N-Philes

Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory

Posted by Dan Biersdorf.

It's hard to believe Sam Fisher - the star of the Splinter Cell series, for the uninformed - and company have only been around since they debuted on the Xbox a little over two and a half years ago in November of 2002. The series has even managed to gain quite a bit of popularity, what with two sequels and a slew of handheld spin offs, and so it was only natural that in some shape or form a Splinter title would grace the Nintendo DS.

I was happy to get word that a Splinter Cell title would be making its way to the DS, but I was afraid Ubisoft would follow the horrible trend of using a 2D sprite engine like we've seen with Star Wars, Madagascar and The Urbz. They didn't, however, and instead Gameloft took the time to make an all new 3D engine - one that would bring the handheld Sam one step closer to his console counterpart. This isn't exactly a new game per se, as the DS version is more or less a port of the N-Gage version that's been available since March.

Splinter Cell's trademark is all about stealth. Throughout the game you will get a series of objectives to accomplish, all of which must be done without being detected by alarms, guards or cameras. The goals are usually fairly straightforward (especially in this DS version), whether it be tapping a confidential phone call, pulling off an assassination, or hacking a computer. To do so you'll use an array of unique spy gadgets such as smoke grenades, optical cables (small cameras to look through doors), lock picks and, of course, guns. You actually have access to two guns: the Five-Seven Pistol, a small silenced gun to use against close ranged enemies and the SC-20K Rifle, a gun that specializes in distance and can zoom up to three times. All of these will be essential when attempting your missions.

Ubisoft and Gameloft really took the initiative in bringing the console experience to the Nintendo DS. Sam is back with very similar moves and physical attacks to what we've been seeing over the years. You'll be able to climb pipes, scale walls, roll, and even hang from the ceiling. One of the most useful maneuvers you'll be able to pull off is sneaking up on an enemy and grabbing them from behind. This is essential not only to make your way through the level but also to get information out of characters by interrogating them. Oftentimes you'll be unable to use lethal force, so grabbing enemies and knocking them out is a key procedure throughout the game.

Even though the series has now taken it up a notch in terms of graphics and realism, the game is just too incomplete and buggy. As soon as you boot up the game you'll encounter some drawbacks, the biggest being framerate issues. Boy oh boy, never did I think I'd see the day when a game would actually slow down as I navigated through the menu screen, but Chaos Theory proved me wrong. That's just the beginning of it all, however. Just like the previous games, Sam has access to thermal and night vision goggles which detect heat and allow movement through dark places, respectively. You can turn either on with a simple press of the touch screen but it won't do you much good, as the game will slow down to an almost unplayable status the moment they kick in. It's almost as if you're walking in slow motion and is extremely annoying. The screen will actually flicker when using them too, further complicating their use. Luckily, there isn't too much to worry about framerate-wise outside of those examples. Occasionaly, if there is a lot going on in an area, you will run into a few problems, but it will fix itself in a timely manner.

Framerate, however, isn't the only hurdle Sam couldn't jump, as it seems the game developers never actually played the game. If they had, they would have almost certainly realized how trivial the control is. The touch screen is actually almost as important as the d-pad and buttons, so quick reaction time is a must and I found myself holding the stylus with my teeth so I had easy access to it in case of certain situations. The touch screen controls all of Sam's aiming and camera work and is also where you manage your equipment. It just doesn't work well together, though. For example, if you're in a tight position and are required to rush your way into a hidden corridor, pull out your gun, and kill a nearby enemy, you'll have to grab the stylus and slowly move the cursor towards them which could result in too much wasted time and therefore a missed opportunity.

The problem with Splinter Cell is that it's all based around trial and error. If you have a mission, all you really have to do is make one sloppy run, figure out what's ahead, and then work your way around the obstacles. Some people find it enjoyable, but at times it just gets frustrating. Sometimes I would be forced to revert back to the beginning of the level as I realized I missed some objective no one told me about. What's even worse is that the entire game is in a very dark setting, and I actually found myself going to a dark room in my house so there would be no glare on the screen and I could actually see where I was going.

This game gets an N-Philes score of D.

A nice effort, but Sam's handheld foray into the 3D realm didn't bring with it the trademark [i]Splinter Cell[i] gameplay in one piece. On one hand, you have gorgeous visuals, tense action-paced music, and a hefty single player mode (8 levels which should take you around 30 minutes to an hour each). However, the other side of the coin features linear missions, sloppy controls, framerate issues and an overall buggy design. Had this game been released at the lower price of $30 I might be able to go easier on it, but the fact that Ubisoft is asking a $40 admission price makes it just not worth your time. You'd be better off waiting for next year's edition, because you know it's going to happen.

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