Tom Clancy's
Splinter Cell
Developed by Ubi Soft Montreal and released in November of 2002, Splinter
Cell is not only the shining new superstar of the Xbox gaming console, but it's a game that will put the Ubi Soft Montreal development house on the map.
Disguised as mere stealth game for the Xbox, Splinter Cell is anything but. Built specifically for the Xbox, it is the ultimate third person game, the ultimate stealth game, and a truly superb shooter.
The key to Splinter Cell's success is that every single element of the game...including the story, graphics, sound, and every minor detail in between, is designed to focus your attention on the gameplay theme of espionage. You are in control of a highly trained operative and you're supposed to think like one.
The game environments, graphics, and sound are extremely well done in order to utilize the full gaming experience from the Xbox Console. From the intricate details in the fully explorable levels and lighting effects, to perfectly integrated sound and character movements, Splinter Cell is a showcase of what is possible with the Xbox hardware and a Xbox specific game engine.
You are Sam Fisher. A family man and part of a super secret organization of the National Security
Agency (NSA), Third Echelon. Fisher is an older character, probably in his late 40’s, called into action after two CIA operatives go missing in Eastern Europe. As usual things spiral out of control, with thanks to an evil Canadian computer hacker (A Canadian villain? Yay!).
Third Echelon has the latitude to deploy Splinter Cells, highly trained
operatives who are granted the "Fifth Freedom" to do whatever it takes to
protect the four cornerstone American values.
Fear not though because Sam has the most amazing gadgets to help him through the missions.
Fisher’s available inventory includes such necessary items as the sweet SC-20K MAWS, sticky cameras, one-use lock picks, gas grenades, laser microphone, and the ever-important 2-in-1 night and thermal vision goggles. For some missions the goggles become your best tool for avoiding detection while being able to scout an area. Turn off the light in a room (or better, shoot them out) and switch to night vision. Then watch enemies enter and attempt to turn on the lights.
When you equip yourself with a weapon the crosshair stays in the middle of the screen. The control is superb and every bit as accurate as using a mouse on a PC.
However, the ability to shoot out virtually every light on every level presents new strategies never before seen in a video game. First of all, the sound of shooting out lights will attract guards and sometimes broken lights will attract enemies. Shooting out lights of course uses ammo and takes extra time. On the flip side, shooting out lights creates more and bigger shadows to hide in and hides Sam from security cameras. The consequences of shooting out lights;
however, have a severe impact on how the levels are completed.
Sam can look after himself although he's no superman, so stealth is definitely the number one priority. Sam is only used as a last resort so failure is incomprehensible. Sam's ability to hide in the darkness is crucial and manipulating the light to your advantage plays a part in this game like no other ever created.
Learning to move in the shadows is vital to being successful at this game. Everything gives off a real time shadow and it is simply stunning to witness. Walk past a notice board with the notices blowing around and for each one the shadow is behaving realistically. The light sourcing capabilities of the Xbox are getting a full workout in this game.
Tactically, every moment offers a challenge. Each level is comprised of
multiple save points, thus breaking down huge levels into bite-sized
portions. Each save point offers Sam a myriad of unique obstacles and
enemies, each of which must be overcome with tactical decisions.
Sam can do an incredible amount of actions. He can sneak, walk, run, roll, jump, rappel, shimmy, zip line, grapple, split jump, grab enemies as shields, knock enemies out, lean on walls, and much more, all with perfectly logical and easy to learn controls. The sheer amount of character movements and possibilities blows away even the most detailed characters in other games like Metal Gear Solid 2.
The AI in Splinter Cell is phenomenal. Throughout the game the AI is
showcased with its seemingly infinite settings and possibilities. When Sam
comes across a guard for the first time, he must figure out how to get
past guards either undetected or unscathed. Again, decisions become
paramount in dealing with such a huge variety of AI characters.
Sam is also equipped with a completely free-floating camera controlled on the right analog stick. It stays locked to the back of his head, so Sam looks where you're looking as long as it's behind him. But the camera can also "unhook" and swing 360 degrees around Sam's position. This way you can see things around corners and in other tight spaces where Sam couldn't necessarily see and, more importantly, nobody can see him.
All in all there are nine missions in four different countries and while this might not sound too impressive the missions are huge and will take hours just to complete one.
To increase difficulty as you proceed from mission to mission, the game makes some situations more annoying than others, but you always have the tools you'll need to get by. It's really up to you to figure out your own way through the game.
Splinter Cell is not just another stealth game. It is not just another third person shooter. It is not just a re-hash of an old game engine, or even re-hash of a new engine. This game literally shines on the Xbox and has enough gameplay
hours to satisfy dedicated Halo junkies who've been waiting for the next
landmark single player game on the system.
Not only is Splinter Cell one of the reasons the Xbox Console was built, but with downloadable content via Xbox Live you could be playing this one for a long time!
Sit back, relax, and try not to hold your breath, because you ARE Sam
Fisher...and you kick ass!
Official
Xbox Website:
http://www.xbox.com
Where
to find XBox Cheats:
http://www.xboxcheats.com
