RetroAhoy: Syndicate

Originally uploaded 1st March 2012.
Reuploaded here to consolidate on one channel.
Next up: RetroAhoy: Wolfenstein 3D
Email: [e-mail]
Twitter: / xboxahoy
Reddit: / xboxahoy

[@brendo7363]

EA simply loved Syndicate so much they did it IRL.

[@RD500v2]

+OoO Ooo in real life

[@oz_jones]

Lel. EA used to be called Electronic Art(is)ts.

[@oddluck4180]

Its funny until you realize how many companies they've bought and destroyed.

[@eliteslayer4371]

clever, you need an award

[@icecold1805]

@OoO Ooo If you ever have doubts about what certain terms, like IRL mean, I recomend you google it in Urban Dictionary. Urban Dictionary is equal parts serious and not, so half of the anwser you will find there will be helpful, and the other half funnily stupid. But still, they will help you understand what does, whatever term you are looking for, means.

[@therandomperson02]

2:51 *"High energy"* *"Drink this"* Why can't all ads be like that?

[@BigAn7h]

+TheRandomPerson 02 Needs a jingle, some tits, and a celebrity endorsement. Repeat the commercial twice every break and welcome to reality.

[@Psychohistorian42]

+TheRandomPerson 02 Syndicate Wars had the entire trailer for Ghost in the Shell playing on one of the screens.

[@FractalPrism.]

+TheRandomPerson 02 Ads are not meant to be informative, they choose to manipulate emotion as it more effectively reinforces the product cycle of profit growth. I would guess its meant to juxtapose the reality of how tacky ads started to become at the time; but maybe the curtains are just blue.

[@Mr_LH1980]

+Psychohistorian42 It also happened to have break out (arkanoid) on the billboards too.

[@Christopher-N]

Bear-blasting, and power-spawning 400 babies.

[@thereisnospace]

There is a spiritual successor called satellite reign. It was made by some of the original team of syndicate and it was received very well! Maybe you could make an update to this video!

[@Shimamon27]

+thereisnospace I wonder, how has this game turned out?

[@Shimamon27]

***** It's hard to reach origin point, but, I guess the effort is worth it!

[@GoodRogue]

Really good. It's almost completely like Syndicate, except it now has character development and open world. The core gameplay remained basically the same, although there's a lot more emphasis on stealth now. Worth a try if you ask me.

[@U99DrunkDinosaur]

I found the imbalanced build of the Infiltrator and immediately lost interest somewhere at 50% of completion cause the game became too easy (and I'm not ready for Iron Man walkthrough)

[@mantus3243]

I didnt like it. Enemies are bullet sponges and it takes 5 minutes to kill an enemy even with the best weapons. And everybody move like they are on the damn moon

[@sntxrrr]

Wow, I had totally forgotten about that game. The mini gun and gauss gun were absolutely awesome!

[@Transfixed]

One of my all-time favourites games. I remember using the Persuadertron to gather a mob of people until my computer slowed to a crawl. Great video!

[@M1ggins]

persuadatron, crowd, flamethrower. ahh, good times.

[@ojbbb]

Was my «cheat» from the first or second level. Dont renember. But collecting people unthil you had enough to collect police then enemy agents. Free bois from level 2 :)

[@419Films]

This is, hands down, my favourite game from Bullfrog. Had me caught from the opening cinematic.

[@Mene0]

Never forget Bullfrog

[@azuredragonofnether5433]

Never forgive EA

[@TheRPGChick]

7:44 You were going to cover Baldur's Gate??? Why did this not happen? That would've been amazing, damn.

[@yairkatz6223]

ikr?

[@sigurdbjohansson]

That would be amazing, indeed!

[@Brapgod]

In my opinion, Ahoy's voice is millions of times more relaxing and serious than Morgan Freeman's.

[@SketchTurnerZero]

[phone]

[@greigtoye]

Creepy Old Man I always think of him as some hardened rugged former SAS soldier who now has a hobby making videos on KZbin.

[@geoffmacneill4850]

Major Violator he does sound like a guy who has seen some action in the military.

[@streeterville773]

Commence the jigglin!

[@franciscopereira2341]

@@geoffmacneill4850 probably because of his manly voice talking about guns all the time

[@tdreamgmail]

EA really is the touch of death

[@baron8107]

+tdreamgmail They're downright incompetent. Although the Syndicate Reboot was actually quite good, albeit a bit too linear for a cyberpunk game.

