A reviewer for "Next Generation" described "Syndicate Wars" as "even more dark and menacing than the original." He said that while the graphics suffer from chunkiness and ragged characters in the standard VGA mode, in SVGA mode they are stunning. While he complained that the control interface is a pain to adjust to, he found the new weapons, completely interactive environments, and numerous missions make it worthwhile to do so. While similarly praising the polygonal graphics, interactive environments, and numerous missions, Greg Kasavin of "GameSpot" found the characters to be overly small and hard to discern between, even in SVGA, and complained that the rotational graphics engine often results in enemies getting free hits. He nonetheless concluded, ""Syndicate Wars" masterfully recaptures the dark, deadly emotion of the original, adds to it a huge variety of weapons and scenarios, and refurbishes it with a gorgeous new coat of paint."