Review: Splinter Cell - Chaos Theory 194
- Title: Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory
- Developer: Ubisoft Montreal
- Publisher: Ubisoft
- System: Xbox
- Reviewer: Zonk
- Score: 9/10
Splinter Cell titles
center around the missions of Sam Fisher, an American
military tool in the information warfare age. Chaos Theory, like the titles
that preceded it, follow the exploits of Mr. Fisher as he moves from one
mission to another. Events and characters that mimic real world analogues very
closely fill the game, and despite some nonexistent devices to further gameplay
(like hacking a computer from across a room), the impression you receive is that
Sam Fisher's world is very much our own.As such, the entire game is steeped in realism to preserve the flavour of the modern day experience. The graphics and lighting are gorgeous, and the fluidity of motion that the game's character portray is extremely impressive. The artificial intelligence of enemy opponents, while not perfect, is certainly better than many other titles in the stealth genre. This allows for some lovely emergent gameplay, as you can take actions in the game world and can plan on a logical reaction taking place. The first mission allows you a perfect opportunity to try this out, with two mercenaries patrolling near a tent. Taking out the merc outside the tent allows you access to the generator for a large lighting system nearby. By turning off the generator, you make the guard inside the tent curious...a vice which gets cats and guards in trouble.
The need for stealth in
the game is paramount, but not as rigorously enforced as
in previous titles. You can set off as many alarms as you like, and until you
are slain the mission isn't over. This, and nearly every other, addition to the
Splinter Cell gameplay library was made to make the game more accessible to
players. The addition of a knife to Sam's arsenal allows him to take out
enemies in a single thrust in near silence. Gunshots are noisy and attract
attention, but laying out your opponents with deadly fire is an accepted way to
complete a mission. The previous titles were extremely punishing of mistakes,
and Chaos Theory counteracts that by allowing Sam to take on a more kick-ass
take-names approach. If you've played the previous incarnations a great deal,
you may find the going easier than you expect. Higher difficulty settings are
provided to challenge the more skilled. This eased gameplay also allows for
more than one way to complete a mission. Even if you decide to kill the captain
of the cargo ship without interrogating him, you can still sweep the ship with
your weapon drawn looking for your target. Arbitrariness and gameyness have
been deliberately reduced.
That sense of realism is
extended by the story and voice acting. The tale
centers around a series of missions which take you from one end of the earth to
the other. Each mission has a good deal of background to it, and the depth of
the Chaos Theory story is entirely at your discretion as the mission briefings
are entirely skippable. Each portion of the mission briefing is handled by one
of the memorable non-player characters, each with their own area of expertise.
The memorable nature of these characters is solely based on the quality of the
dialogue writing, which comes off very natural and spiced with quality humor,
and the skill with which the voice actors portray their roles. Fan favorite Don
Jordan returns as Irving Lambert, and Michael Ironside returns to the tight
fitting bodysuit of Sam Fisher.
The score, by Amon Tobin, nicely accentuates the mood and temp of the game with a modern vibe that never feels as though it was composed by software. Tobin's composition, his first for a videogame, is very promising. I hope to hear more from him in the future.
Like the previous title,
Pandora Tomorrow, Chaos Theory isn't something you have
to enjoy alone. Multiplayer via Xbox Live is once again a unique experience.
The four-player Mercenaries vs. Spies gameplay returns, with some tweaks and
refinements. To ensure that you're briefed on the objectives of the multiplayer
game, you are required to go through a training scenario. The maps allow you a
range of several types of gameplay, including a deathmatch, a disk capture mode
that is a variation on keep-away, and a new story mode. Story mode is probably
the most interesting addition, forcing the mercs and spies to complete several
missions in sequence and tying them all together with a workable plot. Chaos
Theory has a lot of living room local multiplayer potential as well, with four
cooperative levels available. There are several moves that two spies working
together can accomplish, and the gameplay is accentuated by a story which works
the co-op levels in as part of the backstory to the single player campaign.
Nothing is perfect, of course. While I enjoyed the game, my previous experience with Splinter Cell titles is limited. I found the game challenging on Normal mode, but players who have honed their skills on less forgiving titles may view the single player campaign as a cakewalk. The darkness mechanic can start to feel slightly contrived after a while, as you move through areas that wouldn't be as dark as the game allows them to be. The realism of other areas of the game makes it a jarring experience when you find a well guarded part of a bank in pitch blackness. The co-op mode, finally, could have been more fleshed out. Cooperative play is one of the most interesting aspects of modern gaming, and I would have liked to see a more developed co-op aspect for this title. Minor complaints, but the attention to detail that the game takes in all other areas makes weak points stand out.
For fans of the previous games, and players who enjoy modern tales, Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory is a perfect fit. It has a sensibility all its own, and the high praise it has garnered around the industry is well deserved. If you're looking for a stealth action title, Chaos Theory will fit your needs with military exacting precision.
