Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror just does not feel like a handheld game, PSP or otherwise. Dark Mirror hit store shelves almost exactly one year after the PSP's launch. We have seen some pretty good titles in that year, (mainly at launch) but nothing like Dark Mirror. I cannot stress enough the fact that this feels like a PS2 game. Scratch that, a good PS2 game.
The Syphon Filter series has seen better days. Syphon Filter and Syphon Filter 2 on the PS1 were hot titles. Syphon filter 3, the last of the series on the PS1, didn't seem to hit those same high notes as the first two. But it was still a fun game. Syphon Filter: The Omega Strain, for the PS2, can only be described as a series let down. Maybe this is why Dark Mirror comes along as such an astonishing revival of the series.
Once again, you are Gabe Logan, handling situations for the U.S. government that are too hot for official business. Stealth is the name of the game, but run-and-gun is peppered for a good balance. You are rewarded for being stealthy, though I suppose you could play the entire game Rambo-style if you wanted to.
This time around you are up against a band of terrorists (again?) who are mysteriously attacking chemical plants. This story is getting old. It has been beat to death. Dark Mirror's only saving grace here is that it is presented in a refreshing manner. And most importantly, the cinematic and flashbacks move the story along very well, and do not disjoint you from playing the game. That, in and of itself, is more than can be said about the majority of games of this ilk.
This "been there, done that" techno-thriller is also accented by excellent voice acting, and a superb musical score composed by none other than The X Files' Mark Snow. Between the pacing of the story and intensity of the score, the suspense stays high all the way through. Video game music is usually relegated to that of a second-class citizen, but that is not the case here.
Your journey starts in Alaska, but takes you to South America, and many places in Europe. Each environment is varied, and the attention to detail shows. Sony Bend has seemingly squeezed every ounce of graphical power out of the PSP. Character models get the same overall sheen, as you can see weapon and cloth detail to a degree not yet seen on this system.
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