Much like Metal Gear Solid, the Syphon Filter games are great fun, and so it's easy to just forget about what the title means (or doesn't mean) and get on with enjoying the game. At least the MGS title has some sort of internal logic, but Syphon Filter? It seems like the creative department just took two random words that sound kinda cool and espionage-esque on their own and put them together. In the games themselves, it refers to the virus that protagonist Gabe Logan is trying to stop, but in reality, syphon (or "siphon", as it's normally spelled) and filter are pretty close in meaning (to draw something off, like liquid), making the title seem even more absurd. In a 2012 interview, one of the original team was interviewed and declared that the title was one of the first things decided, long before a plot or any characters had even been put to paper. Lesson: nonsense can get you far as long as it sounds cool.
Stay at home dad who spends as much time teaching his kids the merits of Martin Scorsese as possible (against the missus' wishes).
General video game, TV and film nut. Occasional sports fan. Full time loon.
