While the core gameplay is much the same as Metal Gear Solid 2
(sneak around and accomplish a variety of tasks using whatever means
necessary), Splinter Cell is really an entirely different
experience thanks to the emphasis on light and shadow. Every light
in the game illuminates the area realistically, and every object in
the game is self-shadowed. As a result, the player must learn to
effectively utilize the shadows created to hide and sneak past the
enemy. While MGS2 places an emphasis on hiding behind objects or
under boxes, Splinter Cell often has the player hiding in the
dark right in front of the enemies' eyes. This creates many more
tense situations, and ultimately makes passing objectives feel like
more of an accomplishment. This also creates many interesting
gameplay situations, as often there'll be one of several ways of
getting past a given situation. Do you shoot out the lights and
create a path for yourself at the risk of alerting patrolling
guards, or do you use the existing shadows and try to time movement
just right? Or do you just kill them and move on?
Ubi Soft really paid attention to the interaction with light and
shadow throughout the game, and created many different situations in
which unique use of them can create often-easier ways of getting
through a tough spot. For example, in one level you start out
overlooking a large courtyard. If you shoot out the lights then
while no guards are around, later on when you come back through the
courtyard it'll be a much easier task to do. The lights can still be
shot out later, but at the risk of alerting a patrolling guard.
This probably sounds like it would make the game incredibly
difficult, and to a degree it does, as it requires the player to
actually think (even more than MGS2) before acting. It isn't as bad
as it sounds though, thanks to the Stealth Meter. This simple meter
indicates how hidden Sam is, and how easily guards or surveillance
cameras can spot him. In a way it performs the same function as
MGS2's radar screen, but in a much more effective manner as it
doesn't require constant monitoring. As a result the player can
focus more on the game at hand, and what it'll take to get through a
situation.
While player interaction with shadow is the primary difference in
gameplay, another key component in Splinter Cell is the
camera angle used. Since it's a roving third-person view, it
requires the player to get positioned more effectively in order to
see enemies and other hazards. MGS2 used a fixed camera system,
which often would not allow the player to see balconies and other
areas above and around the area without going into first-person
mode. It also does a better job of putting the player "in" the game,
making the action more intense.
Finally, the gadgets are more diverse and play a more integral part
in gameplay. Gadgets are rarely necessary in order to continue in
the game (except lock picks), but they can often make a huge
difference in how easy an area is. These include a variety of
projectiles that can be attached to a weapon, with the Sticky
Shocker (which attaches to and shocks enemy soldiers) easily being
my favorite. Other gadgets include laser mics, camera jammers, optic
cable (used to look under doors before opening them), and lock
picks. Additionally, Sam can utilize night vision, thermal vision,
grenades, wall mines, and other items.
While Sam often relies on gadgets, he can also do some old-fashioned
butt kicking as well. Often enemies will need to be interrogated,
which will require the player to sneak up and grab them without
being spotted. Other circumstances will require forcing the enemy to
cooperate with Sam, including retinal scanners and hacking into
certain computer systems. The player should try to avoid fighting
whenever possible though, as alerting the guards will often lead to
the mission being aborted completely and will usually mean certain
death for Sam regardless. And in several missions located in areas
less hostile, no one can be killed at all including civilians and
the enemy.
Enabling all of this are easily the best looking graphics found in
any PS2 game to date. An incredible lighting system needed to be
created in order to support this level of environment interaction,
and Ubi Soft amazingly accomplished just that. As I mentioned before
every single light gives off it's own illumination, and can be shot
out (assuming it isn't reinforced) to put that area in instant
darkness. While this effect was true in the Xbox version, many areas
in the PS2 version are either faked or toned down dramatically in
order to save processing power. Multiple lights in the same area
still blend in well though, with very few of the sharp cut-offs
found in most other games with lighting effects. Light will softly
pour in through blinds, and moths even give off huge shadows when
they get close to a light.
Beyond the incredible light system, everything else in Splinter
Cell is done with incredible realism. Sam has an incredible
amount of animation, and every single move he performs looks fluid
and realistic. Enemy soldiers are animated in much the same manner,
and will look around, perform idle animation, and adapt to their
environment realistically.
