Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Chaos Theory

"Stealth Action Redefined... again"

What is there to say about Splinter Cell? At first glance, the first Splinter Cell seemed to the major audience (or at least me) as a Metal Gear Solid rip-off. Well, to some extent it is. Ubisoft Montreal took the stealth elements in a new direction. Splinter Cell is a stealth action game that turned the genre on its head and became one of the most impressive technological advancements in gaming history utilizing shadows and light to interact with along with an impressive physics system to bring the gaming world's jaws sailing straight to the floor.

The sequel, Pandora Tomorrow, was more of the same with a different developer (Ubisoft Shanghai) but equally as impressive with the introduction of the Spies vs. Mercenaries multiplayer along with a solid single-player to boot. With the return of Ubisoft Montreal to the development, Chaos Theory is now the best in the series for good reason. Let me explain...

GRAPHICS: 10

Absolutely stunning. Montreal claimed to have spent eight month revamping the graphics to another realistic. I loved the graphics in the first two games and thought this was a bit unnecessary but still... wow.

SOUND: 9

Superb. The gunshots are well heard and can even create echoes in those hollow areas. The voice acting is outstanding as Michael Ironside IS Sam Fisher. Yes, he is that damn good.

STORY: 8

Typical Clancy fare here based on the political weathering we're used to. This is 2007. Japan's ISDF (Information Self Defense Force) is a clear violation of its own constitution and turns up friction between its neighboring countries and Japan is calling the U.S. for help. In response, the U.S. sends the reluctantly aging badass himself to investigate the disappearance of an engineer who may have the answers to this crisis. You are Sam Fisher, you are a Splinter Cell.

GAMEPLAY: 9

Here we go. This is where most of the clear adjustments have been made. Let's start with your equipment, the Five-SeveN pistol along with the SC-20k are back but with new improvements. The pistol can now fire disable lights, cameras, and other mechanic things temporarily with the OCP addition. The SC-20k comes with some new attachments which can be swapped at the drop of a hat such as the Foregrip (better manual aiming), Sniper (self-explanatory), and Shotgun (big boom). The sticky shockers and airfoils are back to torture enemies with along with the new sticky camera which finally incorporates all the diversion camera qualities. Sam also has a knife this time around which gives you the sole decision to preserve or terminate a captured enemy's life.
Speaking of AI, the enemies in this game are much smarter then ever before. Enemies can call for backup, take cover, and even bring their own light source into the dark corridors they wander. The most important feature is now missions won't end at the drop of a hat. In the previous games, if knocked out someone you were supposed to interrogate or use at a retinal scanner, Lambert aborted the mission no matter how far you were into it. Now if you knock out someone with info, it's your loss, and if you knock out some eyes for a scanner, just hack it. Sam also has some new moves that will make players grin such as pushing enemies off ledges and snap a neck from upside down. The game was so different from the other two that I had to pause the game and look at it blankly for at least a few minutes to determine if this was real.

CONCLUSION: 9

Chaos Theory is by far the best Splinter Cell, no, stealth action game yet. With new moves and some graphical overhaul, Chaos Theory is a towering achievement of how far games have come in this day and age. While the improvements are well welcomed to the series, they still seem so overdue when you first see them. Chaos has finally arrived for other stealth action games hoping to compete.

PROS
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+ Complete overhaul
+ New additions
+ Non-linear gameplay (finally)

CONS
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- Sensory overload
- Where's Coen?

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 05/11/05