Cooperative moves are an outstanding addition to the online versus mode for Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell®: Chaos Theory™, and the new bits of weaponry and equipment could hardly be met with greater fanfare. But the new levels are what really get a fan's blood pumping. Reams of new strategy and tactics are born with each level, and Chaos Theory boasts six never-before-seen maps. What follows are short functional descriptions of three of the most popular new maps, with spy and mercenary tips for each map.
Aquarius This gem of a map is already becoming a fan favorite, and it's no wonder. You find extraction, neutralization, and sabotage objectives in this map, making it one of the more varied strategic levels in the game. True to its name, the map is an oceanographic museum filled with huge aquatic tanks alive with plants and fish. You also find a museum room dedicated to piratical affairs, a tech room that handles the needs of the building, a Greek Temple room with ornate pottery and art, and a smattering of connecting hallways and offices. With all three objective types in effect along cramped hallways, plenty of vents and ducts, and wide-open rooms, this map has a little of everything, and should fit nearly any style of play.
Can't wait to do this.
Mercenary Tip: When the match begins, let one mercenary rush the office (it houses an extraction objective) and plant a poison mine just inside the doorway (if the spy is hit, he dies and drops the objective before he has a chance to drop it off) while the other merc is stationed between the Pirates room and Greek Temple room. He can guard both of these rooms easily from this location and is also able to get to the Tech Room if the spies try to sabotage it right away.
Spy Tip: The quickest strike opportunity is the extraction objective in the office, but this is already a popular trick, and mercenaries are devising good strategy for it. Instead, walk just forward of your spawn to the cooperative move point (look for the co-op icon on the bottom left of your screen) and perform the move. This will allow both spies to get inside a vent leading to the Tech Room. Once there, one spy should place the bomb to sabotage, while the other drains the aquarium and grabs the extraction objective there. If you're quick, you can set the bomb and grab the disk in less than a minute.
Club House The Club House may be the new Mount Hospital in terms of its layout and relative equality for both spies and mercenaries. You find plenty of hacking objectives for the spies to alter the map (e.g., blow out the electrical system, open up locked doors). Also, the Club House is separated into two floors, normally causing the mercenaries to be separated. This map requires exquisite communication between partners to be successfully navigated on both sides.
The shadows can betray you too.
Mercenary Tip: Try placing the majority of your team's mines around the hacking objectives, not the neutralization objectives. This will impede the spy's ability to open up the map for easily exploration. Also, put the bulk of your protection and attention on the two outermost objectives. This way, if a spy infiltrates deep into one floor, one merc can take an elevator up or down to protect both outer objectives, while the other pursues the spy into the deeper part of the level.
Spy Tip: Success in this map hinges on opening up areas of the map for easier access to the deeper objectives. Let your first priority be the hacking objectives for this purpose. Also, because the mercenaries are generally separated by floors, try double-teaming each objective instead of soloing two different objectives at once.
Missile Strike The Missile Strike map is just as it sounds. It's a bunker location for a missile outfitted with chemical weapons. The mercenaries are protecting it so that it may launch unfettered, while the spies are trying to sabotage the attempt. The map itself is separated into the three layers. If the spies finish the first two sets of objectives, the inner area to the missile is opened, and all hell breaks loose in one of the more frenetic battle areas in the game (each objective near the missile only takes one second to disarm, making for a very tense final area).
Missile silo frenzy.
Mercenary Tip: Hold off on setting your mines in the first area. Then, if the spies do open up the second area, have both mercenaries place poison mines near all the different disk objectives. Once the mines are set, both mercenaries should retreat down to the disk drop-off location and guard there. That way, if the spies get poisoned, they won't have time to bring the objective down before they die. If they don't get poisoned, then each mercenary can guard the two drop locations.
Spy Tip: Once you've finished the first two areas and open up the missile silo, it's time to get a little aggressive. Don't try running at the mercs and snapping their necks (the berserker move has darn near destroyed this strategy). Instead, make liberal use of chaff and smoke grenades. Remember, you only need one second for each objective, and you only need three of the nine possible objectives in the room. Lots of distraction can go a long way.
Part of the joy of the new maps is the bevy of strategic options that we have yet to uncover. While we've provided tips for three of the more popular maps, extended time will no doubt unearth dozens of other great tactical moves.
