Splinter Cell (Xbox) 12.31.02
Fisher, Lambert here. Third Echelon has your next assignment ready. I realize you might need some rest after your last mission, but the NSA feels this is too important.
Sure. Where to now?
You’re to infiltrate the TNL forums and grab the grand prize package for their December Reader Review giveaway. Another operative, codename Wolffen, will pull some smoke and mirrors to keep the locals distracted. Details on your OPSAT.
Have you ever wanted to ‘play’ a Tom Clancy novel? Now’s your chance. Splinter Cell for the Xbox is
just what you’re looking for. Developed by Ubisoft, this game is the a perfect example of what the Xbox can do. Set in the near future, you take on the roll of Sam Fisher, an NSA operative, and splinter cell, as he investigates the disappearance of two CIA operatives in Soviet Georgia. Things snowball from there.
Wolffen, Lambert here. Keep it up. Fisher needs several more minutes.
Where was I? Oh, yeah. Um, as Agent Fisher, er, Sam Fisher, you have an assortment of gadgets and moves to either get past the enemy, or take them down. Your primary tool is your cool head. That, combined with a little bit of stealth and your OPSAT (a Palm Pilot with specialized NSA software and wireless connection, useful for getting mission info, among other things) will get you through many potentially bloody situations. This is not a run-and-gun type of game. Sure, some missions allow more bloodshed than others, but most missions require extreme stealth. Bleeding corpses tend to set off alarms, so, when possible, it’s best to avoid confrontations entirely. Learning to use shadows and your visibility meter (a handy device that shows how much light is bouncing off of you. Level 0 is ghost, Level 4 is lit up like a Christmas tree) is key to the game. Sometimes, however, someone is in your way, and they just gotta go. This is where you learn to sneak up on enemies very quietly. Properly done, you’ll be able to grab an enemy from behind, drag them to wherever you see fit, and take them out. Just be sure to hide the body somewhere safe and somewhere dark. Alarms tend to go off when bodies are found, and you’re allowed a limited number of alarms in most missions before the mission is aborted.
Real-time lighting is one of the stars of the game. As mentioned previously, use of shadows to hide your presence is the key to this game. The Xbox really shines here, taking lighting and shadows to the next level (no pun intended). Turning off lights, or shooting them out to give you the cover of darkness as you sneak about is great fun. It’s quite exhilarating to slowly move past a guard not 2 feet from you and make it by without feeling several rounds from an automatic rifle burying themselves into your flesh. Character models, level layout, environment effects, and sound are likewise extremely impressive. This is a great game to show off the Xbox to a friend.
Wolffen, this is Lambert. Fisher has knocked out Bahn, Nick, Master, and Yoshi. Haohmaru is busy making candles, and Sleeveboy and Innova don’t seem to be around. YAWA may be trouble though. Keep going.
Control in the game is relatively simple. Left analog moves Sam around, right analog moves the camera, right trigger fires your weapon or throws objects, A is interact, B is crouch, X brings up your weapon, and Y jumps. The back button pulls up your OPSAT, black pulls up your equipment bar, and white forces Sam against the wall to better enable him to blend into the environment. The d-pad is used to activate/deactivate your nightvision/infrared goggles (and some very cool lighting filters/effects). The game is full of neat little details that really enhance the experience and immerse you even further. Being able to pick up a Coke can that is lying about, and tossing it at a guard for distraction, holding your breath whilst sniping to keep your aim steady, being able to hold an enemy as a body shield as you shoot at his friends…these are just a few of the things the programmers at Ubisoft put in the game to give the gamer their money’s worth.
Wonderful as it is, the game does have a few small drawbacks. First, the game IS difficult. Splinter Cell is somewhat open ended, allowing you to try multiple paths to complete the mission. And when you goof, be prepared to go back a ways since the game uses a checkpoint save system. Ubisoft was relatively kind with the number of checkpoints they put into the game, but there are times when you continually goof up that will have you begging for an anytime-save option (I predict that PC Gamer will deduct 5~10% points from the game’s score if the PC version doesn’t have the anytime-save option. You heard it here first, folks). Luckily, such times are rare. The only other problem would be the camera when you’re pressed against the wall (by using the white button). It centers on Sam and pulls in closer than usual, making it difficult to see guards and cameras. There are very few situations where this is a problem, and most can be avoided by picking a better hiding spot. Other than those two things, I can’t think of anything else to complain about.
Splinter Cell is hands down, the most immersive game I’ve ever played on the Xbox, and possibly any other console. I’ve come away from missions literally sweating and shaking. Storywise, gameplaywise, and graphicwise it beats Metal Gear Solid 2 easily. If you’re not sure the game is your cup of tea, at least give the game a rent. The demo, while cool, only scratches the surface of what awaits. As far as bang for buck, the game will take you some time to beat, and, come February, Xbox Live users will be able to download new content for the game. I give Splinter Cell a big paws up.
Good going Wolffen. Fisher will be out shortly. He’s got Bahn, and is enroute to Baxter’s interrogation van. That grand prize is as good as ours.
Never under any circumstance scrutinize the mastication orifice of a gratuitous herbivorous quadruped.
zzzzzzzz
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