The environments are very realistic. Offices have papers and PCs
strewn about, alleys are filled with trash, and a server room is
incredibly clean and white like something out of Alias.
Additionally, the night vision and thermal goggles are very
realistic, each giving a vastly different view of the world and
proving to often be integral in gameplay. All of this is wrapped in
very detailed and crisp textures, and rarely do they ever repeat.
Even when they do, it's usually masked well by shadow or other
lighting tricks.
Unfortunately, some environments have been butchered considerably in
comparison to the Xbox version. The training mission is now a
simple series of padded corridors, whereas before it featured more
realistic environments with boxes, shelving units, and various other
debris scattered throughout. If Sam’s training for real-world
situations, shouldn’t he have to maneuver around common office
objects? Virtually every level has been cut down considerably as
well, both for the sake of making the game easier (AKA pandering to
the mainstream PS2 market and the younger GCN market) and compensate
for weaker hardware. For example, the first part of the CIA level
featured the player breaking into CIA HQ in the Xbox version, but
now Sam merely waltzes right in with a fake ID. This was one of the
best parts of the original game, and it was cut out only for the
sake of making the game simpler. There is other less pronounced,
but equally bad level adjustments throughout the rest of the game as
well.
The only real problem with the graphics from a technical standpoint
is some clipping, with the bodies of downed soldiers often falling
into surrounding walls and doors. It doesn't affect gameplay in any
way, but it's a jarring break from the incredible realism the rest
of the game portrays. My only other complaint is that Sam's night
vision goggles glow a constant bright green, but yet they seem to
play no part in determining whether an enemy can spot Sam or not. On
occasion I was standing in the dark mere inches from an enemy's
face, yet he couldn't spot me despite the three huge green dots on
my head. I understand why Ubi Soft did this (as they explained in
one of the behind the scene videos, the goggles are Sam's defining
characteristic), but it's another case of anti-realism in an
otherwise ultra-realistic game.
As a result of the graphic glory sound usually takes a backseat in
this game, but it's also of high quality itself and plays an
important role in the game. Performed by the Crystal Method, the
music is typical of military/stealth/Clancy games, and thus should
be pleasing to anyone familiar with those kinds of games. Sound
effects are numerous and realistic. Sam's weapons and gadgets all
have a unique sound to them, and Sam's steps will sound different
and/or louder as he walks over a variety of terrain. The voice
acting is also done well, and in particular Sam's voice sounds gruff
and enhances the character perfectly. Sam's support team is also
voiced competently, as is the enemy as it patrols, talks on cell
phones, makes announcements over the intercom, etc. My only
complaint with the voice acting is that I wish it were in the native
language of that particular soldier instead of in English with an
accent stereotypical of that nationality, but no other game
(including MGS' Russian soldiers) really does that anyway.
There aren't a lot of extras beyond the single-player game, but
what's there is done pretty well. A few extra videos are included,
including an interview with Sam Fisher himself. There are now ten
quick save slots, up from the original three and fixing a problem
some players faced before with getting caught without a good save to
go back to. The interface has also been reworked slightly, with
some objects now showing up as selectable without having to go into
the menu to equip them depending on the situation. For example, now
when Sam reaches a locked door he can choose to use a lock pick in
addition to opening or looking under it, whereas before on Xbox the
player would have to pull up the lock pick from the menu first. How
Sam knows a door is locked before he tries to open it though is
beyond me…
The biggest difference between the PS2 and Xbox versions is the
inclusion of the extra cinemas, the previously mentioned level
differences, and an extra level. While the PS2 version features an
additional level in the game itself, Xbox owners must be subscribed
to Xbox Live in order to play Kola Cell. Both levels are excellent
additions to the storyline (I’ve played both), and neither is really
better than the other.
HIGHS:
-
One of the Xbox's best now on the PS2
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Retains the
same great gameplay and use of light and shadow.
-
The new
level is brilliant, and a good example of how ports should be
done.
-
30 new
minutes of FMV footage that really help to clear up the and expand
on the storyline.
LOWS:
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