I’ve had a resistance to the Splinter Cell games since the original hit the scene in late 2002 with the “sixth freedom” commercials. I have major issues with the concept of a special agent that has the sanctioned “freedom” to judge and execute without trial or burden of proof. The trouble is that for all my political reservations, the Splinter Cell games continue to be brilliantly designed. It’s annoying, too – the last thing I want is have to avoid a game that I really, really want to play.
Because let's face it: Splinter Cell is the best that the stealth-action genre has to offer, and because of the co-operative elements, Splinter Cell CT is the best Splinter Cell game ever created.
- Ups:
Great graphics, solid gameplay. Co-op mode is top notch. Stealth action at its best.
- Downs:
Lacks the competitive mode of the Xbox or PS2 version. Guns seem weak. Control scheme takes getting used to.
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How to be a man:
Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory returns you to the roll of Sam Fisher, who continues to be a magnificently distinctive protagonist voiced by Michael Ironside; Sam Fisher is the combination of every cool bad-boy persona to ever hit the silver screen. Part James Bond, part ninja, part Road Warrior, Sam Fisher is the type of character you instinctively hide behind for protection at the eruption of a bar fight. Chaos Theory goes a step beyond the past games in terms of character development; little touches, such as the cut scene showing Fisher pulling out chewing gum on the helicopter ride to his next mission, allows players a glimpse of the man outside of combat without blowing any of his on-screen manliness.He’s a hero you don’t mind being, who seems to have an underlining humanity that makes him a descent person despite the fact that he kills for a living. It helps that Michael Ironside has himself perfected the badass on-screen persona, and that his voice-work naturally lends an element of cool and deadly class. Let’s face it; you could put Ironside’s voice on a goat and it would instantly be the coolest and most badass goat to ever walk the face of the earth. A very manly and deadly goat. Couple that with excellent direction and dialogue of the game in general, and Sam Fisher continues to be the icon of the series.
Sit back and enjoy the show:
In nearly all respects, Chaos Theory continues to be on par with the previous games, with beautifully directed cinematic, good story, and excellent gameplay. The musical score combines with the action in the cut scenes to create a movie-like experience reminiscent of films like Crimson Seas and Hunt for the Red October; the mixture of Tom Clancy and Ubisoft produces a truly engaging game. All of the support details in the background work to make a memorable game, and they are simply top notch.Gameplay:
As with most games, gameplay is the heart and soul of Splinter Cell, and Sam Fisher proves to be the most versatile secret agent you’ve ever seen. All the moves in his arsenal are fundamentally realistic, meaning that most of them at least seem to be physically possible if you were incredibly strong and not concerned about pulling a groin muscle. You’ll be consistently amazed at how many ways Fisher can cling, climb, and hang from things, and the levels are designed well enough that you’ll have a chance to use them all. The stealth and hand-to-hand combat moves are part of what make this game great, since you can sneak behind a character and perform lethal or non-lethal moves at your discretion. While difficult, it seems theoretically possible to work your way through the game without actually ever killing an enemy. In fact, the developers seemed fully aware of the different styles players could use to complete the game, giving variety a nod by giving players a choice between different play styles at the start of each mission.When loading Sam with weapons, you can select Assault, which gives you more ammunition for your deadlier weapons for a run-and-gun style attack, and Stealth, which equips you with more tools for sneaking around in the dark and avoiding contact. Regardless of which you choose, you’re not going to make it very far charging through the missions with your gun blazing; as badass of a character as Fisher is, battling enemies by the army isn’t really his style.
