Syphon Filter 3

As the PS2 era was beginning in 2001 989 Studios sent out one more Syphon Filter to wrap up the story and complete the trilogy. The only problem was where the 2nd game was clearly left as a "to be continued" there was sadly not much left to be said outside of taking down big bads Vince Hadden and Mara Aramov.
The result is a somewhat rushed 3rd entry filled with flashbacks and diversions, the main story takes place in a conference room with the main characters pleading their case against allegations of treason and terrorism. Quite humorously while one character is giving their statement the other is in a different country killing people and eradicating the rest of the Syphon Filter virus, then they come back and tag the other person to carry on, I remember thinking they were also flashbacks as a kid because I didn't bother reading the mission briefings.
Gameplay remains unchanged which isn't a bad thing as the formula is still fun, there's some new weapons like a rifle that shoots through walls and the FALCON handgun which packs the power of a shotgun. The levels are pretty brief compared to the previous entries with your standard range of demolition, assassination and stealth missions.
Graphically there were minor changes, the characters now have faces which works better for some than for others (Teresa looks psychotic), and cutscenes now feature mouth movement and actual hands! Gabe is wearing a different outfit in every level which was also a nice touch after spending the previous 2 years in the same grey getup.
Overall SF3 doesn't have the story to back up the gameplay but it still offers the fun action of previous entries and is worth playing on ps+ if you have a subscription.

I liked this one for its more straightforward, less trial-and-error based approach. Most objectives are simplified and gameplay feels more run-and-gun. Still, with the same aging engine and design as its mediocre predecessors, Syphon Filter 3 brings nothing new to the table and would've been feeling rather clunky by 2001.