ic-games Review - Splinter Cell:Pandora Tomorrow - Reviews, Previews and Interviews for PC, Xbox 360, PS2, PS3 and Wii

ic-games Review - Splinter Cell:Pandora Tomorrow - Reviews, Previews and Interviews for PC, Xbox 360, PS2, PS3 and Wii ic-games Review - Home - Review, Preview and Interview for PC, Xbox,Xbox 360, PS2, PS3 and Wii

Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow

Splinter Cell:Pandora Tomorrow

Information
Reviewer: James Collins
Developer: Ubisoft
Publisher: Ubisoft
Reviewed: Xbox
Genre: Stealth based
UK Release: 26th Mar 2004
Article Date: 08th Apr 2004
Difficulty: Medium
Retail Price:
Price Comparison:
0

Score Breakdown

Experience:
Game Play:
Graphics:
Sound:
Overall Score: 97%

Discuss this review in the Forums

Pros

Live it, breath it, feel it

Gameplay

Graphics

Sound

Experience

Cons

Nothing to note

Screenshots

19 of 52

Breathtaking graphics, intuitive enemy AI, unparalleled level design and voice acting so damn good you’d think it was a Hollywood production and hell, while we are here lets have some addictive multiplayer bolted on for good measure. Aren’t all these things on the wish list of every single development team out there? Well apparently Ubisoft must have been throwing pennies down wells, and tugging on all the wishbones they could get there hands on, as Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow is every one of those things – and much more.

Surprisingly enough, Splinter Cell certainly isn’t miles away from Sam Fisher's first encounter we all knew and loved last year, suffice to say the graphics have been improved somewhat and a few more moves are now available for Sam to creep his way past undetected, it hasn’t been altered drastically, but it has all been improved. Thankfully the collaboration with Tom Clancy has of course also remained and so you can guarantee that the plot will be ripped straight out of today’s headlines. It’s very rare that one of the world’s greatest writers would put his name to a computer game, it’s only happened on a few occasions, but this time it’s a match made in gaming heaven. That’s another wish bone cracked there then.

Just in case any of you were unfortunate enough to know little about the masterpiece that was the original “Splinter Cell” you play Sam Fisher, member of the Third Echelon - a secretive department of the National Security Agency (NSA). While you have access to some smart firepower, your biggest defence is stealth. Completing your mission goals without anyone even knowing you were present. To help you achieve this apparently impossible situation Sam has been trained heavily in the art of “not being seen” And we are not talking about Monty Python sketches here. Sam really has this art down to a tee.

As mentioned, during the few years gap since the first encounter, Sam has learnt a few more tricks. The wall jump is perhaps one that will be enjoyed the most. This manoeuvre involves jumping between two walls and shimmering all the way up before peaking over. During the wall jump you still have access to all your gadgets including your weapons so it is quite literally possible for an enemy terrorist to walk underneath you without even knowing you're there. You can now also whistle (similar in effect to Rockstar’s terrifying “Manhunt”) in that you can gain the attention of anyone nearby and teach them a quick way to dispatch someone, a lesson they certainly won’t be sharing with anyone else. You have also learnt the “SWAT manoeuvre” which allows you to quickly pass open areas without being detected, especially useful for your other silent antics that you’ll no doubt be pulling off as you progress further into the game. If it all sounds a little complicated, don’t worry, the whole system is as intuitive as it gets and the first five minutes of the game takes you by the hand and walks you through it all anyway. Its not so much babysitting as thankfully while you are training you are also navigating your way to your first mission goal. In fact this has all been done so cleverly that you’ll probably not even know you're training. Out of all the new moves though, hanging upside down while your legs are secured on an overhead beam has to be the most impressive of them all, and your first takedown whilst in that position will be one you’ll never forget.

