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Splinter Cell: Pandora Tommorow
by Kyle Johnson
Thursday, April 15 2004
The sequel to Ubisoft's action/thriller is a gem worth playing.
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Title:
Splinter Cell: Pandora Tommorow
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Platform:
Xbox
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Publisher:
Ubisoft |
Developer:
Red Storm Entertainment |
#
of Players: 1 - 2, Xbox Live |
Genre:
Action
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Origin:
United States
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Expected
Release:
March 2003 |
Grapevine:
Like the beginning for every game, the controls take sometime to get used to, but once you do, then they’re very simple. |
There is no doubt that Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell is a game that many developers will be trying to top for years to come. Not only did it test the gamers’ ability to be stealthy, it also raised the bar for how games are supposed to look. And while many developers have tried to make “Splinter Cell” type games, graphically, none have yet to reach the bar that Ubisoft set. Now, the men and women at Ubisoft are at it again, and this time, they’re making sure no developer can reach the bar.
In response to the growing use of sophisticated digital encryption to conceal potential threats to the national security of the United States, the NSA (National Security Agency) has ushered forth a new dawn of intelligence-gathering techniques. This top-secret initiative, dubbed Third Echelon, marks a return to classical methods of espionage, enhanced with leading-edge surveillance and combat technology for the aggressive collection of stored data in hostile territories. When intelligence deemed critical to national security cannot be obtained by traditional means, Third Echelon is granted clearance to conduct physical operations. Denied to exist by the U.S. government, Third Echelon deploys units known as Splinter Cells: elite intelligence-gathering forces consisting of a lone field operative supported by a remote team. Like a sliver of glass, a Splinter Cell is small, sharp, and nearly invisible.
2006: The U.S. installs a temporary military base on East Timor to train the developing defense force of the "world's youngest democracy." Resistance to the U.S. military presence in Southeast Asia is widespread and passionate, but the threat Indonesian militias pose to Timorese democracy is deemed sufficient justification. At the same time, the U.S. doesn't mind having an excuse to install active military personnel within easy reach of both North Korea and the largest Muslim population in Asia.
Anti-U.S. resentment comes to a head under the leadership of guerilla militia leader Suhadi Sadono, acting with the unofficial support of major corrupt factions of the Indonesian government. Suhadi's men attack and occupy the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta, taking dozens of civilian and military personnel hostage.
You are Sam Fisher. You're sent in, not to rescue the hostages, but to destroy top-secret documentation held in the embassy before Suhadi's men access it.
Gameplay:
There are two ways to play Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow. The first, you can play through the single player missions, in which there are nine (9) of them. The second, you can play on Xbox Live with up for three other people (four player max per game session). Either way you go, you’re in for the time of your life. For those who are going to take the time to go through the single player before trying to conquer on Xbox Live, you’ll have a slight AI advantage, since you won’t be going head to head against an actual human opponent, although, at times it seems as if you are. The AI from the original Splinter Cell was taken, and made a lot smarter, and slapped into SCPT. Although some people want to believe it was actually taken down a couple notches, I don’t think that is the case.
The Xbox version of Pandora Tommorow allows Xbox Live players to either play coop or hunt other Sam Fishers...
There weren’t many additions to the single player campaign, which is a good thing. It shows that it was done right, for the most part, in the original SC. Now, by saying there weren’t many additions, doesn’t mean there weren’t any. Because saying that there were no additions to the single player campaign would be doing an injustice to the creative minds at Ubisoft. What was added? Well, nothing spectacular, but the few new moves and gadgets that were added do come in handy at some point in the game. So nothing “useless” was added, thankfully.
For those who have played the original Splinter Cell, which should be all of you (if you haven’t, you’re missing out on truly one of the greatest games to hit a console this generation), you’ll notice that the heads-up-display (HUD) has been revamped, and for the better I might add. Now, accessing all of the spy gadgets is easier than before. The HUD isn’t the only aspect of the gameplay that was revamped for the better, since the controls went through an overhaul as well. Now, instead of having to make that long reach to the isolated white button to put Sam’s back against a wall, all you have to do is click down on the left thumbstick. Also, using certain items (like the lock pick) are context sensitive, meaning that various options in a particular situation will be provided. This saves the hassle of accessing your inventory, selecting the lock pick, pulling the right trigger while in front of a door and then actually picking the lock. This time around simply approach the door and available options are displayed (open door, optic cable, pick lock, etc.). Select one, hit the A button and that’s it. Why didn’t they think of all this before in the original SC?
As I mentioned before, the controls went through an overhaul. What exactly changed? Well, take a quick (okay, so take all the time you need) look at the controls for SCPT:
Left thumbstick – move/back to wall (click)
Right thumbstick – move camera/access binoculars (click)
Left trigger – secondary fire
Right trigger – primary fire/knock
D-pad up/down – select item
D-pad left – night vision
D-pad right – thermal vision
A button – interact/reload
B button – crouch/roll
X button – draw weapon
Y button – jump
White button – inventory
Black button – whistle
Back button – access OPSAT
Start button – menu
Like the beginning for every game, the controls take sometime to get used to, but once you do, then they’re very simple. It’s easy to take for granted quick inventory selections via the D-pad or the new ability for Sam to whistle.