[@Rossriders]

+tdreamgmail Yeah, pretty much, alongside nearly every 'AAA' publisher. I'm less than eager to bother with exceptions (if they do really exist) because that's just it... Exception, not the f---ing rule.

[@XFreeStyleZX]

+Scowler Do you suggest playing it?

[@StrunDoNhor]

+XFreeStyleZX Depends. The game is about as in-depth as your typical CoD single player, albeit it has a much more interesting setting. If you enjoy some good ol' FPS action and need a couple of hours to kill, then I'd say go for it. The game isn't exactly groundbreaking though, nor does it have any real replay value.

[@2k-kane18]

+Scowler I agree, it was pretty straight foreward, but I felt it was really fun. The train mission really showed off how pretty the game looked. It would have been a great open-world game.

[@wilhelmbittrich88]

I played Syndicate on my grandparent's computer back when I was a kid, maybe 8 or 9 years old. But I could never work out how to play the game properly, and I could only get past the first level. I used to always get scared and panic when the music suddenly changed when enemy agents came after you. Even to this day, seeing and hearing this game still gives me the heeby jeebies just like it did when I was a kid. Just something about the sound and atmosphere of the game...

[@RobWaterman]

I remember being so excited that I could drive the cars and police cars around in this game.

[@markdowse3572]

Oh, man! I just loved SYNDICATE!!! 💕 The graphics and the music combined with missions to make a very special game! Thanks to BULLFROG. 😁

[@WOOHOJEHA]

You guys should check out Satellite Reign, its a spiritual successor to the syndicate series made by OG devs.

[@RabbyBabu]

Yeah people dont even know about the game, yet it is a great modern depiction of the syndicate franchise imo

[@felipewerner6670]

the game is cool and all, but lack variety, like the original, too much repetitive missions, beyound that, an amazing game.

[@adamchristensen2648]

Wow...your insight is amazing...and if only I had watched the whole video I'd realize you're an unoriginal hack. Good job!

[@JimBobJoeB0b]

Adam Christensen ...what?

[@Fuchsia_tude]

Yeah I was going to say, too bad this video wasn't made a year later because Satellite Reign is the game Syndicate didn't even know it wanted to be.

[@Coltbullseye]

Theme Hospital took up so much of my time, I thought I should be working towards running an actual hospital

[@bazzy5644]

+Gregory Shtevensh the same did the theme park snes version of my childhood. I really loved bullfrogs games, a shame what became of peter molyneux

[@Serpico0]

It's great that you're re-uploading this content, as it is simply great to watch and listen. Thank you~

[@allanspraggon7207]

Worst part of Syndicate (at least on the Amiga): The ending. Spend days playing to take over the world only to be rewarded with a bland credits screen :(

[@LeftIsBest]

The forgotten downfall of so many old classics.

[@chunkynugget]

I freaking loved that game!

[@nintendianajones64]

Thanks for mentioning the snes version of Shadowrun. One of the finest, deepest stories in any video game. That's why I love your channel.

[@bdwitt66]

This game was awesome!

[@kiiwikiori7542]

Who else loves this guy's voice? It's majestic.

[@overcoercion590]

This game made one of the best school summer holidays of my life. Loved it

[@blzahz7633]

If you haven't checked it out, there's a game called Satellite Reign, it could be called a spiritual successor of Syndicate, just something that might interest you.

[@hitmanwolf]

Syndicate lives on with a new title: Sattelite Reign.

[@GrimmSpector]

Man I LOVED Shadowrun so much! And I really loved Syndicate!

[@Redders002]

I loved this game back in the day, one of my all time faves.

[@frankdelgrosso8297]

EA the only company which can turn diamonds back into coal. Man this vid takes me back. Sydicate and Populous dominated my life for a while. RIP Bullfrog.

[@PrinceSnot]

"Bulldog were acquired by EA in 1995, perhaps marking the beginning of the end" Yeah thats kinda EA's track record with every company it touches.

[@DanTheGirMan]

Fun Fact; The Sequel was much harder because one of the designers went into a games shop, and the clerk there said he found the first too easy. And he designed it to be hard out of spite.

[@1gnore_me.]

the fast-paced uploads of these videos is making me very very happy :D

[@vesavius]

Bullfrog is EA's biggest crime. Brit gaming is huge, this little country has defined so much in this hobby. To not develop it if you have the cash is borderline criminal.

