Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Chaos Theory

"Three green dots floating in darkness=screwed"

I have been a fan of the Splinter Cell series since it first appeared on the Xbox. It has always been my 1st choice when it came to stealth/action. The second one, Pandora Tomorrow, was also great, but it wasn't as great as I thought it could be. It just felt like an expansion with multiplayer. Now comes the third installment in Tom Clancy's award winning Splinter Cell series, and it is by far the best. Enough with my talking, here is my review.

Presentation 9/10

In this game, you return to the footsteps of Sam Fisher, a Splinter Cell. You are assigned to rescue an important man from the terrorist organizations. Nothing new here, just same old rescue the prisoner, kill the bad guy. What this game does offer is co-op, in which you are one of two splinter cells in training. There missions vary from hacking computers to finding mainframes. Overall though, not too shabby.

Graphics 10/10

Ah, the graphics. One of the things that have made the Splinter Cell series what it is today is the state of the art graphics. The visuals really push the xbox to its limits on and offline. The water flashes, the shadows appear in the perfect places, and the character models are awesome. Overall, shows off what the xbox can do when it tries its hardest. Not a letdown at all.

Sound/Music 9/10

Don't let me confuse you, this is a great sounding game. The problem I have is some of it is a little out of place. For example, if you are stealthing, sometimes it will get faster when no one is around or if someone is talking. But the music is incredible. Feels like it was taken out of a movie. The characters voices are great, but sometimes it feels like they are talking too low. But if you have dolby digital surround sound, it is wonderful and will please you to your fullest.

Gameplay 10/10

Here is the meat of the bone, the gameplay. The gameplay is magnificent to play. The way you move and the button mappings are all perfect. There is no moment where you feel you are stuck and dont know what button to push. And the missions are now less linear, so now instead of one way, there are usually multiple ways to complete an objective. You also can now choose what way you want to complete an objective. You have three weapon choices, assualt, stealth, or Reddings reccomendation. This is a wonderful addition to the series and is greatly appreciated. Overall, the gameplay is perfect.

Multiplayer 10/10

The single player alone is a reason to buy this game. But this new splinter cell comes with versus mode and co-operative mode. Basically, in versus mode, you can choose to be a spy or mercenary. As a spy, you get the classic Sam Fisher third person view. You have to find ways to out wit or out smart the mercenaries. As a mercenary, you have a first person view so you can shoot at the spies with better accuracy. Your objective is to kill the spies and protect certain areas. The co-operative mode is also a fabulous addition. Over xbox live, system link, or split screen, you can play as one of two Splinter Cells in training and try to overcome the enemies and complete the objectives. Usually, it will take a good 1-2 hours to complete each of the 5 missions in co-op if you aren't sure of what to do.

Versus: 10/10

Great overall, just adds an already perfect game. Main part of the online experience.

Co-op: 9/10
Also great, but more levels would of been nice. Im sure more content download will be available in the future. Better to play with a friend than with a complete stranger though.

Overall: 10/10

Best splinter cell in the series, and arguably one of the best action/stealth games ever.

Rent/Buy

Why are you still here. You should be in the car, and already in the store buying this game, if you already haven't. Make sure you get the xbox version though, because I have heard the ps2 and gamecube versions aren't that good.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 03/30/05, Updated 08/29/05