, take cover, use see thru wall. If its a group use Left or Right breach. If he has armor/shield use Top breach. Use slow motion to shoot everyone in the head. Hide while slow motion recharges, repeat. Works on expert.

    While fps by nature is repetitive its not so damn boring. Reviews here say its new/tactical and even the game was marketed as being a new+smarter kind of fps but what do they have exactly? You can see through walls with an ability. Breaching is nothing more then another word for ability or spell or magic. Your 3 breaches are: Making a enemy shoot his friends, making a enemy blow himself+ his friends up, or normal breach which is used to remove shields and activate objects/switches and that is it. Not only is this game nothing new, its has less then the average game.

    The single player story is, well there is no story. The story is given to you 15 seconds at a time from radio feeds from 1 of 2 characters during mission. In the entire game there is only 4 characters that have names/role. yes 4. 1. Your friend. 2. A girl 3. Your employer 4. ????(a spoiler). There is 3 bosses with names but they have 0 story and just kinda appear. Apart from that everyone is either a masked soldier or a unnamed scientist.

    Reviews here also say the Multiplayer was good. It is if you like doing the SP campaign over and over vs a computer. It seems fun for the first 2-3 hours then you realize that's all it is.

    Achievement hunters? Don't bother for 100%. Many dumb achivs including one for breaching 800+ grenades or 100% MP completion with grinds like halo commendations.

    I was on last level before the ending and i reloaded to checkpoint from the pause screen and game froze during the load( one of many random freezes during loads on this game). After restarting i find my campaign file is corrupted and freezes every time I try to load it. For some reason you are not allowed multiple saves and with the chapter select you can only replay levels. which means if i wanted to see the ending or get any of the completed achivs for game finish + finish on expert I would have to start a new game. You know its a bad game when not only will I NOT reply to see the story or get the achivs but I wont even youtube the ending because I don't care about the story.    … Expand
  23. 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.
  24. DeathisReal35
    Apr 5, 2012
    3
    Worse FPS I have played thus far. Trying to hack while you are in the middle of a firefight? Enemies more FASTER then you can shoot? Ok I get that you are in the distant future where you are chipped for your company and being this super kickass solider for you company to take out the competition is the jist but......Yeah I'm drawing a blank too cause there are some aspects to the game thatWorse FPS I have played thus far. Trying to hack while you are in the middle of a firefight? Enemies more FASTER then you can shoot? Ok I get that you are in the distant future where you are chipped for your company and being this super kickass solider for you company to take out the competition is the jist but......Yeah I'm drawing a blank too cause there are some aspects to the game that I just didn't get or was poorly explained in the "training" session of the game. The hack a wall to explode or provide cover would have been great but it was so poorly implemented that you passed right over it to even get it to work. The whole overlay thing was useless cause it was like a mix of slomo and heat vision and it added nothing to the game except using it to recover once you got the add-on. Boss fights would have been great if you could have used your surroundings to hinder or harm your enemy cause there were times I died from a special gun or ability that they had and I didn't. Cover in the game is totally useless and at times there is none or very little. Weapons were not that great ( not expecting MW3 quality) but when I place a shotgun POINT BLANK in someones face I expect a head to explode no matter the armament worn or special enchancement used. Anything good about the game....Not much, graphic wise its good looking, sound wise is alright, controls are a little floaty but nothing that takes away from the game and the levels are easy to get around in. But sad to say that none of these really set this game apart from any of the other medicore FPS's. This game is MAYBE a step above Bodycount and I rated that thing in the toliet.

    Rent or Buy?- Rent ONLY IF YOU HAVE GAMEFLY!! Plus people this game will really have you scratching your head at the end too    … Expand
  25. SteamConvert
    Apr 4, 2012
    9
    What a great surprise this game it. After Fallout, Skyrim, DX:HR and Arkham City I almost forgot what a shooter was. This reminded me of Half Life a bit and why set piece shooters can be fun. PROS: The best shooting controls in a 360 game, almost fooled me into thinking I was using a mouse (but not quite). Great graphics and presentation. Ok story with some good writing. Very funWhat a great surprise this game it. After Fallout, Skyrim, DX:HR and Arkham City I almost forgot what a shooter was. This reminded me of Half Life a bit and why set piece shooters can be fun. PROS: The best shooting controls in a 360 game, almost fooled me into thinking I was using a mouse (but not quite). Great graphics and presentation. Ok story with some good writing. Very fun and deep multi. CONS: The controller is not remappable and the location of the sprint button (left stick click) is hideous, borderline unuseable and it makes action movie moments tough to pull off...which is a shame given the accurate shooting and excellent cover mechanics. On screen prompts for events are so small they're impossible to make out. Menus are also tough to navigate without pressing your face against the TV.… Expand
  26. 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.
  27. ClockworkSlave
    Mar 18, 2012
    0
    Ignore these starbreeze employers, its a generic, simplistic shooter with no strategy or much story to speak of, not sure why they stole the syndicate brand as people who buy this wont know of it, and the ones who do will be pissed they made it into a dumb brainless shooter, utter crap!
    I'll give it a 1, they spelled syndicate right I guess.
  28. 410MaXiMuS
    Mar 12, 2012
    9
    Syndicate is a very fresh take on online co-op. It does include a solid single player story campaign, but the 4-player cooperateive multiplayer is where this one shines.

    This game and Binary Domain are the early sleeper hits of 2012.
  29. aqurban
    Mar 10, 2012
    9
    For one thing, Syndicate can greatly impress players for what its worth of unique art, other gameplay aspects such as gun play, graphics, narrative and character progression, feels just in place as it doesn't really deliver what we've hoped for since its announcement. Coop in the other hand, is a completely different and much more fun part of the whole package, with it being a return toFor one thing, Syndicate can greatly impress players for what its worth of unique art, other gameplay aspects such as gun play, graphics, narrative and character progression, feels just in place as it doesn't really deliver what we've hoped for since its announcement. Coop in the other hand, is a completely different and much more fun part of the whole package, with it being a return to the original Syndicate agents. Hopefully, EA would think like 2K, in "remaking" it instead of just this lacking reboot.… Expand
  30. NeoMorph
    Mar 7, 2012
    9
    I hated this game at first, what with the over-bright environments and strangely awkward cover system. The storyline seemed a bit thin too.

    So what changed? I started playing Co-Op with friends I made in the game... and enjoyed it immensely. I even re-did the campaign on hard mode where I nearly failed on easy after playing Co-Op on Expert. The game is actually LOADS of fun if you play    I hated this game at first, what with the over-bright environments and strangely awkward cover system. The storyline seemed a bit thin too.

    So what changed?

    I started playing Co-Op with friends I made in the game... and enjoyed it immensely. I even re-did the campaign on hard mode where I nearly failed on easy after playing Co-Op on Expert. The game is actually LOADS of fun if you play on expert and have a good team... the heart starts pounding when you are the last man standing because you NEED your team and trying to resurrect them while being chased by hordes of enemy agents is hard but loads of fun.

    So why no 10/10 - Well those bright lights still are painful but the biggest point loss is the random crashes in multiplayer. Hopefully a patch will sort that out.    … Expand
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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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