Sam Fisher... Solid Snake or John McClain?
Tom Clancy has a long running history of being one of the best writers when it comes to war and different sections of the Military. It would seem odd then, that one of the best game franchises ever, used the name Tom Clancy, yet was the only game to have a book written after the game, not the other way around. Splinter cell has had three great games, each one having its own unique feel and level design, it really has immersed you into the game of espionage and stealth. The latest offering from Sam fisher comes in the form of Splinter Cell: Double Agent, and it doesn't disappoint.
It’s been a while for Sam. After saving the world yet again, and swimming up several hundred feet from an underground facility, Sam started training the new generation of super spy. That’s when things started to go downhill. His daughter is suddenly killed in a car accident, and an assignment in Russia gone terribly wrong leaves everyone Sam loves dead. That’s when Lambert approaches Sam about a new mission, the most difficult and daring mission he's ever undertaken: go to jail, befriend a man connected to a terrorist organization, and break him and yourself out of jail.
The game plays just like the other splinter cell, sharing more closely to chaos theory than any other game in the series. The story is not very long; you could probably play through it in eight to ten hours, faster if you know what you're doing. Still, this game has plenty to offer. The game is based around the decisions you make. For instance, one of the early levels depends on you shooting a captured man. He's innocent of all crimes, yet the terrorist organization gives you a weapon and demands you pull the trigger. You have trust meters for both the JBA (the terrorist organization) and the splinter cell team. Depending on your decisions you will either gain or lose trust on either team. It's pretty easy to keep in good graces with both factions on normal, and still isn't incredibly difficult under hard.
The game's sound is great. The attention to detail for the sounds of the floor squeaking to the fireworks in Japan to the cloth that is blown in the wind is great. I would have enjoyed more voice acting from the captured foes, since in Chaos Theory nearly everyone you met had something to say, whether worthwhile or not. Still, the main voices are strong and really helps immerse you in the game.
The graphics are simply beautiful. Some of the levels look like they may have had a few parts of the textured borrowed from Chaos Theory, but the new attention to Sam's facial expressions down to the bead of sweat running down his face, this game really helps make Sam's adventure come to life.
The Multi-player in this game is fantastic. The game is pretty straightforward. You have two teams: The spies, which need to download a file and get back to base, and the soldiers, who need to stop said spies. The balance is worked out very well and it really just is a fun experience over Xbox live as well as system link if you can get enough 360's and copies to fill each. The only disappointment in the multi-player is the co-operative missions. Chaos Theory had three strong levels that really were a lot of fun if you had a friend that wanted to play along. There is a co-operative mission for Double Agent, but it is the same scenario as the basic multi-player, just both players are on the same faction. Still Multiplayer shines through as one of the best multiplayer games I've played on the 360.
Overall this game is a great experience if you played the games previously. The game flows great and is an enjoyable experience. If you have never played a splinter cell game before, and enjoy a good action game, this would be right up your alley.
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