Continuation of Brilliance

Splinter Cell in its two previous incarnations brought innovation to the stealth genre, and just like that, Ubisoft had a winner of a series. The third installment, Chaos Theory, polishes the series and adds some very welcome elements to the best stealth series in gaming.

If you have played a previous Splinter Cell game, you will be familiar with the ins and outs of Chaos Theory. You once again play as Sam Fisher, and it is up to you to get behind a terrorist plot. You use stealth as your main ally. Your suit is equipped with light sensors and sound sensors to keep you quiet and hidden-nothing new here. New to Chaos Theory, however, is the ability to do quick kills or takedowns. No more having to position yourself behind the enemy and select "Grab Characters." You can sneak behind or in front of the enemy and take him out with your knife, or simply knock him out. The quick new takedowns are a welcome element and speed up the game. Some purists might find it cheap, though, as it makes the game a hell of a lot easier. The campaign itself is awesome-the best yet.

It's More Fun to Play With Pals

New is Co-Op mode where you and a friend can take on special missions together. The Co-Op storyline runs parallel with the single-player campaign. You get all the skills from the single-player campaign, but you have a new set of Co-Op moves to zip you around the environment. You have to go through a quick tutorial before you're off to become the next special agents. The Co-Op missions are short, but they are my favorite part of this game.

Back is the "frustrating-if-you-suck" Versus mode-one of the hardest multiplayer experiences I have ever had, but at the same time one of the most heart pounding. The Versus mode is much the same as last year with a few new add-ons, maps, and moves. The Mercs get some new gadgets like a camera network and (thankfully) a gas mask. The spies, on the other hand, now have optic camouflage to help you blend in with some of the very bright areas of the multiplayer maps. On some of the Chaos Theory maps (you get to play all the Pandora Tomorrow Maps), you can even use some of the Co-Op moves-very cool.

Ubisoft Quality

The production value is just crazy, even for Ubisoft. The voice acting is spot on with emotion, sass, and the scared confessions of the interrogated enemy. The graphics are just over the top; the game itself looks shades of third party and is easily the best-looking video game I have ever seen. The character models, although amazingly textured and rendered, still are lacking. The humans look pasty, and many enemy faces are used over and over. Animation, however, is fantastic, especially when you are working Co-Op mode. My only issue with the production values is the uncanny ability for every enemy to speak English with an accent. I hate that for some reason, but that's just me.

What can I say other than to pick this game up? It's the best of the series, and the Co-Op and Versus modes are two reasons alone to get this game. Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory gets a Choice Award as one of the most satisfying gaming experiences to be had on the Xbox. Pick up your copy for some stealthy ass-kicking and meet some of the crew on Live for some Versus mode.

Apr 26, 2005 | 1 comments
Mike Carabajal