Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror - Sony PSP (Jewel case)

Before I get to the meat of my review of this game, I have to fill in a little info about my video game playing history. I promise its all relevant to my review of Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror, so please bear with me. In May of 2007, I was thinking about a Wii, and I asked about them at a video game store that happened to have them in stock, but I realized that what I really wanted was a handheld video game system, one I could use in airports and on long international flights. Even though the employees at the game store seemed to really like the Nintendo DS, when I mentioned that what I most wanted was to play soccer and baseball video games, they told me Id be better off with a PSP. Additionally, I found the demo games for the DS to be targeted more at little kids. I felt like I was playing a Hello Kitty game or something. Also, the DS felt flimsy to me, and I was more comfortable with the feel of the PSP and the demo PSP games in the store. I bought the PSP with a soccer game, a baseball game, and on a whim, a shooter. That shooter was Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops, which I enjoyed quite a bit, even when the story heavily taxed my willing suspension of disbelief. I wondered if there was a shooter game with all the good things about MGS:PO, but without the plot elements (and bosses) that reminded me of things I might see if I were to turn on the TV at 4 in the afternoon. I loved the intrigue, the missions, the spying and stealth, the different weapons and tools for different situations, and the way I was immersed in the game, but I didnt like the giant battle robots (no, I didnt know before that Metal Gear refers to giant battle bots) and other elements that felt like things out of TV shows for 9-11 year old boys. From the reviews on Amazon, it looked like Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror might be the answer to my prayers, so I put it on my wishlist. My father got it as one of my birthday presents, and it turned out to be everything I wanted in a shooter. First, a bit about my history with video games. When I was a kid, my family had a 4-in-1 game from Atari that included Pong. Later, we had an Atari 2600 (my record on Space Invaders was 43,830 and no, I dont know why I remember that more than 25 years later). After that, I played a couple of games (Tetris and The Ancient Art of War) on Macs, played some Super Mario Bros. on a friends Nintendo during my first year in college (and later, a baseball game on the same system), co-owned a Sega Saturn with a roommate, and played a couple of Playstation games with friends on one or two occasions each. Ive got a long history of at least casual interest in video games, but Im not what you would call a hard-core gamer. I therefore have virtually no experience with games that use two analog joysticks, so I didnt really know what I was missing. However, when a friend who is a pretty serious gamer (the same guy who owned the Nintendo on which I played some games in college) explained to me that normally in shooter games, one analog stick is used for movement and the other for changing the camera angle, I knew I really was missing something with the PSPs single stick and started to understand why gamers complain so much about the PSP only having one analog stick. The most annoying thing to me about MGS:PO was the way the camera would sometimes automatically shift to a really inconvenient angle, effectively blinding me and leading to my character being hurt or even killed just because I couldnt see important elements of the action. Why did I take that detour into my gaming history in a review of SF:DM? Well, even though Im sure the PSP was and is the right system for me, I now join the legions of gamers who wish Sony had just included a second analog stick on the PSP. But having said that, I must say that the programmers of Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror did an absolutely great job of setting up the games controls to minimize the effect of not having a second analog stick. It took me a little while to get used to the controls after having played some MGS:PO, but once I was off the steep part of the learning curve, I came to love the way the controls in SF:DM work. I believe that the programmers of SF:DM have found the absolute best way to maintain the feel of a shooter while living with the limitation of a single analog stick and minimizing the potentially annoying effects of bad camera angles. The game is a joy to play, and the controls, once I learned them, were natural enough that I just plain forgot about them while playing and was able to enjoy the story and the action. Story and action are two other areas in which SF:DM excels, at least from the point of view of this non-hardcore gamer. The story is interesting, like the best stories from the first couple of seasons of the TV show 24, with a little bit of 007 and maybe a 1980s Schwarzenegger flick thrown in. The game does a great job of immersing the player in the story and the action. I felt like I was actually living some kind of international intrigue/espionage/action thriller. I found myself looking forward to playing when I was doing other things, and thinking about the story, the missions, and sometimes some of the stickier challenges. I was completely intrigued by the plot, and trying to figure out, along with the characters in the game, what was happening. As I was playing, I felt as if I were really in the game, and instead of feeling just that my video game characters life being at risk (and restorable immediately afterward), I felt as if I myself were really in that risky situation. At many points, especially in some of the timed missions, I could feel my heart beating faster, and that feeling of fear in the pit of my stomach. That was a lot of fun, in much the same way that a roller coaster is. The action is well done, and has a great mix of different types of challenges. There are some challenges that require a little bit of reasoning and problem solving. Some require you to use the right tool or weapon from your arsenal. Some situations require stealth and care, while others require a guns blazing frontal assault. Unlike some games, where you learn by doing in normal play, including some extra-easy missions at the beginning designed to get you used to the controls and the weapons and tools at your disposal, SF:DM has some separate training missions to teach you the basics of the controls and movement and how to use your tools and weapons before you get into the story. The sniper rifle, with its scope, long range, and bullets and special rounds (single silent kill via electric shock, area silent kill via gas, and explosive), is really cool, and has its own dedicated training mission to teach you to use it. Having said all that, though, I should mention that the difficulty of the missions definitely increases as the game goes on. The game is so much fun that I went back to replay a lot of the missions after having succesfully completed the game in story mode. The game offers some bonuses if you complete missions without dying, or if you find all the hidden evidence in a given mission, or if you complete other tasks within the missions. Since I had not done all these things when going through the game the first time, I have been going back and replaying missions after having finished the story. When I first started to do that, I was struck by how easy the early missions seemed after some of the late ones, which got pretty hairy at times. Disclaimer: as I have stated, I am NOT a hard-core gamer, so as always, your mileage may vary. Some gamers may find the whole game easy, but I found it just right in terms of offering some entertaining challenges and not being TOO easy, but also not being impossible for somebody like me to finish. I found the graphics to be surprisingly detailed and just plain good, and not just for a handheld video game. The rag doll effect when a slain enemy slumps over an object or is thrown by an explosion and ends up draped over some object, is pretty impressive. The graphics were another thing that helped immerse me in the game and feel like I was living an action adventure instead of just playing a video game on a handheld system. SF:DM is easily the best game Ive seen for the PSP. I have already put its sequel (Syphon Filter: Logans Shadow) on my wishlist, and I look forward to playing it. Also, as I stated above, Im still replaying some of the missions, and Im hoping to get into some multiplayer stuff soon, once I feel my skillz are developed enough to be able to contribute or compete, depending on what kind of multiplayer missions I end up playing. This game gets my highest recommendation. I hope the makers of other shooters for the PSP will copy the control scheme from SF:DM, because I truly believe the programmers of SF:DM have found the best way to get around the limitations of a single analog stick in a shooter.

