Syphon Filter PS One Classic

The most I got from Syphon Filter was a hit of nostalgia, having rented the game often as a kid--it hasn't aged well. A third-person shooter, the story is typical spy stuff told through wooden voice acting and mediocre cutscenes. The controls are dated but reasonable, saved by the game's effective auto-aim targeting function, and gunplay is fun at times.

It's the game's structure that lets it down so severely. Objectives are cryptic and direction is so absolutely lacking that you'll routinely spend forever searching areas for somewhere to go, only to find that, for example, there's an elevator hidden in an unmarked and pitch-black corner. Syphon Filter is intent on hindering your progress at every turn, going against its own urgent narrative, and the lack of save points can mean you'll be playing for up to an hour or so with no respite.