Syphon Filter is a peculiar franchise. The first game was a very decent pastiche of Metal Gear Solid, but subsequent sequels seemed to become increasingly less so, to the point where this fourth title is really make or break for the series. The Omega Strain's big new feature, as with many sequels nowadays, is that the game is now playable online, and rather than being an afterthought or grossly simplified version of the single player mode there's actually an impressive attempt to put the whole game online, where it's playable by up to four people at a time. The only problem is that because the online and offline modes are so similar this actually means that if you know what you're doing, and particularly if you've got microphone headsets to co-ordinate yourselves with, it all becomes rather easy--a fact that a rather intrusive time limit cannot really balance out. But the problem with the online mode isn't really that it's too easy but that the basic gameplay of the single player mode just doesn't cut the mustard anymore. Considering the advances made in Metal Gear Solid 3, the Syphon Filter franchise just seems to be treading water and the rather weak graphics, stodgy controls and generally uninspired level design are rather more typical of Syphon Filter 2 and 3 than the original. The Omega Strain is not a bad game by any means, but apart from the novelty of playing it online it really is difficult to describe it as anything other than average. --David Jenkins

Features:
- Create your characters, with a host of customizable options -- the character you create will be a new recruit training under Logan
- Stop terrorists from destroying a mall, taking out a SWAT team and carrying the injured to safety
- Work through puzzle elements and use strategy to think ahead, when picking up weapons -- the game challenges your mind and your reflexes
- Vast options for cooperative play -- multiple solo missions combined with two-person gameplay
- Online play with nine fantastic multiplayer levels - Lay down cover fire while your teammates go in after the terrorists