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Splinter Cell is one of the most anticipated games of the year. It has been said to be the upcoming best Xbox game of ever let alone the year… So does it achieve this? Well yes and no. It does manage to redefine Xbox games but it surely is not perfect. Also the fact this is a Tom Clancy title does not mean anything but you can see small attributes from his books implemented into the game. Such as the story you play through, as Sam Fisher is a mesh of classic evil Russian countries, mercenaries, betrayal, a chance of a war, etc… All in all it is a pretty cool game and hopefully the birth of another espionage/stealth franchise.
Graphics:
Three words can be used to describe Splinter Cell’s graphics, Drop Dead Gorgeous. One of the first and most noticeable elements of the graphics is the lighting effects. This is luckily so also because the games stealth system is base on staying in the shadows, which I will explain later. If you enter a huge lighted room your shadow will reflect on the wall. Even sometimes you can use shadows to tell if an enemy is around the corner. Light reflects on Sam perfectly. Of course if you get up close to the shadows they get jaggy but that really isn’t much of an implication. The environments are pretty good too. Though they are not perfect and a little more drab and gloomy then it is healthy at some points. Sam’s character model is amazing in itself and the enemy models are slightly less stunning. Sam’s vision modes are amazing too. Looking through Night Vision it is so well made it looks so looming and detailed and Thermal vision is nice enough but not as jaw dropping. I was shocked myself at what an amazing job Ubi-Soft did with the graphics and while not necessary to the game make it seem much better.
Game play:
Splinter Cell plays extremely well and there are so many things to do. You actually get the feeling of being a real spy with all the gadgets you can use. All of the moves and items are easily accessible and there is almost virtually no hassle. The control scheme is well set up and there seems to be an action for every situation. An interesting note about this game is it makes you think differently. For example you see a room with two men on computers…. What could you do? Shoot them? Well you will end up with the alarm on and two guys to face. How about sneaking along the wall entering a room behind them and luring them in one by one? You see there are so many ways to do anything it adds a ton of replay value and is an amazing experience. While the AI can be a little stupid and there are some frustrating glitches it is okay. Also the difficulty can get hard which might drive easily frustrated gamers away. Though playing on multiple difficulty levels and getting through a mission without raising an alarm can be a thrill. Also the fact that you can download missions on Xbox live is cool too. But there are some problems. As in a lot of games like this certain things trigger events… So say you are trying to listen to some guys in an elevator. You forget about you microphone and pick the boor to the nearest building and you run inside trying to get to the elevator. You notice three guards standing there. No matter what you do they don’t notice you because their AI is not activated yet. But these instances are few and many and don’t really affect the game’s experience.
Sound:
Splinter Cell’s sound is more then decent. Silence can be golden in predicting your enemy’s moves and staying hidden. While the voices of the characters aren’t top notch they are passable and everything is in place. Every thing is in sync and almost perfect. Ubi-Soft did an amazing job with this aspect because I really can’t think of many cons. Though if you turn the volume down it does make the game harder because the game is designed to make you use your ears as well as you eyes.
Overall:
I found this game to be amazing. It just gives you this classic super spy feeling. The missions are great and it truly proves that there is another way to make a spy game. All of its amazing elements melt into an amazing experience. I urge ANY Xbox owner to run out and buy it right now. -- Anonym. Contributor, PGNx Media
---- Dec 7, 2002
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