Splinter Cell feels so natural on the PC, it's almost like it was originally meant to be a PC game, until Microsoft came along and waved money in Ubi Soft's collective faces to keep it Xclusive for three months.
As Sam Fisher, government samurai, you sneak, shoot and split jump your way through nine areas that you have no business being anywhere near. And unlike most games of the genre, most of your bullets will be hitting lights, not enemies. When you do need to take out an enemy, it is important to hide their body in a darkened area, or else an alarm may be tripped. Raise too many alarms, and you may find yourself with no other alternative but to restart the mission from the insertion point. Make no mistake about it – in Splinter Cell, the emphasis is on staying hidden in the shadows, not a high body count.
If Splinter Cell could be summed up in one word, it would be "tense." Sam's situation in the field changes constantly, and you have to be prepared to adapt to that situation just as quick. This requires a level of precise control that the Xbox controller just couldn't provide. On the PC, however, the combination of a mouse and keyboard does the trick just fine. Those who played Splinter Cell on the Xbox may remember that even when you had a shot lined up (seemingly) perfectly, your shot would oftentimes miss its mark, resulting in lots of wasted bullets, missed opportunities, or worse. In a game where ammo is scarce and checkpoints even more so, – another area where the PC version improves with its quicksave function – accurate aiming mechanics should be a priority. The PC version corrects for any inherent flaws in the aiming "code" of Splinter Cell by way of the precise control the nature of the platform affords you.
Splinter Cell still looks and sounds as great as ever, though your results, as they say, will vary. On a Radeon 9700/AMD 2200 combo, the game certainly looks and plays better than its console brethren. However, if you're running a system that just meets or beats the minimum – or even the recommended – requirements, don't expect Mr. Fisher to look as pretty as he did in his prime. Every review I've read of the game has mentioned this in some manner, so these words of wisdom shouldn't come as much of a shock.
Though it improves upon the Xbox original, some of the gripes from the original still remain – though you are supposedly an operative in hostile territory, trying to find your way from point "A" to "B", such paths are almost always blatantly obvious. Splinter Cell remains largely a linear action game, albeit a stylish one. You'll find little "Deus Ex" or Hitman 2 style gameplay to be found here. In addition, Sam still seems to "float" over any rail or ledge he climbs down from, lacking the animations for it. Awkward in the first degree.
Still, despite its few problems and lack of "true" freedom, Splinter Cell's move to the PC allows the game to realize its full potential, and those who considers themselves fans of the stealth action genre should spend some quality time with this, the superior version of an already incredible game.
-George
Company Line
Paris, France - April 18, 2002 – Ubi Soft® Entertainment, one of the world's largest videogame publishers, unveiled today the latest creation inspired by the works of world-renowned novelist Tom Clancy. Splinter Cell™ is a third person stealth action game, featuring cyber-terrorism, shadow agencies, and covert operations and is set in the realistic, highly detailed geopolitical universe as portrayed by Tom Clancy.
In the fall of 2002, Ubi Soft will debut this lone stealth action game worldwide on the XboxTM video game system and PC CD-ROM, with further next generation platforms following in 2003.
Splinter Cell™ will grant players access to the highest echelons of national security, where shadowy operatives have the freedom to do whatever it takes to safeguard America. In Splinter Cell™, the player controls Sam Fisher, a field operative of a secretive "black-ops" NSA sub-agency called Third Echelon. Sam Fisher is geared up to infiltrate high-security strongholds, seize critical intelligence, destroy threatening data and neutralize the enemy - all without leaving a trace. Developed by Ubi Soft's Montreal Studio in Canada, Splinter Cell™, is a unique experience that will have the player thinly skate on the fine line that separates fact from fiction.
"Splinter Cell™ is a really ambitious title that reaches unparalleled visual quality and innovative action packed game play thanks to Ubi Soft's highly modified version of the next generation Unreal™ Engine", said Laurent Detoc, president of Ubi Soft Entertainment Inc. "We consider it to be one of our premiere games of the year."
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