The Gamer's Quarter

[SuperWes]

I read this thing which got me all excited for the next Splinter Cell game even though I've never really been into the series in the past. So what did I do? I went out and bought Double Agent for the 360 using this coupon. I got home, rearranged my 360 games and realized that I own every Clancy game on the system. Scary. I don't really consider myself a fan of Tom Clancy, War Games, FPS games, UBI Soft, or anything else that might make someone interested in seeing what these games are about. I do like good games that try interesting new things though, and I've been pretty happy thus far.

I gotta say though, Splinter Cell is easily the weakest of the 360 Clancy games. It's not terrible, but unfortunately, it's also not all that great. I don't have much of a history with the series - I played the first game about 1/3rd of the way through, experimented with the online in the second one, and played half a level of the third - but I know enough to kind of know what I was getting into. Nothing's ever totally turned me off before, but there's also never been much to keep me going. I was in the mood for a "lowest common denominator" game though and Double Agent seemed about as good as any.

For those unfamilliar, Splinter Cell is a stealth game - a bit like Metal Gear Solid, but also very different - where you've got to hide in the shadows or behind objects to sneak up behind enemies. It doesn't really bring anything new to the genre in this regard, but it does this much well enough. Double Agent is nice in that it tends to give you the benefit of the doubt in most stealth situations. You can hide in clear view underneath a grated staircases and the enemy will walk right up them without noticing you right below them. It's nice!

My biggest problem with the game is the way it doesn't put any real effort into the illusion that the player is figuring out their own way to complete the missions. Actually - let me correct that - the game attempts to provide an illusion of player freedom, but it doesn't really succeed at all. There are two meters in the corner: one represents the trust of the government agency that you work for and the other one represents the trust of the terrorist organization that you've infiltrated. The problem is that rather than fluctuating as the result of decisions you make during the game, they are more tied to your proficiency as a spy. If you fail a sub-mission, kill someone instead of rendering them unconscious, or are seen by the enemy, one of the meters will rise or fall. To make it seem like you're actually having an effect on these meters, the game is scripted so that the path most people take will cause the meters to fluctuate a bit.

In theory this should make the game tense, but instead it simply feels like you're on the path the designers intended for you and the player's role is simply to move forward the story. This is further reinforced when you die without saving (you can thankfully save anywhere if you remember to) and are forced to replay a highly scripted section, playing the same role every time.

For some reason, despite its faults the game is still kind of interesting. There are some really great moments where you really feel like an undercover government spy blending in with an underground terrorist group. You start playing the role of Sam Fisher rather than just playing a game, and that's pretty darn fun. Unfortunately, these are the same moments that fall apart as soon as you're asked to replay them. If the next game can fulfill all of its promise and somehow get rid of the replay deja-vu they'll be onto something. This one's good enough that I might finish it up, but not so good that I'd recommend it to other people.

One last thing: playing a Splinter Cell game gives me more respect for the Metal Gear series. Kojima sure does like to pull you out of the game for his storytelling, but when you're finally put back in there you're given the freedom to find your own path to the next cutscene. As bad as that sounds in this anti-cutscene age it's a lot nicer than having to play your way through a cutscene where you might as well not have control.

-Wes
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[ryan]

Oh yeah, Double Agent is definitely a step down. I was never a big fan of the series, but Chaos Theory was awesome. My friend has been really into all of them, but he barely cared enough to finish Double Agent. The parachute mission looked amazing though; and he looked a lot like Snake Eyes too, which just made me want a G.I. Joe game.
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Come to me, Mordel. We shall depart.

[Redeye]

[Chlazza]

[dessgeega]

wes, i like that i can tell when you're playing splinter cell, if i happen to be using my xbox at the same time.

that is all.
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