| Publisher: |
Developer: |
Genre: |
Players: |
ESRB: |
| Ubi Soft |
Ubi Soft Montreal |
Tactical |
1 |
Teen |
Splinter Cell
Reviewed by: PrinceVegeta
As one of the most highly anticipated games on the Xbox, and in the history of videogames, Splinter Cell is finally released, with all of the reviewers raving about it, and for good reasons. The immersion, graphics, sound, weapons, stealth, and all of Sam's moves and gadgets will have gamers bleeding for more of this heart pounding, action-packed, and stunningly great game.
Gameplay: Splinter Cell is a third-person shooter, using familiar elements from games such as the Metal Gear Solid franchise. Be that as it may, the two games are not even remotely alike, albeit the basic premises of stealth. Sam is loaded with tools, each playing some role in the game, and giving you a surplus of them for each mission.
The story line is perfect, with plenty of plot twists and turns. You are a Splinter Cell for the American Government, and are working for the Third Echelon to stop the Georgian threats of the American's demise. The rest is a grip-tightening experience, and can only be fully understood once you play through the entire game.
The weapons in Splinter Cell are great. Although there are only a few "Guns" at your disposal, many distractions can be launched from these weapons. Be it smoke grenades, sticky shockers, or even diversion cameras (Makes small whistling noises to attract enemies attention, and releases a nerve gas upon them), Sam always has something for the job. There are many times during the game that you need to use the environment to your advantage, and most likely, your survival.
Using Sam's intuition, strength, and intelligence, you can pull off some really awesome moves to use against your enemies. The Split Jump is a handy move that you only get to use a few times, due to it's necessity in long, enclosed corridors. Jumping from one wall to the next, splitting your legs, you will have a perfect view of your surroundings, and when the timing is right, jump onto your enemies' heads, and knocking them out. Rappelling is another scarce feature, used to rappel down high buildings, to get to your specified destination. Hanging from pipes, you can aim and take out multiple enemies with your silenced pistol. Crouching, jumping Jet-Li style (Jumping on one wall, and off to the next to reach a ledge), rolling, and climbing things is all included, but one of the most seemingly type of stealth activity that is missing, is crawling. Each of those moves that Sam can use has a certain purpose, whether you are trying to sneak into a Chinese Embassy, or moving through the corridors of the jail cells in a Police building, you will never tire of his many, many feats. Stealth has never been this fun.
There are also many gadgets that Sam has access to. As with his special moves, each will have it's ups and downs, and almost all will be used during the course of the game. The Night Vision Goggles are self-explanatory, but it allows you to see the enemies, even if you've shot out the lights, making it one of the most used tools you have. Heat vision allows you to see in foggy rooms, and in certain levels, enter passcodes, while viewing the heat signatures of the keypad that your enemy has just used to gain access to a certain room. Camera Jammer, while not necessary, can help you sneak around in places that you are not wanted. Optic cables are really neat, letting you see through keyholes in doors, to see what lies on the other side. Lockpicking is very fun, and you must utilize the Xbox Rumble Feature to detect where you should lift certain parts inside the lock. It may sound confusing, but it is very easy, and surely beats the heck out of Dead to Rights' poor attempt at making lockpicking a unique experience.
The enemy AI is great, and at times, pathetic. They do react to bullets very well, by investigating the scene, and searching the area for the culprit. Throwing cans can also get their attention quickly, as will smashing bottles on the ground. As they do with bullets, they will check the surrounding scene for anyone that wishes to remain undetected. The pathetic part? Well, for one, sometimes even in pitch black, they can spot you. It may not be that bad, but when it happens over and over, it gets annoying real quick. Also, they can be really dumb. Contrary to the pitch black complaint, they will (in the darkness) shoot at random places, to find you. This may seem good, but when they shoot the wall two inches in front of them, or in midair, it gets sad. Real sad.
Enemies will actually react to bullet wounds(usually). Some of these include shooting them in the arm, and they may have worse aim when trying to shoot with one arm free.
That also goes with the leg animations, and will cause them to limp.
There is a total of 9 missions, and 11 extra missions available for download on Xbox Live. Each of them is very different, and you must strategize your plans for each one. Some can be over 4 hours long, depending on how you play. These levels range from the CIA Building, to the Presidential Palace of Georgia.
Graphics: The graphics that are done in Splinter Cell are phenomenally done, filled with the most spectacular lighting effects ever seen, and amazingly created physics with Non-Character objects. Detail was obviously UbiSoft's highest priority, and it does such a great job, that it actually pushes the Xbox further down the road to its limit. I have a feeling many games to come will incorporate such detail.
Splinter Cell features the most extraordinary lighting system ever seen. Using real-time lighting, shadowing, bump-mapping, and much more techniques really shows what the Xbox hardware can really do. Shadows are also cast in real-time, and it creates a sense of realism that no other videogame can capture. You might even think that it is photo-quality lighting. There are many things you can do with these great lighting effects. Destroying lights will shroud a room in darkness, and render you basically invisible to the human eye. Blurs that appear in nightvision are very realistic, as are the radiation from the heat vision.
You're movements are also stunning, showing the reality in rolling, climbing, strangling enemies, reloading your gun, using gadgets, tossing grenades, and almost every other action Sam takes.
A few gripes about the graphics. They may be the best out of any videogame, but due to the tremendous amount of the Xbox's CPU, dead body parts, your guns, or anything that touches a wall, will slightly go through it. Now, you can't walk through walls, and it doesn't really detract from the overall experience of the game, it's just a slight technicality disorder.
Controls: The controls in Splinter Cell fit the Xbox control pad just perfectly. Jump using the Y button, crouch using B, A is used for action commands such as opening doors, or grabbing bags off of enemies, and X allows you to aim, in order to fire your selected weapon/gadget. Right Trigger Shoots, and the controls for movement are very user-friendly. The right analog stick spins the camera 360 Degrees, and thankfully, it never hurts your view. There are a few things missing, such as a command for crawling, and strafing. Other than that, there are no huge problems in this category.
Replay: There is much replay to be found in Splinter Cell. The variety of missions will keep you coming back for more, and the many ways to get through each mission are just breathtaking. Never is there a dull moment in this game, as it is usually tense, and pain-stakingly hard. The only real limitation is the stealth. While it is the best in any game of this category, going in guns-blazing is the worst possible scenario in Splinter Cell. So it is basically forcing you to use stealth. But don't get me wrong, there is nothing bad about that.
Sound: The sound is another frighteningly realistic part of the game. The grenade explosions are ear-defeaning when the volume is blaring, the roaring of fire in the distance, and your footsteps on broken glass along with other materials you may step on, is simply amazing.
Voice-overs are done extremely well. You can hear the enemies talk to each other, as they make plots for taking you out, or just about their daily life. It's very interesting, and adds more depth to the game.
Playing in Dolby Digital 5:1 really enhances your experience, and gives even a more realistic vision of the game.
Overall Presentation: Overall, Splinter Cell is a near-perfect game, with few flaws, and much to boast about. The weapons, stealth modes, sound, and not to mention the best graphics in any game ever made, really collides beautifully to create the best game for Xbox. This one is for everybody, and should not be missed. Pick it up at all costs.
Scores:
Gameplay:  9.8
Graphics: 9.8
Controls: 9
Replay:  10
Sound: 9.5
Total Score: 9.6
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