When you think of "tactical espionage action," nowadays, you think of the stealth-action games of the "Metal Gear Solid" franchise born from the mind of Hideo Kojima. However, there was one other game that helped Metal Gear Solid establish the "tactical espionage action" theme when Kojima's first game was making waves on the PlayStation 1 (PS1).
While the Metal Gear Solid games were about a more realistic, open-ended philosophy towards combat, Syphon Filter, the other game that helped establish the "tactical espionage action," focused on the action-adventure end of the theme's spectrum, per PlayStation Blog.
Syphon Filter Details and History
The game is a third-person stealth-action shooter released in 1999 by developer Eidelic, Inc. (now known as Bend Studio) for the PS1, per the Syphon Filter Wiki.
The game is set in the modern world and follows Gabriel "Gabe" Logan and Lian Xing, secret agents for the U.S. government, as they investigate a series of viral outbreaks caused by an unknown pathogen. Their investigation led them to countries around the world until they discovered the perpetrators of the attacks.
The game was lauded by critics and players worldwide, especially in the U.K. According to Engadget and GameSpot, Syphon Filter's mission design and enemy artificial intelligence were great, as well as its production value - filming a full-motion video at the time was a big thing in gaming.
Syphon Filter also had a wide variety of guns the player chooses from, which can change depending on a mission's location.
However, its controls were dated, even for the late '90s. An IMDB user who left a review even said that by the time Syphon Filter was out, its contemporaries had controls that were much more polished overall.
Its graphics were nothing to write home about either, but it does its job well enough most of the time, per IGN.
Nevertheless, most critics and players agree Syphon Filter is a certified PS1 classic.
However, the game was almost canceled more than a few times. According to Bend Studio Creative Director John Garvin, the director and co-creator of Syphon Filter, the game almost got canceled due to missed deadlines, revamped mechanics, swapped levels, changes to the story's plot, and general confusion. However, the game's producer, Connie Booth at 989 Studios, and her boss, Kelly Flock, showed "great faith" in the game.
Garvin also admitted in an interview with PlayStation Blog's Sid Shuman that he drew inspiration from Half-Life and Steven Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan.
A Modern-Day Revival
Interested gamers who want to try Metal Gear Solid's contemporary in 2022 can do so through the PlayStation Classic and Android phones. Syphon Filter was eventually released as part of the 20-game lineup for the North American release of the PlayStation Classic in 2018.
It was also made playable on Android Phones in September 2011, per Giant Bomb's entry on the game.
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