Wow. What a Game. [Splinter Cell]

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11-19-2002
Xbox Owner

Wow. What a Game. [Splinter Cell]

Damn. I highly reccomend this for anyone, even if they hate the genre. Damn good visuals..here's my review of it:

I've played about three hours, and made a review, I'm sure it will change.

General / Summary: Oh my god. All I can say is that this game did infact live up to my expectations - and beyound! This game will get my vote for game of the year, for sure.

Gameplay: Hm, gameplay. Pretty awesome gameplay. You sneak up on people from behind, and if you press the "A" button, you'll choke them demanding what you want, and after-if they give it to you, you can knock them out, which is really fun! Also, you can do very stealthy moves, like roll, slide down ropes, climb aross ropes, all quitely. This game impressed me heavily with all the effort they put into the moves. The controls are the only down part, pretty big learning curve, but after about 1/1 and a half hour, you'll master it.

10/10

Visual: One word, "Wow". Best graphics on Xbox yet. Lighting - best lighting in any game, also. Infact, you need the lighting to hide from camera's, guards, etc. You can also hide bodies here. Mostly Everything looks great, with the exception of maybe the model's mouth movings, I mean, when they are doing voice overs. It looks like they missed on a couple of words. Faces to levels are highly detialed, though. It looks like the producers wanted to go the extra mile on this game's visuals. Very well done.

10/10

Sound: Hm, sound, probably the worst part of the game. (But still, not bad.) Not much sound in the game, and the voice overs can sound wierd at times. Other than that, the sound's pretty good, but there's not much sound in the game, other than footsteps, fire, rain..etc. Still rather good, though.

9.5/10

Suggestions to Developer: No sugguestions, with the exception of maybe making a sequel. Shows you've put a true effort into this game, and should be proud. Good Job.

Overal: 9.8/10

This game has my Game of the Year vote.
11-19-2002
Snoopy7548

i played the demo and it was sweet. but im gonna have to wait until christmas to get the game:( :(
11-19-2002
steveo_wrx

Got my copy today, but no time to try it before work. I was seriously considering a sick call. Well, 3 hours left and I can go home and play. Just got done stuyding the manual and there's a number of moves which I didn't discover during the demo, not to mention all those cool gadgets. Oh, yeah ! :cool:
11-19-2002
rwingd23

as i type this i am running out the door to get it
11-20-2002
PcPreacher

I got my copy of Splinter Cell last night and could'nt stop playing after 1 night I have to say this is the best game I have ever played. (sorry Halo). Xbox owner I would'nt recommend you to get metal gear after playing splinter it will seem like a ps1 game or worse.
11-20-2002
EphMune

9 or 14 missions?

how many missions does this game have. i have read everywhere that it has 14 missions including official sites, and then i bought the game yesterday and on the back it says there is only 9. which is true. i sure hope 14. thanks in advance.
11-20-2002
Chaotic

9 missions
11-20-2002
studepaber

Easily a MGS2 beater and with downloadable levels it should have great replay value. What a piece of eye candy!!!! oh yea gotta love nightvision too heh
11-20-2002
EHWfedPres

I played the demo several times...awesome. spent about an hour just playing with the light reflections on the wall, jumping around in the staircase, jumping thru curtians, and I even took every dead body and put them all in one spot. :D

Nothing like crawling across the side of a shelf...and the metal stairs...tons of fun stuff to do in there!
11-20-2002
skysaw

Find a hanging lamp and shoot it or throw a couple of cans at it. You can get it to swing without breaking it, and the shadows all swing and dance with it. I was knocked on my ass by that.
11-20-2002
steveo_wrx

Yeah, it's great. I'm on the second mission in the defense ministry now and loving it. I must confess, I was a little disappointed when I first booted it up. The training environment doesn't match the rest of it graphically, but that doesn't matter much. I guess what let me down initially was the linear nature of the game: you must pass through Alley A, to Point B, which triggers the action of Guard C, and so on. So it lacks the freewheeling action of something like Deus Ex or GTA3, but doesn't suffer hugely because of it. And I already knew some of the first level from the demo.

But you guys are right, this is a MGS2 beater. First of all, you don't have all those cut scenes and silly radio chit-chit butting into the flow of the action. Graphics, mood, suspense ? The game tops anything I've played on a console. The cartoonish aspects of MGS2 (LOL, hiding under cardboard boxes, etc.) are entirely absent. I still can't get over the fluidity of Sam's moves - amazingly lifelike.

A couple of grumbles. Where the heck is my thermal imaging capability ?! Do I get it later ? It was there in the demo and there's a data stick in the second level which says I should be able to see the alarm grids in the courtyard - so I'm thinking I should have it as a default setting. But right direction pad isn't bringing it up. Anybody know what's up with this ??

Also, the little maps on your Palm computer pretty much suck. I don't expect radar to alert me to the guards (ala Solid Snake) but more detail and some kind of "you are here" radar blip would have been nice. "Back" button is Map according to the manual, but all it gives me is a schematic of the controls.
11-21-2002
skysaw

Quote:

Originally posted by steveo_wrx
A couple of grumbles. Where the heck is my thermal imaging capability ?! Do I get it later ?

