Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell® Pandora Tomorrow™ may not have a “2” in the title, but this ain’t no expansion:Pandora Tomorrow is a full-fledged sequel with even better graphics than the original, topped off with new special moves and equipment for our hero.
What haven’t changed are the basics, the important things: crouching, shooting, shooting around corners, zip-lining, night and thermal vision, jumping, hanging, shimmying, mantling, interrogating, bludgeoning, picking locks, and insanely detailed, prettier-than-reality realism. You’ll also encounter the whole gang from the original: Sam Fisher, Lambert, Grim, and the Third Echelon clubhouse.
And, what has changed? Beyond the most obvious—unique spy-versus-guard multiplayer on Xbox Live—Sam Fisher’s basic abilities and gizmos have been enhanced in some subtle and not-so-subtle ways.
Fisher returns older, wiser, and better equipped.
New Moves
Expanded Split Jump As before, stand next to a wall (facing parallel to it) in a tight space and hit Y. Then, tap (instead of press) Y to enter the split. Now, instead of just dropping from the split when you hit Y, Sam can target an area and then jump one more time—either up to another level or back down to the ground. This demotes the original split jump to the status of “half-split jump,” which lets you target enemies with the pistol (if you’re allowed to do so at that particular point). This is a textbook example of the way the developers have made smooth and logical additions to Sam Fisher’s original abilities.
Wall Press As in the original Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell®, you’ll need to face the wall you want to press against. Then, instead of pressing the White button, click the left thumbstick, which is more convenient if you ask me.
Lean out from the wall and tap A for a “SWAT turn.”
SWAT Turn To perform this all-new move, wall-press and then lean around a corner and tap A. Sam will spin around, faster than fast, and be across that small gap before all but the most alert guards can see—provided you’re not being covered by bright light. It’s useful both indoors and outdoors, especially when you’re not allowed to kill anyone (which is far too often, at least in the first level).
Hang ‘n’ Shoot This might not be the most realistic move in Sam’s oeuvre, but it sure is one of the coolest. Pull yourself up on a pipe (jump while under the pipe and press B to pull up your legs); then, hit X after your legs are up. Sam will hang from his legs and target, upside down. This trick is useful if you need a single kill or if a kill requires multiple shots—if you’re extremely well-concealed.
Whistle Since the inventory system’s been revamped, it frees up the black button. Press it, and Sam will whistle, which distracts nearby guards and makes them investigate the sound. When there’s not a handy bottle or can nearby, this is a great way to manipulate your enemies. Just don’t be in the same spot when they come to check out the noise.
You know how to whistle, don’t you?
New Gizmos Manipulating your inventory is easier than ever before. Now, the inventory is mapped to pressing up and down on the D-pad, so there’s no more holding the black button while you desperately scan for the tool you need … before the guards show up. Other pieces of equipment now appear automatically when needed.
Optic Cable Camera The option to use the camera is contextual. For example, if you’re near a door that you can lock-pick or open, “Optic Cable” becomes an A button option on the list. Even more conveniently, the Optic Cable now has night and thermal vision, just like Sam.
Lock Picks The lock picks are also context-sensitive. If you’re near a door that you can lock-pick, you’ll see that A button option on the screen. Otherwise, it’s just like old-school Splinter Cell.
Binoculars Before, clicking the right thumbstick just centered the camera on Sam’s back. Now, it pulls up your binoculars to give you an extremely useful (zoom-able) first-person view. Use the binocular crosshairs to center your aim on distant targets. Then, switch to your weapon to maintain something close to a target lock.
PDA So long, Palm, hello something that rhymes with “Tony Shmerrickson.” The layout of Sam’s handheld computer is similar to the Palm model—the most notable difference is the logo at the top. As one character points out to Sam, he hasn’t even gotten hold of a color model yet. (Which is pretty funny, when you think about all the other stuff he’s packing.)
