The newTom Clancy’s Splinter Cell® Pandora Tomorrow™ is easily one of the best multiplayer game I’ve had the chance to play—competing only with it’s own sibling Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six® 3 for the title. But, it’s not just because of the graphics, or the weapons, or any of the other great stuff. It’s because the game takes into account each side’s point of view … literally.
When you start up the game and go to make your choice between the two sides, the first and most drastic thing you’ll notice is that the Spies operate from a third-person perspective (just like in the single-player game), while the Mercenaries use a first-person view.
As a Halo®: Combat Evolved loyalist, I like the first-person perspective, so I signed on with the ARGUS Company and decided to try my hand at the Mercenary way of life. In Pandora Tomorrow, there are several game modes for multiplayer, but in each of them, the Mercenaries are placed on the defense.
Motion-tracking makes it harder to see stationary objects.
In “Extraction,” the Spies are attempting to find and take the virus containers that hold the ultra-dangerous ND133 agent. If one stolen, you have to find the spy who took it and kill him in order to recover it. In “Sabotage,” the Spies are attempting to reach certain points and plant modems, which can then be used to neutralize the control system for certain sensitive … um, stuff. You can accomplish your goal by killing the Spies—thus preventing them from planting the devices—or by finding the modem before it can complete its upload and then destroying it.
Both of these game types are timed, and the Mercs win if the clock runs out before the Spies can accomplish their goals. It’s up to you, the valiant (and well paid) Mercenaries of ARGUS Corporation, to stop them.
You have your choice of selecting from various grenades and mines. I highly recommend the mines, especially if you’re playing against a superior number of spies. You can place them near the objectives and catch the Spy who tries to sneak in behind your back.
Let him have it.
The maps I’ve played on so far include an abandoned hospital, a sewer treatment facility, and a movie theater. All were incredibly well done, as you’d expect.
In each case, the Mercenaries begin with a security system in place. Using this to your advantage requires that you take the time to pay attention to the maps and learn them. When the unwary Spy blunders into a laser or a motion sensor, the alarm will be raised, and the system will advise you of where the incursion has occurred. (It will tell you the name of the area, such as “Security Alarm in Room 212.”) But, if you have no idea how to get to Room 212, it’s going to put a big dent in your response time.
Once you’re nearing the scene, the fun really begins, because I forgot to tell you one thing: The Spies don’t have any guns.
Oh, that was fun. Let me say it again. The Spies don’t have any guns.
So, what’s the problem here? The Spies do have a serious advantage in stealth, as you’d expect. While the Spies are equipped with thermal vision that makes us Mercs stand out like a flare and night vision that makes any room easy to work in, the Mercenaries are funded by a for-profit corporation with a bottom line to watch. The Mercs are set up with only motion-tracking visors and with electromagnetic sensor visors, both of which paint a very blurry and indistinct view of the world (and stink for just walking around).
Where’s the popcorn?
If the Spies are using gadgets, you can spot the EM signal. If they’re moving, the tracker will lock right onto them and practically paint a bullseye on them. But, if they’re sitting still in the shadows, they’re practically invisible. You might walk right by one and not see him. So, when you do get a visual on one of them, shoot early and shoot often. There’s more ammo lying around, and the Spies can’t take much punishment, so just open up.
After all, the company pays for the bullets. The Spies pay with their lives.
