Although this game is almost identical in many ways to it's predecessors, it sets itself apart in the multiplayer.
After beating the campaign, the real fun begins...that is, if you have Xbox Live. The online multiplayer consists of one game mode which pits the Spies vs. The UPSILON forces (aka mercenaries). In this game mode the Spies objective is to infiltrate various buildings depending on the map and hack into a terminal thereby stealing the files within. The UPSILON force members job is simple, prevent the Spies from achieving that goal. Now, this may sound very simple to you, but throw in the fact that spies have a wide variety of gadgets and moves at their disposal, the multiplayer is taken to a whole new level. In addition to gadgets and moves, the Spies cannot shoot and must take out UPSILON members via stealth. This is hard to do considering the mercenaries have high powered machine guns as well as very sensitive radar that detects when a spy is nearby.
The graphics in the game are so-so. The character models, well Sam's anyway, are very nice and highly realistic. The lighting in the game is also top notch just like previous Splinter Cell games. The part that was very dissapointing to me was the use of repetitive textures everywhere I looked.
The gameplay is what you have come to expect from Splinter Cell games. The controls are very responsive and you cannot run and gun your way through this one because you must go to an over-the-shoulder style camera to aim and this cause you to move very slowly.
The sound is good with realistic gun sounds. The grenades also sounds just as they should. The only thing that held this down was the soundtrack as well as the voice acting. Not that I don't like Sam's voice, but they were sometimes talking without their lips moving.
If you like stealth games then you don't have much of a choice on the 360 as of yet, but this game will make a solid addition to your collection if you have Xbox Live.