Boy, that Syndicate sure is a first-person shooter!
That is my initial thought after giving Syndicate's co-op demo a spin. When I say that, I don't mean to imply I'm one of those folk who hate a game just because it's bears the name of an older game in a different genre. I say that because, right now, there's nothing else to say about it.
That really is all Syndicate's demo tells you. You have three loadouts to choose from, with bog-standard weaponry including shotguns, assault rifles and sniper rifles. You can heal and revive your friends, and from there you just ... shoot. You shoot stuff in very grey environments until there's nothing left to shoot, then you move on to the next grey area and shoot more stuff.
The action is fairly typical of the genre. It feels weighty, but rather uninspired. There's a shallow scoring system to provide a hint of competition between players, but there's really nothing you've not seen before. You just trudge forward and shoot at enemies as they wander erratically around the map, occasionally waiting in a checkpoint room to resupply, before trudging forward and shooting some more.
Some players have since been saying they enjoy the tactical element of the game, but I'm not seeing it yet. So far the only "tactical" element is breaching -- one player breaches a target to weaken it, while the others provide support. This contextual command is also used for healing and reviving players. It's a cute little add-on, but it's hardly "tactical."
This is, of course, merely one co-op level, and I'm informed by those who have played more levels that it's one of the weakest. I sincerely hope there's more to it than this, because the sample gameplay isn't exciting. In fact, it reminds me very much of last year's mediocre Codemasters offering, Bodycount. If the demo is indicative of the overall experience, then Syndicate is looking very much like just another forgettable first-person shooter.
I sincerely hope the demo isn't indicative of the overall experience, and that somebody in marketing just made a very poor choice of level.
Contest:
2:00 PM on 01.31.2012
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Bad demos for good games have happened before.
Perhaps the game is deeper than the demo lets on. That's my hope, anyway.
I eagerly anticipate Call of Duty: Facebook edition, once casual titles completely take over. That is all.
It's a mildly amusing distraction, if fairly monotone. I'll play a couple more matches, but I'm not expecting my opinion to change, just to be reinforced.
Also, this:
"I'm informed by those who have played more levels that it's one of the weakest."
always baffles me.
I can't tell if you are being serious or not now...it has to be some kind of joke.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3deFjW5i62E
It looks and sounds far better than what you're describing from the demo. I'm still pretty confident and I'm looking forward to checking it out tonight.
I've still got faith in the Chronicles of Darkness boys.
I will try the demo out but if I think it's horrible and lackluster, I will not be buying because you can't rent games anymore in my town as Blockbuster and 2 Rogers video shut down :( You also can't buy a launch game if the demo is shitty and "hope" the full version is awesome, that is a $67.18 leap of faith.
I hate those bastards so much I dont ever plan on finishing the Mass Effect series because of it. At this point I should just swear an oath to never buy a game they publish ever again but its not like thats gonna stop the bastards from making shallow games that have no vision other than pleasing CoD bros.
Everything about this game sounds like it should be right up my alley but after seeing a few trailers and the preview that Max and Carboni did I just cant get hype.
'Nuff sayd.'
Eat that color brown! A new challenger has entered!
*Other stuff included driving around in cars and blowing up buildings.
What, The Last Guardian probably won't release in 2012? Kill me then.
That's how Shadowrun fans felt and that's probably how Syndicate fans will feel.
Just sledgehammered that nail on its puny little head.
Next year, Crusader.
I still do believe there's more to this game than the poor level choice they chose for the demo.
I'm still excited, the screen shots and videos have made the game look a lot more than just 'gray' like everyone saw in the demo. I'm interested to see where the story goes, and the demo confirmed my one concern, the shooting.
The shooting is solid, the AI is reasonably good, and the guns feel good too. I was playing the co-op mission solo, so I didn't beat it due to difficulty, but I enjoyed what I played. From everything I've seen and heard, the demo isn't an accurate representation of the game.
But this is Jim, what does that nobody know. The guy probably walked 3 steps, shot a few rounds and started typing. Then gave Amy 9/10.
Wow, I suck at thinking today.
Same, my buddy and I are preordering it as of now.
SPEAK OF THE DEVIl