"Naturally, the mission will ultimately come down to one man—one Splinter Cell—versus the world." | A Superior (and Solid) Sneak
Your adventure begins on an obstacle course that teaches you the basics of moving Sam Fisher through the realistic, detail-packed game world. Fisher—voiced by Scanners and V star Michael Ironside—can do just about anything a good spy needs to do. He can crouch 'n' creep, pick locks, use a fiber-optic camera to peek into an unopened room, press up against a wall to hide, and pick off a guard with a well-aimed headshot. Fisher is able to shimmy up, down, and along drainpipes and wooden posts; use a zip line to cross open areas quickly and quietly; and when there's no place to go but up, Sam can double-kick off two facing walls, do a split, and stand there—uniquely vulnerable to attack from below, but well-hidden all the same. One of Fisher's coolest maneuvers is also a source of information—the interrogation move, which involves sneaking up behind the guard, civilian, enemy, or what have you, grabbing him by the neck, and getting the information you need the hard way. Despite the wide range of spy moves at his disposal, controlling Sam couldn't be easier or more intuitive. You may not survive the mission, but it won't be because of confusing controls or camera movement.
The Splinter Cell tutorial is also where you'll get your first good look at what the modified Unreal engine can do on the Xbox. Once you're out of the training warehouse and onto your first mission, it only gets better. The game offers a visual feast of lighting effects, realistic bump-mapping, and shiny reflective surfaces that look real enough to touch. Despite the dazzling visuals and the immersive real-world sound effects, the game never slows down, even when the screen is filled with movement and filtered light. Of course, you'll spend a lot of time avoiding light and sticking to the shadows, but Sam has no trouble getting around—he can shift into black-and-white night vision at the touch of the D-pad, or scope out the scene in Predator-style infrared vision that looks unbelievably cool. Sam's job may not always be pretty, but this game sure is.
After the action kicks into gear and events conspire to send Fisher into the field, you're on your own—except for the Third Echelon briefings you'll periodically receive through your earpiece uplink. Even though he's alone (and the Agency will disavow all knowledge if he's caught), Sam can record pertinent mission info on his souped-up Palm Pilot and use the environment and everyone in it as needed. The game's story is not based on an actual Clancy book, but it certainly could be. In the near future (2004, to be exact), the former Soviet Republic of Georgia makes a power grab that could lead to a nuclear apocalypse. While the big picture comes through in chilling news updates and presidential press conferences, plot-driven cut scenes featuring Sam and his support team drive the more personal game story forward. The action takes Sam all over the world, from an ocean oilrig to a Chinese Embassy to the Georgian Presidential palace, to name just a few places.
Splinter Cell presents a postmodern spy story where stealth and tactics are the order of the day, and does it all in a way you've never seen before. Naturally, the mission will ultimately come down to one man—one Splinter Cell—versus the world. And that's just the way Sam Fisher likes it. By Ben Barker |
