I should be clear from the start that I haven’t finished Deus Ex: Human Revolution. I’ve logged in about five hours or so and really enjoy it. But based on a brief demo I played recently, Syndicate appears to be a faster, and more action-oriented take on Deus Ex’s futuristic concept (the whole power of human augmentation and darker side of corporate rivalry thing). Sure, you could play Deus Ex as a shooter but slow, methodical pacing feels integral for success. Syndicate sits on the opposite end of that spectrum: It’s much more linear and bloody, but it features some interesting twists and mechanics for an FPS. I guess I shouldn’t be that surprised at its quality or quirks, given it’s a game made by Starbreeze.
Yes, that Starbreeze — a studio that’s built a reputation for building distinct first-person experiences. The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay firmly planted them on the map, and provided a memorable and stealthy first-person shooter hybrid along with industry leading tech at the time. Their next project, The Darkness probably wasn’t as impressive from a technical perspective, but it still made controlling guns, minions, and other dark powers enjoyable. Arguably, the Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Athena remake was Starbreeze at their lowest. And while it certainly wasn’t as memorable as the dark and gritty escape from Butcher Bay, it still managed its share of interesting moments.
