Syndicate - Reborn?

Not sure how many of you remember or even played this Bullfrog classic and its sequel back in the early to mid 90's. A tactical isometric (Its a shame Isometric has died out) based shooter with RPG elements that put you in control of a four teamed assault squad carrying out missions that would make your Syndicate rise to the top.

Well it seems its been given a make over for the current generation by Starbreeze Studios (Riddick and The Darkness games), gone is the tactical isometric experience replaced with a more FPS experience for a more action oriented game I can only assume. It should be interesting to say the least as the studios previous offerings are of a decent standard what worries me is this desire to make these reincarnations either more FPS or action based for a number of reasons though mainly to appeal to a larger market. A lot of the diversity of games has been lost I feel in terms of developers more stringently keeping within a set parameter of what works for a mass market today.

Hopefully some other people have played the wonderful previous games and will be looking forward to this game with maybe not excitement but at least a quiet fascination to what it may bring.

Not sure I'm sold on it being a FPS type game, because the perspective was part of the charm of the original. Saying that though, hearing about this reboot did make me a little moist with glee.

Not sold on the FPS angle either but it seems like a growing trend for developers that the way to get the big bucks is to go down this route trying to sneak into the COD/MW customer base.

I really hope they keep some of the tactical elements of the original, though for some reason I doubt its going to happen.

Realism is overrated bring back isometric gaming and dodgy looking sprites I say.

Do you remember Shadowrun back on the SNES? I've memories of that being such a good game, although we're talking about 1993 I'd imagine. Actually,m I have it on my 'phone on an emulator and it isn't too shabby even now, it's just the controls on a mobile aren't very good.

Now there's a blast from the past, I'm actually starting to get this strange desire to get out a six sided dice. A often forgotten game in the grand scheme of things but it shouldn't be as it was a wonderful experience. I still stand by my conclusion that the 90's was the best generation for games, not to say there hasn't been good games before or since just it's not hit the peak of what we got in the 90's.

Another game they updated for the current generation and decided to go with the FPS route for some reason. Have you played the newest version of the game?.

You may be right, seeing as the 90s bridged the gap between the late 8-bit through to Half-Life and Deus Ex. I didn't play the recent Shadowrun, no. I was a bit excited when I first heard about it but the reviews put me off. I think the 16-bit era of isometric games of that type will be difficult to match for charm.

I remember playing all these games in the 90's and thinking won't it be great in years to come when we can get fully developed character models and more realistic looking game worlds to complement these great experiences.

There's been occasions through the last decade where my dreams have been realised but they have been to infrequent. I'd happily dump the high end graphics and animations to get back that gaming experience.

There have been a few games that have been a bit of a hark back to that era and the styles that were successful then. Things like Braid, Limbo, Super Meat Boy are all 2D side-on platformers essentially, but they've eschewed the pursuit of hi-end graphics tech in favour of focussing on creating beautifully stylised worlds and characters with-dare I say it-character.

I must admit though that as someone born in 1980 I do (as you'd expect) have some very fond memories of the SNES in particular. Games like Zombies Ate My Neighbours, Flashback and Alien 3 all show a certain charm and flair a lot of games today wish they had. Perhaps we were simpler creatures then, and our demands were lessened by the limited technology available.

I like to think that my demands were for a game that would offer me a challenge on both a hand eye and thinking level rather than just a game which looks pretty.

Why I still rate Planescape Torment as the greatest RPG I've ever played, the characters were well developed and so was the world environment. The dialogue was some of the best I've seen in any game and you could complete it with only three mandatory fights if you so wished. Yet the graphics and engine were nothing to shout home about, it was solid on that front but probably around 2/3 years behind the times.

I remember my experiences of Flashback on Amiga rather than SNES, the old two hand pistol grip knees slightly bent stance as you took down some enemies. The spatial awareness puzzles were also of great enjoyment, looking around the screen planing your next move and the subsequent ones after. A simple concept that was both challenging and fun to play.

