Step aside, Garrett. Move over, Denton. There’s a new
sneak in town, and though he hides in the shadows, his game deserves the
spotlight.
If seeing comparisons to Thief and Deus Ex in a review
sends a shiver down your gaming spine, then perhaps you might want to go
fetch your shoes. You can lace them up while I explain to you why you’ll
soon be tromping off to buy Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell.
In this game, you’ll assume the role of Sam Fisher, a
field operative for an ultra-secret branch of the NSA called Third
Echelon. As a completely covert initiative, Fisher’s small, independent
team (“splinter cell”) doesn’t officially exist. Intelligence gathering
is the foremost task, and espionage the primary means, but under
extraordinary circumstances, Sam has the right to protect all other
freedoms “by any means necessary”.
As with all of Clancy’s work, this is very much a “real
world” political thriller. Although not based directly on any of the
author’s novels or actual news events, the influence is clearly present in
this taut, well-conceived story. As the game opens, the CIA has lost two
agents undercover in the ranks of the new Georgian President, and Third
Echelon has been called in to locate them... What, you want more? That’s
IT!... Unlike other games that rely on heavy backstories to replace an
actual in-game narrative, Splinter Cell starts simply and builds momentum
as the game progresses. I won’t pretend that you play the game just to
find out what comes next in the plot, but what the game DOES do is
genuinely draw you into an increasingly more complex crisis of terrorism
and conspiracy that ultimately threatens the peace between global
superpowers. If that sounds like a stretch, then you’ll have an idea why
I’m praising Splinter Cell for developing the story so boldly, if not
quite seamlessly.
The plot is advanced largely between the game’s nine
sprawling missions by news reports. These clips highlight not only the
terrorist threats and the potential political fallout, but also Sam’s
impact on the grand theater. He won’t be credited for any of it (being a
non-entity has its drawbacks), but it’s enough for US to know who’s
responsible. During gameplay, Sam receives periodic audio transmissions
from his boss, which serve to round out the story, as well as allow for
on-the-fly changes to mission objectives. These updates also help create
the impression that Sam is just the final piece of a much larger picture,
but that he alone is the one in harm’s way.
Played from a third person perspective, the whole point
of Splinter Cell is to think like a spy. No no, not the “Fisher, Sam
Fisher” type of secret agent, who defeats the villain and gets the girl
with nothing but a quip and a flash of the pearly whites. Typically,
Sam’s only chance for mission success (and often survival) is to stay
secret and silent. He comes equipped with a wide array of handy gadgets,
and making best use of those at the proper times will be vital. He’s also
armed with a silenced pistol, and a heavier assault weapon, but you’ll
soon discover that gunfire is usually the last resort.
Anyone familiar with other sneaker games will be
instantly familiar with the visibility indicator. An onscreen meter will
constantly display the extent of Sam’s exposure. This isn’t entirely
necessary, of course, as it’s fairly intuitive (i.e. crouching in the
shadows = GOOD, running in the light = BAD). Equally important, however,
is the sound that Sam creates, and you’ll learn to cringe at the racket
his footfall makes, on certain surfaces more than others. Fortunately,
you can adjust Sam’s speed effortlessly, going from a walking run to a
crouched tiptoe (so to speak) with an easy adjustment of the mousewheel.
Other aspects of the interface can be a little clunky, but this ingenious
use of the mousewheel (also used for zooming in/out with a sniper scope)
is a tremendous benefit, and quickly became second nature.
Sam’s actions, all performed with superb fluidity,
include standard fare such as running, jumping, and climbing, but Splinter
Cell is no track meet. Again, think realism. Sam is agile, but not
superhuman. The physical demands of his tasks all seem reasonable, and
it’s obvious whenever he’s exerting himself. He’ll also need to perform
such activities as rappelling, using zip lines, shimmying ledges, and
lugging bodies around to hide them in darkness. In one of the games
stronger points, figuring out HOW to proceed is often more challenging
than being physically able to do so.
Of course, advancing in the game will often involve
getting past the enemy. In some cases, it’s simply a matter of sneaking
past unsuspecting guards entirely. More often than not, however, guards
will be grouped, so it will be necessary to employ a little strategy. Sam
can creep up on enemies and grab them from behind (for interrogation or
forced cooperation), or simply deliver a non-lethal blow to the noggin.
Of course, even to do THAT, it may be necessary to distract one or more of
them to even out the odds. Fortunately for Sam, there’s a good supply of
littered pop cans and bottles for him to throw for a quick and easy
diversion. Or, if you wait long enough, their regular patrol route will
usually give Sam a small window of opportunity.
Helping to deal with the obstacles, human and otherwise,
are Sam’s many gizmos. The lockpick will be used frequently, and it’s a
simple little device that’s easy but interactive, so you’ll really feel
like you’re “working” the lock. Nice! Most of the other useful items are
attachments for his multi-purpose Modular Assault Weapon. From Airfoil
Projectors, which deliver a shock blow to momentarily incapacitate, to
diversion cameras that release a knockout gas, these items are extremely
helpful, particularly in missions where NO casualties or only limited
alarms are allowed. The other absolutely critical gadget is Sam’s
goggles, which offer him both night vision and thermal options. The
former you’ll use extensively, while the latter are used only at specific
but crucial times. Other items aren’t so useful, like the optic cable for
seeing under doors, or camera jammers, so the choice to use these may
simply be a matter of preference. These particular tools reward sneaks
with more patience than I possess.