Screenshots are from Microsoft's official Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory Xbox site, ©2005 Microsoft and Ubisoft.
MGS (Score:5, Insightful)
Tenchu? Late and lame if you ask me. MG (even the old 8 bit jobs) was what made the genre.
Re:And you didn't even mention the music? (Score:3, Insightful)
I too am a big fan of Amon Tobin and own almost all of his albums (aside from this new soundtrack), but come on. Read thoroughly, next time.
Re:Console (Score:3, Insightful)
Oh, and instead of $200 for a limited console, you can pay $300 for a video card and your other upgrades. I just don't understand "consoles have to be purchased and maintained for years to come". What maintenance are you talking about? You mean, like swapping out cards, adding memory, and the like? Oh, that's right, consoles don't require that at all. In fact, last I heard, that was one of their big value propositions.
Somehow, the idea that consoles involve forking over too much money and maintenance during their lifetime doesn't ring true at all, and less so when you say that in comparison to PCs.
Re:Console (Score:1, Insightful)
Co-operative Play (Score:3, Insightful)
With the game being so new there were no walkthroughs for the co-op mode either. But I am pretty sure that has changed by now.
Re:MGS (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Am i the only one.. (Score:2, Insightful)
as it relates to other games, i feel much the same way; i.e. if i'm playing a stealth game, i'm going to try to play stealthily.
i'll save screwing around with 100% kill ratios or wild killing sprees or "tricks" to completing levels easily for after i've experienced the game as its genre intends.
What is the attraction of Splinter Cell? (Score:3, Insightful)
The AI is extremely simple. Enemies have no memory what-so-ever. That's so realistic! Disturb them a couple of times and after a while they'll always go back to what they were doing. Somehow they seem to be able to see in the dark too! And how many people on a level must disappear before others start noticing that it's become awfully quiet? How can they shoot so accurately when I've taken out all the lights, and I've moved around?
The game is also extremely linear with a very constrained map. Furthermore, this is another game (like Halo) that I completed in under a week. It has less substance and real game play than most of the FPS games I've played over the last 10+ years. It's all fancy graphics and nothing else. That's my opinion... so will somebody please tell me what the attraction is?
Re:Two out of Four... (Score:3, Insightful)
Maybe. I've got it for the Xbox and the game is very stable. I've not had it lock up, freeze, or crash yet.
Needless to say, I'm not impressed with Ubisoft.
Did they write the PC port themselves? I'd guess they did, but sometimes companies have a 3rd party do that.
It certainly can't be a problem with your hardware.
Ah, the benefits of console gaming!
First-class pseudoscience (Score:2, Insightful)
While I give credit for the writers for trying to spice up the cliched subject matter (which, like all Tom Clancy material, revolves around terrorism) with a little infobabble (we've moved past portable nukes), I've broken down laughing many times while playing this game.
I can't speak for laymen, but as a guy who has taken quite a few classes on formal languages, algorithms, and the theory of computation, terms like "weaponized algorithms", the mystery of "512 encryption", the forbidden secret of "recursive functions", and having to steal (and use) "access algorithms" on servers always gets me going.
The writers of this game would have you believe that the fate of the world rests in the careful control of these so-called "Masse kernels", capable of some sort of uber-intrusion. I don't see how any of the possible interpretations of that (popcorn, OS, or sigproc tool) are such a threat, but maybe these writers know more than we suppose at first.
The end-all, very best line in the story (and I won't spoil it by providing the context) is the startling realization that the villians have access to an INFINITE STATE MACHINE!!! I suppose the surprise this is met with is justified, since we'd have to rewrite a lot of textbooks (and not just CS ones) to accomodate that. The only problem is, they didn't specify if it was deterministic or non....
Still, the game was a treat on almost every level and I'm glad to have had the opportunity to play it.
njord
Re:I'll agree with the 9/10 rating... (Score:2, Insightful)
So how did you conclude that you agree with the rating?
Re:Am i the only one.. (Score:3, Insightful)
While it's great that we all have different tastes, I can't help but think that if people gave the more cerebral and challenging games, Thief in particular, a chance they could come to enjoy it.
If people don't give the more cerebral (and really good) games, like Ico, a chance, the game companies won't make any more, and none of us will get the chance to play them. The way it's going, it'll be just Devil May Cry 4, 5, and 6 - not that DMC isn't a good game, but it's nice to have something different once in a while.
Re:Startlingly original multiplayer (Score:3, Insightful)
I feel guilty for enjoying military-themed PC games because of their inherent propaganda qualities. Lately I've been wondering if even just playing the games makes me a bad person considering the current state of the world.
Despite years of playing GTA, I have never been a gang member, robbed anyone, killed anyone AFAIK, stolen an Apache gunship, hijacked a car, or listened to rap music by choice. Games are escapism, not a pledge of fidelity to a character's lifestyle -- unless you have a much bigger problem.