*** Official Splinter Cell (X-Box) Review & Discussion Thread (1 Viewer)

[Joel Mack]

My short review (after the first mission):
This game fucking RULES!
Also, some of the things from the demo mission (which is just a small part of the first retail mission) make much more sense in context...
Back to the shadows for me...

 

[JamesH]

The reviewer seemed consistently fair. After reading reviews of the review, you would have thought it TRASHED the game, but 8.6 is a pretty decent score in my book.

Actually, I felt the whole tone of the review was pretty negative. Pretty much every time he had anything good to say about the game, he made sure to follow it up quickly with negatives, sometimes even in the same sentence.

As has become pretty common, Gamespot has yet again scored an Xbox game significantly lower than the majority of sources(it's even with Prime at Gamerankings with 96%). I've heard Prime is a pretty easy game, so considering he reviewed Splinter Cell around the same time, he probably felt insulted by the fact that he actually died and had to do a mission more than once. It's clear that points were docked because you can't just lower the difficulty and go on a wholesale slaughterfest like Hitman. I'd rather see a game reviewed on its own merits as opposed to what a jaded journalist thinks is "too hard".

 

[Chris Rock]

OK, I am in the same boat as alot of others here...I have my copy and I'm waiting for work to end.

I have a question for those who've had the chance to play...can you invert the looking pitch when you're in 1st person mode? You couldn't in the demo, and that severely hampered my ability to aim.

Let me know, please.

 

[Romier S]

I have a question for those who've had the chance to play...can you invert the looking pitch when you're in 1st person mode? You couldn't in the demo, and that severely hampered my ability to aim.

Yes. Ill have to double check but Im sure I saw that in the manual.

 

[Chris Rock]

Thanks, Romier.

I should have brought my copy into the office...but then I'd just sit there and read it. Maybe I'll sneak out to the car and take a peek before I go work out.

(Instead, I'm sitting here reading the HTF)....

 

[Kami]

The game is fantastic. Wow is all I can say. The graphics are the best I've seen ever IMO...on any platform, be it console or PC. The only thing lacking in the graphical department is the character models. They are just average. They aren't bad, but they aren't great. The animation of Sam is top notch though. Talk about cinematic lighting though...holy crap!
I'm almost at the police station now. already this game has been worth the 70 bucks (CDN) for me Oh and I've already failed the mission once...and been shot at and almost killed another time. This game definitely isn't easy. Playing through it on hard is gonna be nuts.

 

[Dan B]

My short review (after the first mission):
This game fucking RULES!

Great review!
I got my copy today & will post some impressions later.
-Dan

 

[JohnE]

You guys are killing me! I just bought Metroid Prime and considering it's the main reason I bought my GCN I want to put some serious time into it. But... I am sooo tempted to run back out to EB and pick up a copy of SC it's distracting me from fully enjoying Metroid! Damn!!!

 

[Lou Sytsma]

Guys - this game is a keeper.

Technically - the graphics, gameplay, and sound are top notch. The lighting engine is unreal. Presentation is top notch too. Gotta love Micheal Ironside's gravelly voice for the hero!

Atmosphere. Bottom line. This game has got it in bucket loads! You truly feel like you are a top undercover operative.

These are my early impressions. I reserve the right to update my initial thoughts as I get further into the game.

 

[Carl Johnson]

Anyone find a good price on this game (

 

[Dave Scarpa]

Hopefully this weekend's sales might bring a lower price, but it's a hot game they won't give it away.

 

[Chris Rock]

ATTENTION ANYONE ON THE FENCE ABOUT GETTING THIS GAME:

Go buy it.

Now.

This game is absolutely in-crucking-fedible. Atmosphere is right. Top notch in all aspects.

And yes, you can invert the looking pitch, with makes it waaaayy easier to aim and look around for me.

I bought Metroid Prime today also, and I haven't even taken the plastic off of it.

 

[JamesH]

Toys R US has free demo discs and there is a coupon for $5 off on the back of the cardboard sleeve if you're looking to save money.

 

[James Zos]

JamesH wrote: "...I felt the whole tone of the review was pretty negative. Pretty much every time he had anything good to say about the game, he made sure to follow it up quickly with negatives, sometimes even in the same sentence."

