989 Studios released the game in North America. The plot centers on special agents Gabriel "Gabe" Logan and Lian Xing who are tasked by the United States government to apprehend a German international terrorist.

The Story Behind Syphon Filter

According to the team's lead designer Richard Ham, his original concept was a cinematic action game inspired by action cinema, especially John Woo films. The storyline was radically changed when Garvin was hired to be art director, later creative director. The original plot of Syphon Filter was intended as a science-fiction orientated approach and involved a group of kidnapped scientists who were being forced to build a time machine by an unspecified antagonistic organization.

During development, the team of thirteen re-wrote several drafts as the game was being conceived. Most of the team that developed Syphon Filter had little experience with making third-person action games, as Eidetic's only video game released for a console was Bubsy 3D, which was released three years prior for the PlayStation and was infamous for being critically panned as one of the worst games of all time. Garvin admitted that the team "didn't know anything about making realistic shooters set in a spy world" as the game came close to being cancelled several times throughout development because the team was missing deadlines, revamping mechanics and changing the story.

How Syphon Filter Plays

At the PharCom Exposition Centre, Gabe shadows Phagan to a meeting with Aramov and Edward Benton, an apparent Agency turncoat who assisted Rhoemer during the Washington D.C. attack. Army Chemical and Biological Defense Command (CBDC) to secure the area. Gabe races to the missile's control centre in time and destroy it.

A port to the PlayStation 2 for Logan's Shadow was released in North America in 2010. Two titles were released for the PlayStation Portable in 2006 and 2007; Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror and Syphon Filter: Logan's Shadow, respectively. The current weapon equipped is always displayed in the bottom right corner, with the ammunition count.

Why Players Still Load It Up

GameRevolution noted the gameplay was "well above average" and had an excellent replay value, in contrast to games such as Star Fox 64 once completed. At the 3rd Annual Interactive Achievement Awards, the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences named Syphon Filter as a finalist for "Console Action Game of the Year" and "Outstanding Achievement in Game Design". The gameplay and artificial intelligence were the most praised aspects of the game.

GameRevolution similarly praised the attention to detail, calling every texture of the game well planned and rendered. The blend of a stealth-action hybrid gameplay was praised by most critics. However, they claimed that the graphics were not as good as Metal Gear Solid.

Syphon Filter — Frequently Asked Questions