Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell

After taking the XBox and PC by storm late last year with its gorgeous visuals and excellent gameplay, Ubi Soft’s Splinter Cell is making its way to the GameCube.  Fortunately, very little was changed during the porting process from the XBox, and most of the best things from the original have been retained.  In fact, some things have been improved.  All in all, Splinter Cell is a great port of a great game that every GameCube owner should pick up.

To those unfamiliar with Splinter Cell, it puts you in the shoes of Sam Fisher, an experienced NSA super-spy who gets the orders to investigate the disappearance of two field agents in the former Soviet Republic of Georgia.  Much like the Metal Gear Solid series, you must use your intuition and cunning to remain as stealthy as possible as you complete your various missions using the tools with which you are provided.  As Sam unravels the mystery, he uncovers a huge plot that could lead to World War III. 

The cutscenes are more plentiful in this version than in the XBox version.  They do a much better job of conveying the story and have a much more cinematic feel to them.  The intro scene now shows the two field agents whom Sam is sent to find as the Soviets capture them.  While the videos do look a bit compressed (as per usual with GameCube games), they are well made and provide a film-like quality to the game not present in previous versions.

The controls are also an area that has been greatly improved.  Ubi Soft went to great lengths to completely revamp the controls for the GameCube, and it shows.  Not only are they more responsive than the XBox’s controls, but also certain operations have been simplified to the push of one button.  For example, instead of pushing one button to draw your weapon and another to fire it, all you have to do now is hold down the Right Trigger and click it whenever you want to fire the gun.  Also, the interaction interface has been greatly facilitated, and now will include certain items you can use on objects instead of relying on you to search through your inventory for the item and then use it.  For example, whenever you walk up to a door, you will have the option to press A and either open the door or use your optical cable to see what’s on the other side.

The levels are noticeably shorter and easier in the GameCube version than they are in the XBox version.   There are fewer enemies in each area and interactive objects that you can use to your advantage (like bottles and cans to distract enemies) are more strategically placed and easier to get a hold of.  This makes Splinter Cell a relatively short game, one that some one could finish in about 10 hours.

The GameCube Splinter Cell takes advantage of the Game Boy Advance connectivity option.  With the GBA plugged into your GameCube, you’ll have access to a special full-color OPSAT map that shows you enemy positions, patrol patterns, camera locations and many other things to make the experience a little easier.  Also, the GBA gives you access to the Sticky Bomb.  You shoot the sticky bomb, and it relays information to your GBA.  You can then use the GBA to trigger the sticky bomb and take out any surrounding enemies.

While not quite as stunning as the XBox version, the GameCube version sports some pretty impressive graphics.  The character models look and move great, and the environments (save for a few muddy spots) feature some nice textures.  The lighting effects also look very nice, but lack the luster effects present in the XBox version.  The framerates are great, oftentimes moving faster and more consistently than on the XBox.

The sound is great.  The music, voice and sound effects are largely unchanged and sound crisp and clean with no muffled parts or any tinny qualities.  The music is greatly atmospheric and changes dynamically with the onscreen action.  The sound effects are realistic and the voice acting (in particular Michael Ironside as Sam Fisher) is very well acted.

A few months ago, XBox owners had every reason to gloat about Splinter Cell being exclusive to their console.  However, now with it going cross-platform, there is no reason why every gamer shouldn’t check this game out.  While the GameCube version doesn’t have the downloadable content of its XBox big brother or the new level of the PS2 version, its still a worthy purchase for every GameCube owner looking for a stellar action game.

Gameplay: 9.7
Splinter Cell builds on the stealth game formula and provides an exciting and unique experience with loads of atmosphere and suspense.  The controls are excellent, greatly improved from the XBox version.  The level design has been simplified a bit, but still provides a thought provoking challenge.

Graphics: 9.3
While not quite as drop-dead gorgeous as the XBox version, Splinter Cell still provides some of the best visuals on the Cube.  The character models move realistically and look great and the environment are lovely.  The lighting effects lack the luster of the original, but look impressive nonetheless.  The framerates even move a little bit smoother on the GameCube than they do on the XBox.

Sound: 9.5
The game sports some incredibly cinematic sound effects.  The music sounds great and keeps a nice sense of atmosphere in the game, and the voice acting is superbly done.

Difficulty: Medium/Easy 

The GameCube version is a bit easier than the XBox version, as the levels have been shortened and the enemy numbers have been reduced.  This isn’t a big problem, as it does serve to make the game more accessible to the GameCube’s primary audience.           

Concept: 9.6
The game’s original plot twists and story details have been left largely unchanged, but the new cut scenes are more plentiful and provide a very nice cinematic element to the game.

Overall: 9.5
With its incredible gameplay, excellent atmosphere and great graphics, Splinter Cell is a great game that shouldn’t be missed by any self respecting GameCube owner.  In fact, since the game is now available on every console, there is no reason why anyone who owns any system shouldn’t check Splinter Cell out.  Pick up a copy ASAP.