Syndicate: Ready for the Reboot!

Written by Troy Benedict Monday, 20 February 2012 08:20

I'm proud to admit it - I'm an old-school Syndicate fan.  I was fortunate to have played the original game back in the early 90s.

It was an interesting time, at the cusp of advances in technology -- computer technology.  Graphics had gone from 16-color EGA to the 256 colors of VGA, and if you had an advanced enough video card, you could take advantage of the higher-resolution goodness of SVGA (Super VGA).  Not only were the graphics of modern computer games getting better, but the sound was also improving.  Sound cards turned the beeps and boops of the internal computer speaker into "fully orchestrated" music with sound effect and voice overs.

Update: Read Troy's review of Syndicate

There was something about the original Syndicate that I loved -- it was so different from anything that I was playing at the time.  During the 90s I took a break from video game consoles, because I liked the different style games that the computer offered.  When consoles were relying on platformers and more action-oriented games, the PC kept me interested with adventure games from Lucasarts and Sierra, as well as innovative strategy games.  Bullfrog was my favorites with the Dungeon Keeper series as well as Syndicate. 

In Syndicate, you played ruthless agents.  You were given a mission and you could accomplish the goal however you liked -- even if innocent people had to suffer.  The "raw" brutality of the game, being able to persuade innocent people to pick up the weapons of opposing agents or law enforcement who dared to get in your way, to assist you in your dirty work was an awesome concept that wasn't often found in console games.  With consoles, you traditionally played the good guy, like Mario, or Link.  And there was a clear villain that you were to overcome. It was very black and white.

With PC games, you sometimes found yourself in that middle gray area.  Were you the good guy, or were you the bad guy?  With Bullfrog's other game, Dungeon Keeper, you played the villain, protecting your dungeon from the selfish hero-types.  The concept of playing a villain, or putting a spin on the hero vs. villain was a really refreshing point of view change.

When the rumors of a Syndicate reboot began surfacing years ago, I was definitely interested.  And I was even more interested when the rumor became truth and video clips of the game began to surface.  

Some old-school fans hate change, and with a game like Syndicate getting an uplift from an isometric action-strategy game to a first-person shooter, makes them nervous, but for somebody like me, I embrace change.  I'm excited to see what developer Starbreeze has in store.  As much as I love to reminisce about games from my past, I never enjoy them as much as I did during their prime.  I think evolution and innovation is interesting, and it's always good to get a new and different perspective. 

I'm excited to see how a developer in 2012 handles one of my most beloved PC games from the 90s, and I'm even more excited that I'll be giving my impressions of the game in the form of a review for GoozerNation.  Keep your web browser pointed here later in the week to get the opinions of the new Syndicate reboot from a true old-school Syndicate fan. 

Now, if we can only get somebody to pick up the license of the Dungeon Keeper series!  Anybody, anybody?  :)