The original Splinter Cell for the Xbox didn’t allow too many alarm setoffs, but in Pandora Tomorrow, the majority of the missions do allow you to set off up to three alarms, before Lambert calls off the mission and you go home. And while you’ll more than likely enjoy those missions due to the fact that you can screw up a couple times, there are a few missions that are real strict on you and don’t allow any alarms to be set off. So watch yourself very carefully. Stealth is still Sam’s best attribute, and the addition of the SWAT turn and half split jump certainly help in keeping violence to a minimum. The bulk of Fisher’s inventory is back with additions like chaff and flashbang grenades, but it’s the oldies but goodies (SC-20K, lock pick, etc.) that will see the brunt of the action.
Players will be expected to use all forms of cover in the single player mode to survive...
One of Splinter Cell’s best attributes is the ability to complete a mission in a number of ways. You’re not restricted to completing it on a certain way, and that attribute carries over into Pandora Tomorrow. You could take out an unsuspecting guard with a bullet to the head, or simply shoot out the light and sneak past him. You can wait in the darkness until an enemy opens a security door, or you could use a sticky camera to read the code inside the room. This means that while the game is primarily linear, no one gamer is going to complete it in the same manner.
The single-player game will take Sam to a multitude of different locales, including Indonesia, France, and even the United States. With eight missions, SCPT is one short of the nine found in the original, but that also included a training mission. Pandora Tomorrow clocks in around 15-20 hours on normal difficulty in the single-player game and this can be stretched out when playing on the hard difficulty level. Overall, SCPT feels longer than the original, but it could be due to the intensity of the plot and complexity of the last few levels.
Multiplayer:
The basis for Splinter Cell Pandora Tomorrow’s multiplayer game modes revolve around the battle between two teams, mercenaries and spies. The objective of the spy team is to find and neutralize ND133 containers (which protect chemical weapons of mass destruction), all while not getting shot down by the mercenary team. Obviously the mercs must stop the spies by all means necessary. Each team’s vantage points are different with the spy team using the standard Splinter Cell third-person perspective, and the mercenaries using a FPS view.
Most multiplayer games focus more on brute force than using your brain. Now, that’s not to see the people who enjoy games like RainbowSix 3 and Counter-Strike are idiots, they would just have a harder time getting into SCPT online. This brings online multiplayer to another level that is as intense as any FPS could ever be. Also, being that the merc perspective is strictly from a FPS view, those gamers that are more akin to those types of games will probably find a lot to like. Yet those that are looking for something that breaks the typical online mold will definitely want to spend some time on the spy team.
The major downfall for SCPT’s online capabilities lies in the fact that there can only be four people per game session. Although for most maps that’s fine, sometimes it’d be easier if you had the additional team support. The 3 different game modes (neutralization, sabotage, extraction) each provide enough variation to keep gamers busy for a long time coming. No doubt that SCPT is going to force gamers to invest time to be successful; patience is definitely a virtue here.
Graphics:
Splinter Cell was, and still is, one of the few games on the Xbox that just takes your breath away when you take a look at it in motion. Not to many developers take the time to make their games impressive graphically like Ubisoft did in the original Splinter Cell, and like they did in Pandora Tomorrow. Ubisoft set the graphics standard, and they set it very high when they released Splinter Cell back in 2002, and they haven’t looked back to see if they made a mistake by doing so. When they announced Pandora Tomorrow, they knew that the standard that they had set would soon be raised, and that it has. Beams of light shimmering through a grated platform, a swaying lamp in a Jerusalem alley, neon signs on top of a television station; volumetric lighting abounds in Pandora Tomorrow.
The environments in Pandora Tomorrow are unlike those seen in any other game out, including the original Splinter Cell. After every corner you go around, you can tell that each hallway or walkway looks nothing like what you were just witnessing. After you travel to a different city for a mission, you can tell that Ubisoft made every city look completely different, so you don’t feel like they’re redoing everything over and over again just to get it done with. The level design and detail of the multiplayer maps are equally impressive each balanced in lighting/darkness as to not give either team an upper hand.
The animations are top notch, and the team behind it should be rewarded with a fancy steak dinner at the most expensive restaurant in the world for their wonderful work. They nailed all of Sam’s moves, as well as the moves pulled off by the enemy guards. And yes, the same holds true for the multiplayer action as well. The cut-scenes are at the quality level that we have grown accustom to in the Tom Clancy games, even if the lip synch is off a little bit. It’s still some of the best we’ll see in a game for a long, long time.
For the multiplayer, the biggest graphic buster that you’ll notice as a spy is that you’ll be able to easily tell what vision the merc is using, depending on the color of his visor. That is, if you get the chance to see his visor.
Audio:
Michael Ironside is back as the voice of Sam Fisher and Dennis Haysbert is back as the voice of Colonel Irving Lambert, and I for one wouldn’t have it any other way. If Ubisoft didn’t go back with the two men, then they would be doing a big wrong to the Splinter Cell name. But, since they stayed with the two men, they did a very good right. The rest of the voice overs do a very good job, except for the repeated sayings by some of the enemy guards.
If you have the capabilities, playing Pandora Tomorrow with Dolby Digital 5.1 is a must. Pandora Tomorrow takes full advantage of the Xbox’s 5.1 capabilities. This can be something as simple as jungle plants being trampled by Sam, birds flying off in the distance, or pedestrians chatting down the hall. This doesn’t just apply to the single-player game as the audio becomes an integral part of multiplayer games. Players can be easily detected when running too fast or making sharp movements.
Conclusion:
To be perfectly honest, you don’t have to of played and completed the original Splinter Cell to be able to enjoy Pandora Tomorrow. Hell, I never got half way through the original, and I love Pandora Tomorrow. It’s just an added bonus to have completed the original. Ubisoft has a potential GOTY 2004 title right here…unless Halo 2 can match its own hype.
--- Kyle Johnson
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