Gaming Target - Xbox: Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell

Written by Daniel Ekman on December 05, 2002

Hands-On Preview: Keep reading for impressions of one heck of a game.

Splinter Cell is, as most people most likely know, a very beautiful game. There should be enough transparency and lighting effects to keep everyone happy, and thankfully the framerate problems in past versions seem to have been ironed out. The animation is fluid and realistic, with the main character able to sneak, run, carry unconscious or dead people over one shoulder, etc. Lots of moves surely have a certain wow factor, like the ability to jump up in tight spaces and stand in split between walls. Another thing that caught our eyes was that one can jump up and hang from pipes while also aiming with a drawn gun at an approaching enemy.

The gameplay in the game is certainly looking promising, to make a wild understatement. If one feels like grabbing an enemy from behind and putting a gun to his head, no problem. After that one is free to either club him down or interrogate him, or, which we personally favour, use him as a human shield. While holding a person in a steady grip it's also fully possible to aim with one hand and walk around the premise. If one still takes a hit there's the possibility to pick up medical kits that are hanging on walls to get back to a more cheerful condition.

From the very beginning of a stage there are objectives, but these change as one progresses. When there's an update to the mission objectives a text is displayed on-screen and, at times, there's also a voice talking over the communication radio. As one advances past certain points the game's save feature kicks in by asking if one wants to save or not. This happens quite frequently, so there's really no need to worry about few and far between save points.

Noticeable changes from past versions that we've tried out, apart from an improved framerate, are that it's no longer possible to frisk dead persons and that the interface has undergone some subtle changes. For instance, the D-pad now acts as a switch on and off button for the main character's night and thermal vision goggles, both of which are very cool to use. One thing that we can't remember if it was included in past versions or not is the ability to open doors just a little and take a peek inside. Of course, the spy camera that one can stick under doors is still very much in the game, so there are now three ways of looking for traps or enemies before entering a room. The third way being the utilization of the thermal vision goggles.

So the game's gameplay and graphics are top notch, but the sound effects are actually equally pleasing. There are bottles and cans to pick up and throw to distract the enemy, and in both cases the sound they make is very true to life. Footsteps falling on different beddings, silenced guns firing and the faint yet audible sound of a lock pick are just a few of the things that will help to set the mood just right. Even more convincing are the radios pumping out Russian propaganda or, for all that we know, sex-related blabber or meaningless spluttering.

If there's one thing to whine about at this point it's a small hit detection issue. The game simply doesn't seem to register all the shots that are fired, alternatively the hits that the shots generate, for one or another reason. We're quite sure, however, that a team as competent as the developers of Splinter Cell won't have any problems correcting this before the actual release. There's also the odd limb jutting out on the other side of objects at times, but this is certainly not a big issue and doesn't diminish the richness of the experience at all.

We've touched upon quite a few things, but haven't mentioned a thing about the camera system. Well, for starters there is no fixed camera. In fact, the camera is totally free roaming and fully controlled by the player. The right analogue stick, much like in Super Mario Sunshine, is in complete charge of the action in this area. It works better than expected, with no to little problems even though there are plenty of tight and cramped places where it could easily get tricky. Albeit the system might seem awkward to some at first, after a bit of training one probably wouldn't have it any other way.