Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell

aka: Splinter Cell, Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell HD, Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Stealth Action Redefined
Moby ID: 7780
Xbox Specs
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Description official descriptions

Splinter Cell is a third-person action game with a focus on stealth, similar to the Metal Gear Solid series. The player takes on the role of Sam Fisher, an operative for the secret organization NSA Black Operation, part of the U.S. government. The organization deals with very sensitive missions, often taken on by a Third Echelon splinter cell division Fisher is part of. His missions are so discreet, that if he is captured the government will deny any such existence of that organization.

To get around and reach his objectives, Fisher has a variety of moves at his disposal. He can walk, run, crouch, jump, rappel, shimmy, cross horizontal wires, zip using a zip cord, and do a split jump. There are different approaches to taking out enemies. He can use weapons, but the noise might alert guards and that generally makes it more difficult to complete missions. Opponents can be stunned, killed, or subdued. Fisher can for instance jump down from the ceiling and knock an opponent unconscious. Some enemies are needed to activate a door or passcode. Therefore enemies can be taken hostage by holding a gun to their head. They can also be interrogated or be used as human shields.

Other features include the ability to peak through a door before going through or use an optic cable camera (a "snake" camera) to peer through the underside, to check what is ahead. As the focus is on stealth, the amount of weapons is rather small. There is an FN F2000 assault rifle that can be fitted with a silencer and other modifications, and there is a suppressed FN Five-Seven pistol. Ammo is limited and additional bullets are scarce. Players are encouraged to avoid danger by sneaking through shadows and hiding behind objects. Fisher has access to a light meter to check how visible he is, and night vision as well as thermal goggles to see in the dark and view warmer temperatures in colour. Other weapons are ring airfoil projectiles, gas grenades and sticky shockers.

The Xbox version is the original one, with a closely adapted version for the PC, and separate ports for PS2 and GameCube. The latter have slight changes in levels generally to make it a little easier. Each version also contains some exclusive features. The Xbox and PC versions include three additional downloadable missions (Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Mission-Pack). The PS2 version has an exclusive level, and the GameCube version can be connected with a Game Boy Advance through a link cable to view an overhead map. The PS2 and GameCube versions include additional binocular items, and the latter also has an extra sticky bomb weapon. The PS2 release also has an exclusive 5min pre-rendered intro cinematic with full orchestrated score, showing how the two agents you are sent to look for at the beginning of the game were captured.

Spellings

  • 汤姆克兰西 之 细胞分裂 - Simplified Chinese spelling
  • 湯姆克蘭西 之 縱橫諜海 - Traditional Chinese spelling
  • 细胞分裂 - Simplified Chinese spelling
  • 스프린터 셀 - Korean spelling (Hangul)

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Credits (Xbox version)

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Original Creation with Participation as Associate Producer & Creative Director
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[ full credits ]

Reviews

Critics

Average score: 91% (based on 95 ratings)

Players

Average score: 3.7 out of 5 (based on 229 ratings with 11 reviews)

What MGS should have been.

The Good
Splinter Cell is the latest game series released under the "Tom Clancy's" brand name, and unlike the previous tactical fps titles that bore such name Splinter Cell is an action/espionage 3rd person title clearly aimed towards more "consoley" sensibilities. There's no doubt that Splinter Cell makes it's debut gunning for MGS, the reigning action/espionage title for console gamers, but fortunately for the rest of us, Ubisoft made sure that the game lived up to it's stealth-action moniker and provides one of the most serious sneaking titles this side of Thief.

The game casts you as Sam Fisher voiced by mr. coolness himself, Michael Ironside. Being a hard-assed veteran and a strictly professional soldier Sam comes off as a refreshing character from the usual console cliche of faggy supermodels masquerading as secret agents and lends a lot of credibility to the gameplay (yes MGS2 I'm looking at you). Of course, this is besides the real-life spec-ops hardware, realistic gameplay mechanics and more down-to-earth storyline with newcast cutscenes that show how the conflict escalates as you progress through the game.

