Title Syphon Filter: Logan's Shadow Date 10.12.2007 Genre Action, Stealth Platform Sony PSP Developer Sony Bend Studio Publisher SCEA

The Syphon Filter series has been running strong for nearly nine years with each installment bearing the Greatest Hits stripe across the packaging eventually, signifying a strong reception in sales. Across the five part series, the Syphon Filter story has been full of twists, turns and betrayals of all sort centering around our protagonist Gabriel Logan from his descent as a lowly pawn to a wanted fugitive and ultimately rising to leading the very agency that attempted to have him killed. Logan is not alone however, as he is often assisted by his crack team of fellow spies including his partner and chief of operations, Lian Xing, with long time friends Teresa Lipan and Lawrence Mujari, and some relatively new faces like chopper pilot Alima, sharpshooter Stone and demolitions expert Dane Bishop. With the compelling cast of characters, it's not hard to really get attached to them.

The last iteration, Dark Mirror, was an extremely personal tale, which was a first for a Syphon Filter game. Our hero Gabe Logan developed like never before and many insights on his life and personality were shown to us. Following similarly to Dark Mirror, the sixth Syphon Filter to date is once again a very character-oriented conflict, and despite the subtitle Logan's Shadow, the plot really focuses on sub-protagonist Lian Xing more than anyone else. While on personal leave, Lian is forced to cut her vacation short when Gabe requests her help when taking on a case involving a terrorist known as Bitar who has stolen the mysterious contents of a naval ship. The problem is that Lian cannot be reached, and instead of taking vacation she has instead disappeared and is now branded as a double agent by US government official Robert Cordell, who does a very good job of making Gabe's journey to find Lian very difficult. The story overall isn't groundbreaking, and plot twists will occur in fairly predictable circumstances but seeing what challenges out group of spies face next is always a nail-biting treat.

Logan's Shadow is more or less an expansion rather than a full-blown sequel to last year's Dark Mirror. The gameplay is largely the same, with minor tweaks here and there. However, the production values have really been upped with more detailed and chaotic environments for Gabe to traverse, along with more interactive set pieces as well (get ready for a lot of exploding barrels and flying boxes). The fantastic cover system has returned in full form, now featuring a blind fire technique, which has its uses now that the enemy's accuracy with weapons has drastically improved. The largest new addition is that of underwater segments. It's shocking how well the swimming engine was pulled off. Just like on land, Gabe controls like a dream underwater with a few new toys to use on foes while submerged. Often times the game will have you constantly swapping between underwater and land based objectives during missions, and it flows seamlessly and wonderfully. The minimal changes to the game don't hurt quite as much you think as the engine still feels superbly contemporary and manages to blow nearly every other action shooter out of the water.

Veterans of Dark Mirror will know that its most outstanding feature was that it fit all of the functionality and bells and whistles of typical console shooters into a handheld package without hindering the gameplay in any way. The controls in Logan's Shadow are extremely complex but synch together beautifully, like no other game you'll ever play. Once you get the hang of it, you'll never think twice about what to press or how to perform something. Aiming with the face buttons of the PSP sounds like a messy idea, but with the spotlight on taking cover, players have ample time to line up a shot without sacrificing playability. The PSP Syphon Filter games are truly a wonder to behold. I'd hate to ruin all of the amazing things that can be done in the game, but just know that it can all be done fluidly without an ounce of discomfort or frustration.

Despite the initial bad reception, its really apparent Sony Bend did their best to try and work out the kinks in multiplayer without ruining it. It still plays fundamentally the same as Dark Mirror; up to eight players can compete against each other online in various game types across different maps. It's a pretty basic multiplayer set up but really works great thanks to the stellar gameplay carried over from the single player campaign. Some changes were noticed in that the cells were replaced with chats, more weapons are available to lower ranked players in an effort to level the playing field and the interface has undergone some bizarre design changes. Plus, new maps have been added and old maps have been altered, often to suit the underwater mobility which is a fantastic addition to the competitive side of the game. It's definitely different from a few key aspects from Dark Mirror, but those who can cope with the changes will still find Logan's Shadow online play to be incredibly enjoyable.

Visually, the latest chapter in Syphon Filter really takes advantage of the PSP hardware, offering detailed character models, diverse and gorgeous environments complete with stunning water effects and life like animations. Grandiose explosions and fog effects are abound, and frequent use of excellent lighting effects really creates a rich and believable world. Best of all, even with explosions, gunfire and multiple foes on screen, the game never suffers from slowdown or frame rate issues. Not once. Likewise, the sound delivers in kind with amazing weapon effects, harsh explosions and superb voice acting. Many sequences are also coupled with magnificent tracks by the same award winning composer from Dark Mirror.

Syphon Filter: Logan's Shadow is the greatest game on the PSP to date. The brilliant control scheme and perfect gameplay have yet to be topped. Unfortunately, the initial single player campaign is a bit too short and easy for veterans, but the engaging story and varying mission objectives make a meaty and satisfying adventure to tackle. With tons of unlockable abilities, weapons and mission on top of stellar online multiplayer, Syphon Filter: Logan's Shadow is the action game to get for PSP owners.

Game Score

A-

Reviewed By: Contributed