Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Chaos Theory

"A wonderful spy thriller."

I rented Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory with high hopes. I had seen the great reviews it had received and had already played the first Splinter Cell through and loved it, though replay value was lacking. I had skipped out on the second in the series, but was hopeful of the third. I must say I was not disappointed. This is an absolutely awesome game, and only a week after returning it to the video store, I bought it and still recommend it.

Story - 9/10

I suppose the story is the driving force behind SC:CT. As Sam Fisher, you are assigned to find a scientist who has the Masse Kernels, a powerful computer algorithm that can be used to attack computers and weapons systems electronically. You have to go and retrieve him. Things, though, get out of hand, and there are a few twists along the way that really help the story along. The thing about the story is that it's a Tom Clancy story. If you're a fan of the spy thriller genre or any of Clancy's books, you'll love the story. If you aren't into politics and techo-jargon and stuff, you might find it boring. Still, the cutscenes before each mission are well done, and though the briefings are a little tedious, they're informative. The real story fun happens in-game, though, when you are discovering secrets and killing terrorists and stumble across a plot twist. Very cool stuff, well executed.

Graphics - 8/10

The graphics aren't the best I've seen, but they're pretty good nonetheless. Detailed character facials and realistic movements enhance the immersion of the game. Nothing bad to say really at all.

Sound - 9/10

The sounds are great. All are realistic, and completely immerse you in the game. The music is usually just a techno-bass line, so you'll like it if you're into that sort of thing. The banter between enemies and between Fisher and those he is interrogating is great, and everything else is very realisitic.

Gameplay - 8/10

The gameplay is very, VERY fun and open-ended. In each level, you'll be dropped inside with a set of specfic tasks to do (such as using a computer to get codes, interrogating/killing enemies, etc.). You'll also sometimes have secondary objectives and opportunity objectives which will raise your rating after each mission, but do not need to be completed to finish. Once all your primary objectives are complete, you can either finish your other objectives or just proceed to where you are assigned to exfiltrate. The great thing about all this is, to me, how open-ended this is. You can approach a situation several different ways. Let's take door opening. The first thing you usually do is the optic cable, which lets you see what's on the other side. You can then either open the door normally, which is quick and fairly silent, usually your option if there is nothing behind the door, stealthily open it if you want to quietly go in and take your enemies with stealth, or bash it open, knocking anyone close enough to the door unconscious and allowing you to go in guns blazing to kill all enemies. There are so many possibilities, so many paths, and so much thrill. However, this is a stealth game, and though you can still go all Rambo and stuff, you are rewarded for doing stealthy things. Knocking enemies unconscious instead of lethal blows raises your rating. Raising attention to yourself will prompt enemies to sound alarms, which often will result in enemies wearing body armour or fortifying their positions if you do it too frequently. You can also interrogate enemies you sneak up on for valuable information if you sneak up behind them. If you want high mission rating, go for the stealth, but there's still nothing stopping you from charging in with your shotgun attachment, or to snipe enemies with your sniper attachment. So then, if you like the stealth genre, you'll love this game.

There are also two forms of multiplayer available. Co-op is available through split-screen, system link and Xbox Live. Split-screen is usually best because it's easier to communicate with someone you know, but Xbox Live works just as well. It's basically an extension of the single player adapted for two people. You have special moves to reach new areas and such. It doesn't really capture the spirit of single player, though, since often you can be punished for your partner's mistakes. Still, if you want the thrill of single player with a friend, co-op is a nice addition.

The other form of multiplayer is versus, available only through Xbox Live and system link. It's generally just a small upgrade from Pandora Tomorrow (so I've heard, you can even play games with people who have Pandora Tomorrow). It revolves around two teams: the Spies and the Mercenaries. The spies play similar to single player, with the exception that you lose all lethal weaponry (you instead get a Shocker Gun that can stun opponents, and several useful stealth tricks like limited invisibility, flash grenades, and radar-tracking bullets. The only way to take out a mercenary is to sneak up behind him and snap his neck). The mercenaries are a whole different show. They play out like a first person shooter, with an assortment of grenades, mines and lethal guns. The spies are mainly the attacking team, trying to hack computers, set bombs and steal hard drives. The mercenaries are the defending team, trying to stop the spies from doing all of the above. There are ranked games, and unranked games on Xbox Live, so you can just play competitively or play for fun. It's pretty fun, though a little difficult if you don't know your way around a level.

Replay Value - 8/10

Good replay value with multiplayer and the levels of difficulty in single-player.

OVERALL SCORE - 8/10

Overall, this game is wonderful. If you don't like stealth games, don't look at it. If you like the Third-person stealth games and Tom Clancy novels, definitely have a look at Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 04/11/05