As I mentioned Ubisoft did their homework when they designed the game and instead of overgloryfied arcade mechanics Splinter Cell incorporates some serious sneaking concepts. First of all sound emission and movement DO make a difference and attract the attention of guards and enemies in a realistic manner, and without handy-dandy radars with line-of-sight indicators or stuff like that you'll have to resort to crouching in the darkness and carefully judge the reactions and movements of your enemies a-la Thief. Finally a console game gets it man! The resulting tension is what sells stealth gameplay and I dare to say that Splinter Cell is the first game to get it right in quite a while, taking it's cues from the best elements of Hitman while adding some of the hardcore elements of Thief.

Of course, Splinter Cell manages to surprise even more as it adds a few twists of it's own, which include an interesting way of controlling movement by using the scroll-wheel (which allows you to easily switch between different movement speeds) and a lot of athletic moves that allow Sam to do everything from slowly opening a door and peeking through, leaning through a corner and shooting while in nearly complete cover (finally!!) as well as more esoteric moves such as bouncing off walls and doing the "Jet Li special" (see "Black Mask") by doing a split along a corridor and remaining suspended over the ground. Borrowing an element from Thief, Splinter Cell also incorporates the option to shoot out lights to aid you, and you can also immobilize enemies swiftly to use them as human shields as well as forcing them to bend over against a wall and activate retina-scanners.

Additionally as you would expect a true spec-ops operative to do, Sam tackles each mission with a full equipment of weapons and gadgets (eat that Solid Snake!) that include the prominently displayed night-vision goggles which you'll use in several occasions as it allows the player to see in the darkness or alternatively use a heat-sensitive vision. Sam also comes loaded with a small fiber-optic camera that allows you to peer through doors as well as a silenced 9mm sidearm and a futuristic-looking modular weapon that can shoot out a series of modules that contain remote "sticky" cameras, tazers and other useful stuff as well as doubling as a sniper /assault rifle when the stealthy approach fails.

Needless to say, this gameplay gimmicks are flawlessly executed and work wonders to increase the potential of the game which soars in terms of gameplay over Konami's MG series. Furthermore, all of these features are realistically implemented, with realistic gunplay that separates the action parts from the arcadey feel of similar games.

As far as production values the game showcases the tremendous resources Ubisoft has at it's disposal, with a graphic engine that allows for some incredible lightning effects (mostly used for subtle highlights, afternoon sunrays through windows and stuff like that) handles some superb animations, and even showcases spiffy effects such as the video noise in the night or heat vision modes. Soundwise the game holds some treats for EAX surround system owners and finally, the game boasts an excellently designed interface themed as Sam's PDA which allows easy access to all of the game's features, plus putting the final crimson ribbon over a true class-act of a game.

The Bad
There are some minor annoyances that detract from the overall experience, first of all the plot is consistent with the usual military-masturbatory crap that Tom Clancy's novels are usually about, meaning a lot of potentially true scenarios and situations based on real world stuff acted out by cardboard characters. I mean, who were the bad villains in this game? I dunno, I barely remember Sam Fisher because of Mr. Ironside's always impressive work, let alone the goons that surrounded him. In any event, while it may be interesting for military maniacs, the plot leaves a lot to be desired and I personally feel shafted, I mean, why do we have to settle for either this serious but lifeless military scenario or the cheese-filled completely ridiculous melodramas of MGS? Can't we have a middle ground? Dammit...

Anyway, moving on, the game suffers from a little lack of focus in the level design, which clearly had a basic idea of what they were doing but didn't adequate the layout and the challenges to satisfy Sam's skills. The result is that a lot of the wonderful stuff that you can do are barely ever used... The "Jet Li Special"? I used it ONCE in the final level just because I was bored of knocking out my enemies and tried to avoid one with this method. The "shoot-the-tazer-into-a-puddle-of-water-to-shock-multiple-opponents" trick? Once, in China. The remote cams? Once in the building site... Peering though a door? Why if I have that little cam? Retina scanners? I can count their number in the game with one hand... etc. etc. etc.... Basically you'll just use some of the advertised features and forget about the rest.

