Syphon Filter

Syphon Filter is the name of a video game series published by Sony and developed by Sony Bend (formerly Eidetic), that has appeared on the PlayStation and PlayStation 2 game systems. In the series, Syphon Filter is the name given to the mysterious viral weapon.

Syphon Filter (1999)
Gabriel Logan and Lian Xing were on the trail of wanted international terrorist Erich Roemer, who holds German citizenship but is a black man who lacks any trace of a German accent. Special agent Ellis (a less experienced Agency operative) attempted to infiltrate Roemer's operation in Costa Rica but he was discovered and executed by ex-KGB agent Mara Aramov on Roemer's orders. Roemer then orders his other lieutenant Anton Girdeaux, 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 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 Roemer and his gang have launched an all-out terrorist assault on Washington DC, unleashing murder and mayhem on the streets and in the subways of the national capital. Gabe defeats Pavel Kravitch, Roemer's communications expert, and temporarily wounds and captures Mara Aramov, but she later escapes. After a formidable duel with Anton Girdeaux, Gabe emerges victorious.

Lab results show that Syphon Filter is a deadly next-generation bio-weapon, capable of actually targeting specific ethnic groups while leaving others unharmed. 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 Mara Aramov. Gabe frees him, and he flees, but Aramov once again eventually escapes Agency custody. Also, Edward Benton is revealed to be a double-agent and is eliminated by Gabe. Phagan is quickly recaptured by Roemer's forces.

Gabe next goes on a reconnaissance/demolition mission to Roemer's secret base in Rozovka, Kazakhstan. Gabe succeeds in his mission, but his partner, Lian, is taken captive by Roemer. Gabe next infiltrates Roemer's stronghold in Uzhhorod, Ukraine, which is a Gothic catherdral of Western European design. Gabe rescues Lian from Roemer's clutches and they escape. Gabe then infiltrates the PHARCOM warehouse in remote Almaty, Kazakhstan. Time is running out and Gabe learns that Markinson has been secretly negotiating with Roemer to obtain the Syphon Filter weapon for the Agency, while Roemer reveals he has captured an old Soviet era ICBM and loaded it with a Syphon Filter viral bomb ready to launch. Roemer 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, but he has to get past Erich Roemer to do that. Gabe eliminates Roemer and destroys the missile via remote control, averting 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) inside of the Agency's headquarters with Mara Aramov, holding a sample of Syphon Filter and laughing.


Sequels
Syphon Filter 2 was released in 2000 and picked up immediately where the original game ended. Syphon Filter 3 was released in 2001 and featured levels from a storyline told mostly in flashback. Although all three games were popular with critics and fans alike, the creators were criticized for keeping the series on the then-outdated PlayStation, and it wasn't until 2004 that the series debuted on PlayStation 2 with Syphon Filter: The Omega Strain. A significant change of pace for the series, The Omega Strain had players creating their own characters and working for an anti-terrorist agency run by Logan. Also, the game took the series online and allowed each of the missions to be played either online or off. A fifth game in the series, titled Syphon Filter: Logan's Shadow, is currently in development for the PSP.