Splinter Cell

Tom Clancy is a genius. Ever since he's been writing all those books and movies, people have wanted to make Video Games with his genius. And he's done pretty well- Rainbow 6, Splinter Cell, Ghost Recon.. I doubt any of those games would really fall under "Bad Games" by any degree.

Now, this doesnt make him exempt from critics, as you'll soon find out. Splinter Cell is a game where you play the NSA agent Sam Fisher as you sneak, shoot, and grab your way around different missions and playing areas. The game is in the third person with an over-the-shoulder shooting style, so lots of you might relate this, Max Payne, Resident Evil 4, and Grand Theft Auto together in the general realm of perspective.



I guess the best way to explain this game is just to say that its a bunch of military covert gaming. For some reason, it seems like shooter games feel required to throw in some backwards military crap to feel special, but every Tom Clancy game I've seen keeps from the mumbo jumbo and reflects on a more realistic military. In this case, its still unrealistic (I seriously doubt that a real agent could get away with some of the stuff like in this game), but its WAY more realistic than say... Command and Conquer.

Sam Fisher moves like a slow, gunless Max Payne. Its very obvious that this game is made for finite movements and tricky combinations rather than speed or action. There are some points in this game that will literally make you hide Sam for a minute or two before the guards go away. This can easily get frustrating, because it just seems like SOOO long.

This is another good point about the game: its pretty linear in the fact that it is very, very unforgiving. The game just doesnt want to give you a break when it comes to what you do, and little screw ups (Like running out of bullets because it took two bullets instead of one to drop a security guard) will end up biting you back majorly. Granted that you're not supposed to pull out the pistol unless you ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO, but I found it necessary in some situations just because its very, very difficult to get a perfect sneak attack on a guard.



In that vein, this game is not for UT or CS players. Its slow, steady, and concentrated. It requires perfect knowledge of the moves Sam can make, and you're probably going to use every one in your course of action.

Sometimes, this game feels unfair. Situations will arise like having no bullets and getting past an AK-47 laiden guard, and there seems to be no real way to hide yourself before his automatic wrath. In fact, I found that this game sometimes likes to "Roll the dice" when it comes to if you get spotted or not- sometimes I can run around like a faggot behind an adversary and they won't notice me, sometimes the slightest bit of noise sets them off, in the SAME SITUATION.

Also, the gun concept is frustrating. Giving someone only a few bullets, with no reloads, is like asking them to go fight battleships in a sailboat. Granted that sneaking works, but it would be nice to eventually be able to blow away the enemies instead of living in constant fear.

Now for some good points. The game is beautiful, no doubt. While the PS2 version is lacking graphically and controllingly, the XBOX version feels spot on. I have the PS2 version, but I've played the XBOX version and feel that I should have purchased the XBOX version. The XBOX controller and setup is much more geared toward this game, whereas the PS2 controller feels very unwieldy in this game.



The sound and ambience are spot on. I can sit there and listen to a dialogue outside a restaurant, wait until they stop talking, and bust their heads when they exit. Or, I can sneak in while they talk and try to brave the wrathful automatic-laden guards. The sound just makes it so much easier to play- for example, you can actually hear when you're stepping on something loud, such as paper. The music isnt something I'd ever want to listen to alone, but it works with the game.

You can pick this game up for XBOX, PS2, Gamecube, PC, and the Nokia N-Gage (and select Cell phones). Its everywhere. While I would always advise picking up the second one, which totes an amazingly innovative multiplayer aspect and a more refined system, this is still an awesome game. While I get frustrated at this game, and havent made it past the 3rd or 4th level, I still say its a good game. Pick it up if you're a espionage nut, or if you just want a game thats a radical change from the traditional "Shoot it a lot to make it die" games.

3 star(s) out of 5

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