Splinter Cell Double Agent

[papasmurff]

Ok so I know we are about a month away from release on this one, but Splinter Cell is held to be a fairly good series by most people.  What are your thoughts/impressions on this one?

[Knightshade Dragon]

Day 1 instapurchase for me.  I look forward to this series every year, and this one looks even better than previous titles.

[Kevin Grey]

Ok so I know we are about a month away from release on this one, but Splinter Cell is held to be a fairly good series by most people.  What are your thoughts/impressions on this one?

Cautiously optimistic.  I loved Chaos Theory and I like a lot of the ideas in this one, but I have much less confidence in Ubi Shaghai than I do in Ubi Montreal (who did the first and third games). 

[disarm]

i'll probably buy after seeing a few impressions.  i loved the first three games and have faith in Ubisoft to pull off another game addition to the SC world, but i've put myself on a little bit of a gaming budget right now.  i'll be buying very few games on hype alone while i'm saving up for a new HDTV...

[EngineNo9]

I'll probably wait for a price reduction.  I really enjoyed Chaos Theory but I'm waiting to see the response to the changes in store for this one.  Besides, there are a ton of other games coming out I won't mind waiting a while. 

[TheMissingLink]

To me, the Splinter Cell series just doesn't work.  It doesn't click with me.  I'm not sure whether it's because it's TOO stealthy for my taste, because I don't particularily care how the game controls (LIKE SHIT) or because Sam Fisher is an INCREDIBLY boring character; but Splinter Cell has ALWAYS let me down when I've played it.

So even though I'll be tempted with the pretty graphics and GRITTY style, I'll give a demo of it a whirl and decide from there.  But most likely, I'll pass.

[Jumangi]

I'll get it right away, but as a rental. I like the series allot but just for the single player.

[Nth Power]

If impressions/reviews are glowing I'll probably pick it up right away, anything less and I'll hold off for later.

[Tebunker]

I like to the series to a degree, however, I'll wait for the price to come down AND to see what they do with the Wii version. I was hoping for online with the Wii, but that doesn't seem to be the case.

[CeeKay]

I really haven't played any of them.  I had the first one and played up to the middle of the CIA level before I quit and never got back to it.  Definitely not a day 1 purchase with so much coming out around then (Gears of War, RB6: Vegas, Crackdown, Marvel Ultimate Alliance, Call of Duty 3, Superman Returns, possbily Blitz the League, Final Fantasy XII, Bully, Justice League Heroes and Just Cause).

[Jarrodhk]

I like the thought of stealthy games, I really like stealthy characters in books pnp RPG's etc.  When it comes to games anymore, I tend to follow the 'if no one is alive, no one can spot me' approach.

[Turtle]

I'll buy it for my 360, but not for the PC.

I'll be buying it mainly for the multiplayer, for which it looks like they've adjusted a lot and then added more.

It looks as though they have some pure action modes as well as the classic Spies vs. Mercs gameplay.  It also looks like they made the fighting less arbitrary in this version, where you can counter spy melee attacks if they try the kind of stupid gamey things that plagued the original multiplayer game.

I think they also have a split screen co-op mode in this one too, so I can play with a friend over.

[Jancelot]

Day 1.  This series is one my favorites along with the Rainbow 6 games.  I think Sam as a character is great and the storylines are always well done.  Chaos Theory really upped the ante not only for the series, but for this genre in general.  These games get everything right that always made me stop playing after 10 minutes with MGS.  And to top it off, they have always been the best looking ones on the original X-Box so I can't wait to see them in full HD glory on my 360.

[Calvin]

I liked the first, disliked the second, and loved Chaos Theory. It struck a MUCH better balance between stealth and action, and if DA is like CT, I will probably buy it quickly.

[warning]

I'm getting ready to start Pandora Tomorrow in a couple of days.  Anything I should know?  Is it the black sheep of the series?

[Jancelot]

Absolutely not.  Each game in the series has been better than the previous one, IMHO.  But after playing Chaos Theory I think it would be harder to go back to the ealier ones since it really gives you more options on approaching the missions.

