Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror (PSP)

[darkwing]

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ohhh nice one , this looks better than the planned Splinter Cell for PSP

[img width=480 height=272]http://pspupdates.qj.net/syphon_2Dfilter_2Ddark_2Dmirror_2D2005121600371505 1.jpg[/img]


One of the great things about the International Consumer Electronics Show is getting to play upcoming titles before they are released. The folks over at GameSpot have gotten their hands on the PSP's rendition of the Syphon Filter series and has relayed all the goodies about what they saw:

Gabe Logan has got the stealth action hero thing down. Close-cropped hair cut? Check. Gravely, grim voice? Check. Enough moves and gadgets to take down a small army of bad guys? Check and check. About the only thing missing from Logan's arsenal has been a handheld version of the game series in which he stars: Syphon Filter. Thanks to the good folks at SCEA, currently in the midst of developing Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror for PSP, that's one more item the action hero can check off his list. We got a chance to take Dark Mirror for a spin on the show floor at this year's Consumer Electronics Show and came away impressed with the handheld game's solid look and interesting controls.

[img width=480 height=272]http://pspupdates.qj.net/syphon_2Dfilter_2Ddark_2Dmirror_2D2005121600371777 0.jpg[/img]

In Dark Matter, Logan and his crew of special ops badasses will be once again responsible for saving the free world, this time against a mysterious group known as the Red Section--or at least that's who we were up against in the demo level we played. The Red Section folks had infiltrated a petroleum refinery in the snowy reaches of Alaska. It was up to us (as Logan) to take them down without destroying half of the Alaskan wilderness in the process.

After a cool intro movie introducing the major players during the initial insertion into the oil refinery, we took over Logan, who was charged with opening up a vent on a huge oil depository before the pressure built up and exploded. The only catch? The area was crawling with bad guys and a sniper perched at the top of the depository was looking to cap anyone who came too close. Just another day for a guy like Gabe.

[img width=480 height=272]http://pspupdates.qj.net/syphon_2Dfilter_2Ddark_2Dmirror_2D2005121600372337 9.jpg[/img]

The controls for Syphon Filter for PSP take some getting used to, especially if you've never played the SF series before. You move with the analog stick, of course, and fire your weapon with the right trigger. Aiming, however is done with the face buttons--to aim left or right you press the square and circle button; to move your aim up you press the triangle button and use the X button to aim downwards. With just a little practice, we were popping heads like Jiffy Pop and moving through the lower levels of the refinery with relative ease. Enemies are as intent on staying alive as they are in stopping you dead in their tracks, however, so don't be surprised if you have to chase a few around the obstacle their hiding behind.

[img width=480 height=272]http://pspupdates.qj.net/syphon_2Dfilter_2Ddark_2Dmirror_2D2005121600372409 8.jpg[/img]

As we progressed through the mission, we picked up an extra submachine gun to go along with the silenced pistol and sniper rifle we already had in our possession. By pressing the right directional button, we brought up the weapon menu where each gun in our possession was tied to a face button on the controller. To equip the rifle, for example, all we had to do was press the X button. In addition, certain weapons (such as the aforementioned rifle) can be armed with multiple types of ammo. The rifle, for example, used regular 6mm rounds, explosive rounds, and even X34 gas ammo (presumably when you want to stop an enemy but not necessarily kill him). Logan doesn't always have to be lethal after all, if you manage to sneak up on a bad guy, you can give him a whack on the head with a blunt object and knock him out long enough to make your escape.



No great spy is truly complete without a great set of gadgets, and some of the cornerstones of Logan's technological arsenal are his goggles. At one point in a mission we were stuck at a fence but were informed by our technical advisor over the comm-link to try our EDSU goggles to look for a way to unlock the gate. We're not sure what EDSU stands for, but as soon as we switched them on (by accessing a menu similar to the weapon menu system described above) lo and behold we found a blinking section of the fence that was ideal for compromise. One well-placed pistol shot later and we were through to the next objective. EDSU goggles aren't your only choice however; you'll also have night vision and infrared goggles at your disposal, as well as a traditional flashlight for those especially dark corners.

The Syphon Filter series has always been about mixing up its gameplay and Dark Mirror appears to be no different. After dispatching the sniper and releasing the vent, for example, it wasn't long before we were joined by a member of our Precision Strike team who required cover fire while she infiltrated the oil refinery. Perched on top of the depository, it was up to us to dispatch any bad guy intent on filling her full of lead, using the sniper rifle and its handy zoom feature.

Graphically, Dark Mirror is looking handsome on the PSP--with sharp player models and fairly expansive environments (at least on the one level we played). In addition, we found the animations for Logan and other NPC models to be varied and good-looking. Sony seems to be delving a bit deeper into the PSP and extracting more out of the handheld than you might be used to. Only time will tell if this kind of quality will be consistent throughout the rest of the game. On the sound front, we had the luxury of playing Dark Mirror complete with a nice set of headphones (Sony-manufactured, of course) so we could really get a sense for each gun shot we fired, and each panicked shout by a guard we were about to mow down. Like its graphics, Dark Mirror's audio package seems to have a lot to offer and we're looking forward to exploring more of the game in the coming weeks. Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror is currently due for release in March and you can expect more coverage on Gabe and the rest of his crew in the coming weeks ahead.

