Back in November, 2002 Xbox owners got Splinter Cell, a suave stealth action game that put you in control of Sam Fisher, a super secret commando trying to stop World War III by alleviating a terrorist threat. Now a little over a year and a half later, we have Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow featuring some slight visual improvements, a couple new tricks, and the addition of a very creative and addicting multiplayer mode.

The game once again puts you in control of Sam Fisher as he tries to take down a dictator along with his terrorist thugs, who are threatening to unleash a biological attack on America , an operation code named “Pandora Tomorrow”. It's up to Fisher to track down the dictator, his contacts, and put a stop to the whole operation together.

Pandora Tomorrow's gameplay still features the same hide-in-the-shadows gameplay that made the previous game so popular (and copied since then). The only difference is that missions aren't all indoors this time around. Throughout the game's eight large missions, Sam will find himself on a speeding train, a terrorist camp in Indonesia , and trying to stay hidden on city streets. Each level supports the Splinter Cell gameplay well, as they offer plenty of hiding spots or if there aren't any, Sam can make his own by shooting out nearby lights out which is much more prominent in this game. With all of the sneaking around, Sam isn't totally helpless. He comes equipped with his trusty silenced pistol and SC-20K assault rifle along with the various grenades, smoke bombs, diversion cameras, and sticky shockers to incapacitate (depending on the weapon) anywhere from a single to groups of terrorists. Sam also has his standard thermal and night vision goggles to get an edge over enemies and traps like trip wires and mines. Obviously, Sam comes prepared for a mission of this caliber. Another gameplay addition is the whistle button, which can distract enemies while Sam comes up behind them to either hold up and interrogate or knock out. In this game, however, patience is key and those who try to turn to a run-and-gun strategy will not go far.

While there is some skill involved through out the games linear missions, most of the gameplay is trial and error and will take a few tries at certain points. The game can be really difficult as you'll find yourself up against groups of terrorists and civilians on occasion that must be incapacitated. The game also makes a point to hide all of the bodies in a dark place. Luckily, when you're carrying a body to be hidden, your stealth meter will blink when a spot is dark enough to deposit a body. If any bodies are left out in the open, you'll face danger of failing the mission or setting off an alarm. There was one instance during the game when I forgot to hide a body well, and reached the end of the level only to fail because of that body at the beginning. Pandora Tomorrow can be somewhat forgiving in this area, since some levels will allow anywhere from one to three alarms to be set off. On the first alarm enemies will don flak jackets, on the second they'll come equipped with helmets, thus making those head shots harder to pull off, and the third alarm is game over. There are some problems with control though. The game isn't fast to respond when a button is pressed, which can be frustrating when you're sneaking up on an enemy for a quick kill and the game isn't responding to the frantic presses of the A button. Responsive controls are important in a game full of careful planning and timing like this one.

The multiplayer game is really hard to overlook, as it's just not tacked onto the single player game. The multiplayer missions follow a kind of sub-storyline of the single player game. Up to four players can either choose to be a spy, which controls in third person view and plays just like Sam Fisher, or a Mercenary played from a first person view. It's up to the spies to be stealthy and accomplish the objective presented, and it's up to the mercenary to track down the spies and kill at all costs. Spies have the same assortment of toys as fisher such as night and thermal vision, along with the same agility as Fisher possesses. Mercenaries aren't without their anti-spy equipment, though. They come equipped with a head mounted flood light as well as motion trackers that will spot anything moving in the dark and electro-magnetic goggles. The contrast between the two sides is vast; put makes the multiplayer really fresh and full of variety.

Graphically, the game features some of the same great visuals as the original. This means great looking models, seamless transitions in between animations, and some really great lighting effects. Enemy animations aren't too varied, as you'll find them all either walking or smoking most of the time. The game's CG sequences, like the news reports interspersed between levels or the beginning and ending sequences don't look as good as the game itself. CG models look stiff and unrealistic.

Unfortunately, the same can't be said for the game's sound. One glaring issue is that no matter what country you're in, everyone has a Brooklyn accent. Maybe I'm over exaggerating that last statement, but irregardless, whether you're in Israel , France , or Indonesia , everyone up to and including the dictator speaks great English. This can be funny in certain situations, like when you're listening to a televised speech of the dictator talking about setting Indonesia free and crushing the Americans, or the train conductor in France who says “monsieur” so badly, it would make a high school French teacher feel embarrassed for him. On the other hand, the game's main characters like Sam and Lambert are voiced well, and their sarcastic chatter back and forth can be amusing at times.

Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow is a great follow up to a great game. The same tried-and-true gameplay still holds well and the addition of the multiplayer component is totally welcome, especially when it offers a totally different experience from the single player component. Anyone who is into stealth action who hasn't given the original game a try will definitely get their kicks here.

 

- Brad Hicks (aka Dr. Swank), SwankWorld Media