Support NeoGAF

[Henry Panic]

With Metal Gears death following several mixed quality releases, Splinter Cell being somewhere far off, and Sony lacking a counterpart to Gears of War for third person shooters, a new Syphon Filter coming out couldn't possibly happen at a better time.

Sony needs a fun action game to break up the cinematic monotony, and Hellen Keller is the series to bring back to do it.

If you look back the games were fast paced shooters that focused on strategy and exploration. You had stealth elements and had to deal with multiple situations using various gadgets.

Right now there isn't a game to fill that void in the AAA space. With Xbox coming out with a new Perfect Dark soon, the FPS counterpart to Syphon Filter, Sony would make a mistake not taking advantage of the lack of action stealth shooters coming out right now.

It never really made sense to me why they stopped authorizing more games in the series in the first place. It wouldn't need as much money to develop like Days Gone either.

 

[Lasha]

I endorse this statement. I replayed the original game recently and still loved it age and all

 

[The Alien]

They probably will need to.

They've been rearing on their laurels and not developing interesting multiplayer since they relied on 3rd party deals (COD). A lot of that is gonna go away.

They gonna need something.

 

[ReBurn]

I'd be ok with this.

 

[Varteras]

Would you do a remake? Reboot? A sequel to the last entry without Gabe Logan?

 

[ChorizoPicozo]

directed by Joakim Mogre

 

[Badlucktroll]

I think Sony should get the rights to Metal Gear and make a young Solid Snake infiltrating Outer Haven and Zanzibarland trilogy

 

[BrutalTruth_]

Socom too.

 

[Killer8]

They should shelve the rumored Uncharted sequel and put the people to work on a Syphon Filter reboot instead. Syphon Filter should be able to fill the shoes of Uncharted, and when you think about it there are many shared mechanics between the two series: shooting, stealth, the rolling, some light platforming.

Tell me you can't imagine the SF2 intro's plane crash, but with the production values of Uncharted 3's desert plane crash:

 

[R6Rider]

 

[Varteras]

They should shelve the rumored Uncharted sequel and put the people to work on a Syphon Filter reboot instead. Syphon Filter should be able to fill the shoes of Uncharted, and when you think about it there are many shared mechanics between the two series: shooting, stealth, the rolling, some light platforming.

Tell me you can't imagine the SF2 intro's plane crash, but with the production values of Uncharted 3's desert plane crash:

I think whoever this team is supposedly working on another Uncharted did it because it's safer. It's more recent. More of the tech is already there with Naughty Dog. People will see "Uncharted" and just buy it. Syphon Filter really doesn't have any of those advantages right now.

That being said, yeah. I would much prefer Syphon Filter over another Uncharted. Stealth action games just aren't being done these days.

 

[KàIRóS]

Yes please and keep the aiming system, don't make it an overly generic modern cover based third person shooter.

 

[CamHostage]

As much as I have love for Syphon Filter...

I worry that it was a thing of it's time which didn't translate to modern games? So much of what I like about SF is old-school PS1.

Nobody wants lock-in shooting anymore (which is a shame imo because it was great in the PS1 games,) and yes the PSPs changed it to stick shooting but no great mechanics were added to make up for the shift. (They did customize play to single-analog control with some lock-on assistance, which was important for PSP and helped bridge the play style.) They became more standard shooters.

Weapons were hilariously unbalanced, which you could get away with then because frying guys endlessly with a taser made Beavis laugh. Now, you kind of want more game to the game. Sniping with the silenced pistol, hip-firing at full-speed run with a shotgun, that stuff works when you don't take it seriously (and I'd like the game that didn't take itself seriously, ) but it'd get laughed at in HD scale.

Then there's the story... which is super-dark and corny in performances, so I'm surprised people are describing it here as "fun"? I mean, the title "Syphon Filter" refers to a race-eradicating virus bomb, did we forget after 5 more games? Maybe all that crunchy voice acting made some of us skip through the details a few times. Regardless, storytelling was bleak and dry and convoluted, in contrast to the fast-paced and thrilling abs sometimes funny gameplay. SF always tried real hard to be serious instead of some fun James Bond espionage adventure.



