Sam Fisher is the Chuck Norris of stealth games...getting the job done whilst looking extremely cool.
Graphics: 10 (minor clipping issues however visually spectacular with excellent lighting effects – a masterpiece)
Sounds: 8 (the voice of Sam Fisher is a little too over-the-top)
Value: 9 (I spend over 25hrs / quality product overall)
Tilt: 9 (up there with the Hitman and Thief series)
Actual score: 9.1
Before the release of Splinter Cell, I remember reading eons ago that author Tom Clancy wasn't a big fan of releasing his name or being endorsed in a video game. His major concern was video games cannot do justice in the form of game play and graphics thus failing to bring his ideas to life (sounds like George Lucas here). Granted that novels, if written well is only limited to the reader's imagination. Nevertheless, Ubisoft Montreal took the lead and with the assistance of musician Michael Richard Plowman and the ever-so-powerful Unreal Engine 2, Splinter Cell pulled off one of the most entertaining stealth game to hit the market thus far.
So you play the main protagonist Sam Fisher; the ever-so-cool guy with almost no emotions other than a soothing groan when taking a health pack is part of the Third Echelon. This group is a sub-division of the National Security Agency (NSA) where naturally, the US government denies all existence. So, when previous wars are all about man power, modern warfare is all about information. And what better ways to grab information is to send an operative from one of those Splinter Cells. So in arrive Sam Fisher and his small team of operatives. Armed with all things electronic, being requested to investigate the disappearance of CIA Agent Alison Madison, who was originally sent to investigate a wide spread shortage of communications failure in the former Soviet Republic of Georgia.
Splinter Cell is obviously a stealth action adventure where like a sliver of glass, you are required to be invisible to your enemies. Do what you have to do and failure will result denial from your superiors. But do not worry as being a Splinter Cell operative, you will be in the procession of high tech gear to assist you and of course your small team of champions in their respective field. Depending upon the mission, you might score a listening device, optic cable, camera jammer, lock picks and so on in addition to your silencer pistol and assault rifle. Yet beware that some missions will end abruptly if you set off an alarm or cause havoc.
So it's highly advisable to run through the training mission to get used to the many manoeuvring styles like wall climbing, split jumps, rolling and so forth. Actually there are twelve movements to learn however most are simply required to press jump twice for example to perform a split jump. Also you can perform many combat moves like the drop attack (it's simply dropping from a split jump), rappel shooting, interrogation and so forth. Again most are simple to learn as an indicator usually appears when these actions are readily to perform. Other mundane activities are throwing cans and / or bottles to attract attention. Actually when Sam throws a bottle, it looks like he's in a drunken rage. Try and throw a bottle at a wall and you'll see what I mean.
Being a stealth game, the darkness is your friend. Stay in the shadows and you will be almost invisible. To be honest, so invisible you can literally stand (or crouch) next to the enemy and he will be none-the-wiser. You can also make shadows by shooting at light blubs however sometimes this will attract unwanted attention. To assist you with lighting, don't rely on how visual your character is. Rely on the lighting meter as there will be times that it seems that Sam is glowing like he has been struck with radiation poisoning yet the lighting meter indicates 'dark' and vice versa. However there will be times the enemies will use flash and / or search lights to scan the area. This is where the game tumbles as you have little indication of where's the beam is aiming. So, for example, if you are hiding in the dark and monitoring a search light, the search light will not produce a beam therefore difficult to gauge your next move.
Whilst in theory, the AI will stalk you if you make a noise or forgot to drag that unconscious body away (and sometimes ends the mission), they are quite dumb. As mentioned before, staying in the dark will make you invisible (and oddly enough, that iconic night vision goggles don't produce any light either even though those three beams glows like the sun) and considering they all walk in a certain path, you can almost finish the game just by knocking them out. I was playing this on hard and had little issues finishing the game as my main goal is to see how many I can KO before being caught. I guess patience is required to monitor their path and then strike, like a panther to its prey. Yet there are some missions that using your assault rifle is fine, I still try to knock them out…well most of the time. Yet the gun battles are quite weak comparing to the stealth actions as Sam tends to miss often.
Visually the game is a beauty to behold as playing with light can be a nuisance if done incorrectly. Even the character movements are perfect as it produces very smooth animations therefore seems realistic. Yet the downside was at the time of release, only the strongest PCs can run this game to its fullest glory. And considering the Unreal II engine was just being announced, this game definitely proved that the Unreal Engine is a force to be reckon with. Likewise are the sounds as they are also top notch. Yet I only have one minor gripe, it's the voice of Sam Fisher. Yes, it is voiced my Michael Ironside however there are some sounds that's a little too much information. Like for instance when Sam takes a health pack.
Another minor grip is the back story of Sam Fisher. Considering the overall plotline resembles a great Tom Clancy novel that mostly involves world conflict at the grandest scale, there were glimpses of Sam's background that should be more of. For example: when Sam was talking to his daughter it made me become more aware of Sam as a person. I wish there was more of this as this will assist character development therefore attuning more to the main character, similar to what Deus Ex done with J.C. Denton.
The recommended completion time is around 15hrs according to the blurb yet for me I took around 20hrs. There are nine big missions to complete and considering many requires stealth, will force you to extend the life of the game. Yet there are only two difficulty levels and because I started this on the hardest level, the game is not that difficult to complete comparing to the Hitman series. That said, there is no real need to play it again however to those who purchased the CD / DVD version can download for free an extra three missions on the net.
As far as stealth games are concerned, Splinter Cell is way up there with Thief and the Hitman series. Whilst the game play is very similar, it managed to break itself from the pack by being all things electronic. Gadgets will play an important part assisting you prodding through computer terminals, grabbing a key personal and forcing them to use the rectal scans places a smile in my face any day. The game made me feel like a total bada$$ and cool at the same time. So cool that Sam could freeze rivers if he stands close enough. I guess you can compare Sam with Chuck Norris, both have tears that cures cancer…too bad they both don't cry.