Culture

Platforms: PC, PS2, PS3, Xbox, Xbox 360, Gc




ith the recent release of Splinter Cell: Conviction, the newest addition to the Splinter Cell (SC) series, I would like to take a walk down memory lane with one of my favourite video game series. Though the first Splinter Cell was not entirely revolutionary, it defined modern stealth-action.
Ubisoft released Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell back in 2002. It was not an entirely original game or concept. Earlier, Metal Gear Solid had been released, and before that Thief: Dark Project. SC welded these games together. It combined a modern, high-tech setting like Metal Gear Solid with the hiding-in-shadows, stalking game-play of Thief, and added a slightly acrobatic element. This combination of elements created an impressive, definitive game. The story was told simply, through mission briefings and news reports. It wasn’t terribly engaging, but who cared when you were a modern-day ninja!
Later came SC: Pandora Tomorrow, which introduced some questionable elements, including the ability to cross doorways in bright light without guards looking through them seeing you. It did offer improved controls for Windows versions.
Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory was the third addition and last of the pure stealth SCs, and possibly the best. It fine-tuned the controls and brought playability to a point where you truly felt like a modern assassin if you took the time to get to that exact, perfect spot.
Splinter Cell: Double Agent is the penultimate game in the series, and it thoroughly changed the SC dynamic. You had to play two sides, while keeping the trust of both. DA maintained many of the stealth elements, but deviated widely from its predecessors in story and gameplay.
Splinter Cell: Conviction was recently released; you can find a review on it in last week's Critic. Despite huge improvements in story, graphics, and perhaps game-play, I sometimes find myself pining for its predecessors. Thankfully, these have a permanent place at the top of my games stack, and they can also be found in many bargain-bins.