A beefy, exciting action game, and more than just another MGS-wannabe.
~
Pros:
+ Action-packed: The thing that really makes Syphon Filter different from MGS is its focus on action, and while stealth does still play a reasonable role from time to time, you'll rarely go long without gunning your way through entire armies with a wide, satisfying array of weaponry - special mention goes to the sadistic, flame-inducing tazer!
+ Solid Experience: It lasts roughly the same sort of time as MGS, possibly slightly longer; but very little of that length is taken by cutscenes, which means Syphon Filter is much more substantial in gameplay terms, and you'll find yourself enjoying it just as much at the end as you did in the beginning.
+ Pick 'n' Mix Gameplay: You could debate if there are ever any truly original games nowadays, but no-one would ever attempt to call Syphon Filter fresh! Stealing liberally from MGS, Goldeneye, Tomb Raider, Die Hard Trilogy, etc, there wasn't an original component to be found in the game. However, all the elements were combined into such a satisfying new blend of gameplay that you couldn't really stay mad at it given how much fun the end product was!
Cons:
- Awkward Movement & Camera: It can be a little troublesome to maneuver and see what you're doing in close-quarters, and lining up to shoot nearby enemies (particularly if you're using a two-handed weapon) can be a real pain. The 1st-person aiming can also be slow and cumbersome, making percision hard to achieve sometimes.
- Dubious Enemy Accuracy: They start to get tougher as the game goes on, but your enemies are such appallingly bad shots to begin with that you needn't really worry about tactics, just running circles round them and blowing them away in a few shots instead.
- Unoriginal: I know I also listed this as a pro, but still; there could have been at least one original part to the game!
- Longveity: There aren't any different difficulties or unlockable features, so there's not much reason to play through again once you've finished it (apart from the fun of it all).
~
Sometimes it can be a little fiddly, and yes, the graphics are sometimes obtrusively ugly, but this is still a fun game to play even today. In fact, somewhat ironically given all the games it stole from, it seems to have influenced a lot of modern action games to the point where you just expect what it does, and more, from any new title along these lines. However, Syphon Filter was still one of the first games to really nail the action/stealth/platforming mix, and don't you forget it!