Even though Sam had dropped off the grid, Grim finds him and he discovers that he doesn't know the truth about his daughter's death. He is soon thrust into the middle of a conspiracy, making things considerably less "personal". And yeah, you're still following someone else's orders, using gadgets(if less than usual) and communicating with back-up over an earpiece. This isn't very like the others. The gradual expansion of features in the first three left little, if any, room to change(Chaos Theory almost got to be too easy), the fourth then made you, like the title of it implies, a double agent to keep things interesting. And I don't think they really had any ideas after that point. I don't blame them, I couldn't think of where to go from there. And yet they kept moving, changing the direction they took a bit. I'm not really against something like this, I merely don't think Splinter Cell is a fitting franchise for it. The things left over from the others seem out of place here(you barely look under doors or use the sticky cam in this), there isn't a satisfying explanation why you sneak so little, and while it sets up a revenge kind of thing, it doesn't particularly go through with it. Story has been a key aspect to this series from the get-go, and this one is paperthin, the twist is obvious right off the bat and the political intrigue that we've grown addicted to is essentially gone, replaced with cliché. The game-play is action-driven, with you taking out the enemy without them getting you(one thing that they do keep to is the challenge, you'll die from just a few shots). Don't worry about being seen, in fact, it can be an advantage, as long as you hide right away. I like that you can use this to trick the NPC's into focusing on one spot even after you leave, but they push it too far, with the AI leading others to point blank attacks on *nothing*. You move from one cover to another constantly, and this does have an excellent system for that, one of the best I've seen. Use the cursor to indicate where you want to go next, press Space, and you'll hurry there, making yourself as small a target in the process, and *everything* can be used(in the few instances where it can't, it won't let you move to like that). Get close to someone and press C(hold it to use that person as a human shield) and you'll dispatch them instantly(unless they block you, if they spot you first
then just do it again
yeah). Yup, just like that, no skill to it(that's a theme in this one). Doing so will get you the right to use Execute(once, until the next time you do so), letting you instantly knock off anyone you've Marked(there's a very limited number of these, and yes, each time you can only do in this small amount
if they remain within range, and it'll let you know if they aren't). If you can see someone, even if it's through a wall using the new Sonar Goggles, you can do this, so you can, indeed, bust into a room and clear it. Not only does the single player portion of this not produce any truly memorable situations(other than perhaps when you have to move directional microphones into position to keep up with a conversation
and then beat up a black guy right in front of the statue of Lincoln at the memorial
I have a feeling he's turning in his grave), it's exceedingly short. You can complete this in a single day, if you really apply yourself. One and a half, at the most. The end credits last longer than that! The three difficulty settings certainly don't provide replayability(note that this, like the others, has no freedom of movement, and it doesn't have choices that shape it like DA did), so afterwards, there's only MP. It is fun, I'll give them that, if the co-op thing limits it. Yup, you can only ever play with one other person. Some of the earlier entries allowed for teams to go up against one another, y'know. There's a prequel to the main campaign, Hunter(about the same as SP), Last Stand(defend an object), Face-Off(vs., with opposition) and Infiltration. This finds its own server(you can determine the rules, unlike BioShock 2), and I think you can find people you know to play with. And yes, you do need a permanent internet connection to even play this. It stores your savegames online, not sure for what purpose(backup copy?), and if you force shutdown it, those won't be up to date. This is quite streamlined, taking away much of the potential risk(the guns, bullets(as in "running out of", and "dodging") and aiming ensure that it isn't all gone, same as BS2 and Kane & Lynch: Dead Men, and unlike the Assassin's Creed games), and, well, taking away your choices. You interrogate, for example, only it's nothing other than "activating" it, you don't control the flow of it(remember The Punisher, from '04? That one, you have four options for it at any time, and then there are specific ones, locked to locations!). Well, you can upgrade your arsenal(three times per piece, it seems), with PEC points, gotten for doing exact tasks over the course of playing. You can still only carry two, a pistol and something heavier(that you can replace with any that you find on bodies and the like), and you can exchange them at boxes you find throughout. This shows memories and such on walls sometimes, I guess for the psychological touch and to dispense with menus of text. You'll either like it or you won't. Why does this put EMP in so much? There is bloody violence, disturbing content and strong language in this. I recommend this to fans of the Bourne trilogy(this is about the closest thing to a proper one we've gotten so far). 7/10
