Shipoftheline
01-08-2006, 07:03 AM
While we're officially a few months into the "next generation" of gaming, there's no reason for us to just forget about all of the current-gen games in the pipeline for the coming months. Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Double Agent is a perfect example of a game that has something unique to offer owners of both current- and next-gen consoles. Each version has been crafted to take full advantage of the system that it's running on, and we were happy to see that the Xbox and PS2 iterations of the game look and play as solidly as anything else on the platform. Although they may not support the graphical bells and whistles of the Xbox 360 title, it still looks like these will end up being the best of the current-gen Splinter Cell titles.
If you've been following the game, you probably know that a lot of questions popped up when it was first announced. Had Sam turned on his Third Echelon employers? Was he really going to become a bad guy? Of course, we've since come to learn that Sam hasn't joined the dark side, he simply took a little vacation there. It seems that a terrorist organization has been causing trouble around the world, and the higher-ups at Sam's secretive special ops group have decided to send him in to infiltrate it. From what we've seen, the game is told largely in flashback form, as Sam explains his actions to a superior over the phone. We don't know how it'll all play out, but it sounds like the game will feature a greater emphasis on story than the previous titles.
http://xboxmedia.gamespy.com/xbox/image/article/722/722175/tom-clancys-splinter-cell-double-agent-20060731053851839.jpg
For the most part, the gameplay in Double Agent is the same sort of stuff you've come to expect from the series. You'll skulk through many of the game's levels, taking out enemies or simply sneaking around them as you progress from one objective to the next. There have been some alterations, however, and they all appear to fundamentally change the game we all know and love. Thankfully, it's a positive change, as you'll now be able to pull off co-op moves with A.I.-controlled teammates and find more opportunities to use those nifty acrobatic moves that Sam didn't get to utilize nearly enough in previous games. There were also a few neat little environmental twists, such as the level in which exploding bombs will knock out some of the lights for a few moments, allowing Sam to sneak around undetected.
One big change is the new Truth Meter, which will show players which side Sam is most closely aligned with, Third Echelon or the terrorist group. Many of the missions you'll take on will force you to make a moral decision, such as whether or not to kill a fellow agent. Killing him will drive the meter's needle toward the terrorist side, while letting him go will keep you in Third Echelon's good graces. Naturally, there are positive and negative ramifications to every decision, and you may not be able to do certain things later in the game depending on your choice. If you go too far toward one side or the other, you'll need to take part in a timed mini-game in order to get back with the side you scorned. Since this is such a big part of the game, you'll be treated to a different ending depending on your final alignment.
Of course, what would a Splinter Cell game be without nifty gadgets and cutting-edge weaponry? You'll once again have your trusty Sticky Shockers, Air Foils, and Shotgun attachment for your modular rifle, as well as the various goggle modes, including Thermal and Night vision. The electrical doohickey attached to Sam's pistol also returns, allowing him to sneak undetected past surveillance cameras and disable trip wires. One of the coolest new features is the hacking system, which takes the form of a mini-game that forces you to align sine waves of varying heights and wavelengths. Basically, if you're a fan of the previous games, you'll be happy with the fact that, thanks to some major additions, the game feels both old and new at the same time
http://xboxmedia.gamespy.com/xbox/image/article/722/722175/tom-clancys-splinter-cell-double-agent-20060731054109043.jpg
From what we've seen of the Xbox and PS2 versions of Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Double Agent, the game is aiming to be one of the last "must-buy" games of the current generation. It still remains to be seen if it'll succeed, but we're impressed by what we've seen so far. Best of all, both versions of the game look great (at least when compared to the other titles on each system), with the Xbox version somehow managing to look even better than the stunning Chaos Theory. Although the next generation of gaming is already here, games like this might give you a reason to keep living life in the present.
As you can see the XBOX is still trying to keep up with the 360 and not doing to bad either :)
More screenshots here (http://uk.media.xbox.gamespy.com/media/736/736170/imgs_1.html)
If you've been following the game, you probably know that a lot of questions popped up when it was first announced. Had Sam turned on his Third Echelon employers? Was he really going to become a bad guy? Of course, we've since come to learn that Sam hasn't joined the dark side, he simply took a little vacation there. It seems that a terrorist organization has been causing trouble around the world, and the higher-ups at Sam's secretive special ops group have decided to send him in to infiltrate it. From what we've seen, the game is told largely in flashback form, as Sam explains his actions to a superior over the phone. We don't know how it'll all play out, but it sounds like the game will feature a greater emphasis on story than the previous titles.
http://xboxmedia.gamespy.com/xbox/image/article/722/722175/tom-clancys-splinter-cell-double-agent-20060731053851839.jpg
For the most part, the gameplay in Double Agent is the same sort of stuff you've come to expect from the series. You'll skulk through many of the game's levels, taking out enemies or simply sneaking around them as you progress from one objective to the next. There have been some alterations, however, and they all appear to fundamentally change the game we all know and love. Thankfully, it's a positive change, as you'll now be able to pull off co-op moves with A.I.-controlled teammates and find more opportunities to use those nifty acrobatic moves that Sam didn't get to utilize nearly enough in previous games. There were also a few neat little environmental twists, such as the level in which exploding bombs will knock out some of the lights for a few moments, allowing Sam to sneak around undetected.
One big change is the new Truth Meter, which will show players which side Sam is most closely aligned with, Third Echelon or the terrorist group. Many of the missions you'll take on will force you to make a moral decision, such as whether or not to kill a fellow agent. Killing him will drive the meter's needle toward the terrorist side, while letting him go will keep you in Third Echelon's good graces. Naturally, there are positive and negative ramifications to every decision, and you may not be able to do certain things later in the game depending on your choice. If you go too far toward one side or the other, you'll need to take part in a timed mini-game in order to get back with the side you scorned. Since this is such a big part of the game, you'll be treated to a different ending depending on your final alignment.
Of course, what would a Splinter Cell game be without nifty gadgets and cutting-edge weaponry? You'll once again have your trusty Sticky Shockers, Air Foils, and Shotgun attachment for your modular rifle, as well as the various goggle modes, including Thermal and Night vision. The electrical doohickey attached to Sam's pistol also returns, allowing him to sneak undetected past surveillance cameras and disable trip wires. One of the coolest new features is the hacking system, which takes the form of a mini-game that forces you to align sine waves of varying heights and wavelengths. Basically, if you're a fan of the previous games, you'll be happy with the fact that, thanks to some major additions, the game feels both old and new at the same time
http://xboxmedia.gamespy.com/xbox/image/article/722/722175/tom-clancys-splinter-cell-double-agent-20060731054109043.jpg
From what we've seen of the Xbox and PS2 versions of Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Double Agent, the game is aiming to be one of the last "must-buy" games of the current generation. It still remains to be seen if it'll succeed, but we're impressed by what we've seen so far. Best of all, both versions of the game look great (at least when compared to the other titles on each system), with the Xbox version somehow managing to look even better than the stunning Chaos Theory. Although the next generation of gaming is already here, games like this might give you a reason to keep living life in the present.
As you can see the XBOX is still trying to keep up with the 360 and not doing to bad either :)
More screenshots here (http://uk.media.xbox.gamespy.com/media/736/736170/imgs_1.html)