Splinter Cell

This review is for the PC version. I haven't yet played any of the other titles of this franchise, nor have I even looked at any of Clancy's books relating to them(if there are any). With that said, I have read some of his novels, and this definitely is a product by him... for better or for worse. It is nearly only a positive thing; this is masterfully done. The by far best things about this are how vital, and how amazingly sensitive, light and sound are in this. I have never in any other game seen anything quite like it, and certainly not before this came out. You are literally more likely to successfully hide almost right in front of someone, if in complete darkness, than further away, to the side, when well-lit. As a help, you're supplied with a meter, that tells you in no uncertain terms exactly how much in the shadows you are. The amount of noise you make is determined by how fast you move, as well as on what. You can walk regularly, as well as sneak, and both have degrees of speed to that type, adjusted with the mouse wheel. That's one of the ways control differs from the norm, and as soon as you've gotten used to it, you'll be grateful they made it this way. The graphics and animation are incredible, if not entirely as smooth as that of the recent(not first) Prince of Persia trilogy that this slightly predates and was also made by Ubisoft, then again, they're close. And this is their initial attempt, and they hit so much of it right out of the park that we can forgive the couple of clumsy things to it, the biggest being the awkward jumping. Even the simplest of moves requiring it are made tougher than they ought to be, and you know that famous, nifty position where your legs are all that's keeping you up, between two surfaces, that everyone has at least heard of being in this? It's the main reason the leaping is so odd, and I can't claim there was a single place I used it. There are other cool acrobatics(and they completely rock, with no exception), though they seem terribly underused, and every last one is specific to the places you can use it. That's right; there's not one level of this that isn't linear(meanwhile, they're invariably fantastically well-designed), so there is absolutely no freedom of movement. Proceeding in this too often means "figuring out what they intended for you to do". Not only that, no, you spend much too long *just finding out where you're supposed to go*. That works for a lot of VGs, heck, it was a massive step up from the classic side-scroller and such when it originally came about. I'm not arguing that fact. What I am pointing out is that this is stealth(it surpasses others in most areas, not all). Plus, you've got a team backing you up, would it kill them to at least let you know the basic *direction* you're going in? Yeah, you get a map, however, unless you make sure you know where you are at all times(and how would you), it can prove utterly useless. Allow me to draw a comparison to the Hit-man series, I'm certain I'm not the only to do so. In each of those, while maybe not always, they offered multiple solutions, and you can go back and try out something else, and if it makes sense to do, you may very well be allowed to pull it off(especially in Blood Money, it got greater). You're told what you are to do, given an in-depth satellite view of the location, and from there you can soon think of ways to do it, and start actually *doing* those. Why not here? There is no replay value. This goes back and forth between being too easy and equally hard, and can be frustrating. The rigid military precision that Tom, and his work, is infused with can be irritating in this, and sometimes shooting is overly difficult, and enemies don't seem to have any problem with it. With that said, the two weapons, fitted with silencer and flash suppressor, pistol and SC-20K(to know it is to love it) are a ton of fun to use(when the time is right), as is all the equipment. Diversions that can also render foes unconscious, a reusable reconnaissance camera, the Sticky Shocker, and that's not the only *launchable*(!) stuff you get to use. Optic cable for looking under doors, wall mines, lock-picks, flares, grenades, and I could go on. The tactical opportunities is another thing where this really shines. Night and Thermal Vision(and trust me, it is perfect) demand mention, as well. Don't get me wrong, the game-play is magnificent. The AI is beyond reproach. Responsive and eternally as smart as they're meant to be. The music is well-composed, aids in that it changes when you're in immediate trouble, and you may frankly find yourself humming the kick-ass theme to yourself. There are next to no bugs or stability issues. The "humor" is really the usual silly stuff, fortunately, it's seldom in this, and the tone is an earned maturity(this never talks down to you) not ruined by the many bad-ass lines and moments. Sam Fisher, who you're taking on the role of, is voiced by Michael Ironside, who owns the crap out of every vocal emission(including the freaking *death scream*), since that is one of the things he can just *do*. He doesn't go overboard. The acting/audio is all marvelous. This has an interesting and immersive plot. Every character is credible. Realism is through the roof, and it almost always does pay off. This respects its audience. Inbetween the well-written and nicely varied missions, you see bits of faked news reports, that adds loads. This ranks tension higher than action, and you'll get to do some awesome infiltration. I recommend this to anyone that sounds appealing to. 9/10

This is the first Tom Clancy Video Game I've ever played.

I'm familiar with his video games, but this one interested me the most.

Splinter Cell is taken place in an alternate late 2004. The story is similar to the real world. Including Terrisum, World in Crisis, and a war between the middle east and the USA.

You play Sam Fisher, a highly trained Agent for the NSA(National Security Agency). Your mission is to enter enemy territories and find out info and secrets on the terrorists. It's a challenging task including sneaking around in the dark, hacking into computers, disable security cameras, threaten terrorists to spill the beans, & killing off terrorists. Mission Failure is not an option in the NSA.

There are 9 missions in total with a very long game play. You can play this game for hours till you succeed in stopping the terrorism from rising.

The graphics in it are very well done. Photo realistic backgrounds, people, and objects. The light/shadow is top notch. A few cool gadgets to use, a few weapons and special Night/Thermal Vision goggles. The voice acting is great to. Plenty of catch phrases from Sam Fisher.

