Review by:   Colin Edmondson

Game:        Syndicate Wars
Publisher:   Bullfrog
Format:      CD-ROM
Available:   Out now

Requires:
 
O/S:         DOS 6.22+ or Win95
Processor:   486DX2/66+
RAM:         8Mb+ (16Mb recommended)
Graphics:    VESA Compliant SVGA
CD-Rom:      X2
Soundcard:   All major cards supported

Tested on:

O/S:         Windows 95
Processor:   Pentium 200
RAM:         64Mb
Graphics:    Matrox Millennium 4Mb WRAM
CD-ROM:      Quad speed
Soundcard:   Soundblaster AWE 32
Controls:    Mouse

Syndicate Wars

Introduction

What was the original 'Syndicate' like? I have absolutely no idea. One thing's for sure though - you don't need to have any knowledge or experience of it to enjoy Syndicate Wars.

These days '3D' games are taken to mean first person perspective (Doom, Quake, Duke Nukem 3D etc), and whilst Syndicate Wars doesn't follow this format it is very strikingly 'three dimensional'. It's good to see a game which hasn't just followed the herd - it's fair to say nothing like it has been released in recent months; it has a look and feel all of it's own and best of all it achieves a balance of action and strategy which will satisfy the most bloodthirsty gamer but which will also sustain the interest of those who want a more cerebral challenge.

The Game

Set in a futuristic sci-fi world, you take charge of a team of cyborg agents tasked with a variety of missions each set in a different city. The world is controlled by Eurocorp -thanks to chips implanted in every human being, but some street gangs have formed who have broken free of the chip's influence (the 'Unguided') and a rival organisation, 'The Church of the New Epoch', is threatening to challenge the authority of Eurocorp by spreading a computer virus which affects chip implants. You can choose whether your team of agents will work for Eurocorp or The Church of the New Epoch - in multiplayer games (up to 8 players across an IPX network) you can play individually or form alliances. The game's graphics are just superb - it is really evident that an awful lot of time and thought has gone into creating detailed cityscapes and this definitely adds something to the game. You have the option of low or high resolutions according to the speed of your PC. If you can manage it you definitely want high resolution to get the full benefit of the graphics.

Although most of my 'testing' was carried out on a 200Mhz Pentium Pro, I also ran the game on a P100 with quite acceptable results in hi-res mode.

Some (of the many) controls you'll need to master early on are those which change your viewpoint - with many high rise buildings in the cities, your view is easily obscured as you move around. Although there's a 'deep radar' option to make buildings semi-transparent, it's much more effective to constantly rotate and zoom your viewpoint. On the subject of controls, I found there's a fairly steep learning curve to master all of the control keys to change viewpoint, move, select/group/ungroup agents, change weapons etc etc, and since there's no facility to save games during a mission, (you can save between missions however) its all too easy to lose an agent or screw up a mission just by selecting the wrong key at the most critical time. Once mastered though, the complexity and extent of options available add depth to the game.

Carnage is definitely the order of the day in Syndicate Wars - there's enough mindless violence to satisfy a homicidal psychopath. It isn't strictly necessary to indiscriminately mow down innocent passers-by but you can if you want to and its disturbingly satisfying to do so - especially if you have a new weapon to 'test out' before you meet someone who might shoot back. Initially you're restricted to Uzi's but your arsenal is quickly expanded by buying weapons, stealing them from your victims and developing new technology.

With 4 agents at your disposal, it's up to you whether you control and direct them individually or assign one of them as 'leader' and let the others follow - either option has it's merits; you need the combined firepower of the team at times and it can get a bit too 'exciting' at times to try to control the agents individually but some tasks need two or more agents to perform different functions at the same time.

The first few missions are relatively straightforward - although each is different in it's objectives and presents a unique challenge - but a strategic approach is soon called for; here are just a few of the things you need to think about:

Research & Development - provided you have sufficient funds available, you can develop new more powerful weapons or cybernetic modifications which in turn improve firepower, speed and resilience. You can only develop one item at a time and depending on the amount of funding you plough in, it can take a few 'missions' before your new mod or weapon becomes available.

Funds - you'll earn a little by carrying out your mission objectives but not much so it's worth looking out for other sources of income - bank robbing for example.

Weapons - each has its own merits and drawbacks and consequently different weapons are best suited to different circumstances. Some experimentation is called for, but its a good idea to get hold of as many different weapons as possible. The Persuadatron is a special 'weapon' which allows you to persuade civilians,scientists - even police, the 'unguided' and enemy agents to follow your agents.

Health, Stamina & Shields - initially your shields and then your health are depleted every time you are fired at. Both are self repairing, so at times it's necessary to find somewhere quiet to hide and recuperate. Medikits are also needed at times to speed up repair.

Psychotropic Influence - drug your agents to increase aggression or awareness for a short time.

Vehicles - there's plenty of traffic buzzing around most of the city streets - cross the road anywhere other than a designated crossing and you risk getting run over. Unattended vehicles can be commandeered and are useful for getting around. Particularly useful are armoured vehicles which provide additional protection from enemy fire and some firepower of their own. Watch the 'bar' beneath the vehicle though, once it's depleted the vehicle will explode destroying it's contents in the process.

The sound and music in the game also deserve special mention - both background music and 'tension music' (played when your agents are under threat)are individually selectable and very atmospheric.

Try It

Its good to see that the majority of major titles nowadays have free trial versions readily available. Games aren't cheap and there's nothing quite like trying it for yourself to establish whether it's to your taste or not. Syndicate Wars is no exception and there's a demo version downloadable from:

ftp://ftp.idiscover.co.uk/pub/bullfrog/

Be warned though - the download is over 12Mb

Niggles

It's hard to find much wrong with the game. The lack of a save facility in the midst of a mission will probably infuriate some people. It certainly means that a degree of caution is needed - chances of success if an agent is lost are severely diminished on many levels and it can be a bit tiresome going back and starting the same level for the umpteenth time but by and large I think this changes the character of the game and the way you need to approach it, rather than diminishing it in any way.

Conclusion

Brilliant. One of the best releases this year, this game has just about everything; awesome graphics, a good balance of action and strategy, enough variety and complexity to sustain interest and an atmospheric soundtrack. It would be churlish to find fault.

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Rating: 9/10 (Classic - Must Buy!)
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