I'm still waiting patiently for the adventure (no action required) genre to come back into force and cursing Lucasarts for their obsession with all things Star Wars. Then again even that genre would take a hit in todays market in terms of quality you only have to look at how Telltale have tried to offer massive hints systems in their episodic games and make them easier to garner a bigger market.

I've just downloaded Limbo on my 360 and I have to say it's one of the best games I've played in some time. It's a real hark back to the SNES and Amiga days of games like Flashback and Oddworld. Beautifully drawn and animated monochromatic visuals which bring a real sense of atmosphere and immersion, coupled with deceptively fiendish puzzles and a real macabre sense of humour make it an exceptionally well-conceived and executed game. There's no multiplayer, no optional difficulty settings and it's infinitely better for these things.

here is the trailer by the way:

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/gaming/news/a348674/syndicate-co-operative-trailer-watch-video.html

Thanks for the link Hobo.

Certainly looks pretty enough but it's not filling me with great confidence on that alone.

Trying to find actually in game info on the game hasn't been easy, their main site is just about showing the gun totting aspect along with some nice environment screen shots. I did come across a Dev Diary which said the game was looking to be a cross between Borderland and Left4Dead which in itself isn't a bad way to go for their co-op experience. They mentioned that looting was still in and there would be a upgrade system but how deep that is is still anyone's guess.

I did like the fact they mentioned they are using a game like Dark Age of Camelot for inspiration, which can often be considered to have the best PvP (RvR) of any MMO.

I hadn't come across Limbo yet but looking at the trailer I think I'm in love, the visuals are immense yet so simple and looked a joy to play with some of the puzzles going on. It reminded me briefly in some aspects of one of the few games that have matched my visual and game play desires in the last 10 years and that's ICO.

I've encountered a few puzzles in Limbo which had me almost pulling my hair out, but when I solved them I had that moment of "Duh!", because the solutions sometimes seem embarrassingly clear in hindsight.

Can't say I've ever played Ico 'cause I never had a PS2 but I know a fair few people who have and they each rated it very highly.

As for Syndicate...I'll admit that my rampant cynicism has left me reluctant to work myself into a fervour until I've seen any kind of review. I fear it'll be dumbed-down for the modern generation, with subtlety and depth sacrificed for pyrotechnics and gloss.

I can't really disagree with you on that last paragraph, I often feel like the a grumpy old sod when discussing games at times as my reactions seem so negative compared to others in conversation.

ICO and Shadow of the Colossus are two truly wonderful games from another developer who take their time and release quality games in Team Ico. They recently released a collection with both games but redone for the PS3, so if you ever happen to get one I'd recommend making them your first purchase. Another game that never got any commercial credit on the PS2/Wii was a game called Okami from the now defunct Clover Studio's but again a fantastic game that deserved more.

Team Ico's latest creation is the Last Guardian which seems to evolve around a boy escape from a large ruined castle like complex and his growing relationship with a large Griffin like creature. I'll post the E3 trailer below, again its a PS3 exclusive so not sure that gonna be any good for you.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHzHoMT5eRg

I'll have to watch that video on the laptop at home; it's not available on mobiles and YouTube's blocked at work.

I remember seeing Okami when it came out-it stuck in my memory because it reminded me of The Wind Waker. Incidentally, that's another game I really like the visual style of. Wasn't blown away by the game, but then Zelda games have never done that for me.

Just read a interesting little bit on Syndicate in the Playstation Magazine, most of the article was useless fluff about how a FPS seems a weird turn for such a game and comments trying to justify the decision.

The interesting tidbit was in relation to the AI and how it's been designed to avoid scripted behaviour making them a lot more unpredictable in their movements. They seemed to be suggesting it would be a lot more of a challenging experience than some of the other big names in the field. I've still got plenty of doubts concerning FPS model being used but those comments are at least encouraging though I've heard stuff like this in the past only to think the writer must have played a different version of the game prior to release.