Syndicate (2012) Review

I'll spare the comparisons between this version of the game and it's 1993 counterpart for this review given the fact that I didn't play the original, but Syndicate 2012 has been out for about two weeks at this point, and players have expressed mixed feelings about the game.  The winter 2012 release schedule has been fairly uneventful as of yet, but Syndicate adds a little bit of flair to an otherwise dull season.  Immediate visual and mechanical comparisons can be made to last year's Crysis 2, or Mirror's edge (both also published by EA), but aside from the futuristic setting and the now standard control scheme, this linear FPS stands on its own as a uniquely interesting piece of work.

A game featuring voice work by Brian Cox?  Yes please!

The future is bleak in Syndicate's 2069, as corporations are the new super powers, and most of modern society has embraced electronic integration in the form of neural implants thereby rendering many electronic devices obsolete.  You play through the single player campaign as an "agent" of one of the leading neuro chip manufacturers or "syndicates" who is basically responsible for carrying out acts of industrial espionage or counter intelligence against other corporations.  However, corporate terrorism has become far more public than in our current day, and war is carried out by militant syndicate units rather than nationalist armies.  There are underlying tones representing the effects of consumerism and corporate manipulation of the public, and the whole thing is tied together by some scarce but superb voice acting by the likes of such celebrities as Brian Cox (The Bourne Supremacy) and Rosario Dawson (Sin City) who add a little bit of something extra to the story's credibility.

The single player mode starts out slowly with tutorials and backstory that help lead players into the mythos that has created this dismal future, but things quickly ramp up through the middle chapters as the plot reveals more about the silent protagonist and the history of the syndicate wars.  The whole story presents its share of plot twists and moral dilemmas, but the linear nature of the game leaves little room for the negotiation of Syndicate's ultimate outcome.  There is always the feeling that the game is drawing you to some predetermined conclusion, but the narrative never hammers you over the head with this innevitability to the point that a second play through the campaign would be impossible.  The game action never feels "on rails" like other popular FPS titles on the market, but it would be refreshing to see more choice and consequence interactivity with action titles like this. 

The story is not completely unique, but the presentation style and the quality of the writing, although sparse, is worthy of most successful Hollywood science fiction efforts.  Mechanically, Syndicate is perfectly polished, and nothing aside from a few difficulty spikes felt frustrating or clunky as you move through the game environments.  Some arenas do look a bit cut and pasty at times with repetitive achitecture, but then the game throws you for a loop by moving things to dark slums where the advance of technology has been rejected.  The geographic dicotomy is not necessarily mind blowing, but it offers just the right amount of variety to keep things interesting. 

There is plenty of weapon variety to be found in Syndicate, and most or your arsenal has a secondary function that provides the right amount of balance as you plan your strategy.  For example, on assault rifle features a full auto mode with a red dot reticule for close quarters, and a secondary ACOG scope for ranged encounters.  Each weapon has its own unique weight and recoil that set them apart from others.  There are also several power weapons to be picked off the bodies of tougher enemies that are insanely fun to use like the mini gun which slows your running speed, but tears through most enemies handily. 

DART overlay.....an agent's best friend.

Your most valuable weapon, however, is the DART chip which allows you to hack or "breach" enemy implants.  Throughout the campaign, you learn new abilities that allow you to compromise your enemies' hardware on the battlefield thereby increasing your own tactical options.  Each time a new ability is learned, a tutorial session launches to help learn how to use the ability effectively, but taking a break from the in game action to do so felt forced and obligatory rather than helpful.  The DART chip also allows you to enter a DART overlay mode which reveals enemy signatures even if they are behind cover.  Overlay mode also has a time slowing effect which makes it easier to aim shots to dispatch foes more quickly. 

Your breaching abilities also allow you to interact with a number of environmental objects throughout the game such as lifts or pressure valves that you can use to gain a tactical advantage.  There were a few puzzle solving sequences during the campaign that required the use of breaching, but it would have been great to see the DART chip utilized for more puzzle manipulation.  However, the focus on action seems to trump environmental navigation in this title.

Syndicate also features and online multiplayer suite that matches you with as many as four other players for cooperative missions.  There are no competitive multiplayer modes to be found here, but co-op feels satisfying nonetheless.  Every mission has an overlying objective that you and your fellow agents must complete as you face a variety of AI controlled opponents and boss enemies.  Multiplayer takes most of its cues from the single player campaign, but adds some depth by adding a ranking system, and a weapon upgrade system for those who like to customize their player classes. 

Cooperative goodness.

Each player accumulates points throughout each mission that are based on team interaction and on how enemies are dispatched.  As each round commences, a running point bulletin runs in the corner of the screen so you can see how you are doing compared with your team mates.  The scores are then tabulated on the game's online leaderboards for bragging rights.  Despite the addition of the leaderboard, the multiplayer never feels overly competitive, and most players play well as a team.  However, if you don't want to play with randoms, you have the option to form syndicates with your friends to set up private matches online.  You also have the option to try playing through each mission alone at varying difficulties, but I wouldn't recommend it.  The enemy count quickly becomes overwhelming, and most people would find it difficult to last more than a few minutes before they are overrun. 

Overall, Syndicate exceeded all of my expectations, especially for a title that I hadn't heard much about until a few months before its release date.  The futuristic title is not without its faults, but the single player alone is definitely worth a play through.  The multiplayer suite left me wanting a bit, but I have nothing against the cooperative format chosen for the game.  However, it would have been interesting to see some more modes of play that pit squads against each other in some way.  For example, there could be a sabotage mode where opposing squads are working for objectives while the other sets traps ala Splinter Cell"s mercenary mode, or something similar.  Fighting against bots is fun, but it's not really enough to hold my attention indefinitely.

Something about this title really strikes a chord with me though, and it reminds me of how I used to get excited about games before multiplayer became so popular on consoles.  The story slowly builds, and then before you know it you are hooked and want to know what happens next.  I wouldn't say that the writing is the best effort out amongst other popular titles, but this game absolutely lives up to its potential and in some ways exceeds it.  No individual component felt out of place, and Syndicate is solid all around.

Overall Score: 8/10