Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell (2002 / Xbox)

 

Your name is Sam fisher and you are the best field operative of a secretive

NSA sub-agency. Sent to execute desperate missions, you’re the last resort of your government.

Should you be captured or killed, all knowledge of your existence will be denied (Nice to have a government that’s so much about you).

You are Splinter Cell

This is the description given to on the back of the case of this hit game of 2002. And as you play, you realise how actuate that description is, from the secretive governments to the desperate missions. It’s all here.

 

Graphics 9/10

 

The graphics of this game is still of a high standard, even when compared to games like Deux Ex 2 or Soul Calibur 2. Because of the almost completely controllable camera, you can create angles worthy of a movie. Though this isn’t always useful for the game it self. Also helping with the cinematic feel is the dynamic lighting, which is one of the main features of this game. The Light and shadow in the game is something you have to continually consider as you more through the level. It’s all about avoiding lights, even controlling them by shooting them out and some times it as simple as turning them off. Another example of the amount of detail in this game is the Sam Fisher Goggles and their special vision modes. The first is the night vision mode, amplifier each light source to help you see in the dark. Yet were these goggles really shine is the thermal mode, it shows the detail that went in to every item, giving each one its own temperate and setting apart from the rest of the room.

My final example of the game excellent graphics is the main character, Sam Fisher. All of his animations were done by hand, no motion capture was used. This really gives the game an artistic feeling to it and it really shows. I mean no living person could do the split jump for as long as Sam Fisher can do it for.

 

Sound 9/10

 

The sound in this game is just as impressive as the graphics and just as important as the idea of light and shadow. The best way to describe is to say if you can hear Sam movements; the enemy can hear Sam movements. If you have surround sound system set up then listening to this game can help you as much as watching for the enemies. Unfortunately if you don’t have access to this great system then you shouldn’t relieve on it to find enemies.

Adding to the games atmosphere is the background music, which usually remains pretty low though out the game. Though if you get spotted or something is about happen the music can pick up. This system is very similar to the Tomb raider style of having music when there is trouble.

Complete the sounds in this game are the voices. Sam Fishers voice is done by Michael Ironside and works it’s really well. It make really believe that Sam fisher really does have a dark sense of humour and is willing to do what ever need to be done to finish a mission. Now the enemies on the other hand is a strange thing indeed, because all of your enemies speak English, with the accent of there home country. I see why this is necessary from a gamer point of view, though it doesn’t make much sense.

 

Game play 8/10

 

The game controls were very well designed. The control scheme becomes second nature after about fifteen minutes of playing. Each mission can be accomplished in a number of different ways. Yes, there is a pre-scripted ending, and yes you have to follow a story line, but the missions can be accomplished in many ways. Knocking someone out, killing them, or completely avoid them and continuing with the mission, it’s all up to you. Not too many games exist where they force you to make a conscious decision on what path to take, when to take it, and how to take it. Each action you make will have a different consequence.

Sam himself is a very acrobatic type person. He can do all sorts of gymnastics, from rolls to the famous ‘split kicks’. This is a realistic type game enemy’s take one to two shots to die and you take about 10 to die. You are equipped with all sorts of gadgets, one of the coolest is: the fibre optics cam or ‘snake cam’, you fish it under doors and see where your targets are. But my personal favourite one is elector-shocker; you load it in your gun and shot it at your targets. It hits you target with a high voltage dart that incapacitates it or if you fire it at water it shocks any one standing in the water. Sam is equipped with 2 guns. A FN Five-Seven (Pistol, 5.76mm) and the SC-20k (Rifle, 5.56x45mm). Due to the games realism these are the only guns you will be using. ‘Real’ military people don’t pick up guns that aren’t theirs and intend to use them. It’s just too dangerous because the operative is not trained in the weapons characteristics.

Splinter Cell accomplishes what other stealth games have failed, making the player get involved with the game on a higher level.

 

Story 9/10

 

I will admit that until I played Splinter Cell, I had never read a Tom Clancy book and now I read over half of them. Though I still believe that the splinter cell story is still one of the best he has ever written. It starts with Sam Fisher ex-CIA, ex-Navy SEAL operative beginning called up for work in a new agency called NSA sub-agency, Third Echelon. He is then sent on missions around the world. I won’t say too much because it will give away the story. Let’s just say it is very good.

 

Replay 8/10

 

When you first buy this game, you be trying to find out every possible route and method of completing it, so that will keep you going for a while. And then there the normal and hard difficultly, not much added by the greater difficultly, but another reason to go through the game again. After all this is finished you would think that would be it for replay value, and you would be right. But then Ubi Soft had a great idea, let’s make this game so downloadable contents are available and they did. There are now 3 new missions out and ready for download of Xbox live. There are apparently more in the planning stages, but there should be enough to us gamer going until Splinter Cell 2 is released later this year.

 

Overall 9/10

 

I will say that this game is not for every one, people who like game with a lot of quick action and fast paced fighting go some where else; this is for people with a bit of patience's and stealth at heart.