If only the gameplay were as good as the graphics!
Written: Feb 06 '03 (Updated Jul 22 '03)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Amazing graphics, control and lighting
Cons: Slow and frustrating
The Bottom Line: I can't really recommend this game, it's far too frustrating, slow, and scripted to be fun.
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| pyros7's Full Review: Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell for Xbox |
Well with all the hype surrounding Splinter Cell I just had to pick it up. It promised ground breaking graphics and lighting, and if you read the box, stealth action redefined. Well it turns out the term "stealth action" really is the oxymoron it sounds like. This game is chock full of stealth but comes up way short on the promised action.
Graphics 5/5
I will say the graphics are awesome. This game really is beautiful. The scenery is crisp and clear, and the character models are excellent. When your character, Sam, reaches out to pick something up, he really reaches out and takes it. Want to pick a body? Sam carefully kneels down, and pulls the body over his shoulder. The rest of the actions are just as flawless. Want to climb a ladder? How about a pipe? Looks excellent.
Of course all the rave is about the lighting, and I'm glad to say that also lives up to my expectations. Beams of light shine down through windows, and almost all lights can be blown out for cover. Unfortunately the entire game revolves around nothing but staying in the dark and avoiding almost all conflict. Which is fine for some missions, but come on - does anyone really believe that when you break into CIA headquarters only 1/4 of the lights are going to be on? And that in some hallways it'll be so dark that a guard can walk past you without noticing?
As another reviewer mentioned, there are serious clipping problems. Men you kill or knock out will fall right through a wall.
Sound 4/5
The sound deserves a good mention. Excellent use of stereo effects. If you face a pair of people having a conversation and then turn to the right, the sound shifts to the left speakers. Very realistic. The voice acting for the most part is good, and fits in well.
AI 2/5
The AI in this game is...well there isn't any AI. Every character in the game follows a set path they will not deviate from unless you attract them. If you attract them, they'll wander in your direction, peer into the darkness. Then mutter something to themselves and proceed back on their path. Never do they turn some more lights on, call for back up, or investigate for more than a few seconds.
All the actions of every thing else in the game is trigger driven. When you get to a certain point, something happens - every time. In one scene you have to follow someone outside and kidnap him while he smokes. No matter how long you take, he'll never go back inside. That to me says the gameplay could use a lot more depth.
Want to get past a guard? Wait about 15 seconds til he walks to a certain point, then sneak past him. That's fine by me, but when you get a bit further, there's a camera you have to wait for. Fine you wait for that and sneak past. Then you have to wait for these 3 guys to finish up a conversation. Ok, get past them. Now imagine that you die, and go back to a point before that first guard. So you run up to the point where you know he'll be, wait for him, sneak past him, wait for the camera to rotate a bit, get past that, wait for the 20 second conversation you've already heard to end, then get killed again in the same place you did last time. Now, you're back at the first guard...well repeat that to yourself another 5 times and you'll realize that you'll be doing a lot of waiting in this game and even more replaying in order to get anywhere.
And that in my book just isn't fun. This game dosen't take skill, it takes patience because you have to find your way out of each and every situtation by trial and error.
Storyline 2/5
Unfortunately this game is so linear it's more like watching a movie than playing a game. Only every 45 seconds something goes wrong and you get rewound to the beginning of the scene. This game could have been saved if there were more than one way to complete a mission, but there never is. If you need to get past a guard, there is typically only one way to do it - and it's almost always "sneak past him." There is only one path to take through a mission, there is no improvising. There's no - let me try going this way to see if it's easier.
Nope, you play this game like you're a puppet controlled by the game designers. The lights are a perfect example, when you're required to shoot them out to advance, you can and you have to. When shooting them out might seem like a good idea to make things easier - you can't.
Control 4/5
Sam has plenty of cool moves, like climbing down walls, flying down zip lines and stuff like that. However you'll rarely get to use any of them because as I've said before, the game is so scripted that the only time you get to use your special skills is when you absolutely have to in order to advance. Here's a tip, if you ever see a line that looks like you can grab on to it, do so, because it's guaranteed to be the only way you can advance.
And while they make a big deal of saying that you can interact with almost every object in the game, what they really mean is "There's a ridiculous number of empty soda cans you can pick up and throw."
Bottom Line
I can't really recommend this game to the average Joe, because as great as the graphics are, and as cool as it could be, it's far too frustrating and pain-stakingly slow to be much fun. If this is the kinda game that sounds good to you, I'd strongly suggest renting it for a few days before shelling out $50 for it.
Recommended:
No
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Epinions.com ID:
pyros7
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Reviews written: 8
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