Syphon Filter coming to PSP

Sony Computer Entertainment America has confirmed that a new PSP instalment in the Syphon Filter series is currently in the works.

In a recent interview with IGN, John Garvin - creative director on Syphon Filter: The Dark Mirror - revealed that the game will feature an "all-new storyline" that has "nothing to do with the Syphon Filter virus."

Our old friends Gabe Logan and Lian Xing will return, however. Logan now runs his own underground agency that specialises in "precision strikes" - missions that are too sensitive or dangerous for conventional intelligence agents to take on. "Imagine if the CIA had a SWAT team - on steroids," said Garvin.

The game begins with Gabe and Lian embarking on what should be a straightforward mission to take down a bunch of terrorists known as Red Section, who have launched an attack on an Alaskan oil refinery.

But it turns out that there's much more to the mission than was first thought, astonishingly, and Gabe ends up travelling all around the globe as he tries to unravel the mystery. Along the way he will hook up with UN peacekeepers, face off with the Kaliningrad mafia, get caught up in an attempted revolution and be forced to confront a woman from his past.

Naturally there will be lots of new guns and gadgets to play with - such as the Rapid Traversal Line, which Gabe can use to hoist himself up to high places and swing around on when he's under attack. New weapons will include the MB-150, which features an electronic scope that connects with Gabe's goggles and fires three types of projectile - including 6mm sniper rounds and time-delayed darts.

As you play through the single-player story mode, you'll be able to unlock each level in mission mode - and then play through them all again to improve your Agency Ratings. You'll be judged on the number of stealth versus environmental kills you pull off and so on, and each time you earn a new rating you'll get new weapons and skills.

We're promised lots of unlockable content, including concept art, movies and audio tracks, and a few bonus missions - which are said to tie up loose ends from Syphon Filter: The Omega Strain.

The game will feature multiplayer online and Ad Hoc modes, and you'll be able to choose from Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Rogue Agent battles and the like. Or you can try out the new Object Mode, which sees two teams battling to complete a specific objective. Online rankings, unlockable content, friends lists and clans will all be present and correct.

Syphon Filter: The Dark Mirror is due out in the spring.