The year is 2007. Japan’s creation of an Information Self
Defense Force is deemed a violation of international law and of their own
Constitution, and ignites rising tensions between Japan, China and North Korea.
Facing North Korean and Chinese blockades of shipping across the Korea Strait,
Japan requests US assistance in accordance with American obligations under
Article 9 of the Japanese Post War Constitution.
Mounting evidence gathered by the I-SDF indicates that the
devastation of the Japanese economy on the now infamous ‘Black Gold Day’ may
have been caused by intentional information warfare attacks.
As nations begin to mobilize and the United States activates the
USS Clarence E Walsh, the world’s premiere Electronic and Information Warfare
platform and dispatches her to the region, Third Echelon gets wind of a small
and seemingly unrelated incident that may end up having global repercussions.
Enter Sam Fisher, the NSA’s most elite black-ops agent. In about
11 different locales, you must infiltrate deep into hostile territory and
aggressively collect critical intelligence, hack terminals, pick locks, disable
cameras, shutdown systems, all the while being closer than ever to enemy
soldiers. To achieve your mission you will operate undetected, kill at
close-range, attack with your combat knife, drop on your enemy from above, or
hang from a pipe and snap a bad guy’s neck. You will also have a modular SC20K
rifle, which can be equipped in many configurations allowing you to unleash
several modes of death in one complete weapon. Also, there will be the sticky
cameras and shockers, gas grenades, your trusty pistol and the signature EEV
goggles that have made Sam Fisher famous. I may have missed a weapon or two, but
you get the idea.
The most noticeable change to the franchise that most fans may
notice is that the environments and maps are much bigger. Though the game may
feel a bit linear, you can complete missions the way you see fit. In games past,
you were basically screwed if you were just not stealthy enough and guards just
hit the panic button sounding every alarm. Now guards are a bit more intrigued
from things that go bump and are not so quick to jump the gun. Sure they will
check out a noise, but this gives Sam chances to create diversions and sneak on
past. Gamers who shelved the previous games because there just was not a heck of
a lot of gunning, will be pleased that you can now play a bit more run and gun.
Don’t get me wrong, you can’t exactly do that the WHOLE game, or maybe you can,
but needless to say the game plays best with a combination of both. The
acrobatic moves are load of fun. Scaling walls, sliding down pipes, rolling from
shadow to shadow, putting guys in headlocks, and of course a quick slash with a
knife always dispatches an unconcerned guard quite quickly. Basically try and
sneak around, when all else fails, open up a can of whoop ass on them with your
handy-dandy SC20k.
There are a few different multiplayer games available and can be
both played on a LAN and the Internet.
The versus mode of Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell is based on two
opposing teams of two human players, four players in all. The Shadownet spies
must move forward without being spotted, analyze their environment, and fulfill
the conditions for victory. The ARGUS PMC’s mercenaries must prevent the
Shadownet spies from making progress by tracking them down, finding them, and
eliminating them. There are three versus games. Story Mode has players taking
part in a small adventure within each game level. Disc Hunt Mode is based on the
pursuit of data discs in the game levels – a bit like capture the flag. Last but
not least, senseless violence in Deathmatch Mode. This is based on eliminating
the other team.
Co-op mode is much like the solo game, only now there are two of
you fighting to complete the same mission. Co-op mode brings a whole new element
to team play. There are special moves in co-op like short scale boost, human
ladder, dual rappelling, standing on teammates shoulders, and the list goes on.
These cool moves encourage cooperative play and when executed correctly are a
blast. I found the co-op play to be best on a LAN because of the ease of
communication. Not that it can’t be played online, just my opinion it’s a bit
easier.
Visually the game is quite stunning. The environments are nicely
rendered and the characters look and react realistically. The lighting effects
are top-notch throwing shadows all over the place for Sam to hide in. You can
even see around corners by watching the shadows of the enemy. Audibly the game
is incredible. 5.1 Dolby digital. Need I say more? When stealth is the name of
the game, you can find yourself actually listening to every detail. Rain drops,
footsteps, voices, et cetera. The music is pretty decent and the voice-overs are
outstanding. Would you expect anything less when Michael Ironsides is the voice
of Sam Fisher? I don’t think so.
Overall I believe that any fan of the series will love this
game. For those of you who may have shied away because of the cloak-and-dagger
feel, you will be pleasantly surprised to find that there is plenty of shooting
to be found here.
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Review Scoring Details for Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Chaos |
Gameplay: 9.0
The game played great and I really enjoyed how the cutscenes brought
everything together. This is not your typical shooter. You really have to sneak
around to avoid detection to progress through the game. This was very realistic
and really made you feel like you were indeed a Special Ops character.
Graphics: 9.0
Nicely done! The environments and the character modeling were very
believable. The lighting effects really had me hiding in shadows to avoid
detection. Visually the game was very intense.
Sound: 9.2
Awesome sound effects and great voices. Stealth is the name of the game, and
games like this you can hear just about every little detail. It is amazing how
much more sound comes into play when you are deliberately trying to be quiet. I
swear I could hear a pin drop.
Difficulty: Hard
Gamers are going to find this title a bit more challenging than most.
Silence is key, and though you have plenty of guns at your disposal, they are
almost certainly a last resort. Having to watch everything you do, being careful
not to leave too many bodies around adds a cloak-and-dagger element that most
games forget.
Concept: 8.0
We have seen games like this before, but the Splinter Cell franchise still
leads the pack. This could be classified as a shooter style of play, but keep in
mind it could easily be viewed as a spy game. In addition, there are puzzles to
be solved and many ways to complete missions. Play action or stealth, but a
combination of both works nicely.
Multiplayer: 8.0
You can team up and play games in co-op mode. You can also match wits in
versus mode. Grabbing a game online is quite easy and you can also play on a
LAN.
Overall: 9.1
Great game and with it being as challenging as it is, I can’t see this title
becoming shelf material anytime soon.
