ID:36991
 
I was re-ordering my games in their DVD rack last night so I could squeeze Mass Effect and it's pre-order disc in (I might write something up on that later) and a strange thing happened. I looked at the cover of Battalion Wars and it suddenly hit me that Battalion Wars plays, roughly, like a new Syndicate game should.

Ok. Now I realize that this sounds wrong. Syndicate's previous engines still 'works' in todays market. Third-person action based aimed shots are pretty far from the RTS style command driven system you'd expect in a Syndicate game.
Changing those things could easily be seen as an attempt to sell out.

At this point I sort of need to explain one of the key reasons I love Metroid Prime. It does more than just take the series into 3D. It makes a modern title out of a classic series. I think that's exactly what a Battalion Wars-like engine would do for Syndicate.

The other key reason behind this being 'the perfect move' is that if memory serves me correctly EA brought Bullfrog. With this sort of change it would be possible to please fans of the series while still bringing it out of cult classic status.
As a more traditional RTS you couldn't justify reviving the series. It would be a PC only game and it would probably be met with poor sales. With this model it could run on Wii, PS3, XBOX 360 and PC. I'm not going to say that it'll sell through the roof, but with the new engine I think it could be a relatively easy sale.


Oh yeah, any Syndicate fans out there should probably check out http://freesynd.sourceforge.net/ss.php. It seems to be kicking in and out. It's open source so if you've got the skills get in there and help.
It's worth checking out just for the name. FreeSynd. Heh.


For those that don't know, Syndicate and the sequel Syndicate Wars, were two real-time strategy games where instead of commanding an army you controlled four 'Agents' in a Grand Theft Auto style open city (pre-dates GTA, but yeah). The game wasn't 'freeroaming', however the missions were. You had objectives and you could choose how you'd achieve them.
At the end of each level you got tax money which you could use to upgrade your Agents and their weapons. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention, Agents were pretty much Terminators.
Unlike a lot of games at the time Syndicate (and particularly Syndicate Wars) were not just violent they were dark. The background of the world reads like the ranting of a paranoid mental patient. Microchips implanted in the civilian population, brainwashing, evil corporations, the lot. It's deep and the ideas are frightening.
One aspect which didn't really stand out at the time but is quite remarkable in retrospect is that killing civilians didn't matter. You didn't get rewarded, you didn't get punished. Your corporation just doesn't care about human life. Your objective could be to get a cup of coffee and deadly force, while not encouraged, would be acceptable.
I'd say go out and buy it, but it doesn't run on modern PCs and I doubt anywhere has any stock of it. I've got copies, but they're mine. =P

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Syndicate_%28computer_game_series%29
where can i get a yugioh source?