Syphon Filter is definitely one of the best shooters for the PSP. It has console-quality graphics and gameplay. The CQC controls make the game more interesting. Instead of the safe MK23sd headshots, I try to sneak up on terrorists and knife them. The locations for the missions are very creative and not the usual Eastern European city, SE Asian/S.American jungles. They also feature interactive environments with oil barrels, artillery shells and other explosive/deadly items. Gameplay can be stealthy sometimes, action the rest of the times. Some levels can be done either way. Unlockable content makes you return to the missions to play them another way (stealth, sniping, environmental kills) to unlock new guns, abilities, and even missions. Unlocked content is available for use in online play. Online play in infrastructure is good, but you MUST play single player to understand the levels. If you expect a SOCOM style level with somewhat distinct bases, this isnt it: Spawns are randomly placed on the map. Good to prevent spawncampers, but less teamplay unless you play the single player-based objective games. Problems: Very dark-if you play in a car or on a bus you WILL suffer eyestrain headaches. Not as stealthy as some spy games.

This game is incredible. This is easily the best game out for the PSP system to date. I read about it online and thought that it would be a good game to rent or borrow from a friend, but I purchased it when it came out and I have not been let down. --GAMEPLAY-- This game plays really well. I thought the controls would be fairly complicated and require you to play the game with instruction manual on your lap but I was surprised how easy it is to control your character in the game. After the Training Missions I didnt have to look at the manual to find out how to perform certain moves, combat techniques, etc. During Gameplay, certain button strokes appear when your character can perform certain actions making it very easy to work with. The graphics are amazing. You can tell the programmers spent a lot of time figuring out how far they could push the PSP system and it paid off. I was amazed at the detail of the characters faces and the surroundings during gameplay. --ONLINE-- Again, hands down it has the best online game forum and matches for the PSP to date. If you get bored or stuck in the single player mode, you can switch over to some great challengers in multiplayer. I like that the missions arent just kill everything in sight but I like the multiplayer mission where you have to work as a team to accomplish certain tasks that are board specific. The game is rated M for violence and language and I dont think it would be appropriate for young children. There is some strong language (very limited but still present) and there is violence but not as much as you would expect from a game of this type. I was also very impressed with the price. I would expect a game of this caliber to come out costing upwards of $49.99 but I was very pleased to see it was only $39.99. It is very worth the price!

This is an outstanding PSP selection. The creators somehow made me feel like I was actually completing a James Bond mission on my train ride to work. I dont know how they made the weapon handling work so well on the PSP, but it does. GET THIS GAME! (I have no association with any of the people or companies involved with Syphon Filter Dark Mirror.)