Audiophiles are also in for a treat, featuring full support for those expensive speakers out there, nothing sounds better than Splinter Cell period. With the correct speaker setup (we tested using Logitech’s highest brand the Z680’s) you’ll be quite literally blown away with the panning effects. Your speakers will be working overtime to match the suspense that is being portrayed on screen. Enemy footsteps from behind only captivate you even further into the plot, you may also find yourself turning around to see if someone really is approaching from behind. It may all seem overboard, but from what we experienced with our time with Splinter Cell, now is the best time to raid that piggy bank and buy those speakers you’ve always promised yourself. It’ll all be worth it when you totally freak out when you alert your first guard to your presence, or even stand on those blasted mines that can only be detected with infra-red. Voice acting is also assured as Dennis Haysbert plays Irving Lambert, widely recognized from his role as President David Palmer in the hit Fox television series, "24". Michael Ironside also makes a return as Sam Fisher.

Control is as natural as it comes, harnessing the beautiful Xbox controller; you’re never far away from your gadgets. The D-Pad control is put to excellent use as the left and right functions turn on and off your infrared and night vision goggles, while the up and down D-Pad will select your weapons and lock pick et al. Movement as you would expect is via the left analogue stick and depending on how much pressure you assert will control the speed at which Sam moves. Whistle using the black button and pause the game while you reach for the weapon of choice using the white button, left shoulder button adds a pretty nifty laser sight while the right button fires. It’s all simple to pick up and learn.

And lastly it’s that magical multiplayer addition. Perhaps one of the only excuses you’ll ever need to sign up to Xbox Live! (As If Project Gotham Racing 2 wasn’t enough). To be fair, when announced by Ubisoft that they were going to incorporate Xbox live we were sceptical on how they would pull it off. Well rest assured that any doubts you may have had can be laid to rest right now– the multiplayer mode is every bit as captivating as the single player episode, probably even more so. Two sides fight it out online, but the difference is their style of play. One side plays like “Sam Fisher” while the other side play the terrorists. Obviously the terrorists rely more on force to achieve the particular objective (Sabotage, Neutralization, Extraction) whilst Sam’s team relies more on his stealth. So there’s your two completely different playing styles matched up, now its time for the action.

Sneaking around as a spy will probably come to you first hand as its what you have been doing during the majority of the time in the offline portion of the game (unless you have jumped right in) and while the spies are only able to kill up close the gadgets and other abilities at your disposal means the lack of a proper weapon will not matter a great deal. The mercenaries as you would expect to counter this are armed to the teeth with all manors of interesting ways to dispatch any would be approaching spy. Mercs are suited to hunt and destroy more than anything else but they do have a few special gadgets up their sleeves to detect any spies making a little too much noise for their own good. The fun in the end comes from mastering the unique traits of each side. The ultimate goal would be to make your spies lethal without being seen and your mercs just downright dangerous

The maps in multiplayer suit the two sides equally well and seem to be designed from the outset to match the game style you'll be playing. There will be obvious areas that suit the spy better such as sneaking around suspended ceilings and through air ducts. While your Mercs will probably be found around mission goals or areas of importance. This is the main disadvantage for the spies; the enemies will always know where you're eventually going even if they don't know where you are – but obviously that works both ways.

Splinter Cell is what the word “fluid” was invented for. Every action and every manoeuvre (including jumping) feels exactly how it should. Walk up to a ladder and you’ll climb it. Approach a box and carry on going forward and you’ll step on the box – while maintaining full control at all times. It’s such a simple approach, but it works so flawlessly. Countless times in games less deserving or important as this one you’ll be searching for the correct button to climb down a pole, or navigate a ladder. Well throw out all bad habits you may have learnt. Splinter Cell plays like an absolute dream, except this isn’t a dream – its gaming nirvana.

Discuss the Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow review in the Forums

IC-Games RSS Feed

IC-Games Reviews and Previews (c) 2002-2007

Designed by James Collins

To have your product featured contact The Editor
Found some news? contact The News Desk
PR Dept - Andrew St.Denis
Additional Coding by James Collins and Phil Douglas
Get credited, submit breaking news at The News Desk
Want to hire one of our journalists? Enquire here
Want to see your advert on site? Enquire here

Ic-games.co.uk banner Ciao.co.uk

Find the best console offers for the video game lover like Xbox 360, Playstation 3, Nintendo DS, Nintendo Wii and all types of PC games.

Xbox 360 Games

Internet bingo is played by large and a vast amount of gamers, so you’re sure to make a network and friends. Whatever age or gender.