The original Splinter Cell was a promising and polished first foray into the action stealth genre for Ubisoft. The French publisher's Montreal Studio crafted a potent mix of deep gameplay, impressive visuals (most notably the nuanced lighting), a rich story, and engaging characters (such as its lead character Sam Fisher), that helped the title stand apart from others in the crowded genre. Originally released to much acclaim on the Xbox in 2001, Ubisoft also released GameCube and PlayStation 2 versions of the game (developed by Ubi Shanghai) earlier this year that offered some tweaks to the Xbox game's core content. For the game's sequel--dubbed Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow--the reigns of the promising franchise have been handed to Ubi Shanghai, who is hard at work on creating an ambitious sequel that aims to top the original game's single-player component and Ubi Annecy who hopes to offer an equally compelling online multiplayer game. We recently got the chance to take a look at the upcoming game on the PlayStation 2 and Xbox (it's also slated to appear on the GameCube and PC) to see how Sam Fisher's latest adventure is shaping up.

Sam Fisher is back in a new multiplatform adventure.

One of the first goals in the game was to revisit the original Splinter Cell to take a hard look at what worked and what didn't. Ubi Shanghai is keenly aware of the criticisms leveled at the first game and is working to ensure that, along with all the new material, the core Splinter Cell experience is as tight as possible to provide a solid foundation to build on. The first facet of the game to come under scrutiny was its narrative. The original game's complex tale of intrigue, espionage, and politics was strong but lacked focus, partially due to the fact that it had to introduce players to Sam Fisher's world. Pandora Tomorrow's story is a much tighter narrative that's tied much more closely to the single- and multiplayer game experiences. While the exact details are being kept vague for now, expect the game's tale to mirror world geopolitics and to offer some logical extensions of current situations. The tighter focus--and already established world--is allowing the writers to focus more on Sam's character, and it allows them to flesh him out a bit more. At the same time, you can expect to find a host of new faces, both good and bad, in the mix.

The story will also feature a greater scope than the original game and will offer a more dynamic view of Sam's organization, the NSA. This time out, Sam won't be the only operative in the field. The game will acknowledge that other agents are going about their business as you guide Sam through his in some unique ways.

Sam's existing moves have been tweaked.

While Ubi Shanghai is keeping Pandora Tomorrow's story vague, the developer is much more open about the title's gameplay. You'll find two main modes in the game now: single-player and multiplayer. The single-player game is where you'll play Sam's new adventure. While the game's core mechanics and control are based on the original, Ubi Shanghai is implementing a number of refinements and additions to offer a tighter overall experience. You'll still control Sam in a third-person view, and you'll have access to his robust move set, which works very nicely for stealthy sneaking and killing. However, some of his moves have been tweaked to make them more useful. For example, Sam can now shift his weight to his right or left leg while performing his well-known split jump. In addition to the old favorites, you'll find Sam has new tricks up his sleeve, such as a speedy swim move that lets him slip past open areas, like doors, so that he can get to the safety of the shadows. As you'd expect, shadows and light will play an integral part of your spying experience. Ubi Shanghai is playing around with the mechanic and has come up with some slick variations that will force you to use your head if you want to make it through a mission. For example, you'll have to use the constantly changing shadows on a moving train to make your way through to your goal. Another slick new addition is the nice use of force feedback, as your controller will shake when you're near a mine--as a warning.