First Released: 1993 (PC, Amiga)
Now Available On: PC (via Origin)
We were recently reminded that EA's Origin platform is good for something when a free copy of 1993 classic Syndicate landed on our laps.
Bullfrog Productions' real-time tactical game made a name for itself on the PC and Amiga, whisking players away to a brutal world of futuristic gang warfare, cyborg assassins and evil corporations.
The game used isometric visuals and took place from a top-down perspective as players controlled a four-strong team of cyborgs on a series of deadly missions.
Games back in the early-'90s traditionally involved wholesome objectives, but Syndicate was different, placing players in control of a shadowy company with ambitions for world domination.
The cyborgs at your command clearly graduated from the same school as the Terminator, as they were some of the most efficient killing machines in gaming, useful considering mission objectives included assassinations, infiltration, and theft.
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To realise the company's goal of global conquest, players had to take over one territory at a time while engaging and eliminating rival syndicates and dealing with internal mutinies.
Occasionally, you'd feel like you were doing some good in the world as your crew rescued captured allies, but this was offset against the time spent "persuading" civilians and scientists to join the company's ranks under threat of death.
Players were also charged with the research and development of new weaponry and cyborg upgrades, and had to manage taxation within their conquered territories to bankroll these ventures.
It was all about staying a step ahead of the competition so you could murder them more efficiently, or at least brainwash them into blind obedience.
Your cyborg gang started out with simple pistols, but could get their hands on Uzis, flamethrowers, sniper rifles, laser and the ultra-destructive Gauss gun as the game progressed.
Syndicate's cyberpunk depiction of 2096 was grim and compelling in equal measure, serving as an effective piece of social commentary about corporate greed and the possible pitfalls of technological advancement.
Although Syndicate didn't quite attract the same level of acclaim as Bullfrog's previous release Populous, it went on to attract a huge cult following and is often cited as one of the games that defined the Amiga.
It's also one of those games that didn't translate particularly well to home consoles, as ports for the Sega Mega Drive and Super Nintendo were criticised for their blocky visuals and poor controls.
The Atari Jaguar edition emerged as the best of a bad bunch, but even this version was marked down for its interface, which made needless use of the numerical pad on the system's controller.
Syndicate didn't teach us any morality lessons, but it did prove influential and its status as a cult classic convinced Bullfrog to release a sequel three years later.
Syndicate Wars debuted on PC and PlayStation to generally favourable reviews, but the developer's efforts to create an ongoing franchise fell by the wayside as subsequent sequels failed to get off the ground.
We wouldn't see another official game bearing the Syndicate branding until 2012 when Starbreeze Studios reimagined the property as a first-person shooter for PS3, Xbox 360 and home computers. Unfortunately for them, the world didn't really need another bog-standard shooter.
A spiritual successor to Syndicate called Satellite Reign is in the works at Brisbane-based 5 Lives Studios fronted by Syndicate Wars lead developer Mike Diskett, and it shouldn't be too far away given that the project smashed its funding goal on crowd-sourcing website Kickstarter in the summer of 2013.
Syndicate was a game that pulled no punches and its bold approach helped it carve out a place in the Amiga hall of fame and attract droves of dedicated fans on PC.
We can think of a dozen superior tactical games, but you shouldn't pass up the chance to experience a small piece of gaming history now that it's free to download.