(Joe has a couple videos on SF and does a good job pointing out things that were great about Syphon Filter, some of which support my assessment and some of which make me want to reconsider calling the franchise exhausted.)

I'd be happy to play the game some of you are describing, a fast-paced, gadget-filled, stealth-action spy thriller. I'd even be happy if that was made by Bend Studio, as I like them a lot and don't want them to continue the dark dark route of Days Gone. However, i have a tough time thinking why that has to be or should be made under the name "Syphon Filter". Gabe's dead, the mission is long over, the money really never added up, and a fresh start would be fine.

 

[Gamerguy84]

I'd play it. They have so many games in the vault they could break out. They need to start to drip feed them to us.

 

[Rival]

Right after Legend of Dragoon.

 

[Tal Shiar Agent]

They've been adding a Syphon Filter game to PS+ Premium like every other month so maybe they are building to something.

 

[Henry Panic]

As much as I have love for Syphon Filter...

I worry that it was a thing if it's time which didn't translate to modern games? So much of what I like about SF is old-school PS1.

Nobody wants lock-in shooting anymore (which is a shame imo because it was great in the PS1 games,) and yes the PSPs changed it to stick shooting but no great mechanics were added to make up for the shift (aside from fitting single-analog control), they became more standard shooters.

Weapons were hilariously unbalanced, which you could get away with then because frying guys endlessly with a taser made Beavis laugh. Now, you kind of want more game to the game. Sniping with the silenced pistol, hip-firing at full-speed run with a shotgun, that stuff works when you don't take it seriously (and I'd like the game that didn't take itself seriously, ) but it'd get laughed at in HD scale.

Then there's the story... which is super-dark and corny in performances, so I'm surprised people are describing it here as "fun"? I mean, the title "Syphon Filter" refers to a race-eradicating virus bomb, did we forget after 5 more games? Maybe all that crunchy voice acting made some of us skip through the details a few times, but regardless, SF always tried real hard to be serious instead of some fun James Bond espionage adventure.


(Joe has a couple videos on SF and does a good job pointing out things that were great about Syphon Filter, some of which support my assessment and some of which make me want to reconsider calling the franchise exhausted.)

I'd be happy to play the game some of you are describing, a fast-paced, gadget-filled, stealth-action spy thriller. I'd even be happy if that was made by Bend Studio, as I like them a lot and don't want them to continue the dark dark route of Days Gone. However, i have a tough time thinking why that has to be or should be made under the name "Syphon Filter". Gabe's dead, the mission is long over, the money really never added up, and a fresh start would be fine.

You could make this same argument after Metal Gear Solid, and we still got 700 more games and story retcons.

 

[Robbinhood]

Hell ya brother.

 

[bitbydeath]

Hopefully they continue it after the events of Days Gone. The O’Brien part is very Resistance:FOM.

 

[CamHostage]

You could make this same argument after Metal Gear Solid, and we still got 700 more games and story retcons.

No, Metal Gear always evolved, and was clear of its intentions from the beginning.

Syphon had one miracle game, and ever since had either been copying or straying away from that success story. People have virtually no memory of its multi-player attempts; they gave it no chance when it tried to evolve with new lead characters and co-op mechanics with Omega Strain; they liked it as a PSP game series but mostly because it was portable, it would not have survived as a PS3 game (and even on PSP, again, it tried for online but Combat Ops didn't do much. )

Sales of Syphon Filter were always a reason why Bend Studio held as a B-team, and although I think they thrived in that arena (Dark Mirror and Resistance Retribution and Uncharted Golden Abyss all good,) they might have been doing stuff like Days Gone way earlier. It hurts to say it, but it may be for the best that they moved on.

I'd be happy as I've ever been to be proven wrong by a new Syphon Filter that worked and innovated and succeeded, but...
I see a brighter future in a game influenced by SF yet unencumbered from its lineage. Some designer should play Syphon, realize why it's good, and then make a new game series in its honor.

 

[JimmyRustler]

I'd love that, however I'm not sure if they could make it work. Mission based 8-12 hour games are dead and I cannot see this series working as modern AAA game (aka Open or Semi-Open World, sidequests etc.). I'm afraid the series is dead. Just happy here that they are re-releasing all the PSP games now on PS5 so I can finally play them.

