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Won't Take Much Persuading: Syndicate For Free

Don't panic, I mean the original one, not the forgettable Starbreeze shooter (though it did have a decent multiplayer mode). Given Recent Events it's a good time to look back at glory days Molyneux/Bullfrog, a time when that studio's games were rewriting the rulebook. So, I heartily recommend grabbing Syndicate from Origin today, given it's currently free.

This will require you to install the Origin client, but in this case I can say that it's unequivocally worth it. The cyberpunk squad-strategy game (or is it? It still defies easy genre categorisation after all this time) may show signs of age, but a coherent and ambitious fusion of tactical yet flexible action and big, open, sci-fi places it remains. It has a heart of satirical darkness too.

If olden Syndicate seems too olden for your flightly millennial ways, then there's always the very impressive work-in-progress spiritual sequel Satellite Reign. I must check back in with that soon.

It's unclear how long EA's 'on the house' offer works, so I'd get a move on if I were you. Hopefully we'll see more Bullfrog classics turn up similarly - it was Theme Hospital the other week, after all. Dare we hope for a Dungeon Keeper or two?

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Alec Meer avatar
Alec Meer: Ancient co-founder of RPS. Long gone. Now mostly writes for rather than about video games.
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In this article

Satellite Reign

PC, Mac

Syndicate

PS3, Xbox 360, PC

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