Game  Platform  Rating Syphon Filter Playstation 3/10

    Here's the story: You're some sort of commando, and you need to run around, blow stuff up, kill people, solve convoluted puzzles, and follow a strict series of orders in this fast and furious 3D action-adventure. Sounds like a good idea, eh? Let's see what Next Generation's bottom line on it was; "With unique gameplay, a tight story and some genuinely exciting moments, Syphon Filter is one of the first quality action games of the year. This one's worth a good look."... Wow! I'm going to have to run out and buy this one! Hmmm... but what about these other comments from the same article; "the game suffers from awkward control at times" ... "The pacing of the game can really ground to a halt as you bang your head against a problem trying to figure out how on earth you can keep Gabe alive." ... "Many of the puzzles are of the less clever 'search and destroy' sort, which means player spends a lot of time hunting through levels." ... Ok, now let me get this straight, this is what Next Generation considers "Worth a look"? Yeah, worth a look before you throw it in the trash.

    My first mistake, thinking that Next Generation might have a good review. My second mistake, attempting to gauge the quality of the game from the screenshots, and falling for the hype comparison to Metal Gear Solid. My final mistake, buying this game. First off, let me correct one of the quotes from above... The controls on this game are not awkward, they are HORRIBLE!!! I mean, it's like these people never played another 3D game before, and that's not a good thing in this case! I'm sorry, but it's hard to even accurately review this game, the controls were just soooooooooo god damn bad! I mean BAD! I was so disgusted with the controls, I didn't even bother to finish the first level, and I bought this 'fine' title. It really illustrates one of the problems that I've noticed in many of the newer games... The time has changed from when it actually took someone who loved games to make games... You needed to be technically savy, and at the same time, have a feel for what is fun. Now, they've obviously developed some sort of Borg-enhanced punching-monkey to make games. Sure, they're technically very good, the graphics in this game are good, the engine doesn't suffer from any glaring defects, except of course the lack of gameplay. Bottom line, if you're suffering from some terminal disease, and want to spend the last moments of your life wondering 'Why?', then rush out and buy this game. Or better yet, I'll sell you my copy.