Syphon Filter

Syphon Filter is a third-person shooter for the PlayStation released in 1999. It is the first game in the Syphon Filter series.

Story
Gabriel Logan and Lian Xing were agents of the Agency, on the trail of wanted international terrorist Erich Rhoemer. Special agent Ellis (a less experienced Agency operative) attempted to infiltrate Rhoemer's narcotics operation in Costa Rica, but he was discovered and executed by ex-KGB agent Mara Aramov on Rhoemer's orders. Rhoemer then ordered his other lieutenant Anton Girdeux, a French terrorist, to burn down the Costa Rican plantation to hide the evidence of their Syphon Filter research.

The scene then shifts back to Washington, D.C. where Edward Benton, the Agency Deputy Director, is giving a report on Logan's mission to Agency Director Thomas Markinson and a shadowy, unnamed figure who says of Logan, "We will wait and see what he can discover." Gabe and Lian then investigate a mysterious viral outbreak in the Himalayas. When the game begins, Erich Rhoemer and his gang have launched an all-out terrorist assault on Washington, D.C., unleashing murder and mayhem on the streets and in the subways of the national capital. Gabe defeats Pavel Kravitch, Rhoemer's communications expert, and temporarily wounds and captures Mara Aramov, but she later escapes. Responding to a bomb situation in D.C. Park, Gabe also kills Rhoemer's bomb triggerman, Jorge Marcos. After a formidable duel with Anton Girdeaux, who wields a flamethrower and wears bulletproof armor, Gabe emerges victorious. Anton burns in his flames as his flamethrower's gas tanks explodes.

Lab results show that Syphon Filter is a deadly next-generation bio-weapon, capable of actually targeting specific ethnic groups while leaving others unharmed. This virus is so powerful that it can be programmed to target any species on the planet. The next scene concerns mysterious pharmaceutical mega-corporation PHARCOM and its CEO and founder, Jonathan Phagan. Behind the scenes at a black tie gala at Phagan's new EXPO Center Museum, Phagan is taken captive by Aramov. Gabe frees him, and he flees, but Aramov, who is captured, eventually escapes Agency custody. Simultaneously, Edward Benton is revealed to be a double-agent and is eliminated by Gabe. Gabe next goes on a reconnaissance/demolition mission to Rhoemer's secret base in Rozovka, Kazakhstan. Gabe succeeds in his mission, but his partner, Lian, is taken captive by Rhoemer. Gabe kills Rhoemer's commander Vladislav Gabrek and destroys Rhoemer's attacking Kamov helicopter. It is destroyed in an explosion that Gabe believes to have killed Lian as well.

Gabe next infiltrates Rhoemer's stronghold in Uzhhorod, Ukraine, which is a Gothic cathedral of Western European design. Gabe rescues an alive Lian from Rhoemer's clutches and they escape. They also find Phagan, who is later shot in the head by Aramov. Mara decides to help Gabe and Lian, since she has nowhere else to go.

Gabe then infiltrates the PHARCOM warehouses in remote Almaty, Kazakhstan, where PHARCOM security is battling with Rhoemer's men. Time is running out and Gabe learns that Markinson has been secretly negotiating with Rhoemer to obtain the Syphon Filter weapon for the Agency, while Rhoemer reveals he has captured an old Soviet era ICBM and loaded it with a Syphon Filter viral bomb ready to launch. Rhoemer kills Markinson and sets the launch sequence for the missile. Gabe cannot prevent it from launching, so his only hope is to initiate its self-destruct sequence once it is already in the upper atmosphere. Gabe successfully destroys the missile over Kazakhstan airspace. Rhoemer, furious at Logan's interference, engages him in a final showdown. Despite Rhoemer's special kevlar armor, Gabe is able to kill him and avert World War III.

After the credits finish, a scene plays showing the shadowy figure (from the beginning of the game that had been talking to Markinson) holding a sample of Syphon Filter inside of the Agency's headquarters with Aramov, who is laughing.

Reception
IGN ranked the game #19 on their list of the "Top 25 Games of All Time" for the first PlayStation console. 

Reviews

 * GameSpot: 9.0
 * IGN: 9.5
 * Electronic Gaming Monthly: 7.62 out of 10
 * Official PlayStation Magazine: 4 out of 5

Trivia

 * In this game, Lian Xing is American Born in San Francisco CA. In Syphon Filter 2, it's revealed that she is from Kashi, China.
 * The Anton Girdeaux confrontation is inspired by Lethal Weapon 4 where Martin Riggs kills a lunatic armed with a flamethrower by firing at his fuel valve.