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Sam returns to PS2.
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 solid in Pandora Tomorrow, although the PS2’s levels are hampered by simpler, less-detailed designs than its Xbox counterpart. The levels are also much more broken up with numerous checkpoints and save points (which are made worse due to the rather long loading times) not found in the Xbox version. Nonetheless, the various locales are good particularly visit to Jerusalem and France’s speeding train level (the one in the PC demo). There is also an additional jungle level found only in this version. The multiplayer levels are also changed but not as drastically as the single-player levels.
The new online 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 game’s visuals are as good as the first Splinter Cell on PS2, which is to say great for PS2 not too good when compared to its Xbox and PC peers. Like always, 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, in particularly, is immensely detailed and his move set works wonderfully thanks to the awesome animation system. Compared to the other versions though, you’ll notice that there are less enemies on-screen (we don’t want the PS2 to hyperventilate, do we?) and less destructible light sources. Progressive scan is not supported in this version.
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. As expected, the revolutionary 7.1 surround sound is gone.
Splinter Cell Pandora Tomorrow is a real kicker since it lacks innovation in the single player portion but more than makes up for it in the online department. If you own either an Xbox or PS2, as you should know by know due to Ubisoft’s consistent porting efforts, those versions eclipse this PS2 edition. If you only own a PS2, Pandora Tomorrow remains a solid purchase if a bit lacking in the aesthetics but complete in the gameplay. -- Jose Liz, PGNx Media
---- Jul 7, 2004
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