Things get mighty violent in the corporate-controlled future.

Comparisons between Deus Ex: Human Revolution and Syndicate are inevitable. Both are recent reboots of beloved, long-dormant franchises, and both eschew the current modern-military cliché in favor of a sci-fi, cyberpunk aesthetic in which you battle monolithic overlords — bureaucratic in the former’s case, corporate in the latter’s. And if Human Revolution is three-quarters RPG and one-quarter shooter, then Syndicate is the opposite. It’s a combination that suits this first-person shooter unexpectedly well.

“Unexpectedly” because the original Syndicate (1993) was an isometric strategy game. Thus, the 2012 version shares no gameplay traits and instead connects to the IP by way of its narrative framework, in which a small number of megacorporations have overtaken governments across the globe and are now, essentially, our overlords. Here, it’s up to you as agent Miles Kilo — using your prototype brain-implanted D.A.R.T. chip — to recover a rogue syndicate scientist whom your company doesn’t want to see selling its secrets to its rivals.

Syndicate’s art direction is flat-out gorgeous.

Because almost everyone in Syndicate’s world has a brain chip, the ability to hack opponents’ chips using D.A.R.T. is a pretty good gameplay hook. You can use it to knock people down, make them suicidal, or have them temporarily fight for you. It also enables a custom vision mode that offers simultaneous bullet-time and thermal vision. We just wish these concepts were taken further; by game’s end, we’d unlocked only half of the total available upgrades.

Your hacking ability’s easy to forget about, too, because the gunplay is so damn good. Syndicate is packed with badass firearms, from a gun that fires around cover to a hulking minigun. These weapons perfectly complement the campaign’s intelligent enemy A.I. and creative, engaging boss fights, during which each foe brings something new and refreshing to the table. Only the final boss falters, as he’s not only difficult but is so powerful that he offers no margin for error. It probably took us 50 tries to beat him.

Your D.A.R.T. overlay system is like bullet time and thermal vision rolled into one.

The visuals are also commendable. We haven’t seen this graphics engine since Starbreeze’s own Chronicles of Riddick remake (2009), and it sure has aged well. Impressive lighting, gorgeous art direction, and a smooth framerate really pretty-up the experience, while voice-acting from Hollywood veterans Rosario Dawson and Brian Cox add weight to the audio.

Separate four-player co-op missions add a bit of extra fun after the campaign’s abrupt ending, too. They’re yet another element that makes Syndicate stand out admirably in a sea of same-y first-person shooters.

PUBLISHER: EA  •  DEVELOPER: Starbreeze  •  ESRB: Mature  •  MULTIPLAYER: 4 over Xbox Live (co-op missions)  •  ACHIEVEMENTS: Stingy  •  COST: $60

On Xbox 360

+ Enjoyable gunplay; (mostly) great boss fights.

+ Slick graphics and art direction.

– Last boss is a pain in the ass.

? Does Brian Cox ever play a good guy in anything?

8.5