Sequels are tricky business in the games industry.
Developers know that if people like a game, odds are high they are going to like the sequel.
But this then puts them in a blind.
If you they change the game too much, they risk making something so different that fans
of the original could be upset while if they leave the game too much the same they get
backlash for not adding enough new aspects.
This is what happens for the third entry in the Syphon Filter series.
I remember the first and second games being very cool and great to play, but the third
kinda fell flat.
Why is this?
It is the same Syphon Filter I was crazy about.
The answer was in the original question.
It was too much the same.
The story picks up right after Syphon Filter 2.
Gabe Logan and Lian Xing are now in hearings, having to answer for their actions in the
previous game.
So the story is told through flashbacks to previous missions the duo had completed.
This is a sign the story writers have no idea where they are going to take the series.
Like an episode from a TV show that is just clips from other episodes, the story feels
very halfhearted and rushed together.
You travel from location to location with some very loose strings holding the story
together.
I never felt that longing to play to finish the story because of this, which is a letdown,
even though Syphon Filter was never known for its story.
I just wanted to do cool things with a lot of bad guys to do it to.
Near the end, the story switches to present and continues the story but by that time I
was lost and couldn’t put together where things were going.
And thus, I didn’t care.
But I never played Syphon Filter for the story, I always liked the gameplay, and that is another
thing that makes this entry feel weak.
The gameplay is the same as it was in the previous games, this in part is not a bad
thing.
Syphon Filter 2 was mostly filled with great gameplay that was just so much fun to play.
So I can’t understand why I was so let down by this one.
I mean, it is the same, too much the same in fact.
I know I was not looking for them to completely change the game but I would have liked to
see some more innovation.
It’s like hearing the funniest joke in the world.
The first time you hear it it is amazing, and is still funny the second time you hear
it.
But after the third you just grow tired of it and start looking for more elsewhere.
The game pulled the short straw and is disappointing to see it.
The game came out after the PlayStation 2 was released and instead of waiting and releasing
it on the PS2 they pumped it out for the PS1, with the same gameplay, same graphics, the
everything.
If you loved the first two games then you should try this one.
All it is is more of the same, which is both a blessing and its curse.
Think of it as Syphon Filter 2.5.
It continues the story and is more levels to do it in.
Good thing the same is still pretty fun.