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Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Review |
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Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell
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One of the most hyped Xbox games of 2002, Splinter Cell really shows off what the Xbox can do. It is a proper stealth game, much more so than Metal Gear Solid. You play as Sam Fisher, an ex-Navy SEAL and NSA operative who has been called on to work for the Third Echelon, a top secret intelligence agency which is part of the NSA.
The gameplay revolves a lot around lighting: Sam is safe when in the shadows and vulnerable in brightly lit areas. You can shoot out lights to get into other areas, or use your bullets on the guards. Any bodies must be carefully hidden to avoid setting off alarms, which can cause you to fail the mission. While most of the game is based around stealth, you are occaisonally allowed to take a more overt approach. This is only for around two levels out of the 10 currently in the game. Each level will take around 1 hour to complete, maybe more, and some you will want to replay. Extra levels will soon be downloadable over Xbox Live and on Official Xbox Magazine demo discs.
The controls are a bit fiddly at first, but I soon got the hang of them. Sam has a large range of moves available, including the split jump and rolling. The graphics are truly amzing. There is great detail on the levels and Sam's character. The lighting and explosion effects are great. The only part that isn't perfect are a few character models. These are probably the most life-like graphics on Xbox. It also has good sound effects. The guns sound realistic, the bullets can be heard hitting objects, and they included a lot of sounds that other games left out.
There is nothing that Splinter Cell does exceptionally badly. Some of the weaker points are some clipping issues with the bodies, and a kind of trial and error gameplay. In the end, it just comes down to whether you prefer to blast your way through or sneak around. If you want a challenge and like stealth games, you can't go too far wrong with Splinter Cell.
Review By: Bison
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