In the ‘90s, I didn’t play Syphon Filter nearly as much as I played another sneaky, espionage title: Metal Gear Solid. And you know, for good reason. MGS was just more on my wavelength, but I enjoyed cheering Syphon Filter on from the sides. It didn’t seem to have the narrative-heavy experience I craved, and wasn’t as sneaky, but to me that always made me more curious about it.
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It’s been some years since I gave the first Syphon Filter a try, and I’m feeling a return to it is necessary for me. But I’m also kinda bummed that the franchise doesn’t exist prominently in Sony’s catalog. As has been exhibited with Resistance, Killzone, and SOCOM, PlayStation has been home to off-beat shooters that I wish the company would maintain a presence in instead of just prestige AAA titles of the kind they mostly invest their money in.
And in a world without an active Splinter Cell, and whilst MGS still wrestles with its post-Kojima identity crisis, what an opportunity for Syphon Filter to make a return with excellent espionage action, tense shootouts, world-ending consequences, and insurmountable odds that you’re expected to sneak, shoot, and survive your way through.
Gabe, I never got to know ya like Snake and Sam, but damn if right now isn’t a perfect time for a new espionage thriller from this classic franchise, I don’t know when is. — Claire Jackson