 

[april6e]

I never played these games. They looked like a Metal Gear Solid clone.

Were they actually good games and worth a reboot or is this just a few fans who want an obscure, mediocre cult franchise revived similar to how MediEvil was? There are so many games I would rather see rebooted instead from PS1/PS2.

 

[Yoboman]

With Metal Gears death following several mixed quality releases, Splinter Cell being somewhere far off, and Sony lacking a counterpart to Gears of War for third person shooters, a new Syphon Filter coming out couldn't possibly happen at a better time.

Sony needs a fun action game to break up the cinematic monotony, and Hellen Keller is the series to bring back to do it.

If you look back the games were fast paced shooters that focused on strategy and exploration. You had stealth elements and had to deal with multiple situations using various gadgets.

Right now there isn't a game to fill that void in the AAA space. With Xbox coming out with a new Perfect Dark soon, the FPS counterpart to Syphon Filter, Sony would make a mistake not taking advantage of the lack of action stealth shooters coming out right now.

It never really made sense to me why they stopped authorizing more games in the series in the first place. It wouldn't need as much money to develop like Days Gone either.

 

[SpokkX]

they HAVE been pushing out every old Syphon filter on ps+ extra... I would love a new game in the series using the tech from Days Gone

 

[Mibu no ookami]

If ever there was a transmedia opportunity it would be Syphon Filter.

Obviously, you get the right actor and director involved and you have a ton of potential for franchise film. Maybe you have a Jake Gyllenhaal redemption story here.

You look at what Robert Pattison has done with The Batman and Tenet after Twilight. He'd also be a good option.

Jamie Bell is another I'd consider for the role.

 

[StealthGoblin]

With Metal Gear and Splinter Cell being benched or not getting new releases, I definitely think there is room for a story-based spy and action thriller on PlayStation.

It would fit Sony’s SP sensibilities nicely and would play to a lot of strengths.

 

[Loomy]

Would you do a remake? Reboot? A sequel to the last entry without Gabe Logan?

I don't know if they're even planning on doing this, but it should definitely not be a sequel. Most people have no idea who those characters are or what they were up to.

I think a reboot would work best here. A remake would feel very dated because a lot of the themes and plot points in those games are so close to our world today, but just dated enough to be noticeable.

 

[Team Andromeda]

I loved the series. I really like to see it make a come back along with Splinter Cell

 

[KungFucius]

They should shelve the rumored Uncharted sequel and put the people to work on a Syphon Filter reboot instead. Syphon Filter should be able to fill the shoes of Uncharted, and when you think about it there are many shared mechanics between the two series: shooting, stealth, the rolling, some light platforming.

Tell me you can't imagine the SF2 intro's plane crash, but with the production values of Uncharted 3's desert plane crash:

They should just make a follow up game to resurrect this franchise because it would fit well with their offerings, not stop working on a follow up to an established current franchise that is now also a movie franchise. Nobody in their right mind would approve the tradeoff you are suggesting, but as an option to assign resources not yet committed, Syphon Filter, or any game that is a spy/special ops thriller would be great. We don't really have anything like this any more. I think there is an appetite for it.

 

[custardbun01]

Agree. They should. But at this point they just need something that isn’t the current crop of their major franchises. They’re stale to me. Ghost of Tsushima was the last enjoyable new entry, which was awesome, but they need to give us more newness.

 

[RagnarokIV]

Crap series. Absolute garbage.

Much prefer something like Headhunter get a new chance. At least with the Verhoeven-esque satire it has something to work with today.

 

[VulcanRaven]

I agree and they should bring back the original voice actor for Gabe Logan.

Theme music was great:

 

[Unknown?]

I'd love a fast paced run 'n gun spy action game with stealth sprinkled here and there.

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

Why do y'all want to go back to the past so much?

Sony should make modern, forward facing games. Revisiting dead formulas is boring. We got enough Syphon Filter 25 years ago. Move on.

 

[EverydayBeast]

Everything is basically on the table for Sony even with the value of franchise like last of us going up.

