By Clinton “dreddsix6six” O’Shea
Overview
I’ve never been a massive Splinter Cell fan – too much sneaky sneaking around for my liking. I’ve always been a shoot everyone ask questions later kinda guy – a little more Jack Bauer than our Sam Fisher. When SC:C was announced (and delayed and delayed again) I got really excited – the list of features were rather appealing – “immersive” single player campaign, co-op prologue, solo and co-op extra missions. And now it’s out…so how does it shape up?
Features and Game play
The first thing I have to say about Sam is that like Jack, he is always having a bad day. He also seems to never have anyone around him that he can ever trust 100%. After going renegade following the events in Splinter Cell: Double Agent and losing his daughter in a car “accident”, Sam is forced back into what he does best to save the country he loves.
The difference is that what he does best has changed a little from all previous Splinter Cell outings. The most obvious change is that moving and hiding bodies is no longer possible. In fact if accepted and used, this works to the player’s advantage. Usually the enemy will find the body and begin a search for the intruder. If Sam hides in the shadows, he can silently pick them off with a hand-to-hand takedown. After the successful completion of a takedown (mostly done in a fluid slow-mo style), Sam has the ability to perform a ‘Mark and Execute’.
This is another addition to the gameplay that works quite well and actually makes you feel like the super agent you are meant to be. Weapon dependant, this gameplay mechanic allows you to mark up to four enemies and with the push of a button execute all in slow-mo – as long as you have line of sight and the weapon has the range.
Shooting is not something to be afraid of in the game. In fact, unlike previous games, you could almost play this like a shooter. Almost. Hiding in the shadows remains the best option, and when you are successfully hidden, the screen goes black and white. Once spotted or just out in the open or light, everything is in vivid colour. If you decide to start a shoot out and are spotted, the enemy sees a ‘Last Known Position’ – a transparent outline of you that they move towards. Go in to hiding or go trigger happy – the choice is yours – but I would recommend hiding again and picking them off, because the numbers increase in your immediate vicinity.
At this point, you may have noticed that the game seems to have a few “gimmicks” stolen from the movies…and you wouldn’t be wrong. The changes first made me think of Jack Bauer and ‘24’. Even the settings reminded me more of a season of ‘24’ than previous Splinter Cells. The game itself plays a little like an interactive movie – and the use of story developing cut scenes appearing on walls during the missions themselves, flashback mission(s), etc – only emphasises this fact. This is not a bad thing at all, but I suspect that this is the main reason that the single player campaign is so short. At around five or six hours one might feel a little cheated, but there are other modes to keep you occupied.
Get a friend on Live or split-screen to join you through the around eight hour co-op prologue featuring two other agents – Archer and Kestrel. Or play through a variety of other game modes in co-op (some are available to play solo), such as ‘Hunter’ (eliminate all enemies), ‘Last Stand’ (kind of like Gears of War 2’s Horde), ‘Face-Off’ (kill the enemies and your ‘friend’) and ‘Infiltration’ (think Batman’s Stealth missions). Plenty to do, but in my opinion, maybe a little too much – maybe a little less next time with a beefier single player campaign would be better.
The one thing that still exists in the Splinter Cell world is gadgets and weapons. These are opened as you progress through the game and can be upgraded as you complete ‘challenges’ – kill ‘x’ number of enemies with stealth kills, etc. Generally, these are all quite satisfying to use, especially the explosive sticky cam – attract the fools with some Russian music (although the enemies all seem to have American accents) and blow them up when they get within range.
Generally, the graphics are quite decent, but you hardly take notice, as the screen is constantly going from colour to black and white. Sound is good, but the enemies all seem to be rather generic when it comes to comments. Sam does move smoothly from one action to another, and the cover system is one of the best in ages.
Bits I Loved
- Immersive.
- Good story.
- Decent graphics.
- Reminded me a little of Batman: AA mixed with ‘24’.
- Lots of modes to play…
Bits I Hated
- …too many in fact.
- SP campaign is too short.
- The black and white screen change will irritate some people.
Conclusion
This is a decent value game with lots to do, but feels a little bit of a letdown due to the fact that Sam Fisher only really appears for around six hours out of a potential 25 to 30 hours of gameplay. Fans of the old Sam Fisher style of play may feel even more letdown. I loved it though.
Zombiegamer rating: 
Buy it here.
Link to site for more info, screen shots and videos: Official Site
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