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Splinter Cell Review (Reviews)

Last year was the first time I ever had the experience of visiting one of the great video game shows you have no doubt heard all about. I managed to trick the scary bouncers into letting me into ECTS, and what a show it was. Out of all the games at the show, Splinter Cell was the game that showed the most promise. Sure, it looked like just another entry to the stealth genre at first glance, but after playing for just a few minutes, but it just felt right. With the Ubi Soft rep showing me how to double-jump against the walls while an unsuspecting guard walked below, I couldn't wait to get this game away from the big crowd that had gathered and into the comfort of my own home to play in peace.

So I finally get to play this game from opening sequence to its final credits. Was it as good as the quick taste I had the chance to play before?

The game starts with the stereotypical Tom Clancy plot. A rogue state wants to fire nuclear bombs and you, as agent Sam Fisher, are the only man who can save it. Okay, so it gets a bit more detailed than my overview, but there's nothing here that will surprise you. The usual type of plot nuances show their head throughout the game, but this game's main Xbox rival, Metal Gear Solid : Substance, to be frank, does it a lot better. Nothing here will shock you, so if you are the kind of person who loves to be surprised, then go for Konami's title. But hey, at least you won't get any cheesy cut scenes with the main character getting all mushy on you here.

But if you don't care about the main protagonists' emotions (or whinges, depending on how you look at it), then this game delivers in the stealth-em-up stakes. Control is initially very tricky, but soon becomes second nature with the now standard dual analog system as demonstrated in action games of recent times. The left stick controls Fisher's movements, whereas the right stick controls the camera. The only problem with the controls is that perhaps the menu system is a little cumbersome to use. Luckily the game pauses while accessing the menu, so this isn't a big issue.

So, how does Splinter Cell match up against its rivals such as Thief, Tenchu and the seminal Metal Gear Solid series? Well, it's good, but not perfect.

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- posted by cro on 16.02.03
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