Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Pandora Tomorrow Hands-On Impressions

This week, we were fortunate enough to receive a near-final build of the Xbox version of Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Pandora Tomorrow, the follow-up to Ubisoft's blockbuster stealth action game, and we're here with impressions of two of the game's original missions--one set in Jerusalem and the other set in Kunang Camp in Indonesia. Pandora Tomorrow features the same sort of gameplay and follows the same basic formula as its predecessor, which means you'll be playing as ultrasecret operative Sam Fisher, who conducts highly classified raids and rescue missions around the world while always using stealth and the element of surprise to his advantage. Of course, Pandora Tomorrow features a completely new story and new scenarios, and while Fisher does have a few new moves this time around, we think the new settings are going to steal the show.

Let's talk about Fisher's new moves first, though. For one thing, he moves noticeably quicker than before, and he seems even lighter on his feet. (It seems he's been practicing!) One of his new abilities is rather amusing. He can whistle (at the touch of the black button), thus calling attention to his position. Why on Earth would a stealthy guy like Fisher want to draw his enemies toward him? Well, when he's working in the dark, he can summon his foes to investigate the noise and can then quietly move to the side and set them up for an ambush, for example. Fisher's main way of disposing of pesky guards is still the same--he uses his elbow, which can be employed to swiftly and silently incapacitate any unsuspecting characters.

Another new ability is that while Fisher is climbing upside down along a horizontal pipe, he can aim and shoot while dangling from the pipe by his feet. It's a cool-looking maneuver that might just come in handy in a few key spots. Also, Fisher's split-jump, which allowed him to prop himself up by using only his feet in narrow alleyways in the first Splinter Cell, has been modified so that Fisher can now shift his weight from one foot to the other, allowing him to possibly prop himself up in such a way that he can climb to higher places. Sadly, his ability to triangle-jump off of any nearby wall seems to have been removed, perhaps because the move was only used in a few specific places in the original Splinter Cell. On the plus side, though, Fisher now has a very cool SWAT-turn maneuver for when he's got his back pressed against a wall and is peeking over his shoulder and through a doorway or another opening. By pressing the jump button, you can make Fisher quickly pivot to the other side of the opening both quietly and without stirring up much attention.

Fisher's enemies will have some new tricks up their sleeves, too. We saw an enemy take a hostage and then use the civilian for cover while firing upon us. In another sequence, we had to figure out how to get past a guard who was wearing night vision goggles. Still other foes are carefully camouflaged or armed with light amplification units that can easily expose Fisher's position. At least the game's heads-up display now does a better job of keeping you informed. In the first game, it wasn't made clear that you needed to hide the bodies of your victims, for example, but in Pandora Tomorrow, you're given a clear indication that you should be doing this. Furthermore, you also now have an idea of where it's safe to toss an unconscious or dead body without anyone else running across it for a while. Those who played the first Splinter Cell would naturally assume that hiding evidence in pitch-black darkness is always going to be the way to go, but there are actually other options. For example, the Kunang Camp mission takes place in the daytime, so because there's dense foliage all around, you can safely dispose of a victim in the overgrowth.

Back to Nature

The mission in Jerusalem comes before the mission in Kunang Camp, though it isn't the first mission in the game. It's here that Sam Fisher once again gets his hands on his signature SC20K experimental multipurpose assault rifle. Why doesn't he have it from the get-go? Fisher's as curious about this as anyone, so his commanding officer explains that the gun's been undergoing a few key modifications from an Israeli weapons expert. For what it's worth, the modifications aren't obvious in practice, but the SC20K is as effective as ever. Its sniper scope allows you to zoom in up to six degrees of magnification, and as before, by pressing and holding the left trigger, you can make Fisher hold his breath to temporarily steady his aim. Alternative nonlethal ammo types are once again available for situations, like in the Jerusalem mission, in which casualties are unacceptable.

In fact, this is one of those missions in which you instantly fail if you're noticed...well, if the guard has time to radio in an alert, anyway. It's possible to run right up to a patrolling officer and knock him out before he's able to call for backup, so the mission isn't as unforgiving as it sounds. You'll work your way through Jerusalem under cover of night, so your night vision and, to some extent, your thermal vision will both come in very handy. This mission, since it takes place in dark and narrow alleyways and building interiors, is reminiscent of some of the early missions from the first Splinter Cell.

On the other hand, the Kunang Camp mission is very different from anything in the first game. Again, for one thing, it takes place practically in broad daylight. For another, lush jungle is all around, consequently providing cover for you...and for your foes. The foliage realistically rustles and parts as Fisher moves through it, and if you carelessly stomp through these natural environs, you might betray your position as a flock of birds or some other animals might be sent screeching away from you. The effect is very impressive, overall, and if you played Splinter Cell, then you can imagine that it's nothing like anything seen in the first game's gritty, predominantly urban environments. Fisher can even be seen in a new camouflage-green outfit here, complete with camo face paint. Unlike in the Jerusalem mission, Fisher is authorized to use lethal force as necessary in Kunang Camp, though he still must be discreet lest he sound too many alarms and fail his mission. Furthermore, you need to be on the lookout for booby traps hidden in the brush. Fortunately, your thermal vision goggles can help you spot them.

Pandora Tomorrow is looking very impressive, overall. Just from a graphical standpoint, the game seriously flexes the Xbox's muscle to produce some incredibly cool-looking lighting effects, which have to be seen firsthand to be fully appreciated. The game seems to be running slightly smoother and faster than its predecessor, overall, though the one odd graphical issue we noticed is that the glow-in-the-dark green light on Fisher's back sometimes generates a very noticeable artifacting effect, like the colored chunks you see when watching a poorly compressed DVD. Hopefully this will be addressed before the game ships, because other than this, Splinter Cell looks dazzling. It features a completely new soundtrack, too, as well as all-new voice-over. Michael Ironside again reprises his role as Sam Fisher, and he sounds as perfectly gruff as ever. On the other hand, some of the other voices heard in this build are a little weak, so hopefully they'll be replaced by quality work that's on par with that of Mr. Ironside.

There's lots more to talk about with Pandora Tomorrow, so stay tuned. Coming up, we'll have impressions of the game's brand-new multiplayer mode, which we think will make a very cool addition to the series.