This is it, bugless... Developer - Ubisoft Montreal Publisher - Ubisoft Release date - USA: October 24, 2006 / Europe: October 27, 2006 Genre - Stealth-based Rating - PEGI 18+ It's not easy to be a secret agent in an agency like the NSA (National Security Agency). Avoiding authentic wars, sacrificing your personal life for peace between all nations. And those sacrifices are, sometimes, simply too expensive for a mere mortal to pay them. Happily, Sam Fisher is no mere mortal, and he has given us proof of being up to the events, no matter what are those events. And, for such, he appeals to his vast experience as a field agent, but, as well, and mainly, to our astuteness with the Dualshock - so don't disappoint him. Only this way can we assure the thoughts we have of Sam Fisher are the same: cold, professional, implacable and confident about his own capacities. But even the coldest heart can beat less vigorously in their worst moments, especially when their worst moment is his daughter's death, ran over by a stranger. The first mission, in both Co-op mode or Solo mode, is set in Iceland Our new game starts in Iceland, Fisher's first assignment. Everything goes according his plans and the mission is almost over when Lambert calls in for immediate extraction. And in the helicopter, Fisher gets to know why did Lambert abort the mission: Sam's daughter was dead. As he hears this, he desperately throws away his goggles, making us believe that he would forfeit them. But no. As he had nothing more to lose, he rejected his personal life and threw himself into prison, with the objective of becoming Jamie Washington's friend, member of a dangerous terrorist group called JBA (short for John Brown's Army), acting in north-american soil. From now on, our assignment is to earn Jamie's confidence, which we can only achieve by helping him escaping prison. This way we're making sure he opens us the doors of the JBA. Still before that, our friendship and fidelity is put to test, when we're confronted a prisoner who attacks Jamie in the prison's courtyard, and we have to take care of him. After doing so, Lambert plans our escape, causing a riot in the prison. And this is our chance to get away, along with Jamie. "Damn, Lambert, there was no need for such thing!" After escaping with Jamie from prison, we are now an official member of the JBA. We, as well, now have to Bosses: on one hand, the NSA director, and on the other one, the JBA leader, Emile Dufraisne. And this is where the title gets some sense: we are now double agents, working for two agencies, two bosses, but only one objective: take the JBA down without them to suspect us. And this is going to be difficult, because every main, secondary and opportunity objective affect the Trust Meter. This meter is a small bar, with two extremes (the JBA and the NSA) and a neutral central part. And this central part is where our aim must be, because having the trust of one side makes the other side suspicious. Striking from behind is not a sign of cowardice, but intelligence Everything we do is part of a decision, some being more important than others, with more or less serious consequences. And in Splinter Cell: Double Agent, the most relevant characteristic is Fisher's decisions. This time, we don't just decide if we knock an enemy out or if we kill him, nor if we complete a task aided by shadows or if we enter the mission and start Rambo-ing everything. Now we decide if two thousand tourists in a cruise are worth our mission, or if an innocent should be killed or not, just because he has information that must not be spread. However, it becomes worse when we have to decide if Lambert's identity should or not be revealed: revealing it would kill him, but allow us to proceed with the mission, and covering his identity would affect the mission, but allow him to live. And here is when a true infiltrated agent's decisions come into play. A "living" part of these decisions are our mission. After escaping and becoming an infiltrated agent, we have to stop Emile Dufraisne. However, our missions always have different main, secondary and opportunity objectives, with different sources. The Third Echelon objectives are the ones which will earn us some trust from the NSA side, and the JBA objectives will do the exact opposite. Some objectives can be accomplished without affecting the other side's objective, however, some can't. Accomplishing some objectives can and will affect the some others, in which we are asked to do the opposite. For example, countlessly, we are asked by the JBA to leave no witnesses; however, the NSA wants "zero casualties". And having the trust meter on one side will affect our weaponry. Next time, get goggles that can look behind you When it comes to weapons, it's true we are at the JBA's service, and it's also true we still have the same equipment. Well, everything has a reason, and the reason of this is... Lambert. Because we are not alone. Lambert is also infiltrated, but in a much less risky position: weapons and equipment supplier. His role is weapons dealer, so everything (or almost everything) we had before will be available now too: the goggles, the SC Pistol, the SC-20 K (sub machine gun), the Sticky Cameras, Sticky Shockers, Airfoil Rounds, etc. And the amount of weapons we get for each mission is limited according to who are the main objectives for (Third Echelon or the JBA), and where the