Rare Finds: Not ONE But THREE Syphon Filter 3 911 Alt Cover Listings

Link here. We’re back with another cool treasure. This time, we found not one but a whopping THREE alt covers for the final Syphon Filter game for the Playstation 1, Syphon Filter 3.

For those of you not familiar with these games, Syphon Filter (ed – AND Metal Gear Solid) was the venerable forefather to the explosion of third person stealth action games in the mid to late 2000’s. By that time, the SF franchise had fizzled away and was seen as an uninspired, derivative to newer, superior competition like the Splinter Cell franchise. We’ll briefly touch on the franchise, the third game and these listings for the ultra rare alt cover Syphon Filter 3 games.

Lost Games of Yesteryear

The first two entries of the SF franchise were rated highly by critics and (at the time) seen as some of the best games in the Playstation catalog. Syphon Filter began its life as nothing more than a cool producer buzzword in the 989 office. However, the idea blossomed from there as Eidetic took over development. They set out to create a new 3rd person stealth and action hybrid following the success of Metal Gear Solid and GoldenEye 007. These late 90’s staples came to be known as the “super syp” games.

The final entry of the 5 gen consoles, Syphon Filter 3 was met with mixed reviews. Many critics felt its execution and graphics were top notch (like many late games in the PS1’s cycle), but that the games plot and atmosphere lacked much of the tension that made the originals so great. Never the less, this was a solid game.

Why The Final Entry Almost Joined The Castaways of Cancelled Games

Originally, SF 3 was slated for a late September/early October release. Sony was forced to pull the release of the game following the aftermath of the events of September 11th. They also changed the artwork of the game fearing backlash over the content.

Here are some changes between the unreleased Syphon Filter 3 911 Alt Cover version and the official public version:

• Complete rework of front cover (Gabe and Xian in action poses – original vs close portrait shots of their faces – retail)
• The original had a large American flag draped over a court room (probably the congressional hearing from the game) filled with gas (most likely the titular Syphon Filter virus) vs the retail version which simply had a dark background
• Small edits to font on the back with “US Federal Bureau of Investigations / Deadly force authorized” changed to “Agency Mission Briefing / Stop Gabe Logan!”
• The words like “Deadly Arsenal” “Artillery” and “Terrorist” are removed or edited

Sony made these slight alterations because of the nature of the attacks on government buildings and anthrax scares following September 11th. All three ebay users corroborate a story that the originals were supposed to be destroyed per Sony’s request. I would assume some employees kept their copies.

While these games are certainly FAR from holy grails for the PS1 (ed – unlike past posts such as the longbox lot), they’re certainly rare enough. Check out the three listings below:

1. Listing by gangrelx. Price is set at $500 with “Make An Offer” option. Ships from Maryland. Item is opened but according to seller is basically new/never been used
2. Listing by ricksvintagestuff. Price is ON SALE for the next 6 hours just over $2000. Before you scoff, this is NEW and FACTORY SEALED. Though, I should note that the case is in terrible condition and has several crack over the front. Free shipping from Cali
3. Final listing from sfu_collections. This is the PAL version of the game (which I assume came standard with alt NTSC cover). Keep in mind this won’t work with a North American PS1 unless you mod it! -Honestly, what sort of cretin opens the wrap on a new game anyway 🙂 New and in factory wrap for $300. Not sure if this is actually rare since it’s the PAL version. Ships from Chile for FREE

Here’s more awesomeness to help kick off your weekend early!

• Huge Lot of Assorted Video Game Collectibles – $30?? What a bargain! Tons of different franchise swag here (Doom, Street Fighter, Deus Ex, Battlefield 4, etc)
• USAopoly Fallout Power Armor Helmet Coin Bank – On sale for 5% off (BIN at $22.78) Pretty good stuff. Friggen LOVE the Fallout franchise
• Lightning Returns Final Fantasy XIII Pocket Watch – BIN at $39.99