[@ImSquiggs]

Your videos are so high-quality and professional, they inspire me to try harder.

[@omgwerockhard]

Loved this game back in the good old days :)

[@rayrives7]

me and my friends play Syndicate Wars for PS1 for hours and hours and hours. great game and atmosphere

[@cyborgpunk6668]

Syndicate is such an underrated masterpiece and I am obsessed with the 2012 one as well with its lit af soundtrack and it’s cyberpunk theme, it was the greatest game I ever played back in my time. I really hope it gets a sequel like how Rage did

[@EminorReal]

Every time I watch these video I get that weird feeling you experience when you smell some aroma from the past which revives deep forgotten memories but that cannot be correctly placed in a logical, more contemporary context.

[@BAZFANSHOTHITSClassicTunes]

I remember playing this as an alternate to cannon fodder which is also one of my all time best games ever.

[@giantzombiechild]

One thing I loved about the idea of Syndicate was how in the lore what happened was the underworld became the over-world. Like organized crime basically broke their way into corporate boardrooms and all the megacorps you see in the game extend from criminal and outright terrorist organizations that are inseparable from those corporations. This emphasis of the black market and the white market basically becoming one with organizations like the Yakuza and Mafia for instance basically being in charge of these organizations is a interesting lore detail I feel the later games really didn't explore enough.

[@JTrocks9]

I'm quite suprised that you forgot to include Satellite Reign in the video, aka the true Syndicate reboot/spiritual successor that pretty much everyone asked for. Is it possible you can include it in a future video, maybe focusing on the history of Spiritual Successors?

[@ThePolistiren]

+JTrocks9 Originally uploaded 1st March 2012.

[@Cheeba97OP427]

+JTrocks9 Remembering SR would be rather difficult, as this vid was made back in 2012 : )

[@villamagua]

I was also surprised.

[@0m0a0r0i0n]

You have a potential to make education cool.

[@loszhor]

This would make an awesome L4D mod.

[@HaroKid]

The multiplayer of Syndicate (2012) plays like a better L4D, actually. It's a shame no one cared though; It's a great game.

[@Entertained45]

man i forgot how much i loved this game

[@shotgunreaper]

The first person Syndicate was excellent, surprisingly enough. The story was predictable but fun and the multiplayer was A+ top notch.

[@justinreyez5561]

I love me some rich, cyber-punk narrative...

[@LLToons]

Damn it feels bad to remember the death o bullfrog

[@allways28]

RIP Dungeon Keeper (thanks EA )

[@TsRRevelationz]

I loved the FPS version of syndicate, it was my favorite co-op game of all time and I still wish to this day it would be re-mastered for new gen or backwards compatible

[@Brascofarian]

I think Powermonger was Bullfrog's most significant title, it had more depth to it than Syndicate and did not suffer from the same amount of gameplay issues as Syndicate. And as a team strategy game, Cannon Fodder was more polished. As a concept, Syndicate was their best idea, but I'm old enough to remember the hype around it and it never lived up to expectations.

[@StanSerebryakov]

I remember playing it as a child and it was frustrating, though it looked totally cool

[@Brascofarian]

I think the itch that Syndicate created was scratched by UFO Enemy Unknown. The introduction of turn based strategy for me at least, was the perfect solution.

[@TheFlamingTrain]

Guildford massive reporting in.

[@davidemelia6296]

Oh, Syndicate was one of the best PC games of that time !!! Loved it and the sequel.

[@jonasthemovie]

O how I loved this game. A truly magic time.

[@IRMentat]

It took me 10+ years to learn that syndicate was a cannon fodder style game, I would have loved it as a student, luckily I had darwinia later to cover that loss.

[@drewlovelyhell4892]

I remember they were released almost simultaneously. Cannon Fodder got more critical acclaim, but had a steep difficulty incline. Syndicate was more my cup of tea. Apart from the early stages when your agents were newbies, and the brutal final level, it was seldom frustratingly difficult.

[@PsimanUK]

Another fantastic retro video of an awesome game. I used to love playing this one on the Amiga but, as you mentioned, the expansion pack was really difficult. Too difficult in my opinion. I was able to complete the original game but I don't recall getting further than a couple of missions in on American Revolt. Thanks for making such a great video, Stuart.

