New look, same great taste.
User Rating: 9.3 | Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Pandora Tomorrow XBOX
Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow Review Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow is such a compelling game; it grabs and doesn't let you go until you've choke-held your last mercenary, terrorist, or guerrilla. Gameplay: Most people would consider the Splinter Cell series as a straight up stealth-action game, but I like to think of it as more of a tactical-espionage-shooter. This is since the game is really all about assessing the situation, planning a strategy, and executing it (while also being as stealthy as you can of course). The game is comprised of two main modes, the single-player and the multiplayer. The single-player is a whole new story that sets you dealing with more terrorist threats, bombs to diffuse, and computers that need hacking. Though some thought of the first game as perfect, Pandora Tomorrow seems to improve on a lot of the things the made the last game less accessible to some. The missions and levels are still all about stealth and recovery, but they contain more places to use Sam’s repertoire of gadgets and abilities. The levels feel fresh, and the varied locals don’t hurt either. Though of course there are the downsides. Though many improvements have been made, there is still a type of trial-and-error style gameplay to be found here, and some save points feel a little stretched out at times. This can lead to a certain level of frustration which will in turn, lead to a lot of thrown controllers for some. Despite the single-players flaws nothing can prepare you for the online portion of this outstanding game. Warning: Game Experience May Change During Online Play, indeed it does, but only for the better. To some, the single-player is but an after thought compared to the new multiplayer modes of Pandora Tomorrow. The multiplayer is laid out as Spies vs. Mercenarys gametype. Where spies and mercs battle for their own specific objectives (one team infiltrates while one defends). The mercs play in first person, while the spies play the classic third-person. Surprisingly, the merc controls are intuitive and all the controls feel tight and responsive. Combine that with tense two-on-two matches and you’ve got a game worth buying for the multiplayer alone. Graphics: Splinter Cells use of shadows and light has been pushed to the limits to provide some great looking environments and an equally great 'sense' of when you are hidden and when you aren't. Though sometimes this 'sense' is misleading, which leads to this games sometimes frustrating gameplay. Several times throughout the game you will think you are hidden from sight, only to be fired upon by enemies The Xbox version, (while not as clean looking as the PC version) is still quite an achievement from a graphical standpoint. Sound: Unfortunately the sad truth is that games now a days usually have pretty laughable voice acting. Thankfully, Michael Ironside, and his team do a superb job of delivering their lines. And while the music is pretty scarce (thankfully) it picks up and trails off depending when you are idle or in combat. The sound effects are good, and from little things like a speeding train passing by, to the sound of your bullet casing hitting the ground, it’s all very detailed. The only complaint is that all the NPCs you interrogate / talk to, during the game don’t have their own native accents. In short they all speak clean, unaccented English, which hurts the presentation the game so carefully wraps you in. Value: The value of this game is unsurpassed. Not only do you have an intense (longer) single-player campaign, but you also have a multiplayer experience that is only bound to improve over time with downloadable maps, tournaments, and the like. Overall: The game is truly a great successor to one of the finest stealth games to hit the Xbox. Though the stealth and difficulty may not suit everyones taste, it's still a great game on its own merits and easily recommendable for fans of the genre.