[darkwing]

wow nindot sad ang gameplay..take a look at the video

http://download.qj.net/dl.php?fid=694

[darkwing]

abe Logan is back with plenty of girls, guns, and goggles along for the ride. Syphon Filter’s first appearance on the PSP has many gamers hopeful for a run and gun game that can overcome the portable console’s single analog stick limitations. We got some hands-on time with a 30 minute demo and came away excited for Dark Mirror’s prospects.

The demo begins with a five minute introductory CG cutscene setting up the surgical strike. Gabe Logan, Lian Xing, and Teresa Lipan are charged with saving the Kemsynth Petroleum oil refinery in Alaska from a terrorist cell called Red Section. More specifically, the team must rescue the head of the plant, Malcom Freeman, because of some unknown importance he has with government higher-ups. After an action packed deployment featuring a plane on skis and some snow jeep turret blasting, Gabe finally arrives at the refinery. It’s just too bad we aren’t allowed to play any of it.

Gabe’s first objective is to take out a sniper perched high atop a smokestack. He’s guarding a switch that is keeping the vents closed and it could blow up the whole tower at any time. Enemies will start snooping around right away so it’s best to grasp the control scheme as soon as possible.


"I said I needed those copies by 3:30!"

The default (and best) control scheme maps movement to the analog nub and aiming is handled by the four face buttons. Ideally, another analog stick would be preferred for this, but after a little time you’ll start to get the hang of it. I cranked the aiming speed and acceleration as high as it would go, and that seemed to help. You can try to do all of your aiming with these face buttons, but I would recommend using the left trigger’s auto target function.

The D-pad handles any number of actions. The up button is how you interact with the environment and it also reloads your currently equipped weapon. Down toggles crouching on and off. Left will bring up the goggles menu where you can pick among night vision, infrared, a flashlight, and EDSU (electronic device sensing utility) goggles. The EDSU helps you find and interact with hidden electronics. The whole screen will turn red and any secret devices glow a bright yellow.

The right button will bring up a weapons management screen where you can eventually choose from a pistol, machine gun, knife, tazer, and a couple different sniper rifles. Some weapons even have alternate ammo options or rates of fire. For example, the sniper rifle can toggle between bullets, explosive rounds, poison gas pellets, and electrified taser rounds.

As you guide Gabe towards the sniper tower, several killing options lie in wait. Will you sneak up and stab an enemy in the neck? Will you zap him with a taser until he bursts into flames? Or will you simply plug him with a couple bullets from your trusty pistol? It’s not long before enemies start dropping machine guns and ammo, which quickly becomes the most effective weapon for close ranged foes.


All of the bigger guns are visually represented on Gabe's character model.

After you take out the sniper, it’s time for you to do some sniping of your own. Gabe must protect Lian as she sneaks over to some kind of switch. To go into sniping mode you’ll have to hit the L trigger. From here the up and down buttons on the D-pad will allow for three levels of zoom, and the face buttons will once again take over aiming. With no auto target to help you out, the annoyance of this aiming system really begins to show itself. For diagonal movements you’re going to be tapping “up, right, up, right, up, right” or mashing two buttons at a time instead of just moving an analog stick in the direction you want to shoot.

The next section has Gabe flying from ledge to ledge with his zip line. Here you can use a mix of sniping and machine gun power to burn through troops. You’ll eventually find a turret gun, but it’s unfortunately positioned in such a place that all of the troops are already dead by that point. On the bright side, the turret actually lets you have a taste of analog aiming for one glorious moment.

Gabe will then battle Red Jack, the first boss and last enemy of the demo. This heavily armored thug carries a nasty flame thrower that can kill you relatively quickly if you’re not careful. During the battle, Gabe and Red Jack have a verbal sparring match consisting of such quips as:

Gabe: Are you the leader?

Red Jack: Wouldn’t you like to know!

Fortunately, this guy is easily killed with a shot to his fuel tank. End demo.

The graphics look pretty decent for a PSP game. Rag doll physics will send enemies flying and the explosions look great. At this point, unfortunately, all of the troops look exactly the same except for some palette swapped blonde and brown hair. And they all have the exact same voice.

Can I take this moment to also mention that Dark Mirror contains an absurd amount of unnecessary cussing? Terrorists just love dropping as many F and S bombs as possible – and this is before you even start to hurt them. Looks like gamers are going to have to keep the headphones on, lest they want to offend the young and old people nearby.

Syphon Filter Dark Mirror has a lot of potential to become a premier action title for the PSP. The story seems intriguing, the core gameplay is pretty fun once you get the hang of it, and slick-looking cutscenes never hurt anybody. Let’s just hope they can really polish things up for the final release.

[img width=640 height=363]http://www.gameinformer.com/NR/rdonlyres/D2F1CF1E-91A2-43D9-8654-DC93152A1A6D/8422/shant1.jpg[/img]

[darkwing]

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