Syndicate – Impressions, New Screens and a Gameplay Video
EA’s upcoming reboot of the Syndicate franchise is starting to shape up with some new screens, a lengthy gameplay video and more info on what to expect.
When we first heard news that they were bringing back Syndicate, this time as a first person shooter with light RPG elements, the first thing that came to mind was that EA was trying to build off the success of the Deus Ex reboot. Cinematic and flashy FPS games seem to be the standard design choice for most new games these days, but luckily Syndicate is starting to look quite promising, even if it won’t be a return to the glory days of its RTS roots.
In the gameplay video, we’re introduced to 11 minutes of one of the first missions of the game, accompanied by developer commentary explaining things as we go.
The first thing that’s apparent is how good this game looks. The attention to detail and overall visual style is astounding. Think Deus Ex’s dystopian future, but with more colour and a healthy dose advertisements, intriguing sources of lights and video screens.
Luckily, the game play looks as interesting as the environments the player will find themselves in. Demonstrating a variety of play styles, the game looks like it will offer a wide range of choices for the player to make in each missions, either using stealth, shooting or some interesting puzzles.
While Deus Ex attempted to do this, it never felt like there was enough outside of the “stealth” option during each of the levels. In Syndicate it looks like the player will have a wide assortment of tools and gadgets to battle the opposing forces with.
One ability that looks like a flashback to the Persuadatron of old has the player causing enemies to fire upon one another, commit suicide and jam their own weapons. As well, in a scene that eerily reminded me of Repo Men, the player is able to extract implants and chips from fallen enemies and high ranking officials in order to boost his or her own powers afterwards.
The game looks like it will sport an unconventional HUD. Enemies light up with white silhouettes when taking damage, a targetting recticle that locks on to hackable objects and, what looks almost like a visor enhancement from Halo: ODST, a sort of X-Ray vision mixed with enemy tracking.
Overall, the game looks far more interesting than the first previews led me to believe, so here’s hoping it delivers when it’s released in February 2012.
In other news, be sure to check out the 4 player coop multiplayer in Mass Effect 3 and some gameplay footage for Hitman: Absolution.