 

[T0minator]

With all the Syphon Filters releasing often PS Plus there's definitely something brewing at Bend Studios that may relate to this series making a return.

It at least something similar, we need a great stealth/action high tech gadget adventure on modern consoles. Creating a new IP in this style would be just as great

 

[Henry Panic]

No, Metal Gear always evolved, and was clear of its intentions from the beginning.

Syphon had one miracle game, and ever since had either been copying or straying away from that success story. People have virtually no memory of its multi-player attempts; they gave it no chance when it tried to evolve with Onega Strain; they liked it as a PSP game series but mostly because it was portable, it would not have survived as a PS3 game (and even on PSP, again, it tried for online but Combat Ops didn't do much. )

Sales of Syphon Filter were always a reason why Bend Studio held as a B-team, and although I think they thrived in that arena (Dark Mirror and Resistance Retribution and Uncharted Golden Abyss all good,) they might have been doing stuff like Days Gone way earlier. It hurts to say it, but it may be for the best that they moved on.

I'd be happy as I've ever been to be proven wrong by a new Syphon Filter that worked and innovated and succeeded, but...
I see a brighter future in a game influenced by SF yet unencumbered from its lineage. Some designer should play Syphon, realize why it's good, and then make a new game series in its honor.

No, everything you said applied to MGS.

The reason why Bend was the B team is because Sony never gave them an A team budget. Not for the reasons you imply.

I would say there has never been a AAA Syphon a filter. I think that Sony should give it a try.

 

[Honey Bunny]

The name is pretty meaningless now lol, might as well bring back jumping flash

 

[twinspectre]

I support this message, but they don't need to make it "sissy".
I would also love to see Socom (just like the original ones), Twisted Metal with more characters and not like 2012, and also Drawn to Death (I was great with that game).

 

[Henry Panic]

I don't know if they're even planning on doing this, but it should definitely not be a sequel. Most people have no idea who those characters are or what they were up to.

I think a reboot would work best here. A remake would feel very dated because a lot of the themes and plot points in those games are so close to our world today, but just dated enough to be noticeable.

Reboot that's a AAA remake of the first game with some modern changes would do great for restablishing the cast and gameplay to a new audience.

At first I though you edited that in as a joke.

Then I checked the OP...

 

[CamHostage]

The reason why Bend was the B team is because Sony never gave them an A team budget. Not for the reasons you imply.

I would say there has never been a AAA Syphon a filter. I think that Sony should give it a try.

...Because of sales, among other reasons. SF1 moved 2M units in the US; every SF after was significantly less.

But look — what you want is a fast-paced espionage stealth-action thriller with cool gadgets and complex combat scenarios, right?

So, they should make that game.

Make that game and don't call it Syphon Filter. Don't make Gabe Logan the star of it. Don't tie it to 6 games of backstory dating back 25 years that even fans would struggle to remember or describe. Don't use voice actors who were laughed at back in 1999. (They replaced John Chacon with James Arnold Taylor in the PSP games but otherwise didn't complicate the character much.) Don't name it after the ethnic-cleansing bioweapon which gets dropped from the saga for the final 2 games. Don't assume the innovative lock-on control is meaningless in this dual-analog era and can be replaced with standard TPS control. Don't use the name "Syphon Filter" to make a game that isn't Syphon Filter. Don't try to make the Syphon Filter brand work or cash in on nostalgia when its best days were two decades ago, that subsequent games struggled to improve the formula, that ideas are slim of how to evolve the game for modern times. Unless there's absolutely good reason beyond, "Hey, I remember that Syphon Filter game...", don't go back into those archives.

Just make a good new game.

 

[Henry Panic]

...Because of sales, among other reasons. SF1 moved 2M units in the US; every SF after was significantly less.

Sony has given the AAA treatment to several games that didn't sell many units.

This would be one of the least risky games they can makem you're making it appear that SF is in a unique situation other games haven't been in that over the last 10 years have become bigger than ever.

Make that game and don't call it Syphon Filter. Don't make Gabe Logan the star of it. Don't tie it to 6 games of backstory dating back 25 years that even fans would struggle to remember or describe. Don't use the name "Syphon Filter" to make a game that isn't Syphon Filter. Don't try to make the Syphon Filter brand work or cash in on nostalgia when its best days were two decades ago, that subsequent games struggled to improve the formula, that ideas are slim of how to evolve the game for modern times. Unless there's absolutely good reason beyond, "Hey, I remember that Syphon Filter game...", don't go back into those archives.

