SiN is a game I have a soft spot for. It’s a strange artefact from a time when what would become the modern cinematic shooter was still in its awkward teenage years. Built using the Quake 2 engine and released two weeks before Half-Life would revolutionise the genre, it’s a curious beast: even though it’s the most 90s game you are ever likely to play, it still holds up incredibly well, no doubt in part thanks to Night Dive doing a phenomenal job of porting this cult classic (along with its expansion Wages of SiN) to modern platforms in the aptly titled SiN Reloaded.
SiN is basically the Hackers of first-person shooters; it’s certainly aged, but there’s still a goofy charm to blasting your way through hordes of mobsters and mutants as radical rent-a-cop John Blaze as he battles to take down the dastardly SiNTEK corporation and its maniacal CEO Elexis Sinclaire.
Opening with a bank heist that sees Blade mow down perps with a gatling gun mounted inside a helicopter, it sets up its would-be action movie credentials early—a cyberpunk dystopia of designer drugs, private law enforcement, and crooked corporations with almost unchecked power, a near future that’s now less than a decade away, that almost seems hopeful compared to the future we actually have to look forward to.
What I need to stress about SiN, though, is that at the time, a lot of its systems that feel quaint almost 30 years later were cutting edge when it came out; cinematic storytelling in video games was in its infancy, and using actual engine cinematics for storytelling was still fairly rare. A shooter where you could jump into a vehicle was a huge novelty, while mixing elements of an immersive sim with a straight-up boomer shooter still holds up splendidly. Remember kids, this was almost a decade before BioShock, and in some respects SiN does it better.
The result is an action-packed romp. SiN is crass, it’s overblown, and it feels like the game Duke Nukem Forever should have been. Blade runs from one disaster to the next, gunning down dozens of thugs while cussing them out with dumb one-liners, while his handler JC helps him with the nerdy hacking stuff. Meanwhile, Sinclair outfoxes him at almost every turn as the stakes shoot straight through the roof, stopping just short of complete nuclear armageddon. It’s great stuff.
It’s a fantastic port then. But with Nightdive at the helm. It’s almost to be expected at this point. What impresses me most about their work is how well they port these old PC exclusives and make them feel perfectly at home on console.
SiN Reloaded uses standard twin-stick controls on PS5, with motion controls enabled as well. (I hear the Switch 2 version also has mouse controls) If this were on the Switch, I would probably use them, however, on the PS5, you are better off turning them off. I just don’t enjoy using the tilt controls on the DualSense.
Regardless, the gunplay remains tons of fun. The various firearms, from pistols to shotguns and assault rifles, each pack a punch and have a decent sense of weight and impact, as well as some great alternative fire modes like the ability to lob grenades at foes and watch them explode in a shower of gibs in that special way that only the Quake 2 engine (via KEX) can.
There are vehicle sections that were basically unheard of in a shooter at the time; Blade navigates a very basic OS to find passwords and bypass security measures. There are multiple routes through that bypass different stages, depending on your actions. Which feels incredibly modern for a game released in 1998.
SiN Reloaded also runs wonderfully on PS5, at a buttery smooth 4K120 if your TV can handle it. You can also flick between SiN’s original 3D models and new HD versions made for Reloaded at the touch of a button, as well as improved lighting and all manner of settings to get it looking and playing just the way you like.
Nightdive has also brought numerous improvements and dual-wielding from Wages of SiN to the original campaign, as well as adding content that was cut from the original. As a result, Reloaded is by far the best way to play SiN regardless of platform.
They’ve also included its online multiplayer mode, if you fancy playing a little deathmatch. But the main draw for me has always been SiN’s single-player offerings.
If you’re interested in SiN’s development, there’s also Nightdive’s usual vault of extras to pour over, including design documents, sketches, storyboards, promotional materials, and the original manual. I’m an absolute sucker for this kind of stuff, and always welcome. This kind of preservation is vital, and the likes of Nightdive and Digital Eclipse are doing the Lord’s work.
VERDICT
SiN Reloaded is a fantastic port of a bona fide cult classic that fans of cinematic shooters, especially those with an interest in its history, should definitely check out.
Don’t get me wrong, there’s a fair amount of cringe for anyone who isn’t old enough to get nostalgic for FRijj Extreme, but there’s also a game packed full of ideas and features that were well ahead of their time: vehicle sections, multiple routes and solutions to problems, moments that are more immersive sim than boomer shooter.
But SiN also has a strange charm; it’s a time capsule of an odd crossroads in game design, and is so 90s it hurts. It also got completely eclipsed by Half-Life, which in my mind makes it a bit of an underdog, and who doesn’t love an underdog?