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So, as Splinter Cell is my favorite game series, I’m kind of obsessed with the storylines
and characters. I’m actually not very good at this game in particular, but it was still
a big deal for the series when it came out. Through the first three games, they could,
more or less, be stand alone adventures, but this game changed that. It took the hero,
Sam Fisher, and not only showed us that he was human, but he could be broken if the pieces
fell into place perfectly. This is the game that started the second trilogy, leading up
to a new Splinter Cell currently in the works. It’s Splinter Cell: Double Agent for the
Xbox 360. Splinter Cell: Double Agent’s plot actually
starts off like some of the previous games would, although Sam is joined by a newer Splinter
Cell. However, after things go horribly wrong and Sam escapes back onboard a vehicle with
Lambert, he gets some bad news: his daughter was killed by a drunk driver. This is the
only family member Sam had left, and it sends him into a state of depression. To get him
out of it, Lambert decides to distract him with his most dangerous mission ever: infiltrate
the terrorist organization known as John Brown’s Army and destroy it from the inside. But to
do this, Sam must first make the general public believe that he’s a criminal himself. The
writing in this game is a HUGE step up from the previous ones, and characters we used
to just not really think about are now really important.
Although there are lighter environments and different equipment in some sections of Double
Agent, all in all, the gameplay isn’t that different from Chaos Theory. You still hide
bodies, can choose between knock-outs and kills, and have the trademark goggles to help
you out. This is also still very much a stealth game. Although the next game, Conviction,
put more emphasis on using stealth to kill enemies, Double Agent is about sneaking by
them, only taking them out when necessary. Controls are a little bit funny coming off
of playing a lot of Conviction, as some button mashing seems a tad strange, but you will
start to get used to it after a little bit. Hit detection can also be just slightly off,
but it’s not that noticeable. Now, the one big thing that Double Agent introduced
is the trust system. As you are infiltrating John Brown’s Army, you have to perform tasks
to get them to believe that you’re really a terrorist, but the NSA doesn’t want you
killing a bunch of civilians in the process. To be successful, you have to find a balance
between the two, so you don’t get uncovered, but keep your moral integrity. These activities
can range from choosing to blow up a ship to just sneaking into the leader’s room.
The game really lets you pick what kind of character Sam should be, and there aren’t
just little consequences. The entire ending can change depending on what you do.
This was released back in 2006, but it is very hard to tell. Environments, characters
and lighting effects all look great, and the music also gives the game a perfect tone.
Of course, Michael Ironside once again steals the show, giving an unbelievable performance.
Splinter Cell: Double Agent is a game that took that main character in a totally new
direction, and although the gameplay is similar to the last game in the series, it is still
a fantastic entry. Any fans of stealth games should go pick this up.