Syphon Filter

Battle Tips And Strategies

Here are some battle tips that might help you to sharpen your battle skills :

  1. Always pick up enemies' weapon that they left, especially the powerful ones. You will need it a lot. Don't rely yourself on your taser especially when you're in the later stages because taser don't work on enemies' that wear flak jackets. Do not take the weapon if the enemy is caught in flame - you should wait first.
  2. Do not get hit by explosion, caught up in flames, get struck by train, get a head-shot (even though it's rare), or get slammed by car debris when you're near. Unlike other games, you'll die instantly if you do that.
  3. You have to make very little mistake if you're on stealth/infiltration mission. Miss your shot, and an enemy will be alerted. And once he's alert, he will always stay alert for the rest of the game. After that, it's just a matter of time before he notice you.
  4. Save your powerful weapon and some stealth weapon (K3G4, M-79, nightvision rifle, gas grenades, etc) as much as you can. You will bring the weapons that you have to the next level when you save your game, unless you go to other countries (stage 6,8,12,15). Only use your powerful weapons when you face tough enemies, like bosses, grenade lobbers, and group of enemies with flak jacket.
  5. Notice the danger bar on the top left of the screen? It's a very important bar. If the danger bar reaches max, that means the enemy has clear shot on you. Your health will only be depleted after the danger bar reaches max, so hide behind walls or run if that happens.
  6. If you're surrounded by a lot of enemies and you don't equip the appropriate weapon, press start to go to the character screen and change your weapon there. Do not attempt to change the weapon by holding Select + L2/R2 because it takes a lot of time. But you should know that Gabe still does his weapon-changing animation so you have to evade until the weapon is ready to use.
  7. If there's no enemy nearby, reload your weapon by pressing Triangle. Reloading takes some time and things will get hairy if you're reloading in the middle of the battle.
  8. Use the appropriate weapon. For example : if the enemy is too far, snipe him by using sniper rifle. If the environment is dark, then use the nightvision rifle. If there's a group of enemies, use gas grenades or grenade launcher (M-79). If the enemy is in short range, use the shotguns. These are some examples - experiment on your own to find the type of weapon that is suitable for you. Experiment on the aim function (L1 button), too.
  9. Use the headshot on enemies if possible. One headshot will instantly kill the enemy. Headshot is effective against enemies with flak jackets. Furthermore, if you do the head-shot on enemies that wear flak jackets, you can keep his flak jacket for your own.
  10. If there are barrels near the enemy, shot the barrel to make an explosion on the enemy. But beware that the enemies can do the same thing on you ^_^. On the labs, there are bottles on the table. Some bottle will produce gas (just like gas grenades) if you shoot it, so experiment.
  11. You can use your sniping ability on dark environment if you have Nightvision rifle. Make the situation dark by shooting/tasering the lamps. At first, I don't think that it works, but with that tactic I manage to approach Marcos on stage for and snipe him on the head.
  12. You don't always detect the enemy on your radar. You can only detect them only if you saw them previously. So be careful and don't blame the radar if an enemy suddenly appears behind you.
  13. On later stages, you'll be given a viral scanner. This is a very useful device. You can use this to see through solid object. By using this, you can see an enemy inside the building, so you can make the appropriate approach on him. Take note that even if you see him on the viral scanner doesn't make the enemy appear as dot in your radar if you haven't seen him.
  14. Learn to use all the buttons to move Gabriel. He can do lots of useful moves, such as : a. zig-zag : when approaching the enemy on frontal combat, press strafe button while moving forward. While doing that, press R1 button to target lock and shoot the enemy. Use roll if necessary. b. circling : by combining the strafe button and the opposite direction button, you can move in circle. Circle clockwise by pressing L2 and right on D-Pad. Circle counterclockwise by pressing R2 and left on D-Pad. Press sneak button (X) for a silent and better control.
  15. This is my ultimate tactic. I called it : the Peek-a-Boo tactic. It is useful for killing multiple enemies that wear flak jackets and has already detected you. It will take some time, but it get the job done. Look at the picture below :
          #                 N       G = Gabriel
       o  #                W+E      o = enemies 
    o o   #                 S       # = wall 
          #
          ###### 
           G 

From the picture above (sorry that I cannot draw better ^_^), you can see that there are three enemies on Logan's borthwest. Move Logan to the wall and make him face north. Position Logan as close as possible to the wall, yet the enemy cannot shoot him. Use your weapon (9mm, shotgun, sniper rifle,...). Aim by using L1 button. Hold it all the time (don't release it). By doing this, you'll be on the aim screen (with crosshair) and you're aiming at the wall. While still holding L1 button, push L2 button to side step to the left. If you're close enough to the wall, Logan will see the enemies. Position your crosshair to one of the enemies' head. The enemies should notice you right now and start shooting at you. Notice the danger bar, as you know that your health will not be depleted unless the danger bar is full - you have a few seconds to move your crosshair. If the danger bar max before you're able to move the crosshair to the enemy's head, don't worry - you have plenty of time later - just release the L2 button (STILL HOLD THE L1 BUTTON) and the enemies won't be able to see you. If you still hold the L1 button, your aim won't change. If you feel save, press the L2 again (while still holding the L1 button). Move the crosshair. Repeat until you point at the enemy's head. Head-shot him. Then repeat to the two other enemies. This tactic works everytime, even on the later stages, and even against the **PHARCOM ELITE GUARDS**. You should know that the enemies have 'boundaries', meaning that they won't be able to follow you. Use this advantage to do the Peek-a-Boo tactic. Believe me - it works really-really fine.

Copyright © 1999 Rudy Hendrawan; HTML conversion ©1999 GWC, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction by any means is strictly forbidden.

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