Eyes On Double Agent

While I had a chance to play a few scenarios from Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Double Agent™ before E3, the walkthrough demo playing at Ubisofts's booth during the Expo revealed much more about the major changes that you and Sam Fisher will be facing in his newest title. Here's what you can expect in the next installment of the hit stealth action series.

With grief in his heart, Sam has volunteered for the
most dangerous missions he can get his hands on.

• Decision Time: I already knew that Sam will face significant moral dilemmas in Double Agent, but his decisions won't just affect an immediate reaction. The ramifications of your snap decisions may also thrust you down different playable paths. Early on, if you don't kill a prisoner to prove your mettle to the cell you're trying to infiltrate, they'll keep testing you.

Enter the gateway to Ubi's gaming paradise.

• Directed Moments: The interactive cut-scenes found in Double Agent are known as "directed moments" and will be used throughout the game to help intensify the experience and further draw you into the role of Sam Fisher. Just as in the previously mentioned execution scene, you will have the opportunity to control a helicopter after the pilot is killed and direct a parachute to drop you in the proper location.
• Cover Stealth: Previous installments of the Splinter Cell franchise have been shrouded in darkness, but now Ubi is shedding light on the stellar graphics engine powering Double Agent. How can you hide if it's not dark though? The answer, my friends, is cover. More than ever, Sam will need to utilize distractions and cover to mask his movements, but of course, the levels have been built with this in mind.

Back in black, baby.

• Underwater Stealth: Also new to the franchise are stealth moments underwater. Just because Sam's strapped into scuba gear doesn't mean he can't be subtle. If you're clever, you can spot an enemy's reflection on ice from underwater, then burst through and haul them down to an icy death.
• A.I. Stealth: The last level in the E3 demo highlights one of Sam's most effective tools, distraction. While sneaking through a war-stricken jungle city, take advantage of two factions shooting it out in the streets. Watch for opportunities to instigate fights while remaining anonymous, and take advantage of fighting to disguise your own movements.
• Motivation: Sam's daughter, who you may remember from the original Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell®, has been killed by the beginning of Double Agent. With grief in his heart, Sam has volunteered for the most dangerous missions he can get his hands on.

See Sam go from 0 to medieval in just seconds!

• Cover Moves: Because Sam is far more exposed in Double Agent than in previous outings, he'll have a few more moves at his disposal when coming out of cover. As soon as you can see a guard approaching your cover, you'll have an opportunity to take him.

Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Double Agent progresses the series farther in a single step than any of its predecessors dared to, and with Xbox 360™ powering the next-gen version, Ubisoft will have plenty of horsepower to grasp this far reaching vision. The more we hear, the more you'll know, so stay tuned.

Article by Ryan Treit