Watch Ten Minutes of Brutal, Bloody Syndicate Mayhem

[Andy Chalk]

Watch Ten Minutes of Brutal, Bloody Syndicate Mayhem

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It's "Pay Day" and that means a ten-minute gameplay video, a bunch of new screenshots and a "Deep Dive" look at the origins and evolution of the increasingly-sexy Syndicate.



Call me crazy if you will but I'm finding it harder and harder to maintain my nerd rage over EA's decision to turn my beloved Syndicate [http://www.amazon.com/Syndicate-Playstation-3/dp/B0050SX2MK/ref=sr_tr_sr_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1318539447&sr=8-1] into a shooter. It's disappointing, and yes, Syndicate agents are supposed to be mindless, drug-fueled drones, but on the other hand, damn, son. Have you seen this thing?

Time to correct that oversight if you haven't. First up, we have 11 new screenshots that hint at some of the abilities possessed by Miles Kilo and his fellow [and rival] Agents.

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A better look at what's in store comes via a Deep Dive [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/trailers/4803-Syndicate-Gameplay-Trailer]," which begins with a look at the original Syndicate, developed by Bullfrog and released in 1993, before moving to an overview of the new game.

It's brutal, it's bloody and you know what? It looks pretty awesome too. Syndicate comes out on February 21, 2012, for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC.


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[Waaghpowa]

As cool as the game looks, it still ticks me off that it's not a strategy game. I can't help but feel that devs and publishers are only doing it as a shooter because it's easier to market, almost as if to assume that the average gamer lacks the intelligence or patience for a strategy game. That being said, I'm willing to give this a try, but I'm not expecting much.

On a side note: The fact that this is being done by Starbreeze means that things like physical movement will be really good. Specifically I mean how the character orients his weapon (See how he points his gun over the rail in the 10 min trailer when he's facing it). Little things like that always stuck out for me in the Riddick games.

 

[Woodsey]

Eh, really? That was so boring I got 7 minutes through and that was enough.

At least I got a laugh when he talked about challenging the player with environmental navigation, before then showing a giant X slapped onto a vent that he button-mashed to open.

Combat looks incredibly static, whilst "hacking" seems to be "push button to pretend you're having real input".

And - fair comparison or not - it just makes me think of a less ambitious Human Revolution.

 

[Piflik]

I am not really put off by the idea that it is a shooter, but one thing every Syndicate Agent should be is completely replaceable...he should NOT have a name and absolutely NO mentor...

 

[DEAD34345]

I'm annoyed by the fact that it has practically nothing to do with the original game, but it actually seems quite interesting in its own right. I just hope you don't end up turning against your evil corporate employers (like in almost every game ever) because working for the bad guys would be a really refreshing change of perspective, especially considering this is a shooter.

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

Deus Ex with a different name. And flashy cinematics.

 

[Technocrat]

I'm certainly not going to object to more Deus Ex!

 

[random_bars]

Oh, come on. I'm getting slightly fed up of how every time this game is mentioned, suddenly the Escapist's Official Attitude is "it looks awesum xD". Generally articles in this site are kind of opinionated, but I swear they're not normally like this. Honestly, it reads less like a report on the fact that this game has had new gameplay footage released, and more like an advertisement for the game.

What if I don't think it looks 'pretty awesome'? Why can't that be something I decide for myself, or at least a viewpoint that's expressed at the end of the article, after the actual factual reporting? Why can't you just tell us about this new gameplay video without trying to convince us of how great it looks and how we were all wrong to doubt our glorious EA overlords?

 

[Andy Chalk]

To be fair, kids, this is pretty obviously a console version of the game (360, I think) so it's naturally not going to be as fast or fluid as a PC game. Given that limitation, I still think it looks hot!

 

[kahlzun]

Wow, that looked just like Deus Ex, especially that first lift scene..

 

[Andy Chalk]

Why can't that be something I decide for myself, or at least a viewpoint that's expressed at the end of the article, after the actual factual reporting?

Because you clearly have no taste.

 

[draythefingerless]

OH HAI DER DEUS EX RIP OFF.( yes i know syndicate is older than deus ex, but compare the original syndicate and the original deus ex...NOTHING equal between them at all. now compare the recently hyped thru out the last 2 years and highly praised Deus Ex HR and this game....EA being EA)

 

[Saucycarpdog]

For some reason, I can already predict the plot of the game. It's going to be exactly like Assassins Creed.

You work for (insert organization here). You go around doing tasks for them and killing (insert enemies here). But as you do these tasks, clues turn up that there's some big bad mysterious villain controlling everything. It is soon revealed that your own allies, (insert organization here), are actually the villain at which point they betray you. Luckily, you survive to go get some payback. You kill the villain and everyone lives happily ever after.

Just replace organization with cooperation and enemy with syndicates.

 

[Saulkar]

A copy and paste from another thread:

Meh, looks lackluster if not average. The gameplay feels uninspired and the hacking tool feels underdeveloped at the moment. Additionally several gameplay and story mechanics are heinously ignored. In Syndicate and Syndicate Wars your health did not recharge on its own as depicted here, decades before the first game and thus in the presence of lesser technology. Secondly your agents are mindless drones, there are no mentors, friends, or motivations for revenge. I will give the game the benefit of the doubt but I am otherwise unexcited. Thirdly this game screams Deus Ex: Human Revolution knock off at the edges.

 

[Adam Jensen_v1legacy]

Gotta love all the people complaining how it's not a strategy, and you just know they never even played the original. Hell, they probably didn't even hear about the original game before this one was announced. And now they're acting like they're disgusted and they feel betrayed. Seriously, stop it. Anyway, too much hand holding for my taste. Actually, the game seems to revolve around hand holding. I think I'd feel like an idiot playing this.

Did you see those flying turret thingies with shields? "Some enemies have shields you'll have to breach". You press a button, wait half a second and the shield is no longer there. How is that a good game design?

 

[Programmed_For_Damage]

I am not really put off by the idea that it is a shooter, but one thing every Syndicate Agent should be is completely replaceable...he should NOT have a name and absolutely NO mentor...

This. The story should be about the corporation itself and not Agent Billy Pilgrim and his personal struggle. The Agents are drugged out, remote controlled angels of death. Nothing more.

 

[v3n0mat3]

I'm going to go ahead and defend the genre change for Syndicate. For that matter, any genre change...

Warcraft -> World of Warcraft

Starcraft -> Starcraft: Ghost

Warcraft started as an RTS and then became an MMORPG? VERY different from the original! Now it's the most popular MMO on the market!

Starcraft: Ghost. Sure, it's vaporware, but I seem to recall that there was positive reception for the genre change.

How about looking at it this way? It's a new perspective. It's different. I'm fine with it, and I most certainly am a fan of both the original and Syndicate Wars!