Those who like Tom Clancy, Stealth, or Shooting related games will like this title.

This game is the first of it's kind. A spy game that has it all. Interrogation, going in the shadows, walking slowly or fast, night vision, thermo vision(which is helpful when finding an enemy). It's the first game that if you do it wrong, you have to start all over! And there are very exciting ways of finishing the game. Also, when there is a code you should enter to open a door, it brings the number pad to the screen, snd you enter it by mouse clicks. And other similar stuff, like when trying to open a locked door, YOU have to do it, pressing buttons and stuff. It's the first game that let's YOU play.

Sam Fisher is a CIA Black Ops Agent codenamed "Splinter Cell" who is recruited to infiltrate the Georgian government in an effort to locate two missing US spies. He soon uncovers a political conspiracy involving presidents, hackers and so on and so forth.

Games are not known for their plots but to be honest "Splinter Cell" has a pretty good one - it's a good starting place for a Tom Clancy novel and one can imagine that Clancy had the idea once, considered it unworthy compared to his other stuff and tossed it aside and later decided to use it as a game. It's never expanded upon fully as most of the time is actually spent on gameplay, not plot...but it does have one of the best video game stories of all time.

I liked the voicework by everyone's favorite villain from "Total Recall" (Michael Ironside) but the best part of this game was the beautiful rich textures and actual gameplay. In "Splinter Cell" you do stuff I've never seen in other games - stalking villains instead of shooting them. I do like shoot-'em-ups but it's come to a point now where new stuff is welcomed - and this is great! You can climb through windows, pick locks, open doors, stalk people, grab them, interrogate them, hold them at gunpoint (and use this as a neat defensive trick when surrounded by numerous villains), etc - and instead of just using a lockpick, for example, you really do pick the lock by pressing keys on the computer keyboard! And to open doors you don't just walk up to one, you have to manually push it open.

The graphics are great, fluid movements on characters...one of the best games of all-time!

8 out of 10 - The Game That Lit the Shadows

The original Splinter Cell wasn't just a stealth game. It was a statement. Released in 2002 during a time when action-heavy titles dominated, Ubisoft's Splinter Cell did something bolder: it made you slow down. It made you think. And it brought shadows to the forefront in a way gaming hadn't truly seen before.

The Birth of Sam Fisher

This was the world's introduction to Sam Fisher, voiced with grizzled perfection by Michael Ironside - a no-nonsense operative for the NSA's ultra-covert Third Echelon. Fisher wasn't a superhero. He was a ghost. No regenerating health, no bullet-sponge bravado. Just a man, some gadgets, and a grim mission to stop a geopolitical catastrophe.

Set during a fictional uprising in Georgia (the country, not the state), the story spirals into international espionage with cyberterrorism, military coups, and the threat of global destabilization. It was a political thriller delivered with grit and realism - and it set the tone for the series.

Gameplay: Light and Shadow Redefined

Splinter Cell's greatest innovation was how it weaponized light. You weren't sneaking in darkness just for style - you needed it to survive. The light meter became your gospel, and every flickering fluorescent bulb or exposed hallway became a puzzle.

You could shoot out lights, crawl through vents, use fiber-optic cameras under doors, and deploy non-lethal gadgets like sticky shockers and ring airfoil rounds. You weren't encouraged to kill - you were encouraged to evade, extract, and disappear without a trace.

It was challenging. Brutally so, at times. But when it worked, it felt incredible. You weren't just controlling a character - you became an operative.

Level Design: Industrial, Tight, Tactical

From CIA headquarters to oil refineries and foreign embassies, the environments were tight, cleanly designed, and built to support stealth. They weren't open-ended playgrounds like later entries - they were missions, with very little room for error.

It was linear, yes, but deliberately so. Every corridor had a purpose. Every guard had a patrol path. And it was your job to crack the code without ever being seen.

Presentation & Audio

For its time, Splinter Cell was visually stunning. The use of dynamic lighting and shadows on the original Xbox and PC was a generational leap. Ubisoft built an atmosphere of tension through minimalist music, ambient sounds, and Ironside's iconic voice work.

Every interaction had weight. The sound of a guard's footsteps, the hum of a nearby security camera - it all mattered. This was immersive stealth done right.

Why 8, Not 10?

Brutal Trial and Error: The game demanded perfection, sometimes to a frustrating degree.

Limited Save System: Some missions could be punishing due to sparse checkpoints.

Linear Paths: Unlike later games in the series, there was little freedom in how you approached objectives.

No Multiplayer: This was a solo affair - and while gripping, it lacked the innovation Pandora Tomorrow would later bring with Spies vs. Mercs.

Final Verdict

8 out of 10. A foundational stealth classic.

Splinter Cell (2002) wasn't perfect, but it didn't need to be. It invented the modern stealth blueprint for Ubisoft and introduced one of the most iconic operatives in gaming. Its atmosphere, challenge, and use of shadow-based stealth were years ahead of their time.

It's not the easiest game to revisit now, but it commands respect. Without it, we wouldn't have Chaos Theory, Conviction, or any of the greatness that followed.

It's not just where Sam Fisher began - it's where an entire genre evolved.