<s>
Syndicate	B-Application
is	O
a	O
2012	O
cyberpunk	O
first-person	O
shooter	O
video	O
game	O
developed	O
by	O
Starbreeze	O
Studios	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Electronic	O
Arts	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
a	O
reboot	O
of	O
the	O
Syndicate	B-Application
series	O
of	O
real-time	B-Application
tactics	I-Application
games	O
developed	O
by	O
Bullfrog	O
Productions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Announced	O
in	O
September	O
2011	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
February	O
2012	O
for	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
,	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
3	I-Operating_System
and	O
Xbox	B-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Critics	O
praised	O
the	O
gameplay	O
,	O
style	O
,	O
graphics	O
,	O
art	O
direction	O
,	O
artificial	B-Application
intelligence	I-Application
and	O
the	O
co-operative	O
mode	O
,	O
but	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
story	O
was	O
criticized	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlike	O
the	O
original	O
series	O
of	O
games	O
,	O
Syndicate	B-Application
is	O
a	O
first-person	O
shooter	O
set	O
in	O
2069	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
the	O
chips	O
,	O
objects	O
,	O
collectibles	O
and	O
enemies	O
are	O
automatically	O
tagged	O
and	O
highlighted	O
via	O
augmented	B-General_Concept
reality	I-General_Concept
of	O
the	O
heads-up	B-Application
display	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
does	O
not	O
have	O
a	O
competitive	O
multiplayer	O
mode	O
,	O
but	O
it	O
has	O
a	O
cooperative	O
multiplayer	O
mode	O
that	O
pits	O
four	O
players	O
together	O
to	O
complete	O
a	O
nine-mission	O
campaign	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
campaign	O
of	O
the	O
original	O
Syndicate	B-Application
games	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
a	O
result	O
of	O
the	O
DART	O
chip	O
,	O
the	O
world	O
is	O
no	O
longer	O
ruled	O
by	O
national	O
governments	O
but	O
by	O
corporate	O
republics	O
known	O
as	O
"	O
Syndicates	B-Application
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Corporate	O
espionage	O
and	O
corporate	O
warfare	O
for	O
dominance	O
between	O
syndicates	B-Application
becomes	O
the	O
norm	O
,	O
resulting	O
in	O
the	O
creation	O
of	O
"	O
agents	O
"	O
—	O
bio-engineered	O
enforcers	O
augmented	O
by	O
a	O
militarized	O
version	O
of	O
the	O
chip	O
who	O
protect	O
the	O
interests	O
of	O
their	O
corporate	O
masters	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
a	O
successful	O
test	O
run	O
of	O
the	O
chip	O
's	O
abilities	O
,	O
EuroCorp	O
CEO	O
Jack	O
Denham	O
(	O
voiced	O
by	O
Brian	O
Cox	O
)	O
assigns	O
him	O
to	O
kill	O
Lily	O
's	O
counterpart	O
,	O
Chang	O
,	O
at	O
the	O
rival	O
syndicate	B-Application
Aspari	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
they	O
observe	O
her	O
in	O
her	O
apartment	O
,	O
Lily	O
has	O
an	O
argument	O
with	O
a	O
person	O
named	O
Kris	O
before	O
she	O
is	O
suddenly	O
kidnapped	O
by	O
the	O
syndicate	B-Application
Cayman-Global	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Kilo	O
kills	O
a	O
major	O
Cayman-Global	O
agent	O
and	O
rescues	O
Lily	O
,	O
and	O
they	O
learn	O
the	O
syndicate	B-Application
is	O
preparing	O
a	O
war	O
against	O
EuroCorp	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
fighting	O
off	O
subverters	O
,	O
Kilo	O
learns	O
their	O
leader	O
Lily	O
's	O
ex-boyfriend	O
and	O
colleague	O
—	O
is	O
responsible	O
for	O
instigating	O
a	O
war	O
between	O
the	O
syndicates	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Kris	O
reveals	O
he	O
started	O
the	O
war	O
so	O
he	O
could	O
hack	O
into	O
the	O
dataverse	O
and	O
kill	O
the	O
syndicates	B-Application
and	O
their	O
chipped	O
populations	O
as	O
punishment	O
for	O
abandoning	O
the	O
unchipped	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Lily	O
,	O
who	O
wants	O
to	O
find	O
a	O
peaceful	O
solution	O
and	O
make	O
the	O
syndicates	B-Application
care	O
about	O
the	O
unchipped	O
,	O
opposes	O
the	O
idea	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Lily	O
created	O
the	O
DART	O
6	O
chip	O
,	O
hoping	O
to	O
use	O
it	O
to	O
make	O
the	O
syndicates	B-Application
retain	O
their	O
humanity	O
and	O
care	O
about	O
both	O
chipped	O
and	O
un-chipped	O
civilians	O