trust meter is. If we go for a train robbery (ergo, JBA's mission), but the meter is inclined to the NSA, then don't expect to get more than a clip for each weapon. The solo mode is, indeed, quite long. There are three different endings: one for JBA, one for NSA... and another for neutral. Even though finishing it once might be good for the "non-fan" ones, anyone who enjoys a stealth/action game has and will explore the three endings. Along with the solo mode is the co-operation mode. It ends up being an excelent complement to the game, making it possible for two fans to join the fun and undertake a dozen missions under the nSA's orders, and this way going through levels with each other's help. Besides, going thorugh those same levels alone is impossible, as jumping over a 2.5 meters tall wall is impossible without the aid of a partner. There are many moves for both to explore, like climbing a wall together, or getting through an enormous gap with the impulse of a friend, or, even more important, healing a partner when they are down. Kids, don't try this at home, or mum is sure to beat you up As for graphics, the game is, indeed, great. As good as they can get. There's a lot of detail put into the game; and when I say game, I say everything. Every (or most) enemy has its own face, so you won't run into repetition a lot of times. However, when proceeding through the shadows, there's not really much to care about faces. Anyway, the dark could be darker, as we can see our face and body, even though the stealth meter tells us we're completely hidden and the enemy can't see us. The sound quality was Ubisoft's top objective. And, for God's sake, they got it right. Everything is heard with quite a lot of precision: foot steps, shots, some bottles breaking or a can bouncing on the ground. Plus, hearing is a very important part of the game: you will casually find two guards talking louder than they should be talking about their boss. However, make sure your sound system is reasonable, otherwise it won't work as well as it should. A few bugs can be seen in gameplay. One here or there, which makes us lose in a frustrating way. Anyway, the concept of the gameplay is still the same. Nothing really has improved or been modified, except the L2 button, which now also lets us give our partners the order of following us or stopping somewhere and find somewhere to hide. This function only works with partners controlled by AI, as giving orders to someone who definitely wouldn't follow them would be dumb. And getting used to the gameplay system will take a while. While you don't get it completely, you will constantly lose, and nothing ruins gameplay more than that. Taking that in consideration, get some "Chaos Theory" practice. "THE DOOR, THE DOOR, THE DOOR IS ON FIRE!" Presentation: 9/10 - Presented with ease, for newcomers there are videos and tutorials as you progress and the main menu is very familiar. However, as the previous title, the map is less, but no matter what confusing. Graphics: 9/10 - What you could expect and ask for. However, the dark could be darker. Sound: 9/10 - A good sound system and the sound is fantastically good. Gameplay: 9/10 - A bug here and another there. Gameplay is still the same (which is good), and the storyline improved a lot. However, a bit of "Chaos Theory" recommended if you're not into the style. Lasting Appeal: 10/10 - Three different endings, co-operation mode and online mode will get you stuck to your Dualshock. A deserved 10. TOTAL SCORE - 46/50: A must for stealth game lovers and for the franchise followers.
Re: [PS2] - Splinter Cell: Double agent - jin kazama Nice review. I love the Splinter Cell games but I have not played this latest one. Glad to see its great.
Re: [PS2] - Splinter Cell: Double agent - jin kazama Nice one jin. I remember while playing this game, I usually helped the JBA more than the NSA. Oh and A.D Williams is a real jack-ass
Re: [PS2] - Splinter Cell: Double agent - jin kazama Total jack ass. And I did the opposite, I helped the NSA more in the first run-through, and I ended up with the JBA wanting to kill me.
Re: [PS2] - Splinter Cell: Double agent - jin kazama A simply stunning review jin! haven't played splinter cell in a awhile, gonna play this one now
Re: [PS2] - Splinter Cell: Double agent - jin kazama Good review, I personally liked Pandora Tomorrow better. And Sam went skinner in this one.
Re: [PS2] - Splinter Cell: Double agent - jin kazama You should, it's outstanding. I prefer this one for the storyline, although I think the other was more advanced for the time it was released than this one. The game engine seems to be better, I don't know how to explain it, just feels better playing Pandora Tomorrow.
Re: [PS2] - Splinter Cell: Double agent - jin kazama Yeah, the storyline in Pandora Tomorrow is quite simple, but I just love shooting out lights and knocking people out from behind.
Re: [PS2] - Splinter Cell: Double agent - jin kazama Also, as splinter cell progresses, they add cooler moves you can perform.By the way jin, did you play the double agent multiplayer co-op? You have to try it with a friend.
Re: [PS2] - Splinter Cell: Double agent - jin kazama I did, I love it, those moves, like when you climb a wall together, or jumping through a gap... In the other ones, co-op was just like one going through and the other providing firing backup, but this time you really need two to progress.
