Syphon Filter: Logan’s Shadow is a PSP-exclusive third-person action game developed by Sony Computer Entertainment America’s Bend Studios, the team behind the highly acclaimed Syphon Filter franchise.
Logan’s Shadow is the sequel to Dark Mirror and the sixth game in the series. Time to welcome a new era of portable tactical espionage and counterterrorism.
System: PSP
Genre: Action-Shooter
Release dates: October 2nd 2007 (USA), November 30th 2007 (EURO)
Players: single player, 2-8 local & online multiplayer
Developer: Sony Bend
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Origin: America
Syphon Filter: Logan’s Shadow is an action-packed espionage thriller that introduces new combat mechanics and weaponry to the series, including blind-fire around obstacles and corners, leaning, side-to-side movement as additions to the cover system, the ability to use hostages as shields, play submerged missions, and to command other characters from the franchise’s history, providing backup to Gabe during missions and a God of War-like button-pushing mini-game to move obstacles.
With a story written by celebrated comic books and novels author Greg Rucka (Patriot Acts, Batman, Superman, and the Queen and Country series), and music performed by international recording artist Azam Ali, who has composed and performed pieces for 300, Matrix Revolutions, and Prison Break; Syphon Filter: Logan’s Shadow features Hollywood-style production on the PSP handheld system.
Syphon Filter: Logan’s Shadow finds Gabe Logan once again using a combination of stealth and “run-and-gun” gameplay, as he is called into action when a dangerous new technology is hijacked by a criminal extremist group, while facing the possibility that his long time partner, Lian Xing, is a double agent. For the first time in the Syphon Filter series, players engage in full 360 degree underwater combat and take control of new weapons, such as the bolt pistol and spear gun, in a story that takes Logan from the depths of the Indian Ocean to the deserts of the Middle East. Using the Havok Physics’ engine, players have the ability to interact with barrels, boxes, and enemies using real world physics. Building upon the control configuration developed for Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror, multiple control layouts allow you to choose precision aiming at all times or let you select a more classic style controller for easy play and target lock shooting.
As of PSP firmware 3.50 developers could take full advantage of the PSP’s CPU. Previously, developers were only able to run the CPU at 266MHz rather than its full potential clock speed of 333MHz, though most games ran at only 222MHz. Although the 333MHz speed may decrease the portable’s battery life, it does give a game like Logan’s Shadow more power to play with, hence the game’s engine features more stunning PSP visuals, more detail in the graphics, significantly more interactive elements and faster AI response times. For example, enemies and objects will react realistically to gunfire and other means of interaction. In short, it gives increased gameplay opportunities, while keeping the high production quality of the developers’ previous PSP game Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror. The Havok physics allow the game more lifelike worlds and animation.
Outside of the single player campaign, the game also has a busy multiplayer experience that allows up to eight players to compete in four-on-four Ad-Hoc (local) and Infrastructure (online) gameplay. In addition to Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch and Rogue Agent, the game features two all new gameplay modes, Sabotage and Retrieval, providing players with five multiplayer game options. Sabotage is an objective based mode where players have to work together to achieve a goal which will change from map to map, creating a new experience with every round. In Retrieval, players attempt to steal an object from the opposing team and return it to their base. Additions to the multiplayer include an any-time melee knife move and Bouncing Betty and Sticky Mine weapons.
Watch the Syphon Filter: Logan’s Shadow launch trailer.
So what are the main features of Syphon Filter: Logan’s Shadow?
* Havok physics engine provides life-like physical reactions on both characters and environments.
* New and improved weapons, such as grenade launchers, sticky mines, smoke grenades, and flash bangs.
* New character actions enable players to force enemies to take cover with blind fire or protect health with the new human shield features.
* Underwater physics allows players to experience 360 degrees of water navigation to explore shipwrecks and target enemies with new underwater weapons like the bolt pistol and spear gun.
* Included is a demo of Syphon Filter: Combat Ops. This special preview allows players to edit multiplayer maps and share them with other PSP owners.
* Improved buddy missions mechanics.
* 2-8 player Ad Hoc mode and online Infrastructure play with voice chat.
Watch some helicopter assault gameplay footage from Syphon Filter: Logan’s Shadow.
Watch some rescue mission gameplay footage from Syphon Filter: Logan’s Shadow.
Now let’s see how much fun Syphon Filter: Logan’s Shadow is on a scale from 1 to 10?
FUN FACTOR – 9.5
Syphon Filter: Logan’s Shadow’s opening on a U.S. Navy ship made me feel like Steven Seagal in Under Siege. How spectacular! After the start, the level gameplay gets more challenging and varied as you travel by air, land and sea. And the story becomes more immersive and complex as you move from twist to turn. Tie in a dramatic soundtrack and a Middle Eastern setting for your counterterrorism missions, and you’ve got yourself a very high-quality action game that every fan of this shooting genre with a PSP should own. I’d go as far as to say this game made me dust off my PSP and start looking around for what I missed the past year! Logan’s Shadow is one of the games that makes the PSP a must-have, and it’s so much fun that DS-lovers no longer have an excuse to fly solo.
Graphics – 9.5
The game’s character models and overall graphics are very sharp, I didn’t think I’d see the PSP pull off PS2-quality graphics, but they did it with Logan’s Shadow! The environments are detailed with a great modern-age art direction, while still keeping the maps huge as well, allowing you to take on the hordes or enemies with whatever explosive gear you have in your weapons arsenal. The user interface looks slick. When characters are talking they are even lip-synced, it really helps make them matter. I was quite bummed to find out there’s no blood in the game, they are ok with loudly hearing Logan snap someone’s neck, but seeing a foe bleed after a headshot would’ve been too much? It doesn’t take a way from the game, but it would’ve made finishing off a foe with a knife or gun more satisfying. As for the cutscenes, the long CGI-rendered scenes do an awesome job of making you feel like you’re in the middle of an action-flick adventure.
Audio – 9.5
Excellent sound effects. Superb voice acting throughout the game, whether the dialog is being delivered to you through cutscenes or in-game triggered events. The Iranian musician Azam Ali definitely put her stamp on the soundtrack by singing a mystique main theme song naturally titled “Logan’s Shadow” and the rest of the tracks go from spooky to adrenaline-pumping exciting during fight scenes. The audio experience comes together in a way that makes you get engrossed in the plot and its characters… or gives you a great feeling of accomplishment as your weapons fire takes down terrorists.
Ingenuity – 9.5
The controls in Logan’s Shadow will take some getting used to if you’re new to the PSP series, not because the run and gun action-oriented controls are so unusual, but due to the camera controls being mapped to the right face buttons. Once you go through the basic and advanced training tutorials the learning curve will soon be over and you’ll be playing without a hitch. The various control interfaces have something for everyone and are all quite slick. The context sensitive actions and the game’s new Havok engine provide a great lot of gameplay interactivity to influence the environment and the foes and friends in it. Throughout the storyline you’ll be moving forward in a swift pace, mainly because you won’t find yourself getting stuck in the middle of a mission. You can easily check the objectives screen (after pressing Start) to get a hint on how to proceed, or you can equip the EDSU goggles, which illuminate objects that can be interacted with a yellow color. Handy!
Replay Value – 9.0
Expect the game to take you 10 to 15 hours to finish. The main campaign mode is so awesome, you’ll want to play through it again in either story or mission mode, especially to find all the hidden unlockables in every level. Add to this the multiplayer that has 5 different entertaining gameplay modes, where you can get up to 8-player matches going both locally and online. It’s enough to keep you playing for a long time after you finish the single player modes.