Critics also widely praised the PlayStation version's highly detailed 3D environments, though some commented that the character animations fail to adequately stand out. Dan Hsu of "Electronic Gaming Monthly" assessed that "I like the futuristic "Blade Runner"-type setting, but other factors weighed this game down, like the so-so animation, the pain in the butt controls and the boring gameplay (you pretty much do the same thing each stage)." "GamePro" was more optimistic: "... a heavy dose of manual reading is required to play the game, which makes "Syndicate Wars" difficult to get into at first. After a while, though, you'll be rewarded with an addicting, complex game."