[Kevin Grey]

Pandora Tomorrow is definitely pretty good.  The main issue was that Ubi made a lot of noise about promising multiple ways through the levels and demonstrated a really cool level taking place on a train as an example.  Turned out that it was pretty much the only level in the game that had those options so the rest of the game is just as linear as the first one.  Chaos Theory does open up things a bit, though. 

[JasonConan]

I'll be looking at it after reading a few initial impressions.  I too really enjoy the character of Sam Fisher, and have even read both of the novels based on the games.  From what I've read, they've killed off his daughter at the begining of this series, which is weird for me.  I always thought it was an awesome driving force for Sam to come back alive because he's got a daughter he wants to get closer to.  Without that, will he just become another bad ass with a gun?

By the way, Michael Ironside is the actor that voices Sam Fisher.  Ever since the first one I think his acting has been spot on.  I really enjoy the mixture of humor in with the violence.  Plus, Michael Ironside is the man anyway.  Who could forget Total Recall?

'See you at the party, Richter!' 

[Turtle]

I have a feeling that Fisher's daughter isn't killed, but her death faked to make it easier for him to operate and give a reason for his breakdown.

[papasmurff]

I think that this could have potential to be a really fun game.  I just hope that it has some form of cool multiplayer because lets face it, most games that we play are fun becuase of the people we play them with.

[coopasonic]

These games get everything right that always made me stop playing after 10 minutes with MGS.  And to top it off, they have always been the best looking ones on the original X-Box so I can't wait to see them in full HD glory on my 360.

Love Splinter Cell, can't stand MGS (might be the fruity ass stories in MGS "..."). Can't wait for Splinter Cell on 360.

[Turtle]

They've got a lot of new MP modes from what I read.  There's one where it's all spied using melee attacks and spy tricks against each other, it's supposed to go along with their new melee fighting system, which isn't as arbitrary as the original's melee system.

Then there's a deathmatch style mode, along with some kind of teamplay mode that has a lot of mercs and some spies on the same team.  Spies Vs Mercs has also gotten an upgrade up to 3v3 as opposed to the 2v2.

They'll also have full blown tutorials, and for the most part, the other MP modes are also meant to train players in how to play.  That was a big problem with the original game.  So now you still have the intense teamwork of Spies Vs. Mercs mode, but now there are some more action oriented modes for players that can't handle it.

[CeeKay]

Love Splinter Cell, can't stand MGS (might be the fruity ass stories in MGS "..."). Can't wait for Splinter Cell on 360.

Plus there's the fact that Spliver Cell games tend to have more gameplay than animated cut scenes  :slywink:

[Turtle]

It's funny because in the latest MGS game, MGS3 Subsistence, they basically use Splinter Cell's viewpoint.

[Calvin]

Love Splinter Cell, can't stand MGS (might be the fruity ass stories in MGS "..."). Can't wait for Splinter Cell on 360.

Plus there's the fact that Spliver Cell games tend to have more gameplay than animated cut scenes  :slywink:

OH...SNAP.

[Calvin]

It's funny because in the latest MGS game, MGS3 Subsistence, they basically use Splinter Cell's viewpoint.

I am intrigued, and would like to try this game.

[Turtle]

Basically Subsistence is like a director's cut of MGS3 Snake Eater.

They added a new camera, which was wholly loved by the community.  It's very close to splinter cell's camera, but still retains MGS trappings without the tedium.

They also added multiplayer, which many people enjoy, albiet the ps2's online mode was a bit patchwork.

Kojima basically said Subsistence was a test for MGS4, to see how people would respond to these big changes before they finalized them for MGs4.

[Kevin Grey]

It's funny because in the latest MGS game, MGS3 Subsistence, they basically use Splinter Cell's viewpoint.

I am intrigued, and would like to try this game.

Standard caveat on way too many games applies- first few hours aren't indicative of the whole.