Cracked Mirror
Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror is easily the best Syphon Filter ever made... on the PSP. On the PS2? Well...
Published: October 9, 2007
The days where people can claim the PSP isn't anything but a sales success hardware-wise are behind us. Though it's nowhere near as popular as the rampant, runaway success of the Nintendo DS, the PSP has actually sold more units than either the GameCube or the Xbox last generation. So install base-wise, the thing is an unequivocal success. It's on the software front, that things aren't quite as rosy. Sure, there are some million-sellers on the system, but the number of games sold per system (the much-touted tie ratio) isn't nearly as high as I'm sure Sony would like.
This explains why a game like Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror, one of the best games available on the PSP, is getting ported to the PlayStation 2. After all, why let all the praise for the game go to waste if only a small portion of the PSP user base is going to experience it? It was a smart idea, but some bizarre choices along the way leave the PS2 version not only lacking some serious features (the entire multiplayer mode, which was one of the key reasons for the game's high praise, has been cut out), but feeling overwhelmingly like a PSP game, from the controls to the visuals.
Sure, the game got a slight bump up in resolution and texture detail, but most of the character models and environments have the unmistakable feeling of a portable game. The result is a game that's still worth experiencing, but it pales in comparison to the PSP version. The framerate swings wildly from liquid-smooth to oddly choppy almost constantly, and the snap-to-cover system sometimes feels inconsistent due to the fact that it was originally designed around the PSP's analog nub. Having the right analog stick to swing the camera around is a nice little bonus, but it doesn't make up for the comparatively clunky controls.
Still, the majority of the game is the same, and as such, I'll happily re-iterate what I said about the original release, which is that it's the portable equivalent of a big budget summer action flick. The writing is solid, the characters interesting and the storyline sufficiently twisty that it doesn't feel like a straight A-B trek, with some great AI that will actively seek to flank you and partners that are not only good at keeping out of fire, but often coordinate attacks in things like boss fights to provide distractions.
For the full review of the obviously superior PSP version, you'll definitely want to take a peek here, but the short version is that the game is fantastic... on the PSP. On the PS2, with a lack of online play and gameplay/visuals that were clearly designed around the PSP's screen and lower resolution, the impact of the gameplay is lessened quite a bit. Again, if you don't have a PSP, it's worth checking out once the game drops in price.
Paying a full $40 for something that should realistically been $20 at most is pointless, and why the hell Sony priced the game so high is beyond me, but regardless, it makes the game scream "rental" more than anything else -- especially considering there's no multiplayer to keep you entertained once you scream through the single-player mode.
Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror should absolutely be checked out, either as a PS2 rental or a nice, cheap PSP buy (the game is absolutely worth it, and will serve as a nice intro to the events that take place in the PSP sequel, Logan's Shadow). As a buy, though? Not at this price.
This explains why a game like Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror, one of the best games available on the PSP, is getting ported to the PlayStation 2. After all, why let all the praise for the game go to waste if only a small portion of the PSP user base is going to experience it? It was a smart idea, but some bizarre choices along the way leave the PS2 version not only lacking some serious features (the entire multiplayer mode, which was one of the key reasons for the game's high praise, has been cut out), but feeling overwhelmingly like a PSP game, from the controls to the visuals.
Sure, the game got a slight bump up in resolution and texture detail, but most of the character models and environments have the unmistakable feeling of a portable game. The result is a game that's still worth experiencing, but it pales in comparison to the PSP version. The framerate swings wildly from liquid-smooth to oddly choppy almost constantly, and the snap-to-cover system sometimes feels inconsistent due to the fact that it was originally designed around the PSP's analog nub. Having the right analog stick to swing the camera around is a nice little bonus, but it doesn't make up for the comparatively clunky controls.
Still, the majority of the game is the same, and as such, I'll happily re-iterate what I said about the original release, which is that it's the portable equivalent of a big budget summer action flick. The writing is solid, the characters interesting and the storyline sufficiently twisty that it doesn't feel like a straight A-B trek, with some great AI that will actively seek to flank you and partners that are not only good at keeping out of fire, but often coordinate attacks in things like boss fights to provide distractions.
For the full review of the obviously superior PSP version, you'll definitely want to take a peek here, but the short version is that the game is fantastic... on the PSP. On the PS2, with a lack of online play and gameplay/visuals that were clearly designed around the PSP's screen and lower resolution, the impact of the gameplay is lessened quite a bit. Again, if you don't have a PSP, it's worth checking out once the game drops in price.
Paying a full $40 for something that should realistically been $20 at most is pointless, and why the hell Sony priced the game so high is beyond me, but regardless, it makes the game scream "rental" more than anything else -- especially considering there's no multiplayer to keep you entertained once you scream through the single-player mode.
Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror should absolutely be checked out, either as a PS2 rental or a nice, cheap PSP buy (the game is absolutely worth it, and will serve as a nice intro to the events that take place in the PSP sequel, Logan's Shadow). As a buy, though? Not at this price.
