Hydrophobia: Prophecy – Wet wet wet

In Hydrophobia: Prophecy, the world as we know it is just a shadow of what once was. In this futuristic dystopian tale of blasting end-of-days cultists, you will be jumping, swimming and diving in ice-cold seawater all day long. Hydrophobia: Prophecy‘s water physics is very impressive, and still not surpassed to this day, thirteen years later. However, physics alone does not make a game, so let’s find out if this semi-forgotten title is worth playing in 2024.

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Syphon Filter: Logan’s Shadow – Spetsnaz Fun

Hope is eternal, so with that, I had to try Syphon Filter: Logan’s Shadow, the final game in the franchise. I can say right off the bat that it’s better than Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror. However, most of my complaints remain, as little have been made to improve the stealth. I understand that the series had never been known for its stealth, but why even include the ability of skulking around if you are not going to do anything with that? The whole thing feels baffling to me. I had no issues running it on the PlayStation 2 emulator PCSX2. Syphon Filter: Logan’s Shadow actually supports native widescreen in the options, so that might be the only thing you have to change in the settings, depending on what kind of options you run with.

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Forgotten but Unbroken – The Revenge of Martin

World War II is always a great setting for turn-based tactical games. There have been a couple over the years, like the always excellent Silent Storm series. One thing this game got over Silent Storm, beyond just being a turn-based tactical game in a similar vein, is that Forgotten but Unbroken incorporates X-com-like base management and survival mechanics in the form of collecting resources. Sounds like a potentially intriguing game, in a backdrop that certainly fits that kind of gameplay. So, does it succeed?

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Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror – CIA Hit Squad

If there is one game with squandered potential, Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror would be it. At least, it is for me. I can see others enjoying it for what it is. But man, if it didn’t shatter my hope and dreams for something Splinter Cell-like that I haven’t played before. Now, Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror is not a one-off game. It’s part of a larger franchise with several games under the belt for the PlayStation One. I never played any of these games, so this was my first taste of Syphon Filter. What I was wishing, and believing the game was about, was totally wrong. I expected clandestine backstabbing stealth, but what I got instead was a CIA state sanctioned murder spree.

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Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising – Red Island Menace

Soldier, strap on your boots and load your rifle. The commies are looking for a fight! And this time, it’s not the North Koreans. Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising is a really weird game. It’s a continuation of the classic Operation Flashpoint franchise, but now with Bohemia Interactive out of the picture. So, Codemasters decided to make their own version. The game has a slight schizophrenic feel to it, as it at times does feel like OPF of old. The engine used, and the scale and sandbox freedom is almost a carbon copy. In some places it’s improved upon, and works even better than Bohemia’s Arma series. For example, having units clearing buildings and shooting from windows. What makes it an oddity, is the console focus, and above all, the mission design.

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