Yes, you're supposed to get it later.

Quote:

Also, the little maps on your Palm computer pretty much suck. I don't expect radar to alert me to the guards (ala Solid Snake) but more detail and some kind of "you are here" radar blip would have been nice. "Back" button is Map according to the manual, but all it gives me is a schematic of the controls.

It would help if Sam had a compass. Pretty annoying when your instructions are to head East, and you have no bearings!
11-21-2002
steveo_wrx

Quote:

Originally posted by skysaw

It would help if Sam had a compass. Pretty annoying when your instructions are to head East, and you have no bearings!

You're right. Even that would be fine, something like the one in Medal of Honor. Even with all of Sam's other cool gadgets, you'd think there'd be enough money left in the NSA budget for low tech compass. :D

This game never ceases to amaze and delight me ! A couple more great moments from the second level.

1) I got a little sloppy in the darkened cafeteria and a guard came from downstairs to investigate the noise. I hid behind the door and all I could see see was the guy's shadow looming in the doorway. I sat tight and eventually he returned to his post.

2) Took the guard at a desk hostage and used him as a human shield to advance on the other guard. He heard the noise and pulled out his pistol. Just so happened I was behind a potted palm when this happened, and as I pumped about 5 rounds into the 2nd guard, they ripped through the palm plant sending shredded palm fragments into the air as I fired. Simply amazing. :cool: :cool:
12-03-2002
ibeathalo

Dead on review. Hell ****in yeah. GET THIS GAME RIGHT NOW. Just go and buy it. It is totaly ****ing worth it. I can stop playing it or saying ****. HahahaHahahaHahaha. Time to play somemore!!
12-18-2002
Spacewolf

Oh this game has got to be the best I have seen. The visuals are great and the gameplay rocks.
I only have one gripe about it so far, is how the regular civilians are more alert than all the gaurds.
Oh and only on loop hole I have found is that Sam has a light on his back (his commo devise) and 3 on his head (the goggles) yet no one can see him in the dark. Sorry I would think those lights would stand out. :cool:

Now if we could just get people to realize (I have heard it in review areas and stores both) that this is not a shooter game.
12-19-2002
DreamShifter

As much as I see people posting about this game, it really makes me want it, but I'm not allowed to get it, yet:( . I've been 'grounded' until after the new year for buying games and movies. I think the roommate is gettin me this one, but if not, come Jan 1st, I will have it. Probably get Ghost Recon as well. Played the demo a couple times and loved it, but then again, haven't really had any complaints about any of the Tom Clancy games that I played. Loved Rainbow Six and the whole series on the PC, so I'm sure I'll lose plenty of sleep playin SC when I get it. Thanks so much for making this a must get for me.
12-19-2002
steveo_wrx

Quote:

Originally posted by Spacewolf
Oh and only on loop hole I have found is that Sam has a light on his back (his commo devise) and 3 on his head (the goggles) yet no one can see him in the dark. Sorry I would think those lights would stand out. :cool:

Now if we could just get people to realize (I have heard it in review areas and stores both) that this is not a shooter game.

I think we'll have to allow the programmers a little artistic license regarding Sam's lights. The one in back I think is just an aid to help you locate him quickly in the dark when his back is turned, where you may not necessarily want to toggle the night vision. Yeah, the lighted goggles would get you blown away in real life. But if you watched any of the extra flim clips about the game design, they explain they wanted a certain signature look for Sam and the goggles are a part of it.

I agree, the game is not run and gun, never purports to be. It's all about stealth and thinking your way through each level. If you like that style of play, you'll love the game, if you have no patience with it, you won't. For me it's perfect. Even on PC, I always preferred strategy games where I can plan at my leisure and then strike, something like Panzer General as opposed to a frenzied click-fest like Age of Empires or Command & Conquer. So I'm absolutely loving Splinter Cell.
12-19-2002
Spacewolf

Quote:

I think we'll have to allow the programmers a little artistic license regarding Sam's lights. The one in back I think is just an aid to help you locate him quickly in the dark when his back is turned, where you may not necessarily want to toggle the night vision. Yeah, the lighted goggles would get you blown away in real life. But if you watched any of the extra flim clips about the game design, they explain they wanted a certain signature look for Sam and the goggles are a part of it.

Oh I do agree the whole goggle thing makes Sam look cool as sin and to me it does not detract from the game one bit.

Quote:

I agree, the game is not run and gun, never purports to be. It's all about stealth and thinking your way through each level. If you like that style of play, you'll love the game, if you have no patience with it, you won't. For me it's perfect. Even on PC, I always preferred strategy games where I can plan at my leisure and then strike, something like Panzer General as opposed to a frenzied click-fest like Age of Empires or Command & Conquer. So I'm absolutely loving Splinter Cell.

I am like you here I like the think your way through games. I think this game is awesome. It does give you levels that gives you a little bit of a free reign to kill. But at others you have to think your way through the game. I think they did a wonderful job of balancing the game between the two.