I don't get why the rules are different for SF when we have seen many well produced remakes and reboots sell for other brands.

What's different about Syphon Filter that makes you so strongly resistant to it receiving the same treatment?

It's not very risky, if it works out then you have a revived franchise to add to Sonys tentpole ip. If it doesn't, then they move on.

 

[CamHostage]

The name is pretty meaningless now lol, might as well bring back jumping flash

Eh, Jumping Flash makes some sense. Nothing looks or plays like Jumping Flash... maybe for good reason, but still, you might be able to find an indie developer who could take that "jumping-FPS in a surreal carnival world" idea and have some fun with it, if the price was right.

(Unfortunately, the idea of Sony sublicensing its old brands to smaller/start-up developers for downloadable indie-scale games seems to have lived and died with the 2016 Shadow of the Beast reimagining. Would have been nice if that had been the start of a slew of indie PS revivals, but all we got was SotB and the misbegotten Medievil remake and for some reason another Hardware.)

 

[CamHostage]

Sony has given the AAA treatment to several games that didn't sell many units.

...Such as?

I don't get why the rules are different for SF when we have seen many well produced remakes and reboots sell for other brands.

What's different about Syphon Filter that makes you so strongly resistant to it receiving the same treatment?

It's not very risky, if it works out then you have a revived franchise to add to Sonys tentpole ip. If it doesn't, then they move on.

Hey, I don't want to pop your bubble if you're comfortable in there. Sure, a "AAA" game production that is somehow "not very risky", imagine that and it's a big hit and it reestablishes Syphon Filter as a premier brand, that sounds great...

But you started a thread for conversation, and I'm being realistic here. The sales aren't there. The fanbase isn't there. The evolution of the franchise leading into something new isn't there. The drive at the development team isn't there. I want to be there with you

SF was originally built upon a cool lock-on aiming system which has since become out of vogue and was diluted in various followups, so that part of it is out. It was built on an international conspiracy cabal scenario so complicated that nobody follows the storyline, so that's out. The directional level layout and specific guard pattern AI (SF2 is the one with that double-headshot task, right? dang, that was something,) wouldn't translate to open-world AAA game design or most other modern gameplay approaches, so that's out. Kids liked it in the early-00s because you could just stand there and fry a guy from 5 yards away with the Air Taser but it was absurdly op and by the PSP games it was phased out, so that's out. The weapon "Syphon Filter" itself was ditched 2 games ago and the name only sticks because they've got a Metroid/Tomb Raider conundrum where they didn't pivot the brand in time to change it, so that's... out? The lead character was killed off, so he's out. Now, what have you got left? Guns and spies and goggles and maybe a zipline, plus a lack of competing espionage games? Great, make a new game based on those elements.

You yourself said, "It never really made sense to me why they stopped authorizing more games in the series in the first place," and it would help to learn why if you're going to talk about this series. The reason why isn't because Sony didn't want any more games in the series (Sony actually did want more, although quarter-mil sales on recent entries are not their favorite metric.) it's because the development team itself was tired of the franchise and the status it left them in. They killed Gabe. They don't want to make more Syphon Filter. Let them move on. And don't put a new studio on the brand unless there's a great reason and drive to do so.

 

[SyberWolf]

next/current gen reboot would be great, just imagine gabe tasing someone to death in current gen graphics.

 

[stn]

Would be great, I'd be on board. Never played Syphon Filter but I dig the premise.

 

[93xfan]

Sony needs a fun action game to break up the cinematic monotony, and Hellen Keller is the series to bring back to do it.

This needs its own thread

 

[rofif]

The whole point of syphon filter was running animation, 3d graphics on ps1 and taser.
hard to make a game about that now

 

[CamHostage]

This needs its own thread

 

[Gp1]

Yes please and keep the aiming system, don't make it an overly generic modern cover based third person shooter.

I believe there is a cover system in the PSP/PS2 games.