Syndicate Review

What a long way video games have come in twenty years...

If your memories of the original Syndicate seem a bit hazy, I don’t blame you. When Starbreeze announced a remake of the original nearly twenty years later, I took to Wikipedia to glean some details from the 1993 release. The first Syndicate astonished thanks to its brutal assassinations and petty thefts with four drug-controlled agents at players’ fingertips. The 2012 reimagining is far different in concept to Bullfrog’s adaptation, trading the territorial, strategy-based gameplay for an explosive, first-person, cybernetic showcase.

Welcome to 2069, a revolutionary era where humanity has deemed computerized implants the standard. Fifty years ago, megacorporations (syndicates) rose up to control the 15 billion-something populace now inhabiting Earth. These organizations integrated half the population with unique neural microchips that grant access to the “Datascape,” a space-age version of the Internet. Complete with GPS functionality, object identification systems, and automated voice messaging, these inserts are not unlike miniature iPhones of our age.

As to be expected, each syndicate vies to be the sole technological leader in Starbreeze's cyberpunk future. Millions of residents carry on their mundane lives oblivious to the shady underpinnings that “protect” their interests. But in the shadows, syndicate agents form the corrupt backbone of collective wrongdoings as kidnappings, public bloodshed, and the like remain tolerable tactics when executing missions. Never is this more apparent during an early train boarding sequence in which a fellow operative assassinates helpless civilians for no other reason than suit his personality.

How long until our phones have X-ray vision Apple?

You play the trench coated, metric-named agent (or weapon if you prefer) Miles Kilo, a tool of the corporation known as EuroCorp. Kilo is EuroCorp’s greatest asset, recently given a prototype of the recently developed DART 6 chip. Little is initially known about our antihero other than he volunteered for the surgery despite the risk of brain cancer, but the rewards far outweigh the consequences. The new Overlay grants Kilo the skills to decelerate time, increase his firearm’s damage, absorb more incoming gunfire, and track enemies when hiding behind cover.

But wait, there's more! The DART Overlay not only heightens Miles’ reflexes but scrambles – frequently referred to as breaching – the outdated hardware of other syndicate employees with sadistic methods called Suicide, Backfire, and Persuade. Suicide forces soldiers to pull the pin from a grenade and detonate the explosive despite their incessant screaming – a cruel but effective instant kill. Backfire fries the circuits of an enemy’s firearm for a brief moment, halting its firing capabilities and leaving the wielder open for double damage. Instead of dispatching the target outright, Persuade compels an adversary to fight on your side until the power has expired. The victim's odds then quickly turn south as he promptly executes himself with a round to the skull.

To keep the experience balanced, Miles can only use these abilities once he builds up adrenaline from killing rival infantry, but several elements detract from Syndicate’s pacing. The breach tutorials are nothing short of intrusive. I don’t need a ten minute lesson on holding LB to hack an enemy’s chip, and no way of skipping these lengthy demonstrations exists. Likewise, the plot falters when nearing the endgame. Kilo begins his tour of duty belted to a chair, beats a guard down with his hands tied, and proceeds to exterminate every rent-a-cop soldier in his way. What ensues is a tale of friendship, betrayal, and occasional cyborg awesomeness. Well maybe not that first one, but definitely the last two. It’s disappointing to say that Syndicate’s middle act lacks the narrative drive present in the beginning and end, often forgoing any story insight in favor of guiding you from firefight to firefight against infinitely spawning grenadiers and snipers that test your patience. That’s not including the boss fights, the first of which appears unfairly scaled in the hostile agent’s favor thanks in no small part to his teleportation techniques and heat-seeking assault rifle.

There are plenty of dismembered appendages to satiate one's bloody fantasies.

But upon a boss’s death, you’re granted with leveling opportunities once Miles’ scans the chip ripped straight from their skulls. It’s bloody, it’s invasive, it’s cringeworthy the first time you witness the tendrils snaking their way through the adversary's brain, but damn it looks cool. The upgrades come up short on creativity, though. Given the bosses' abilities to generate hologram-like clones or propel themselves thirty feet across scaffolds in a single bound, why I am resigned to the typical boosts in health, weapon damage, and power durations?

When you finally stop to absorb your surroundings, parallels between last year's Deus Ex: Human Revolution seem rather apparent. Instead of the black and gold color palette of downtown Detroit, Syndicate's artistic styling paints a cyberpunk future in hues of white and blue. The Manhattan skyline shines with commercial ships and troop transports, and the shantytowns showcase the lesser inhabitants that fell off the Datascape's grid. Subtle features such as the screen tearing of Kilo’s Overlay when he succumbs to injuries maintain the added sense of immersion.

Beneath this artwork lie fantastic set pieces and combat scenarios polished with explosive debris and soldiers’ severed limbs. Although opposing syndicates only hire a handful of varied bullet sponges, their intelligence will push you to experiment with the best power for the right situations. These mercenaries blitz your entrenched position or retreat to seek the aid of fellow soldiers. Thankfully, minute touches ease the frustration. Perished enemies glow a bright blue to indicate their hearts have ceased beating. Considering the frequency with which adversaries roll, go prone, or stumble and falter, it's nice to have this included visual indicator.

The co-op is best enjoyed with three similarly skilled agents.

The voice acting is more agreeable than anticipated. Both Rosario Dawson and Brian Cox lend their voice acting talents. Dawson fills the role of the beautiful, mentally gifted scientist responsible for the inevitable corporate war and Brian Cox plays his traditional role of the megalomaniacal CEO. Michael Wincott of lesser fame verbalizes the loyal, yet psychologically unhinged, gravelly-voiced agent Merit, who speaks like a smoker since adolescence.

Multiplayer fares much better than the campaign. Competitive multiplayer remains absent, but the strong focus on cooperative play means late buyers won’t be shelling out ten dollars for an EA online pass. From the wintery state of Colorado to the foreign countries of China and Argentina, players either fight together or die alone. Even on Normal difficulty, the steep opposition will destroy a fragmented group. It becomes imperative that half your team designate themselves as healers and the others breach the invulnerable armor of the relentless bosses since there are no class restrictions. Leveling works in much the same chip-ripping vein as the single-player, except for the added bonus of customizable classes and upgradeable firearms. Reasons for your globetrotting exploits are delivered through loading screen briefings but usually boil down to invading a rival syndicate’s headquarters for their resources. The setting variety has been given bigger priority from the campaign’s three or four locations too, even though some segments mirror their single-player counterparts. However, it’s entirely possible to max out your agent level well before the tedium brings the enjoyment to a proverbial halt.

Syndicate brings the once-isometric franchise into the 21st century with refreshing outcomes. The campaign maintains the adrenaline rush of high stake rewards complete with dubstep soundtrack; the environments ooze beauty between a mixture of Deus Ex: Human Revolution and Mirror’s Edge; the weapons reverberate with an audible kick from skin-melting flamethrowers to infinite-ammo miniguns to rocket launchers that fire salvos of locked-on missiles. Syndicate also provides some of the most robust cooperative action I’ve played in video games to date. The teamwork aspect will bring out your inner co-op buff, provided you play well with others. It’s simply unfortunate that poor narrative pacing and the abrupt conclusion prove detrimental to an otherwise remarkable experience.

Publisher: EA
Developer: Starbreeze
Release Date: February 21, 2012
Number of Players: 1 (Campaign), 2-4 (Cooperative)
Platforms: Xbox 360 (Reviewed), PlayStation 3, PC