Syndicate Plus™

Very brutal game, great fun and brilliantly executed by Bullfrog, which by then had become a by-word for "quality releases". Can't wait to play it again! Yes a lot of people will have remembered playing this on a 386 or 486 but the Amiga version was first. And actually a lot of tricks had to be used to to make it look like more than 16 colours were used (just 16!) in "dithered" modes for the higher resolution on the PC version. Just goes to show how what a poor spec creature a "PC" was back then... Not any more, how times have changed ;-)

Firstly, I just want to say thank you for GOG for listing this 1992 game in 2024 and allowing me to relive my youth. It was a fiver, a bit steep for a DOS game that's 32 years old lol! (if your having problems with graphic settings scroll to end of this review). But its ok, at least I don't need to relearn DOS commands to play it, so I can live with that. The question is, is it still worth it in 2024 the answer is -yes! I cant believe this Cyberpunk RTS squad based game has held my attention longer than some recent triple A games. I'm only 5 missions in and loving building up my squad with bionic upgrades and weapons and it even has a research function. Yes both the menus and in game controls show their age and are clunky, but wow the intro and the game itself are way ahead of its time. So, why do you ask I haven't given it 5 stars, well, its not the game itself, but GOG if you're going to host a DOS game on your platform it should some preconfigured. What I mean is this game runs on the freeware DOSBOX (included in the install folder), but I had to access the GOG settings (Additional Executables / Graphic Mode Setup) to play around with the DOSBOX graphics options for about 30 mins before I could play it. The resolution is limited to 1920x1080 in the DOSBOX wizard (I'll include optimum Win settings below), and I had to downsize my screen resolution so I wasn't playing on a tiny Gameboy screen. Even now the graphic settings aren't ideal, I have to play in windowed, as Fullscreen will skew to the left and not centre on the screen. If you are going to sell a game like this you should enable it to launch in full screen scaled and thoroughly test it. You should also have a message before launching to configure the graphics and have HD resolutions in there. Optimal settings for Windows: firstly reduce screen your monitor resolution to 1920x1080, then in the GOG Settings as above to: Basic settings: DDraw, uncheck fullscreen / Advanced Settings: untick Keep Aspect Ratio,

A lot of these "reviews" are nothing more than nostalgia trips. I just recently finished the GOG version of the game, so I will add my two cents. It is buggy. Every time I went to play the game, I first had to load the graphics program that came with it. I then made sure it was in Direct 3D mode. Afterwards, I would load the game from within the program. That was the easiest way to get it working. Also, true to the classic, certain levels are annoyingly bugged. Sometimes they work. Oftentimes they don't. When they don't, you have to reboot the level and earn your way back to that point to try again. With that out of the way, this really is a wonderful game. I originally played it on the 3DO. The game was just as fun this time as it was years ago. I can't say how much of that is nostalgia influenced enjoyment, but I know I enjoyed the game immensely. It would be a five star if not for the bugs. I can't give a five star rating to a game this buggy, though. The combat is pleasing. The missions have just enough variety to stay entertaining. I dislike how it seems to be necessary to rush to the mini-gun before researching anything else, but that is a minor complaint. It is a bit simplistic, but given it is 19 years old, I think that is forgivable. This game is the grandfather of the Total War series. If you enjoy those games, you will probably enjoy this one.

TROLLS! People in here are really good trolls.This game doesn't need EA Origins or any other third party software except dosbox which comes with the game. So quit talking shit about this diamond. DO YOURSELF A FAVOUR. BUY THIS GAME! One of the best things ever happened to gaming industry. Peter Molyneux is a god!

It is difficult for me, firstly, to categorize Syndicate, and secondly, to say what makes it attractive. This is not to say that it is a very intricate tactical strategy - its "turn-based" contemporaries X-Com and the first Jagged Alliance look much more solid in this sense. The simulation aspect of the game also doesn't shine: a sparse technology tree, a simple simulation of city life. It seems that the authors lost their inspiration halfway through, and simply left the game "as is". Even "spiritual successor", Satellite Reign, looks deeper than its predecessor. The interface also adds to the hassle: for example, you can control either all the characters, or a single one. But you can not break our combat four agents into separate links. It also narrows the room for tactical maneuver. The minimap is concentrated on agent, not on camera. Pathfinding is horrible. There is no stealth component in the game: from the very beginning, we have to reflect the waves of advancing opponents, miraculously knowing in advance where to look for us. But, nevertheless, you suddenly get involved into the game, especially if you don’t take it as a strategy, but rather as a lively dynamic arcade action game with elements of tactics (especially in the missions of the add-on, American Revolt). Unlike the strategies I mentioned, Syndicate often forces you to act randomly, improvisationally, by quickly and suddenly attacking enemy using firepower of entire squad. The levels are short and fast, like in arcades, although they become boring over time due to the repetitive design. Buildings can be used as shelters from enemy fire, and through persuadertron, you can turn the local population into your allies and human shields. The game is very atmospheric, due to the texts and graphics - as if you really command a squad of supercyborgs in bleak dystopian future. The levels often feel like small sandboxes where you can do almost what you want. In general quite solid and simply fun action game.