Again, I just don't buy this argument. Overall, the review was mostly POSITIVE. But you have to take the good with the bad. The reviewer was saying that he mostly enjoyed the game, except for a few consistent flaws. What's so wrong about that?
When you claim that "he made sure to follow (positive comments) quickly with negatives," it sounds like he somehow had it in for the game, and that's just bullshit. I didn't see any axe to grind. It was a very balanced review, and I for one would like to see more like it.
All too often reviewers either see nothing good about a game, or they somehow completely ignore obviously flaws that have me grinding my teeth when I actually sit down and play it. Why does it have to be all one way or the other?
If the game was PERFECT, and the reviewer had gone hunting for little quibbles just have to something negative to say, then you might have an argument. Having played the demo, it is clear to me that the game is not perfect.

I think the summary that runs before the Gamespot review sums it up nicely.

"Splinter Cell is a great game on its own merits, and it offers a slick and rewardingly suspenseful gameplay experience that's sometimes reduced to frustrating bouts of trial and error. 8.6: Great."

Wow. How "biased" can you be?

 

[Micheal]

My little Splinter Cell review:
I would like to open by saying that Splinter Cell is one amazing game! Is it perfect? No. But it's as close as I've seen in a very long time.
Here is a list of the moves that Sam can pull off.
Crouching.
Mantling. (This allows Sam to crawl on top of crates.)
Climbing.
Unarmed Attack.
Back to Wall.
Shimmying. (Great to use on ledges and such.)
Hand over Hand. (Rapid movement while hanging on pipes.)
Zip line.
Rolling.
Wall Jump.
Split Jump.
Drop Attack.
Quiet Landing.
Door peek.
Rappelling.
Rappel Shooting.
Hanging Shooting.
Split Jump Shooting.
Back to Wall Shooting.
Move Body.
Conversation Initiation.
Grabbing.
Human Shield.
Interrogation.
Forced Cooperation.
Whew! He has more moves than Mario!
The one thing I really love is the dynamic lighting. It can be beautiful to look at and very deadly to deal with. Lurking in the shadows is the only way to play this game and the designers gave us exactly what we need with some of the best lighting I've ever seen. The graphics are excellent and the textures are extremely detailed. I could go on and on about the sound but if you own a 5.1 system you'll find out for yourself.
One thing I've found is that you have to start over a few times before you can complete some of the levels. (At least on the Hard difficulty setting.) It takes a little "trial & error" but that's just fine by me. One other thing that I've learned is that if you try the same thing over and over and it's not working..... try something else. I went at a certain level the same way (multiple times) and I kept failing. I tried a different approach and it worked like a charm! Don't get stuck in a rut and remember that there are many ways to get by a guard so if one way isn't working..... try another.
The camera work in this game is very intuitive. I've never had a problem adjusting it to allow me to see exactly what I want. Very nice!
This game just oozes atmosphere! It's rare that I get so caught up in a game but this one has me hooked. When Sam is hanging from his fingertips in an open elevator shaft and the guards are running around looking for him my hands get sweaty.
If I could change one thing I would have assigned a separate button for "Mantling", I still get the occasional "jump" since you have to use the same button. Aside from that this game is damn near perfect. Run out and pick it up ASAP!!
:star: :star: :star: :star: :star: / :star: :star: :star: :star: :star:
EDIT: I gave it 5 out of 5 stars because I would rate this game as a 4.9 out of 5 but I didn't have .9 of a star.

 

[Dave Scarpa]

This does sound like an excellent game I wish I had the patience needed for this typw of game but I get frustrated way too quickly

 

[Micheal]

Quote:

They knew that they weren't going to find them alive. Sam himself even mentions this if you interrogate the guy in the adjacent room of the morgue on the demo. He mentions that he is looking for them but doesn't expect to find them alive.
Most of your gripes don't even seem to be about the game itself. Maybe Splinter Cell is just not your "cup of tea"? Not because it's flawed but because you just don't seem to like it. I mean some of your actual gaming complaints are just wrong. Example: The guard not reacting (try it with the lights on and get back to me ) and the reaction over the dead bodies because you were not aware that they already knew they were dead. Also, you can invert the aiming which was another complaint.
Maybe you should give the full version a sample before judging.

 

[Fred Bang]

Well, I just finished the second mission (so about 6 levels, including the one from the demo) and all I can say is that this game is the best game I've played on the XBOx (as a single player, anyway). It's as good as Halo (though not really comparable).

The graphics and immersion is incredible. Never have I felt "there" in a game since Half-Life.

Amazing.

 

[Lou Sytsma]

Heck - even the training level gets you fully immersed in the game!

 

[Joel Mack]

My only gripe at this point is only 3 slots for saving checkpoints...

What? Hard disk space at a premium? I would have liked at least a half-dozen...