Finally there are some issues with the less serious elements in the game, minor details that detract from the experience solely on the basis that they break your suspension of disbelief and which include auto-closing doors, really stupid and "forgetful" guards that can have a firefight with you, but if you hide for enough time forget about you ever being there... Oh, and lest I forget: Splinter Cell apparently went to the "Deus Ex School of international characterization" as the game takes you through Russia, China, and lots of other countries populated by people that talk only in badly accented english. I mean, I don't want to be that kind of a bitch but It really kills the mood of a "super secret serious stealth action game" when you eavesdrop the bad chinese general and his henchmen discussing their masterplan in plain english! And let's not even mention the private e-mails and logs that you upload to your pda through the game...

Thief veterans are gonna breeze through this game, with only some idiotic jumping puzzles to offer a challenge to the seasoned Garrett fan.

Oh, and in the endgame the president says "There's no problem American Ingenuity can't solve" :D that line alone made my day. Thankfully Sam seemed to laugh at it with as much sarcasm as I did.

The Bottom Line
In a nutshell Splinter Cell is the serious version of the overhyped crap that has passed as "stealth action" in console-land. Basically Sam Fisher is a grown up Solid Snake trading in the cheesy storylines and arcade gameplay for serious espionage mechanics and carefully designed gameplay aimed towards a more serious audience.

A group of minor flaws take a few notches off Splinter's belt, but nonetheless the game is a fantastic experience and a great addition to the library of the stealth gaming aficionado and something to quench your appetite until the next Thief comes out.

Windows · by Zovni (10504) · 2005

Fun but HARD

The Good
This game is everything console games desire or should desire to be. It is extremly immersive, well designed and challenging.

The Bad
HARD! HARD! HARD! Learn by dying has never been my preference for a game. Splinter Cell is filled with it. If you are a patient game player, you can make it through with minimal deaths. Else you will try and try again to make it through, but you should! Each mission has its jewels.

The Bottom Line
Frustrating yet absolutley fun.

Xbox · by Giacomo (3) · 2003

It really is "Stealth Action Redifined"

The Good
This game has the best graphics that you can find around. The shadows and light contrast each other making great hiding spots. It's totally amazing how good the gameplay is. It's hard to find a stealth game today which really has to do with stealth. The fact that his suit, weapons, and gadgets are actually being tested by the CIA and other agencies makes it all more beleivable. Although there are only 9 levels, they will keep you playing it for more than 40 hours. Beleive it or not it's that long. Theres only 1 short level. There are absolutely no glitches whatsoever. Even if you stealth games, you should try this one out anyways. It is quite addictive.

The Bad
There are only three bad things. First, the levels asre incredibely hard and long. Second, the enemies s pack a bunch of punch. Third, you will die a bunch so don't get it thinking that you can beat it the first day.

The Bottom Line
This is probabely the best XBOX game yet. It can be annoying in some levels, but ovverall it is an amazing game. Buy it if you can.

Xbox · by Jester236 (34) · 2003

[ View all 11 player reviews ]

Trivia

1001 Video Games

Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell appears in the book 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die by General Editor Tony Mott.

Downloadable Content

On March 13, 2003, the first downloadable level, Kola Cell, was released. It can be played whether the game was beaten or not.

Development

The PS2 version was ported over by Ubisoft Shanghai in China. It was developed within 4 months.

Fifth Freedom

One possible source of the Fifth Freedom concept is Noam Chomsky's preface to The Culture of Terrorism: "U.S. international and security policy ... has as its primary goal the preservation of what we might call “the Fifth Freedom,” understood crudely but with a fair degree of accuracy as the freedom to rob, to exploit and to dominate, to undertake any course of action to ensure that existing privilege is protected and advanced." FDR's original Four Freedoms are Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Religion, Freedom from Want, and Freedom from Fear.