[@lurkerrekrul]

An often overlooked strategy is to pick up the weapons dropped by the enemies, even if they're empty, and then sell them when the mission is over. This gives you a nice little cash boost. Once I'd completed my mission objectives and I was sure there weren't any enemies left, I'd drop all my original weapons and pick up all the miniguns that were lying around. One time I had all four cyborgs carrying 8 miniguns each. Unfortunately they didn't have upgraded arms or legs, so it took me about half an hour to walk back to the extraction point! Picking up time bombs before they detonate can also be profitable. Another tactic I like to use in the later levels is to equip my team with flame throwers, then hide behind a building and roast the enemy agents as they come around the corner. Make sure to fire early though because if the enemies manage to fire first with their miniguns, they'll keep your guys pinned until they're dead.

[@2yoyoyo1Unplugged]

I wish we had more retroahoy

[@seamusoblainn]

Remember playing this on the A1200, with the Prodigy Experience playing in the background

[@hereticmusicnz]

The most serious gaming channel ever made

[@wotwott2319]

There's a fairly old but sorta new game based on this called Satellite Reign. It's on steam

[@quadlink]

I am 56 and still play syndicate from time to time using dosbox... good times

[@nukecoke87]

I did enjoy Syndicate 2 for the visuals (I played it early 2000s). And..you can blow up a whole building in the game..How cool is that!

[@terraturn343]

Finally an ahoy video I haven't seen yet... an amazing feeling

[@datchannelable]

You should do a Syndicate revisit episode, now that a successor has come out. While Satellite Reign might not share the same studio or even name, it shares many of the same developers and concepts as the original and lays claim to the mantle.

[@OilRacki]

Maybe I should try that one again, but I couldn't get into it for some reason. Granted, like probably anyone familiar with Syndicate, I played that one so damn long ago now that my tastes have kind of changed.

[@THEpaulyBOY44]

this is the MGS5 of the 90's just amazing what they could do with the hardware of the time .

[@jerardocontreras1572]

I love Game Over keep making these!

[@theargonaught44]

This...this is the game i've been searching for for years....

[@timothybrandriff6499]

It's 2022. Why I did I just get this recommendation now? Subscribed.

[@kierenmoore3236]

I loved Syndicate. Didn’t know what ‘Cyberpunk’ was at the time, but I love that, too … I remember feeling real F’n’ anxiety, as soon as the ‘under attack music ‘ started … lol

[@chavzone]

Bullfrog made Populous: The Beginning, god bless

[@rajatsharda]

Let it be known that I have never played the original Syndicate and The Starbreeze Syndicate is one of my all time favourite games. It was gorgeos for its time, had an amazing world and set pieces and Awesome music. The Gameplay was great and I will fucking love that game no matter how badly everyone thrashes it. Yay!

[@mangaas]

I never realized that Syndicate was just a cyberpunk spiritual successor to Cannon Fodder.

[@MiraShades]

If you all are looking for a spiritual successor to Syndicate there is a game. Satellite Reign is really good.

[@leakycheese]

A seminal title if there ever was one. One of the first games to really pose the question to the player: there is an unarmed civilian walking down the street, and bearing in mind there is no negative consequence of your action, do you want to gun them down cold blood because you can?

[@creaturefeet3036]

Did he say 'Magikarp' Engine? Engine use splash! Nothing happened...Yup it's definitely a Magikarp engine.

[@darkwingduke1631]

I never understood this game but it is damned fun to watch

[@Kilesfactor]

+Bass “The Bass Remix” Heller It's like RTS + 4 player "co-op", but you control all of the players and you have an objective. :D

[@bazzy5644]

+Bass „The Bass Remix“ Heller There is a spiritual succsessor now it goes by the name of. "Satellite Reign" also a bit like syndicate is the "Xcom" series, but these games are time based strategy games.

[@papinkelman7695]

I so played Syndicate... what a nice memory

[@sugarhieroglyph]

To anyone who enjoyed Syndicate, there is a game out called Sattelite Reign which is made by ex Bullfrog employees(if what I've heard is true)it is basically Syndicate but with more depth and control options, and I think, multiplayer now.

[@ryanresavage7807]

I remember getting all the way to the Island... then I got smoked.

