I am truly a lucky man. First I had the joy of reviewing Resident Evil 4, and now I get to tell you how awesome Splinter Cell Chaos Theory is.
For those looking for the fair and balanced portion of the review, let me get it out of the way as soon as possible so we can both gush on together.
Quick Save: That’s my one and only major gripe about Chaos Theory. Quick Save allows you to save any time, any place during your gameplay. While that seems to be something most gamers love and actually ask for in today’s video games, I’m not a big fan of it (especially in a game where suspense and tension play a big role in sucking you into the experience).
The Quick Save feature when abused will make Splinter Cell Chaos Theory much more about trial and error (as you’ll literally save before every key moment in the game and reload if you don’t get it just right), then it will about actual stealth and skill.
And now we begin with the gushing. A Single Player Campaign that is extremely addictive? Check. The popular Versus Multiplayer Mode found in Pandora Tomorrow? Check. A new Multiplayer Co-op Mode that will extend the life of this game into the six month range? Check and Mate.
The story of Chaos Theory is long, filled with intrigue/betrayal, and is an all out blast to play through (especially if you’re a fan of the Splinter Cell franchise).
The single player campaign will have you trying to avert World War III (anything less wouldn’t be worth Sam Fisher’s time), and your work will be made easier by one phenomenally powerful weapon not found in any previous Splinter Cell game: a trusty knife. You know that old adage “don’t bring a knife to a gun fight”? Sam Fisher would beg to differ (right before he stabbed you in the neck that is).
The knife just brings a whole new dynamic to the Splinter Cell world, and allows you to do some incredibly cool things. Any thug could stab and slash his way past enemies, but it takes a skilled assassin like Sam Fisher to look at a wall, then look at his knife, and use that knife to cut himself a path around an unsuspecting guard.
Psst…let me tell you how it ends: Swipe, grrrgle, thud.
The great thing about Splinter Cell Chaos Theory is that it’s just getting warmed up once you finish playing all by your lonesome. The Multiplayer aspect of it will easily quadruple your time with the game. You’ll be able to go head-to-head with other spies in the Versus Multiplayer Mode found in Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow, or you can play through a Co-op Multiplayer Campaign that is every bit as good as what you’d find in the solo campaign.
The Co-op Campaign is like a self contained new game within Chaos Theory. It comes packaged with new moves that force you to literally work as a team. It changes the gameplay considerably thanks to some of the obvious things you can do with having two spies work as one. Imagine standing right in front of an enemy which can’t see you; then having your partner whistle at him from behind, which in turn causes that evil doer to turn around and expose his back to any of your deadly silent attacks. There’s a lot of fun to be had with your friends in Splinter Cell 3.
The gameplay package is really tight, and thankfully the sound and graphics are right there with it. What you’re seeing on the Xbox in Chaos Theory is close or comparable to what you were seeing on the Gamecube in Resident Evil 4 (which makes this game one of the graphical marvels on this generation of hardware).
The sound is as impressive as every other facet of this game. Canadian Micheal Ironside returns as the scruffy voice of Sam Fisher (headlining an impressive cast), and Ubisoft even brought in acclaimed DJ Amon Tobin to score the music.
Things always change in the video-game industry, but until noted otherwise this is your definitive Xbox game (Halo 2 was good, but this is better). Developer Ubisoft Montreal threw everything conceivable into Splinter Cell Chaos Theory, and gamers all across the world are going to reap the benefits starting tomorrow. A definite must-buy.
