Originally a real time strategy game released in 1993, Starbreeze reimagines Syndicate as a first person shooter.
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Jared Knabenbauer is the ScrewAttack.com Reviews Editor, Hard News host, and a host of our weekly video podcast, "SideScrollers". He has also produced several notable ScrewAttack shows, including Reboot or Retro, Nametags, and Control Issues. He specializes in RPGs, and has a great fondness for Dungeons & Dragons. A comedian at heart, he is one serious gamer. |
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» Tagged In: #EA, #Jared, #review, #Syndicate
g1 DISCUSSIONS
Bonidex
These remixes are free on the game page on facebook. The only thing I liked about this game. The music.
Thievius Racoonus
The sad thing about these reviews is the page comes up and you immediately see te score. The good thing about that is that it makes you want to see why it got that score.
darkhyrulelord
From the sounds of it, the campaign doesn't sound like a lot of fun at all. Still, the multiplayer might be fun for a weekend rental. Nice work Jared!
8bitlink
This game isnt the best but it doesnt deserve some on the criticism it gets, even jared said its a good gamer until you find something better. Jared didnt mention this, but starbreeze pushed for this game not to have online pass and despite EA's policy of every game having it. Starbreeze was looking out for the gaming community and not just their wallets, and they succeeded, they got it by EA with no online pass.
Now EA is going to say well this proves that games wont succeed without online pass, but i bought syndicate, and if you miss the way games used to be you should too.
Besides, being generic doesnt mean being bad, besides deus ex there really isnt much like it anyways.
King Meatball I
Had a feeling this wouldn't get a good score due to EA wanting the reboot as a FPS although on paper, it did have some interesting ideas.
Garbalen
Multiplayer doesn't look bad. I really like the way the bullet interface and the rest of the hud follows your movements and acts like the chip in your head displays it.
Dragon King
Move along nothing to see here back to Mass Effect 3
Maestro
Poor poor Syndicate...what have they done to you?
DaBlaze
Syndicate should have gone the way of XCom and made sure to come with an RTS game along with this FPS reboot so that fans wouldn't be able to get pissed. Instead, the fact that Syndicate was 100% rebooted makes its failure all the more glaring. Atleast I'd admit that the XCOM reboot looks like it would be a little interesting, and if I hate it, I'd have enemy unknown to fall back on!
rvbfan
the original game was a great game . then they tried to made a fps reboot for this series and failed miserable also it was on screwattacks top 10 worst reboots. now thay tried it agein and made a bad fps. so the lesson is DON'T MAKE A GREAT UNIQUE GAME A FPS!!!
xTrogdorx
Oh god, the bloom. Why is there so much bloom?
Janos
What the... why is it rated 9.0/10 on my rating by default? That ain't right.
BadnikBuster
Another edition to the list of forgettable FPSs released since Call of Duty: 4... Main stream gaming should be more than just POV camera angles and crosshairs...
alondite345
well at least there's color.
seniormeld
blurry, blurry color
Black Summer
and multiplayer
SteeLawlor
Oh wow hey look another first person shooter that focused development time more on multiplayer than campaign, it upsets me.
Lipnox88
considering how few of these games exist I dont understand why that is a bad thing.
This year Borderlands and Syndicate are the only games like this ive seen.
Ronok
Sounds like we should all just stick with Deus Ex: HR.
The_SlaY3R
It really looks like a bad Deus Ex:HR rip off if you ask me...
Kransdor
by something better does he mean mass effect 3?
Tom the Iron Man
I approve of this
Well done Jared
Ataeru
Eh, I was hoping for more.
Yashooo
This looks meh :/
pat speed
so nothing speacil
Mr. West
WAIT BRAIN COX IS IN THIS GAIME? HOW WAS I NOT AWARE OF THIS?
suggestive steve
I'll give it a rent.
Payne
average, basic, nothing special, mediocre shooter...sounds like you're talkin about CoD
joeshadowman
Thats what I was thinking about the whole time I watched this video. The only thing that didn't look like CoD was the story. The story just sounded like a dumped down version of Dues Ex.
Lipnox88
and the fact you have special abilities and its 4 player co-op? I played the demo and its exactly average, basic, but 4 player co-op is special and rises it above mediocre shooter, and Jared is right its great til we get something better.
joeshadowman
Human Revolution gave you special abilities and you play as a corporate agent. That's what I meant when I said it reminded me of Dues Ex. I get that it has 4 player co-op but thats the only thing that separates it from DE:HR. Other then that it's an average game, like the CoD series is. It doesn't stand out. Thats the point the other guy was trying to make.
Lipnox88
Cod lacks 4 player co-op which is the only reason anyone would buy this game. The co-op part is the game.
joeshadowman
I get that. If your in to that sort of thing then you would enjoy the game. But even that isn't original. In fact thats the only good thing about it. As a whole the game is only average. That is why people are comparing it to CoD and Deus Ex. Because the core aspect of the game is just that. Average. If the 4 player Co-op is the game then why didn't they focuses on it more. Look no one is saying the game is terrible. They are just saying that there is room for improvement. I get that it was trying its own thing but it is only average. This is the problem this game has, it really doesn't stand out. It's just a typical FPS. It just doesn't really stand out. The 4 player Co-op isn't enough considering the fact you have games like BoarderLand that do the same exact thing but better.
Lipnox88
I think the game prob sucks I just enjoy 4 player co-op I am just saying if u and 3 budies want to play a campaign together this is one of the only options and its not a terrible game like mindjack and games like that. and Borderlands is only 1 game and for me I would rather play more then just 1 game. I agree 6.0 is a great score and a great review for this game, you just cant be too picky and if a rental I see a lot of people having a fun weekend with this one.
joeshadowman
I completely agree with that.
Lloyf
Playing dubstep near me is the same as hacking my brain and selecting suicide.
Samuraispartan7000
You and me both.
Lipnox88
xbox supports custom soundtracks so if a game has music from a genre you dislike you can change it.
They Call Me The Fizz
So this is basically the Shadowrun "remake" all over again
Gaming industry! We hate generic FPS's FAR more than you think we hate RTS's
Lipnox88
shadowrun was human vs human in a cod meets halo game while syndicate is co-op shooter... completely different final products.
Lipnox88
I love 4 player co-op shooters and there are very few of them. RTS games died because they couldn't compete with starcraft so they just gave up.
FrankHaggar
Is it just me that finds it anoying that the score is under the video?
alondite345
yea same. they should make the score part of the video, and people should give their rating in the forums instead.
joeshadowman
I am getting tried of it as well.
Little Crazy Gamer
Yeah, it's kinda like seeing the winner of a game before watching the match. =/
xxAwpxx
Looks like a heavily broken Deus Ex with a Co-Op mode.
Jared, I can easily say it was because of your review on Deus Ex that I looked more into the game and decided to buy it. Now I can say it's because of THIS review that I will most likely keep away from this one.
You have very good reviews that are influential. Keep em coming!
Lipnox88
Jared has become reviews for me now, I dont even watch others as reviews I just see rival sites as gameplay, Jared knows what he's talking about in these reviews.
If you love deus ex and want to play what feels like a tacked on co-op theres syndicate
xGODSNINJAx
Jared can really make a game sound good or bad in his reviews. It pretty impressive
DrCoolGuy
I think it's especially impressive that he can essentially knock the game with words like dull and underwhelming without making me entirely neglect the game. He says bad things without making me think the game is bad... yet.
caboose_-1
He has his own unique way of saying that it's nothing special but not so bad that it's worth ignoring. I think it's more of a "prepare to be underwhelmed" warning for potential players.