[@Ericthefilo]

oh man I remember playing Syndicate wars when I was a kid, haha didn't even realise it was a sequel to an older game

[@sages10]

Haha I like how you tactfully avoided mentioning the crap that was invisible war when mentioning dues ex sequels xD great video btw

I've been playing it on Amiga. Never finished it though. A great game, really.

[@jmiquelmb]

I like how ubisoft is finally trying to innovate in the AC series, but I think this time they have taken a step back graphically

[@BiitBiit]

Wow, that must be the most cheerful opening Stu has done. Nowadays he seems to have a lower voice, not complaining though!

[@LoneCanadianPoet]

I remember buying the Atari Jaguar back in the 90's JUST FOR THIS GAME!!!!

[@drewlovelyhell4892]

The final level of Syndicate, called The Atlantic Accelerator, was so damned hard. It was just a continuous wave of super tough agents. I eventually resorted to taking shelter behind a building and flaming the agents the moment they rounded the corner. And the American Revolt expansion was just a whole bunch of levels at the same difficulty level. Challenging indeed, but no fun unless you had masochistic tendencies.

[@mother2310]

Syndicate was sooo gooood

[@highwayblowout]

This is the first game I ever played, I was 5-6 years old :d

[@lfla0179]

I had Syndicate Plus, and the key to victory was the persuadertron. Instead of killing, you could turn enemy agents to your advantage, as long you turned a sizable amount of civilians and police officers first. The persuadertron had a cumulative property, according to its manual. Indeed, it worked flawlessly.

[@ther0n1nnamed47]

I love the syndicate games, I even love the newest (and sadly last) game.

[@Transfixed]

I adored this game. Shame it never got a worthy sequel.

[@wexenhex]

Syndicate Wars

[@justderp5713]

Who needs ethics when you can have PROFIT MARGINS?!?!? Amirite????

[@asdfgoogle]

I'm waiting for a true reenvisioning of syndicate wars. Such a cool game! Xenonauts is a spiritual successor to the original XCOM. Now we just need this!

[@blzahz7633]

You might want to check out a game called Satellite Reign.

[@asdfgoogle]

@@blzahz7633 I watched a few reviews on it. What I recall was that it was too repetitive. Do you have an opinion?

[@blzahz7633]

@@asdfgoogle It is kinda repetitive, and there's a moment where the game seems to not progress or have anything else to offer, pushing past that opens up more - but in the end it's still repetitive. I'm still glad I played it because I personally like the dystopian corporate future setting of it and the semi-throwback to the memory lane. Even if you were a total fanatic of Syndicate and would take anything to get a "fix", with Satellite Reign, I'd wait for a sale. Full price is like 26 money units, and I can't with good conscience recommend it at that price.

[@konectus]

you make people with ocd feel so nice

[@OilRacki]

Syndicate was such a badass game back in the day. I never did play the 2012 "reboot" though. Also, I see System Shock in this video too.. that is also a couple of games, and looking forward to THAT reboot. I feel like "Retroahoy" / "Ahoy" is basically me, but with a British accent and a good memory.

[@pjousma]

played this on snes when young, felt like a pre-gta in hindsight :)

[@TacticalBlackCats]

Huh, you need to augment the blue bar (perception?) to decrease the minigun spread :P

[@lurkerrekrul]

+Gryffin DarkBreed It's more fun to do it yourself. Plus, having them on auto isn't always the best strategy. They don't have as long a range for detecting threats as the player does, often allowing enemies to get too close and they don't always keep firing until the enemy is dead. In the later levels, if you let the enemies shoot first with a minigun, it's all over. They will keep your guys pinned until they're dead.

[@PhoenixNL72-DEGA-]

While watching I was pondering this worlds and back story with XCom like gameplay. I think that would be awesome.

[@lamichka]

Bullfrog I loved your games.

[@Retroblique]

1) Start first mission. 2) Don't move your characters. 3) Leave the game running overnight or while you go to school/work. 4) Complete mission, 5) Buy every single weapon/upgrade with the huge pile of cash you've accumulated. 6) Complete remaining missions as an invincible tank. At least this worked on the PC version after I noticed that the amount of money you earned was directly proportional to how long you spent in each mission -- guess Bullfrog forgot to place a cap on each level!

[@DustyTheKitty]

Still one of my favourite games for the Atari Jaguar, classic!

[@mattyfox666]

Do the XCOM series please Stu

[@Applecompuser]

I loved this game.