,	O
but	O
she	O
realizes	O
she	O
was	O
naïve	O
to	O
think	O
that	O
way	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
original	O
version	O
of	O
Syndicate	B-Application
is	O
a	O
tactical	O
shooter	O
developed	O
by	O
Bullfrog	O
Productions	O
and	O
produced	O
by	O
Peter	O
Molyneux	O
in	O
1993	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Electronic	O
Arts	O
had	O
wanted	O
to	O
make	O
a	O
new	O
Syndicate	B-Application
game	I-Application
for	O
several	O
years	O
but	O
had	O
not	O
found	O
an	O
opportunity	O
to	O
do	O
so	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Pre-production	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
began	O
in	O
2007	O
;	O
it	O
was	O
carried	O
out	O
by	O
a	O
small	O
team	O
of	O
staff	O
members	O
after	O
the	O
studio	O
completed	O
work	O
on	O
The	B-Application
Chronicles	I-Application
of	I-Application
Riddick	I-Application
:	I-Application
Assault	I-Application
on	I-Application
Dark	I-Application
Athena	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
year	O
after	O
development	O
began	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
sent	O
for	O
reworking	O
because	O
the	O
studio	O
thought	O
they	O
had	O
not	O
captured	O
the	O
essence	O
of	O
the	O
Syndicate	B-Application
series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
the	O
game	O
lacked	O
a	O
cooperative	O
multiplayer	O
element	O
,	O
the	O
developers	O
abandoned	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
an	O
online	B-Application
pass	I-Application
,	O
unlike	O
most	O
EA	O
games	O
at	O
that	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
assumed	O
most	O
players	O
would	O
not	O
have	O
played	O
the	O
original	O
Syndicate	B-Application
games	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
team	O
aimed	O
to	O
replicate	O
the	O
playing	O
experience	O
and	O
difficulty	O
of	O
the	O
extant	O
Syndicate	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
introduced	O
a	O
rarely	O
scripted	O
artificial	B-Application
intelligence	I-Application
(	O
AI	B-Application
)	O
into	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
AI	B-Application
reacts	O
to	O
players	O
 '	O
actions	O
and	O
was	O
programmed	O
to	O
relocate	O
itself	O
after	O
being	O
attacked	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
To	O
achieve	O
this	O
,	O
the	O
company	O
added	O
the	O
breaching	O
system	O
,	O
which	O
adds	O
more	O
varieties	O
of	O
combat	O
and	O
gives	O
players	O
more	O
choices	O
when	O
dealing	O
with	O
the	B-Application
artificial	I-Application
intelligence	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Syndicate	B-Application
was	O
Morgan	O
's	O
second	O
video-game	O
script	O
after	O
2011	O
's	O
Crysis	B-Application
2	I-Application
;	O
he	O
used	O
the	O
original	O
game	O
for	O
reference	O
and	O
included	O
elements	O
that	O
those	O
who	O
had	O
played	O
it	O
would	O
immediately	O
recognize	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
team	O
added	O
details	O
and	O
aesthetics	O
to	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
three	O
syndicates	B-Application
in	O
the	O
upper	O
zone	O
so	O
they	O
would	O
easily	O
be	O
recognized	O
and	O
be	O
different	O
from	O
each	O
another	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
"	O
The	O
Downzone	O
"	O
,	O
where	O
non-implanted	O
poor	O
people	O
live	O
,	O
has	O
a	O
different	O
design	O
from	O
the	O
three	O
syndicates	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
team	O
took	O
ideas	O
for	O
this	O
area	O
from	O
Mirror	B-Application
's	I-Application
Edge	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Both	O
sides	O
were	O
inspired	O
by	O
futuristic	O
films	O
such	O
as	O
Blade	B-Application
Runner	I-Application
,	O
Minority	O
Report	O
and	O
Gattaca	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Syndicate	B-Application
uses	O
Starbreeze	O
's	O
in-house	O
game	O
engine	O
,	O
which	O
had	O
been	O
modified	O
for	O
the	O
creation	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
team	O
used	O
Beast	O
to	O
achieve	O
global	B-Algorithm
illumination	I-Algorithm
and	O
a	O
realistic	O
lighting	O
system	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
new	O
physics	O
solver	O
to	O
deliver	O
more	O
physical	O
interactions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
team	O
aimed	O
to	O
maintain	O
a	O
consistent	O
