That's not a knife...now this is a knife.
What's new in SC3:
Fisher now gets a knife to close quarter kill anyone that gets in his way, or a sneak attempt from behind. Sam now can wirelessly tap into computers, and has a ability now to connect through security in the computer if the computer has a security cle
The shadow meter remains, but now a sound meter also is added. This shows how much noise you can make in an area without being noticed. Depending on your ambient surroundings it can change how much noise you can make (a thunderstorm can let you make lots of noise while a calm night will make you keep silent).
The pistol now has a light jammer that quickly disables a light instead of making noise shooting it out.
And your SC-20K now has a few attachments you can add to it before the mission. The Forgrip lets you snipe with a little less wobble, The sniper attachment gives you sniper bullets (careful, they are loud!) and the shotgun gives you a shotgun attachment.
Gameplay
Gameplay is the usual sneak around and complete the mission, hide bodies. The enemies are a lot smarter than they were in the first two, as they will take in to account something off in their mind. If a light gets turned out a little bit after the guy just left the lit room they will notice. Shots will get attention, and if they see you kill a guy they will remember it even if you get away. Also they will start using things like Flares and Flashlights so it's harder to attack them in a unlit room.
There are no "too many alarms mission overs" in this SC, just each level of alarm will cause guys to wear body armor and take more caution. Also you can't fail the mission by killing civillians or when you don't have the Fifth Freedom, but a perfect mission will help your rating at the end of the level. This does mean you can kill and run through this game, but it will catch up to you.
Sam has some new moves as well as he can now hang and if a enemy comes close throw him off the edge.
Graphics-
Graphics are the best of the series, as the game uses a ragdoll physics engine. Rain will cause Sam to become wet throughout the rainstorms, and everything looks real.
Sound-
Sound is still one of the best parts of this game. Ambient noise is well done, and everything sounds like real life. Michael Ironside plays Sam again, but lost is Dennis Haysbert as Lambert, played now by the actor that played him in SC1. The dialogue is still as sharp as ever, even poking fun at earlier games at some points, and games such as Half-Life.
Final Thoughts-
SC3 is one of the greatest games out there. It is a enjoyable playing experience and will be in many Xboxes for months.