Genre: Action
Perspective: 1st-person, Behind view
Gameplay: Shooter
Narrative: Spy / Espionage
Published by: Sony Computer Entertainment America
Developed by: Sony Bend
Released: 2001
Platform: PlayStation (PSX, PS1)
The news that the third part of the popular action movie will not be released on the PlayStation 2, but on the old-good PSX, was at one time a surprise for many. But, after thinking, you can find at least a couple of arguments in favor of such a solution Sony. First, for those who want to bury the 32-bit console ahead of time, this news has become an extra reason to postpone the shovels. The second reason may be that the Eidetic team simply did not have time to adapt to the standards of the new generation console. Of course, there is the likelihood that Syphon Filter 3 was announced for the PSX because of some behind-the-scenes intrigue. But us, ordinary gamers, these little things should not worry. The main thing is that the game came out, and this is good.
Throughout its life, the product of cooperation between Eidetic and 989 Studios has hardly evolved. Developers who did not consider it necessary to make any tangible changes to the game process, were engaged almost exclusively in designing new levels based on the engine created in the 99th year. And to condemn them for this is not worth it, because this engine, in fact, did not need a special refinement. At the same time, authors could concentrate entirely on the gameplay, instead of wasting time on technical issues. This allowed them to create interesting and exciting missions.
The plot, which few people pay attention to in such games, was always characterized by complexity and thoughtfulness in SF, as evidenced by the lengthy briefings that preceded each stage. This time, the authors decided not to compose new adventures for Gabriel Logan, but instead to plunge into the past of the superspy, which, as it turned out, was no less heroic than the present. The retrospective turned out to be very confusing. The senator who suspects Gayb of betraying the star-striped homeland, in turn, tears out of his biography certain episodes, which for the player turn into whole levels. As a result of these travels in time, the plot very soon becomes like a rebus, unraveling which without a bottle is not easy. In addition, Logan is not the only one who will be interrogated. In addition to him on the carpet in turn invited: the former radio operator, and now a full partner of our hero Lian Xing, a black chemical weapons expert Lawrence Mujari and unexpectedly resurrected Teresa Lipan. All these characters you can try in the case personally.
Stages in SF3, as before, are molded from separate tasks, the order of which, as a rule, does not play a role. Assignments are very different, however, generalizing, they can be divided into three categories: destroy someone / something, save someone or pick something up. Sometimes missions are supplemented by some conditions called "Parameters". For example, you should understand that hostages should not be killed, but saved. Violation of this rule is tantamount to your death. Also it is worth remembering that if you were asked to conduct a sabotage, then the guards do not need to be caught in the eye - they may not understand it. Unfortunately, just in the third part of the "Siphon Filter" there are almost no exciting spy missions.
And this is very unfortunate, because they were always the salt of SF. Fortunately, you can organize a game of hide and seek on your own. To the enemy, who has not yet had time to acquire eyes on the back of his head, you can sneak up behind and with a cry of "surprise" it's fun to cut his throat with an army knife. But do not think that all the enemies are stupid "teapots". Artificial intelligence in certain situations is able to challenge the human mind. Although, we must admit, sometimes opponents demonstrate complete insanity, undermining their own grenades.
What are you asking? Are there any new weapons? Well, of course! Without a fresh cannon, nowadays there is not a single sequel to a decent action movie. Arsenal has more than two dozen "trunks" of various lethal force. The ultra-high-speed automatic MARS and the pneumatic Falcon gun, I'm sure, will bring a lot of joy to fans to knock out other people's brains. But even more fun will bring a rifle called AU300. This secret development of Russian engineers is analogous to the famous Railgun, that is, it allows you to see and shoot through any obstacles. Very useful thing, however. Do not get confused in the vast variety of instruments of murder, you will be helped by detailed descriptions, which are equipped with all guns without exception. Rummaging through the instructions, you will learn a lot of entertaining facts for yourself.
But it is not enough to choose the right weapon, it still needs to be used competently. The auto-aiming function, of course, makes life much easier, but with it the most serious drawbacks of the game are connected. By pressing the appropriate button you will catch the nearest enemy. However, there is no guarantee that the choice will fall on the enemy that you want to hit first. Suppose you see a terrorist in front of you, preparing to open fire on you. You press R1, hoping to shoot first, but then the brave super agent turns around 180 and directs the muzzle to the opponent who was standing behind him. The one, you see, was closer ... If you are getting used to using auto-aiming on the run, you will have to fight with the camera, the turn of which will change the control. The result is a temporary loss of orientation in space and an increased probability of collision with an enemy bullet.
Advantages of manual guidance will become clear to you, as soon as you meet the first enemy in body armor. Of course, you can land a whole clip and still dunk the scoundrel, but it is much more rational to produce just one accurate shot in the head. It always works.
The main thing that distinguishes SF3 from the previous parts of the series is the level of complexity that has significantly decreased. No, do not think that Logan became more tenacious, and the bulletproof vest did not become thicker. It's the missions themselves. Levels are noticeably shorter, and checkpoints (they mark the place from which you continue in case of death) are now literally every few minutes. In this regard, the game easily goes through two or three days, although earlier it took much longer.
Another difference - the video, which is much prettier. Finally, designers are bored with using CG's textured 3D models of characters taken directly from the game. Henceforth, the characters are like people: they have eyes, cheeks and lips, which were previously replaced by flat patterns, plastered on an equally flat face. A new realistic approach to the image of a man has seriously changed our perception of the appearance of seemingly familiar characters. Gabe Logan is not that charming spetsnaz with almost "Alendelonian" facial features, but a mother warrior with a bulging forehead and a stern gaze. Liane Zing, who from the continuation to the sequel becomes more and more narrow-eyed, now looks like a typical Asian not of her first youth.
A lot of playing enough in the main mode, anyone can look into the multiplayer, which is familiar by SF2. Here the same principle works: players choose one of ten arenas, after which they start counting frags. Those who still prefer to fight alone, will have to taste the option MiniGame. The bonus missions presented here somewhat compensate for the transience of the main scenario.
The schedule does not make much sense, it practically has not changed. And why should it change, the engine is the same. The only drawback that I would like to draw attention to is textures. Painfully they are distorted. This is clearly seen when you creep along the vent pipe: when you turn the camera, the walls just blur out, which was not the case before.
In general, the next continuation of Syphon Filter is still perceived as a set of additional missions, the plot connection between which is very vague. The only surprise was the low level of complexity, which significantly influenced the dynamics and tension of the game process. Where is he, the adrenaline?