Syndicate Xbox 360

Syndicate is the revamped edition of the original Syndicate series from 1993, both of them brought to you by Bulldog Productions. As opposed to its predecessor which was a tactical shooter, this is a futuristic first person action shooter that treads heavily in the science fiction genre, and was written by the best selling author Richard Morgan.

It is the year 2069, and the world as we know it is now completely digitally connected due to the neural chip implant the DART, with which all civilians have willingly been “chip'd”. Left with no government, the world has been divided into regions, with corporations known as Syndicates battle for control of the American market and the general population. Three of the main corporations are Eurocorp, Cayman Global, and Aspari; business is war, and each Syndicate is fighting with their own Agents (bio-engineered chip-augmented enforcers). You are Miles Kilo, a prototype Agent for the syndicate Eurocorp, and you are about to start your adventure in this gritty and corrupted sci-fi world.

You have been implanted with DART 6, the weaponised version of the neural chip implant that is given only to Agents. Your mind is now a weapon, as this device enables you to slow down time, see through walls, and breach the digital world with the various upgradeable hacking mechanics that you possess. Using the DnDP (Direct Neural-Disruption Protocol), you can get inside your enemies minds by linking chip to chip through the interface. You can persuade your foe to become your ally, as long as the breach subroute can be sustained through the hacked system, making them attack any enemies within the area and terminating themselves when you're done with them. There is also a backfire attack, which causes your opponent's weapon to backfire on them, wounding them and also leaving them vulnerable to taking double damage for the next three seconds. As you are working for Eurocorp, you will also be harvesting your enemies chip technology for your own personal advancement.

Syndicate also boasts a brilliant co-operative mode that supports up to four players, with its own innovative storyline. As opposed to working for one of the major corporations, your team has formed their own Syndicate, and have set out to try and achieve world dominance for themselves. There are four standard classes to play, each with their own specialised class skills and technical elements, and with all the futuristic weaponry and breach technology you would find in the single player campaign. You and your team mates will also gain perks and kill-powers with every enemy soldier you breach and defeat. As is evident, this futuristic first person shooter offers a wide variety of adrenaline packed action, and is a revolutionary addition to the critically acclaimed arcade franchise. Enjoy. (Cat Emerson)