PS2

Syphon Filter: The Omega Strain

Syphon Filter: The Omega Strain is a 2004 third-person shooter video game developed and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 2. It is the fourth installment in the Syphon Filter franchise.

Shooter

Time to beat: about 11.3 hours

Overview

The gameplay is a departure from the previous games. Rather than playing as Gabe Logan, the player is given the role of a new recruit working for Gabe's secret anti-terrorist organization, the IPCA. Gabe, however, can still be used in one bonus mission. Players are able to create an original agent using a character customization system. Each mission allows players to select weapons from an overwhelming abundance, including assault rifles, carbines, machine guns, knives, grenades and more.

Following the destruction of the original Syphon Filter virus, Gabriel "Gabe" Logan repurposes the agency as the International Presidential Consulting Agency, serving as a counter-terrorism unit. As Commander-in-Chief, Logan has Lian Xing, Teresa Lipan, Lawrence Mujari, and Dr. Elsa Weissinger serve as his officers.

In a June 2007 interview with GameSpy, franchise veteran John Garvin maintained his attachment to the game, and explained that it was originally not intended to feature a single-player mode. Garvin implied that the ability to play through the campaign alone had been tacked on at the demand of parent company Sony Computer Entertainment, late into the development process, in order to broaden the game's appeal.

Syphon Filter: The Omega Strain received "mixed or average" reviews, on review aggregator Metacritic.