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Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror Review
Jon Wilcox
10/07/2006
TVG tracks down Gabe Logan and the rest of the team on their first set of missions on PSP...
Following the largely negative response given to Syphon Filter: Omega Strain back in 2004, it's perhaps no surprise that Sony didn't do a follow up on PlayStation2. Instead the counter-terrorist franchise returns with a debut on PSP, set after the events of Omega Strain with team leader Gabe Logan listed as Missing in Action - although that's just a rouse to protect Logan on new undercover missions as he works for a black ops department for the US government. During the course of Dark Mirror, players will take control of both Logan (who was only playable during bonus missions of Omega Strain much to the resentment of fans) and long-standing operations partner Lian Xing, as they race to uncover the nefarious goings on at an Alaskan chemical facility and something called Project Dark Mirror...shadows of the original Syphon Filter and Metal Gear Solid so far as the narrative goes, at least at the start. Later missions sees the team go to other areas around the world as the plot thickens, and Gabe uncovers the mastermind behind the underground activities.
Beginning with Gabe, players switch between controlling Lian at certain points of the story, with cut-scenes showing that the proceeding mission takes place in the same time frame as one already completed. It's a way for players to get a more rounded perspective on the operation at hand, and also means that the developers haven't had to think about how one hero character gets to encounter quite as much action. Guided at first by Teresa via an audio link-up, players will be introduced into the mindset of Syphon Filter before being let loose on their own; first encounters with (for instance) laser mines will prompt the bodiless voice advise Gabe to wear his 'EDSU' (Electronic Device Sensing Utility) goggles in order to see the thin lines of the laser trigger.
Broken down into an episodic structure to allow for short bursts of gameplay, the events of Dark Mirror are split into seven missions, with each split into different 'parts'. Once completed, these parts can then be accessed individually through the game's Mission mode for replayability - if the need arises. There is a worry that the length of the Story Mode could be quite short-lived for some, though a number of options have been included to help bulk out the longevity of the game.
In addition to the main story mode, Dark Mirror also includes a number of bonus missions, with perhaps the most notable unveiling what happened during the conclusion of Omega Strain, when Stone was sent to kill Gabe's nemesis, Mara Aramov. Accessible when players complete all four training missions (at last, there's a good motive for gamers to go through such missions), this first bonus objective is one that fans of the series will be desperate to play, despite it's rather short length. Four other bonus missions are available to unlock, though these will require players to attain certain levels of weapons proficiency or Story Mode completion. Based in Yemen and Thailand, the settings for these seem a distance away from the conditions in Alaska at the start of the game.
Unlike many PSP titles, the control system of Dark Mirror holds up very well to the perceived disabilities of a single analogue stick, utilising instead the face buttons in a 'Dreamcast' style of play to move the camera around. Though not quite as responsive as a second stick, it does work really well, and looks set to provide players with one of the most intuitive third-person action experiences on the PSP to date. A Locking-on system has also been implemented, and like every aspect of the control system, it actually works as it should with the appropriate enemy targeted on nearly every occasion. The four direction buttons are mapped with everything from quick access to the different sets of goggles such as Infra-Red, Night Vision, and Electro-magnetic fields, to weapon changes and different levels of zoom for scopes. The control system is such that every developer looking to create a third-person action should look at Dark Mirror for reference - it's as straightforward and as simple as that. Essentially what Syphon Filter offers for PSP gamers is an exclusive title that thinks it's a fully fledged home console release, and one that might actually live up to such a description.
Weapons and gadgets of course feature heavily in the franchise, and Dark Mirror is no different. Sniper rifles, semi and fully-automatic pistols, assault rifles, and new melee attacks (punches and knife-based) are all implemented for players to use in the game. Multi-purpose sniper rifles are particularly useful in some of the missions, thanks to the addition of explosive, electrocuting, and poison gas darts adding to the repertoire of the 6mm shot gun. The darts can be useful not only because they're silent in their execution, but also because both the explosive and poison gas variants can take out a number of enemies at once if used correctly; as you can imagine such functionality can come in handy at times. Gabe/Lian can also swap their weapons with those of a fallen enemy, with each weapon type mapped to a particular d-pad button in the weapons menu.
Early in the marketing drive for the game, Sony revealed that Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror would feature, "Enhanced graphics engine has been completely overhauled including gloss mapping, high resolution textures and improved goggle effects", and it's clear to say even now that they've been successful in fulfilling that claim. It's a good looking game, and one that actually does justice to the power on offer inside the PSP, though the offset of that are the loading times.
Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror will be the second Sony Computer Entertainment product to be released within the space of a few weeks (following World Tour Soccer 2) to implement the radically underused Wi-Fi Infrastructure mode of PSP. Introducing at least three modes that will be familiar to anyone who has played any kind of action title, Dark Mirror's multiplayer modes include Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Objective, and Rogue Agent. A co-operative mode where two teams of team have to complete a certain objective, 'Objective' doesn't need much explain, nor for that matter do Deathmatch and Team Deathmatch modes. In true counter double-cross tradition however, the Rogue Agent gametype sees player all begin on the same team, with the ability to become 'Rogue' and kill the others once a certain object has been found. Direct chat can will also be possible thanks to the recently released headset and mic, also packaged with SOCOM on PSP earlier in the year, and Dark Mirror also comes with Buddy Lists so you can hook up with the same comrades on a number of occasions.