I got this because somebody on Gamespot said that it defined the PSP platform. Well, its a pretty good game anyway, and probably the best shooter for the PSP. The good : It is pretty long and has beautiful cutscenes and fantastic sound. The levels get better as you play. Some of the first levels were really small and cheezy. Towards the end, there are some pretty neat things. The game physics are really nice (you can shoot someone in the knee with a 357 and they will fall on their face, then get up and limp, explosions cause rag doll effects etc). The sniper rifle is a lot of fun once you get it down. Its pretty fun to pick off the bad guys using it. The not so good : The bosses in this game are LAME! Regular guys in bulletproof suits of some kind except for one tank. When you throw a grenade (which you need for the last few bosses), the whole PSP grinds to a halt so you cant switch easily to a gun in time to shoot the boss when his suit is powered down. (I guess it is calculating the grenades effects and cant hear the buttons). A lot of levels are dark so its hard to see in normal lighting. There usually are no more than 2 or three enemies on the screen at once. Probably not enough horsepower for more. Good bosses would have made up for that. Even Sonic on the Genesis had enough horsepower for a challenging boss every level.

I really love this game. I read that it defines the psp, I agree completely. This is one of the best games I have played on the psp so far. It pushes the system to the max and beyond and the system does a good job handleing it. I would recomend this game to anyone that get into the action games.

I bought this game when it was $50 and have no regrets. This series is the best on psx and psp is taking it to another level. Graphics are great and gameplay is awesome. There is tons of options to unlock and you can sync it with ps2 syphon filter. In conclusion i would like to say is that SYPHON FILTER IS THE GREATEST PSP GAME OF ALL TIME. Also Im playing syphon filter 3 on ps1 and that is one of the best games for that system. If your thinking about buying this game do not hesitate. Also multiplayer is feature is awesome. See you on line.

I already own a lot of games with my PSP, but i shoulf say Syphon filter is my all time favourite. The story is awesome, really thrilling and keeps you hooked to the psp till you finish it and know who is the Bad-guy. Game play is the best, i mean The Best.... I loved the game play of Burnout legends the most till i played the Syphon filter.. Its a stunner.. very smooth, uses the potential of the PSP to the max, youll actually forget that you are playing on a portable console.. The day i got this game i played for 6 hrs straight with out even a bath room break.. Its got killer graphics.. The weapons are great and real fun to use especially the one which Electricultes the enemy.. The learning curve i would say is 30-45 mins depending on your gaming experiences with PSP.. i took 35 mins to flawlessly use the controls.. The game play is not very tough nor is it average.. Its definitely not a easy grass-walk !!!! I would say its in between medium and tough which is great because it can keep you on for a longer time and would be nice and challenging rather, unlike burnout legeds which was really easy and i could finish it in 2 days.. Verdict: Fun: 9/10 game play: 10/10 graphics: 9/10 story line: 9.5/10 how does it compare for me: Better than 100 percent of the games that ive played.. Recomended: Absolutely. A Must have PSP game !!

To sum the whole thing up - if you had only one game you could buy for your PSP, let it be this. Even if you dont like first person shooters, get it. Syphon Filter is the best first person shooter - action game out there for PSP, hands down. You get a single player mode story mode which runs like a charm. The graphics are astounding, taking the PSP to another level. The controls feel right - finally, developers have thought to take full use of all the pads and buttons in a reasonable way. You play as a super-secret, ex-delta force type, undercover agent. Your mission is to find and destroy Project Dark Mirror. You get a wide range of weapons, but if you are good, you can use a special mode (using a range of goggles) to find secret passages and ways of finishing a level. This means that you can sneak your way without causing much trouble. One of the wonderful things about this game is stealth and the ability to `snap-on to walls and boxes. You can peek over the side and take out enemies without stirring a mouse. Alternatively you can jump out and take on dozens of enemies. This leads to the only two points of the game that are a letdown. The AI is predictable, and sometime stupid. Its not uncommon to see enemies fall victim to their own mines or walk into your path as you destroy them with your EDT gun. Or you can use hand to hand combat, a knife, special darts, or normal guns. Using these things earns points for earning rewards and unlocking bonus levels. The other thing is - why isnt the game play longer? Seven acts with around five scenes per act make for too short a game. There is a multiplayer mode as well, for people who like that. (Ad-Hoc + Infrastructure) GRAPHICS: 9/10 (Best graphics and cut-scenes of all time) SOUND: 7/10 (The sound is really great - not complaining, since you cant have it all) CONTROLS: 10/10 (Flawless - you can crouch, look over corners, activate a scope, zoom, and snipe, all at once, without getting frustrated) DIFFICULTY: 5/10 (Moderately difficult - some guys are mounted on turrets! Difficulty falls tremendously since you can sneak around, using stealth to eliminate much of the opposition) LOAD TIMES: LOW (The load times are not bad at all - plus, you get briefed during the loading screen) OVERALL: 9/10 (Isnt a 10 where you see god or something? Just kidding - the game could easily be a ten if it was 50% longer)

This game is really a treat. I was a huge fan of the old Syphon Filter games on the PS and this one continues the legacy.