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Sam is back with a few new tricks.
Splinter Cell redefined the stealth genre. That’s not something to be taking lightly considering that the genre also holds heavy weights like Metal Gear Solid. Splinter Cell was different. It actually made sitting around waiting fun, partly thanks to its excellent visuals and the most breathtaking light/shadow graphics engine ever. Everything about the game just screamed AAA game, and you’ll notice that some of the key additions are now showing up (anyone notice similarities between Metal Gear Solid 3’s “Cameo Meter” and the original “Light Meter”).
Splinter Cell is technically a Tom Clancy-branded product but the storyline isn’t really that important. Basically, it’s up to Sam to save the world by visiting various worldwide locales and stopping the enemies in a quiet matter. Remember, if you mess up, the CIA will deny any knowledge of you. You are a Splinter Cell after all.
Considering how great the original’s single player mode was, no one really expected Ubisoft to change much. The gameplay is almost exactly the same as its prequel. Basically, you’ll sneak around, taking out enemies without their partner’s knowledge. You’ll still gather items from fallen enemies, interrogate others, pick up data from laptops and rescue hostages.
Likewise, the same faults from the original return. You still won’t be able to shoot anyone you wish or pick up weapons from fallen enemies. The shoddy AI can be found here also. Some enemies are extremely keen while others are the exact opposite.
The excellent stealth system returns, basically unchanged, also. There are still three alarm stages, with the alarm getting higher as you leave bodies behind or an enemy spots you. To make sure no one does, you’ll need to hide your bodies, stay in the shadows, take out enemies one by one and generally make no noise. If this all sounds similar, it should, as you did the same thing in the original Splinter Cell, granted there are a few new gadgets and (rarely used) moves.
The level design is as strong as ever. The new locales look awesome, with excellent ambient effects like your visit to Jerusalem, France’s speeding train level (the one in the PC demo) or the dense outdoor jungle levels.
The new Xbox Live multiplayer mode is clearly the star of the game though. In it, four players divide into two teams: The Mercenaries and the Spies. The Mercenaries have a big assault rifle and see the game from a standard first person shooter viewpoint. The Spies see the game in the standard 3rd version viewpoint found elsewhere in the game. The Spies are out powered but can hide in the shadows, sneak around and attack the Mercenaries without them knowing what hit them.
Along the way, the Spies need to neutralize or defend certain items while the Mercenaries are trying to stop them. The Mercenaries have a new motion detection vision which allows them to spot sneaky spies and their active gadgets. The Spies have the standard thermal and night vision to spot the Mercs. It’s a very novel approach to multiplayer and works excellently. It’s also cool to smack to Mercs when you have them in a chokehold or fallen spies.
The Xbox version of the game ships with a few game crashes, particularly in the multiplayer side. Ubisoft has spent a good deal of time updating the game and have fixed most problems. You’ll need Xbox Live in order to update the game.
The game’s visuals remain as gorgeous as ever. Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow’s visuals are striking with a great shadow and lighting system. The character models are equally impressive, with killer character models and solid animation. Sam’s character model is immensely detailed and his move set works wonderfully thanks to the awesome animation system. Going out in the new jungle missions looks great also with detailed backdrops. Progressive scan is supported to make the game look even better.
The audio is similar to the previous game, with standard background music. The sound effects steal the show, however. You’ll hear everything in the game. You’ll hear enemies walk around, you’ll hear Sam walk around, every gunshot, every fall, etc. The voice acting is very solid with professionals like Dennis Haysbert (Sam’s boss, Lambert) and Michael Ironside voicing Sam. If you have the technology, you can play the game in Dolby Digital 5.1 or for the first time ever in a videogame, 7.1.
Splinter Cell Pandora Tomorrow is a real kicker. While it lacks innovation in the single player portion, I don’t think anyone else could have crafted such a unique way to play the game in multiplayer. If you’re planning on playing online, it’s a must have game. If you don’t plan on playing online, the single-player game is still awesome, just don’t expect many changes. -- Jose Liz, PGNx Media
---- May 27, 2004
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