Of course, at some point it will be necessary to
dispense some permanent justice. In a Clancy trademark, Splinter Cell
does employ a one-shot-can-kill mentality, so there isn’t much margin for
error. As always, the best method for Sam is to remain stealthy and use
the sniper feature. When zoomed in, the camera switches to a first-person
perspective, and Sam’s breathing will interfere with the aim, forcing him
to hold his breath momentarily. A well aimed headshot will do the job
nicely, but missing the mark will probably bring about a firefight you
can’t afford. Even a successful shot will likely draw attention (the
weapon has a suppressor, but quiet isn’t the same as silent), so you’d
best be prepared for company the minute you become trigger happy. All
this serves to increase the tension by reinforcing the need to ACT like a
ghost, lest you become one.
As you’re watching the action unfold, one thing is
certain – you’ll be wowed by the graphics. Splinter Cell is one terrific
looking game. I won’t bore you with the techno-babble (which is my way of
saying I don’t understand it either), but the bottom line is that if
you’ve got the horses to turn on all the bells and whistles, the graphics
are a treat. I say this with some reservation, mind you, as black ops
tend to land Sam in locations that are anything but “scenic”, or even
well-lit, for that matter. But the clarity of the backgrounds, realistic
animations, and terrific effects all do a wonderful job of drawing you
into the world of espionage.
One thing I thought I’d never do was fall into the
predictable habit of praising a game’s lighting and water effects, but…
well… Splinter Cell has amazing, shall we say, illumination and liquid
depictions. The reflective water surfaces are eye candy only, but the use
of lighting in the game is of paramount importance, and this game handles
it brilliantly. There were also lots of other nice touches, like a broken
spider web moved by the breeze, or a moth hovering around a lamp. These
weren’t necessary, but it’s the sort of unheralded feature that good games
provide and mediocre games overlook.
In a game where an inopportune noise can result in
mission failure, the sound also needs to excel in Splinter Cell, and it
does. The game has realistic effects, an excellent soundtrack and
top-notch voice acting. Sam himself will be immediately recognizable as
Michael Ironside, and his voice is perfectly suited for the role – deep,
gravelly, and no nonsense. Unfortunately, he’s so good that you’ll wish
he talked MORE, but that would be out of character (and, um… he’s usually
alone). Although I didn’t recognize the names of any other actors, the
rest of the voice acting was wonderful across the board.
Supporting the voice acting is a solid script, and Sam
comes across as a true modern age hero – cool under fire, ruthlessly
efficient, yet with a wry sense of humour, concern for his team, and a
soft spot for his daughter. I sound like a film critic by talking about
such things as character development, but quite literally, Splinter Cell
would not be out of place as a big screen movie production.
Most other aspects of the game are rock solid, as well,
including its stability. I played the game unpatched (though one now
exists), and experienced only a single lock up. Getting into the game is
a snap, as it opens with a comprehensive tutorial that will have you
feeling familiar with the functions in no time. The interface is
unintrusive, and the default keyboard/mouse configuration is common in
action titles. The mouse movement controls the screen rotation, so you
can almost always view a scene from any 3D perspective. Believe me,
you’ll WANT to do this, just to see more of the game in all its glory.
There are three difficulty settings to choose from, should you find the
game too easy or challenging. Between that and the handy dandy
save-anywhere feature, you should have no problems getting Sam through his
missions.
Well, maybe NO problems is an exaggeration.
Fortunately, Splinter Cell’s enemy AI struck me as reasonable. Guards
reacted appropriately to hearing noises, or finding bodies I had
indiscriminately left in the open, and they would investigate any
disturbances until they were satisfied that the threat was gone. Although
they all seemed to show similar abilities, some had advantages over
others, such as guards with flashlight helmets, or others accompanied by
dogs. Their marksmanship was equally balanced, and particularly when
together, proved to be a decent opponent.
Of course, this game is not without its faults.
Although partially overcome by its tight plot, the game is extremely
linear, and at times this leads to frustration. I don’t mind if a game
leads me along, so long as it does so convincingly (which Splinter Cell
does). But occasionally the game bogs down at a few chokepoints, and
since there is only one way through, resorting to trial and error led to
frequent reloads. Yes, that increases the challenge, but twiddling my
thumbs waiting for a guard to pass, only to take one for the team and wind
up twiddling again moments later doesn’t make for a happy spy.
The game did have a few other drawbacks, but all
relatively minor. A few jumping sequences proved awkward and unintuitive,
the concept of personal “intel items” appeared to be borrowed directly
from NOLF, and graphic inconsistencies occurred occasionally. Really,
though, I’d have to say that my greatest criticism is also my highest
praise – it’s too darn short! I realize this is the trend in action
games, and I actually support it if it means better quality games. On the
other hand, there are fewer than 15 hours of playing time in Splinter
Cell, and another couple of missions would have felt perfect. In a
frustrating reality for PC gamers, there are downloadable missions in the
works for Xbox-ONLY!!! But here’s hoping for those to be ported to PC,
as well.
Even as a shorter game, I have no problem recommending
Splinter Cell to…pretty much everybody. This game may be the current
standard for production value, and really its only “failing” was in
what it didn’t TRY to do. Had that produced a lesser result, my criticism
would be much stronger, but what Splinter Cell DOES do, it does most
impressively. There’s action, there’s strategy, problem solving,
suspense, and drama. The missions are nicely varied, and applying
tradecraft in a modern, real world political thriller is far more exciting
than I expected it to be. I’m not the greatest fan of stealth games, as
they tend to strain my patience, but this game kept me hooked and never
let go.
Aren’t your shoes on YET?
Final score: 87%
(The only time I’ve ever qualified a score – with
another 4/5 hours of gameplay, it would have scored in the low 90’s
easily. Bring on those free missions, Ubi!!)
Played on:
Win XP
P4, 2 GHz
512 MB RAM
GeForce 4
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