Originally, Syphon Filter 3 was slated for release on September 25th 2001. But in the wake of the September 11th terrorist attacks and the ensuing Anthrax scare, Sony felt that certain artwork aspects of the game were inappropriate and could be deemed offensive. Therefore, Sony elected to delay the release and reissue the game with revised ‘politically correct’ art work.
Officially, Syphon Filter 3 with the American flag on the cover was never commercially released to the general public. However, when Sony made the initial decision to recall Syphon Filter 3, some shipments of the game had already reached their destination and ultimately made their way into the hands of retailers. Retailers who had received their shipments were instructed to return the game in exchange for the revised artwork version.
The original American flag cover depicts Gabriel ‘Gabe’ Logan and Xian in what is presumably a U.S. federal building surrounded by green gaseous fumes with the American flag hanging in the background. This, coupled with the fact that Sony recalled this cover after the September 11th attacks, is what prompts many collectors to refer to this as the 9/11 American Flag Cover version.
The back artwork of the game was also reworked. It originally read: United States Federal Bureau of Investigation – Wanted – Deadly force authorized – Agency Director.
The revised and commercially released version of Syphon Filter 3 completely eliminates all traces of the green gas, federal building, U.S. flag, the words ‘deadly arsenal’ and ‘terrorists,’ and the entire ‘WANTED: Deadly Force Authorized’ banner on the back cover.
Furthermore, the recalled “9/11 American Flag Cover” version was only printed in a dual case. It was never printed in a single jeweled case.
Despite the recall and delays, Sony was able to release Syphon Filter 3 in early November of 2001.
Because it was never being commercially released and very few copies are known to exist, Syphon Filter 3 with the 9/11 American flag cover is considered to be one of the rarest Sony Playstation 1 games and is often times referred to as a true Holy Grail of games. Used copies of this game can fetch upwards of $500 and sealed copies selling for well over $1000.
This particular copy is sealed with a hole punched in the UPC portion of the back label. This means that not only is this one of the first printings, but it was also never distributed via the traditional retail shipping method. Game companies often punch holes in the UPC codes of games they are giving away to employees to discourage them from selling them in a traditional retail setting. This copy was never intended to see a retail shelf at all.