visual	O
quality	O
on	O
all	O
the	O
platforms	O
on	O
which	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
released	O
,	O
even	O
though	O
the	O
PC	O
version	O
had	O
the	O
advantage	O
of	O
higher	O
resolution	B-Algorithm
and	O
frame	O
rate	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
engine	O
allowed	O
the	O
inclusion	O
of	O
post-process-effects	O
previously	O
used	O
in	O
Assault	B-Application
on	I-Application
Dark	I-Application
Athena	I-Application
,	O
such	O
as	O
motion	O
blur	O
and	O
depth	O
of	O
field	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
name	O
"	O
Syndicate	B-Application
"	O
was	O
trademarked	O
multiple	O
times	O
by	O
Starbreeze	O
and	O
EA	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
small	O
portion	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
script	O
was	O
accidentally	O
leaked	O
before	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
official	O
revelation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
demo	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
which	O
only	O
included	O
the	O
co-op	O
mode	O
and	O
the	O
"	O
Western	O
Europe	O
"	O
map	O
,	O
was	O
released	O
for	O
the	O
Xbox	B-Operating_System
Live	O
Marketplace	O
and	O
PlayStation	B-Device
Network	I-Device
on	O
31	O
January	O
2012	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Syndicate	B-Application
received	O
generally	O
positive	O
reviews	O
from	O
critics	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
said	O
the	O
world	O
deserves	O
more	O
exploration	O
than	O
it	O
had	O
in	O
Syndicate	B-Application
,	O
and	O
that	O
the	O
development	O
team	O
did	O
not	O
seem	O
to	O
understand	O
the	O
creative	O
vision	O
of	O
the	O
first	O
version	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
said	O
the	O
combination	O
of	O
the	O
breaching	O
system	O
and	O
gunfights	O
made	O
Syndicate	B-Application
better	O
than	O
some	O
other	O
contemporaneous	O
first-person	O
shooters	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
's	O
AI	B-Application
received	O
praise	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Gaston	O
said	O
it	O
was	O
a	O
"	O
watered	O
down	O
version	O
of	O
Left	B-Application
4	I-Application
Dead	I-Application
"	O
,	O
but	O
it	O
was	O
nonetheless	O
a	O
fun	O
and	O
pleasant	O
experience	O
for	O
most	O
players	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
De	O
Matos	O
said	O
it	O
had	O
successfully	O
branched	O
out	O
the	O
franchise	O
to	O
a	O
new	O
direction	O
,	O
even	O
though	O
it	O
may	O
not	O
be	O
what	O
players	O
of	O
the	O
original	O
Syndicate	B-Application
would	O
expect	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Whitehead	O
described	O
the	O
game	O
as	O
"	O
fun	O
"	O
,	O
even	O
though	O
he	O
thought	O
Syndicate	B-Application
was	O
a	O
forgettable	O
experience	O
that	O
will	O
live	O
under	O
the	O
shadow	O
of	O
rival	O
shooters	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Syndicate	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
producer	O
and	O
lead	O
programmer	O
Mike	O
Diskett	O
criticized	O
the	O
game	O
stating	O
that	O
it	O
was	O
"	O
nothing	O
like	O
the	O
original	O
games.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
encouraged	O
him	O
to	O
make	O
a	O
spiritual	O
successor	O
to	O
Syndicate	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
called	O
Satellite	B-Application
Reign	I-Application
,	O
which	O
was	O
a	O
Kickstarter	O
success	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
an	O
interview	O
with	O
Computer	O
and	O
Video	O
Games	O
,	O
Frank	O
Gibeau	O
of	O
EA	O
said	O
the	O
Syndicate	B-Application
revival	O
had	O
not	O
been	O
as	O
successful	O
as	O
had	O
been	O
hoped	O
,	O
saying	O
,	O
"	O
Syndicate	B-Application
was	O
something	O
that	O
we	O
took	O
a	O
risk	O
on	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
20	O
December	O
2011	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
reported	O
that	O
Syndicate	B-Application
has	O
been	O
refused	O
classification	O
by	O
the	O
Australian	O
Classification	O
Board	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
EA	O
also	O
complained	O
about	O
Australia	O
's	O
"	O
archaic	O
censorship	O
on	O
games	O
"	O
and	O
said	O
Syndicate	B-Application
would	O
be	O
released	O
on	O
schedule	O
and	O
uncut	O
with	O
an	O
adults-only	O
rating	O
in	O
New	O
Zealand	O
.	O
</s>
