Syphon Filter is a 1999 third-person shooter video game developed by Eidetic and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation.

The plot centers on special agents Gabriel "Gabe" Logan and Lian Xing who are tasked by the United States government to apprehend a German international terrorist.

Development on Syphon Filter began with the intention of creating a new "super-spy" genre hybrid that contained elements of stealth-action and puzzle solving.

Despite the initial drawbacks faced, Syphon Filter was met with critical acclaim upon release, with most praise directed at its innovative gameplay and immersive plot.

The top left corner of the screen interface shows the status of Logan's armour, a 'danger-meter' which rises as the player engages enemies through combat, and a target lock.

[2] The game takes place in a variety of locations, including narrow interior streets of Washington D.C. to wide open plains of Kazakhstan.

[1] In 1999, Gabriel Logan and his partner Lian Xing investigate a series of biological outbreaks triggered by international terrorist group Black Baton led by Erich Rhoemer.

When fellow agent Ellis loses contact during a mission in Costa Rica, the top-secret Agency dispatches Gabe and Lian to find him.

At the PharCom Exposition Centre, Gabe shadows Phagan to a meeting with Aramov and Edward Benton, an apparent Agency turncoat who assisted Rhoemer during the Washington D.C. attack.

Markinson gives Gabe a report on the virus called Syphon Filter, a bioweapon that one can program on a genetic level to target specific groups of people.

Using the fighting between Rhoemer's terrorists and Phagan's security personnel to cover his insertion, Gabe descends into a silo and searches for the missile's detonation codes.

Their mission completed, Gabe and Lian call in the U.S. Army Chemical and Biological Defense Command (CBDC) to secure the area.

[3] The popular E3 1997 trailer for Metal Gear Solid disheartened Ham due to striking similarities with the project they were working on, so they decided to offer a "radically different" experience with Syphon Filter.

[4] He was particularly influenced by Rare's successful GoldenEye 007, released for the Nintendo 64 later that year, and implemented the game's mechanics to have a similar feel for a new "super spy" genre.

[5] Despite the initial difficulties with staff and lack of experience, Eidetic produced a prototype which involved a shooting segment in a subway.

The original plot of Syphon Filter was intended as a science-fiction orientated approach and involved a group of kidnapped scientists who were being forced to build a time machine by an unspecified antagonistic organization.

[21] A reviewer from Next Generation praised its unique gameplay and satisfying plot, opining that both contained "some genuinely exciting moments" and labelled it as one of the first quality action games of the year.