Syndicate Review

Syndicate is a science fiction game by Starbreeze Studios, released on February 21, 2012 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 platforms.

First released in 1993, Bullfrog’s Syndicate was an isometric onslaught. It was a title that implicitly sanctioned the use of flamethrowers on civilians and revelled in its bleak future vision of corporations that were too big to fail and too corrupt to care.

It is a reboot of the Syndicate series developed by Bullfrog Productions, completely changing the genre from a tactical shooter to an FPS. Syndicate reviews have gone live, and as always get the complete list of many other reviews below the break.

IUP: C+ – Syndicate ultimately is a damn good cooperative game saddled with a weak story campaign. I just hope Starbreeze’s next game — whether a remake or a license or an original story — can be consistently good across all its modes.

The Guardian: 3/5 – those with longer memories may argue that rebooting Syndicate as yet another FPS, complete with identikit hero, is a bit like remaking Citizen Kane as a rom-com starring Adam Sandler. For all its multiplayer merits, I’m afraid I’m with the Luddites on this one.

Giant Bomb: 5/5 – The campaign gives you a great look at an interesting world, though its abrupt, too-clean ending feels out of place. It’s a somewhat disappointing reward for an otherwise exciting adventure that puts a terrific and fun spin on first-person shooting.

OXM UK: 6 – It’s unfair to slate Syndicate for being a shooter rather than an action RPG, and if it were a better shooter, we’d give it due credit.

Destructoid: 6.5 – It is a game you will never need to play, but you won’t feel like you wasted your life if you do. It’s a videogame about guns that pretends to be something deeper while striving for nothing more.

Videogamer: 7 – Syndicate’s callous world of corporate dominance feels more pressing than ever in 2012, but Starbreeze lacks the confidence to execute on this chilling vision of the future.

Eurogamer: 7/10 – If Starbreeze had snubbed convention and made a strategic co-op shooter with a global reach, it could have been amazing. As it is, it’s the sort of almost-there effort that entertains for now but will likely be forgotten by Christmas. Pick it up for the highly enjoyable co-op, but just don’t expect it to outlast its FPS rivals.

IGN: 7.5 – Syndicate hints at a fantastic puzzle meta-game, but relies on bullets flying to get through every level. Where the story walks a familiar road, the cooperative campaign’s tough-but-fun arcade action makes up for the missteps.