The biggest mistake you'll make is to think that
Syphon Filter: Combat Ops is intended as a new installment in the series. This is a scaled back online battle game that includes a neat editor of sorts. That is all it intends to be, so you won't find mission briefings, cut scenes, or character development. This is all about getting into a multiplayer fracas and tearing it up with a friend or seven. The "other kid on the block" at this point is obviously
Metal Gear Solid and its
Portable Ops Plus. The differences between these two are many but the foresight award must go to
Syphon Filter: Combat Ops. For one, this is a download title. Gamers already on the PLAYSTATION Network can use their ID in the Store to purchase and download a copy of
Syphon Filter: Combat Ops for only ten clams. That's $10, for the non-clam spenders out there. Accessing the game via PC and transferring it to your PSP means that you don't actually need a PS3 to play
Syphon Filter: Combat Ops. The fact that this is a download-only title marries up with how you'll play the game. The majority of the time you'll be connected through Infrastructure Mode in multiplayer as opposed to slogging through single-player missions. There are no single-player missions, actually. Think of
Syphon Filter: Combat Ops like the topless, sporty version of the
Metal Gear Solid sport-coupe. Shedding most of the single-player comforts for a lean and mean multiplayer experience was the right move for
Combat Ops. The other great aspect unique to
Combat Ops is the ability to change the parameters of missions and upload them to the 'Net for other players. This takes the replay value into the stratosphere, even if the depth of customization available is still somewhat limited. It includes a rating system for user-generated levels that will give already competitive gamers more to love.
Mission Modifier Mode allows you to work from a mostly blank slate. You can also further customize something that was created by another player or by Sony. When we say "blank slate" we mean that there are four slates available with some level of customization, the Fortress, Village, Aerospace, and Ruins. It's not quite fair to say there are only four maps, since each area is then broken down into a handful of different configurations. You'll assign teams to the level and customize your combatants from a list that is wider than it initially appears; most of the good stuff only appears after your ranking increases. Little touches, such as the ability to rename teams or provide a short text intro to your custom level to set the scene, are what make the Mission Modifier great. The customization continues when you have the option to select what overall style of play should happen in your level. The options are the same as in the online multiplayer. You can build a Deathmatch or Team Deathmatch level, or give players goals for Retrieval or Sabotage of an item. The Rogue Agent option mentioned above is cool because it combines the style of play in Retrieval with the typical Deathmatch. The character that grabs Rogue Agent status suddenly gains the ability to take out all the other players and gets points as long as he remains Rogue Agent. Not being Rogue Agent sucks, basically.
The multiplayer through Infrastructure or Ad Hoc is basically a live version of what you spend time building offline. The official or downloaded missions are available for play and with just a few customizations you are off to the races, provided you have one or two or seven friends around. The Infrastructure Mode play requires your password and login to the PLAYSTATION network, since you are playing for points and ranking. Once in the main lobby, you can view all the official mission types in each category along with the user-created missions that have been uploaded. You can also scan the leaderboard and look at player profiles. The lobby is pretty full-featured with the option to send messages to other players, scan their past performance and any of their favorite missions. You can invite them as friends or send messages to them before or after play. The message boards are filled with inane chatter that won't appeal to anyone over the age of ten. So you're left with a lot of running, hiding, shooting, sniping, respawning, and other pleasures of online play with which we are all well acquainted. The x-factor is the fact that each mission may have some slight twist, thanks to Mission Modifier. The Achilles' Heel of Combat Ops will be how much content makes its way to Sony's servers and how many players participate. As these numbers go, so goes the success of the game.