Hacking

Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell is one of the three Xbox games that, with the help of Action Replay, can hack into an unmodified Xbox. The other two being 007: Agent Under Fire and MechAssault.

Novels

Penguin has published novels inspired by the game; Sam Fisher's adventures continue in Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell (2004), Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Operation Barracuda (2005) and Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Checkmate (2006), all (perhaps confusingly) written by Raymond Benson under the pseudonym "David Michaels".

References

  • The vehicle that picks up Sam outside the police station at the end of the first level is a delivery van from St-Hubert, a popular restaurant in Montreal where the game was designed. Just look at its logo and compare it to the one on www.st-hubert.com.
  • On the level Chinese Embassy, Part II (the second time playing in the Chinese Embassy), go down the back alley (not through the front door of the restaurant) and use the optic cable on the door. The chef can be heard humming If I Were a Rich Man from the movie (or play) Fiddler on the Roof.
  • In the original Chinese Embassy level, Sam is told to meet with a mission contact. Once he comes into contact with him, he is to introduce with the code phrase "A bright cold day in April", which is the first line of the novel 1984, written by George Orwell.

Third Echelon

In the game, Sam Fisher works for Third Echelon. The real world ECHELON is a global intelligence initiative run by the US, UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. While ECHELON's full capabilities (and intentions) are unknown, the ACLU reports estimates that the network intercepts up to 3 billion messages (phone, e-mail, Internet) daily.

Version Differences

The PC version of Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell is fairly closely based on the original Xbox version. Both were made by Ubisoft Montreal. The GameCube and PlayStation 2 versions, which were developed by Ubisoft Shanghai, are similar to each other, but have many small changes over the originals with the result that they are generally easier. Some doors are moved around, guards are less likely to notice gunshots, etc.

Each version of the game, except for Windows, has some exclusive features. The Xbox release has two new missions downloadable via Xbox Live which involve a Russian nuclear sub. The PlayStation 2 version includes an exclusive level which takes place in a nuclear power plant, new cinematics, a new intro cinematic with original music by the Prague Orchestra, and many behind-the-scenes interviews and documentaries both about the new intro and the game itself. GameCube uses the Game Boy Advance link cable to give you a real-time overhead map and a new sticky-bomb weapon. Additionally, both GCN and PS2 include a new binoculars items.

Awards

  • 4Players
    • 2002– Best Xbox Game of the Year
    • 2002 – Best Xbox Game of the Year (Readers' Vote)
    • 2002 – Best Xbox Action Game of the Year (Readers' Vote)
    • 2003 – Best PC Action Game of the Year
  • Computer Gaming World
    • February 2006 (Issue #259) – Introduced into the Hall of Fame
  • GameSpy
    • 2002 – Xbox Game of the Year
    • 2002 – Xbox Game of the Year (Readers' Choice)
  • Golden Joystick Awards

  • Verband der Unterhaltungssoftware Deutschland (Entertainment Software Association Germany)

    • August 31, 2003 - Gold-Award for selling more then 100,000 (but less then 200,000) units in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. (PS2 version)

Information also contributed by Ace of Sevens, Alexander Misiti, Karthik KANE, MegaMegaMan, Olivier Masse, piltdown man, Pseudo_Intellectual, Reborn_Demon, Terrence Bosky and Xoleras.

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Contributors to this Entry

Game added by JPaterson.

Macintosh added by Corn Popper. GameCube added by Kartanym. PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2 added by MAT. Xbox One added by Eufemiano Bullanga. Windows added by Rantanplan.

Additional contributors: MAT, Unicorn Lynx, Corn Popper, Sciere, Ace of Sevens, Zeppin, Patrick Bregger, Rik Hideto, FatherJack, 一旁冷笑.

Game added November 19, 2002. Last modified March 4, 2024.