Syphon Filter: Logan's Shadow

Last year’s Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror was one of the standout PSP games of last year, not only being a great action game, but a title that restored the franchise to its former glory. Now, Sony Bend has launched the sequel, Syphon Filter: Logan’s Shadow, which follows its predecessor very closely in terms of gameplay elements. However, the game doesn’t feel like a complete recap, instead upping the ante with fantastic action and intense gameplay, being a great adventure all the way through. Fans of the series and PSP owners alike should take note, as this is one of the best PSP games to come out this year.

Syphon Filter: Logan’s Shadow offers a bit more of a story-oriented quest that Dark Mirror. The script (written by scribe Greg Rucka) finds Gabe Logan in a world of hurt. Your friend and partner Xian Ling has apparently gone rogue and disappeared, leading Gabe to take matters into his own hands, searching for his missing friend’s whereabouts and uncovering the secrets of her past.

While much of the gameplay feels the same as last year’s great Dark Mirror, there have been a few new additions. You can blind fire now, holding your gun out from cover in order to shoot at your opponents while staying out of harm’s way. Also, you can grab your enemies and use them as a human shield. Sneaking up undetected on an enemy will activate a grapple option, letting you grab them from behind. A yellow bar will then build up on the screen that works as your time gauge, as once it gets filled up, your foe will break free and can’t be grappled again. However, you do get a decent amount of time to take out the other enemies around, and begin a context sensitive mini-game in order to kill your hostage.

The game does have a good amount of these context sensitive situations, from opening a door to hooking up a crane to some debris. Whereas a lot of games have these kinds of sequences thrown in and they can often feel juxtaposed into the mix, they feel pretty intuitive and fit in with this game’s overall flow.

The last big new addition to Logan’s Shadow is the underwater missions. Gabe can now swim in 360 degree segments, often requiring you to take out enemy divers with a harpoon gun. These segments do a good job of adding some variety to the game’s overall structure.

Graphically, the game represents some of the best graphics that the PSP handheld has to offer. The character models look great, and the environments (particularly the awesome water effects) are very impressive. Not only does the game look good, though, it moves very smoothly and doesn’t slow down very much even in high intensity situations.

Soundwise, the game is also pretty impressive. The soundtrack, done by Azam Ali, is appropriately moody and yet action-packed when the on-screen events call for it. The voice acting and sound effects are also done pretty well.

Syphon Filter: Logan’s Shadow is a great entry to the series and continues its fine legacy on the PSP. Whereas previous console iterations have been average at best, the PSP keeps churning out great additions to the Syphon Filter series. Fans of action games and of the PSP would do well to pick this title up.

Gameplay: 9.0
Logan’s Shadow makes a few subtle additions over its predecessor but feels largely the same. Among the key new features are underwater missions, the ability to use your enemies as human shields, blind firing, and context-sensitive sequences added to the great gameplay elements of Dark Mirror.

Graphics: 9.5
Logan’s Shadow is a fantastic looking PSP game, with well-rendered character models and environments, as well as a solid framerate.

Sound: 9.0
The score is great, adding a lot of moodiness to the game’s spy formula, and the sound effects and voice acting are quite good.

Difficulty: Medium

Multiplayer: 9.0
The game gives you seven maps and five modes (Sabotage, Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Rogue Agent, and Retrieval), as well as a robust lobby system to make it easy to get into the action.

Concept: 9.0
Syphon Filter: Logan’s Shadow has a compelling storyline filled with twists and turns, making it well-written adventure that is compelling from start to finish.

Overall: 9.0
Syphon Filter: Logan’s Shadow is a fantastic PSP game, and one of the best action games to hit the system. Check it out if you’re a fan of last year’s Dark Mirror or if you are an fan of deep action games.