James Bond is lame. Sam Fisher now owns your Spy world, according to Bennett Ring.
Xbox owners of the world rejoice, for Splinter Cell has finally arrived. This game has been served more hype than a possible reunion of A-Ha, thanks to its amazing visuals. But can the gameplay possibly live up to this overdose of eye candy?
We're pleased to report that yes, this game not only looks as hot as a naked Buffy, it's also as much fun to play with as a naked Buffy. Well, almost. While the game isn't without a couple of issues, Splinter Cell looks destined to be one of the biggest Xbox titles of 2002. Here's why:
If you haven't seen screenshots or the demo of Splinter Cell in action, you probably don't realise just how gorgeous this game is. Using a highly modified version of the new Unreal Warfare engine, the biggest drawcard of the graphics engine has to be the lighting effects.
Every model in the game casts accurate, moving shadows on the environment and other objects, right down to the main character's ears casting shadows onto his own head, just like the upcoming Doom III. Even chain link fences cast accurate shadows, which doesn't sound too impressive until you see Sam walking through one of these intricate displays of shading. Light sources cast spectacular 'beams' of light, an effect used heavily throughout the game. Most of these lights can be shot out, leaving you with precious shadows to cower in, but more about that later.
Character modelling is quite detailed, although not to the same level of the models seen within MGS2, while the environments are some of the most realistic ever seen on a console thanks to the use of high resolution textures and more polygons than you'll find in one of [I]Shrek[/I]'s mutant children. Some hardcore mathematics has obviously gone into the programming of fabric effects, with curtains and plastic sheets deforming realistically as the wind or characters pass through them.
You might think that Sam's various moves have been motion captured - an easy assumption due to the fact that they look so darn realistic -- but it turns out that these were animated totally by hand, to give the game a more stylistic look.
Speaking of Sam's moves, he has to be one of the most flexible characters ever seen in a third person game. Shimmying, wall jumping, pipe climbing, rolling and even a mid air splits manoeuvre are just a few of the moves that help to make Sam look as if he should be getting chased by a chicken in a Nike advertisement. All of these graphical effects combine to make Splinter Cell arguably the most visually attractive game yet seen on a console. Considering these rich graphics, the solid frame rate is an extraordinary accomplishment.
Now that we've reinforced how spooge-worthy the visuals are, let's talk about that important element known as gameplay. We all know that playing a game with flashy looks but no depth is like shagging a model - sure it's fun at first, but soon it gets really boring.
Never fear, because while Splinter Cell has the looks of a super model, it also has the personality of the most interesting person you know.
You play the role of Sam Fisher, a solo NSA operative sent into enemy areas to gather intelligence, take out bad guys and just generally do the stuff expected of a high risk spy.
This means that you usually have to gain entrance to a secure area, sneak through it until you find your objective, and then get the hell out of Dodge. To aid you in this quest Sam is equipped with more gadgets than you'll find in M's workshop, including thermal goggles, fibre optic door cameras and chemical lock picks. If you're not sneakier than one of those farts we all silently squeeze out in a crowded room, Sam is going to be pushing up daisies faster than you can say 'Oh crap, I've been spotted'. This is where the lighting effects really come to the fore, proving that they offer more than purely visual effects. A light meter indicates how well the cover of darkness hides Sam, reinforcing how important it is to stick to the shadows to avoid detection. Thanks to some quality AI algorithms, the guards you work around behave pretty much the way you'd expect a real life target: reacting to sounds, events and the sight of Sam. The only problem we had with the AI was its tendency to occasionally get stuck on bits of the environment, with a resulting moonwalk routine as they try to run through solid objects. However, this wasn't so commonplace that it became annoying.
What is annoying is the save game system. At certain points throughout each level you are prompted to save your progress, but these can be few and far between. During one session of Splinter Cell, the same section was replayed at least 20 times over 90 minutes before we gave up to try again later. No wonder this game is building up a reputation as one of the hardest console games ever created. While it's not a killer problem because the game is so fun that you won't mind doing the same part over and over again, impatient gamers will get very frustrated. This save game system is the biggest problem we had with the game - and it's a pity considering how simple it would have been to implement a more user friendly system -- otherwise it might have scored higher.
Thanks to the need to keep retrying difficult sections, Splinter Cell isn't the kind of game you'll finish overnight. The average gamer will probably get through it in around 15-20 hours, and further levels are going to be freely available via Xbox Live (not that that means much to Live deprived Aussies) that will increase the playtime even further.
If you ever wanted to be a secret agent with cool guns and high tech equipment, but didn't want to undergo the obligatory drug testing/physical exertion/risk of getting your brains blown out, then you simply must check out Splinter Cell. Provided you don't get easily frustrated, that is, but nobody said being an NSA operative was going to be a walk in the park. Offering a perfect balance of action and problem solving, combined with gob-stopping graphics, there is no doubt Splinter Cell is going to become one of the premiere Xbox titles of 2002.
Issue: 133 | February, 2012