"Earth-Shattering"

This is the new installment of the Syphon Filter series. Since Omega Strain bummed out, there wasn't a lot of buzz for this one. But this is one helluva game, let me tell you. On with the review!

Graphics 10/10

The graphics in this game are unbelieveable. I mean the cutscenes look near-reality. The gameplay graphics look amazing too. Like in the snow environments, if it's windy you could see the snow lightly drifting. You could even see Gabe(the main character in all the games) breathing! This definetely has the best graphics on psp and probably has better graphics than some console games!

Sound/Music 9/10

The sound effects in this game are awesome. From the voice acting to the gunfire it's all too much to handle! If you have your psp on full volume, you feel like the explosions and shooting are happening all around you. The music is also great! If you haven't gotten spotted by the enemy and your playing stealthy, the music is slow paced. If your in a firefight, the music is uptempo and fast-paced. It sounds like your watching a 007 movie on a plasma TV!

Controls 9/10

Honestly, if I wrote this review when I first started playing, I'd probably give the controls a 5 out of 10. But I never knew they were so easy to get used to! You look around with square, circle, X, and triangle. (X being down, triangle being up, etc.) Weird, right. But I got used to it in like 30 minutes. switching gadgets and weapons is kind of like the Metal Gear Solid series. L is to change gadgets and R is to change weapons. So, at first you probably will think these are the weirdest controls, but you'll see that it was a bright idea and easy to get used to.

Gameplay 10/10

Ah, yes. The core of this game- its spectacular gameplay. From firefights to knife-stabbing the gameplay is truly a masterpiece. From over 20 different weapons and state of the art gadgets this game rocks. There are also cool spy moves like back to wall and silent knife kills. Much like Splinter Cell. You could even aim from back to wall! With 3 different difficulties, it could satisfy beginners and vets. Also with 30 campaign missions and 5 bonus missions, this isn't a short game. During the missions there are things called hidden evidences. Collecting these pieces of evidence help explain the story better. There are 3 of them in each level. Collecting all of them in certain missions earns you some goodies.There are also rankings. Like for some rankings you have to complete certain goals. The are a lot of ranks from combat sharpshooter to knife specialist. You have to get 100% in all of them. By obtaining certain ranks, you can unlock weapons and bonus missions. There are 4 different types of kills: Knife kills, regular kills(I don't know what else to call them), stealth kills and environmental kills. Knife kills are killing with a knife, regular kills are with a gun, stealth kills are killing someone by suprise, and environmental kills are killing but with using something in the environmental. So rack up the ranks and become a vet. The storyline is also a big part of this game. So, the gameplay in this game is stellar.

Multiplayer/Replayability 10/10

I wish I could give this part an 11 out of 10 since it's so amazing. The multiplayer modes are Ad-hoc and infrastructure. Ad-hoc is when you play with another person usually within 30 feet. Infrastructure is amazing. There are online rankings too. You could even make your own cell/clan with other members and fight other cells. For a new game there is a lot of people online. Around 400. On to replayability. Since there are so many unlockables, you can play the game over and over again. Or you could just play it again because it's an awesome game.

Overall 10/10

In my opinion this is the best game out for the psp. I hope my review was helpful to you. Please do yourself a favor and get this game!

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 06/05/06