Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Double Agent is definitely the best game in the series to date but for the fourth game it does not add much to reinvent the series or add much to make it more innovative. However, this is not necessarily a bad thing because the game works well, especially the single player, where it achieves that right balance between realism and fun game play. Not to say that the it never was good before but this time around the game feels like how it was meant to be, really giving you the feeling of playing as a splinter cell and a double agent. To add to this effect has to be the terrifically designed maps. Never in any of the other games of this series have they been able to make the single player maps of the campaign this well. Each level is unique and varied in its own way making it distinct and giving you a reason to want to play it again. These levels include a hotel in Shanghai in which you get to rappel down, a level in Iceland and perhaps the most impressive looking level in Africa which is absolutely gorgeous as it is large. The amazing graphics of the 360 and its power has helped to take the Splinter Cell franchise to a new level at least in its presentation. Now there are in game cut scenes in which you play a part in kind of like Resident Evil 4 which offers some fun and diversity from the rest of the game play. For instance this in one scene in which Sam Fisher is parachuting out of a plane and his chute gets stuck and you must fumble to pull the pin. It works nicely but could of been implemented better and more often but still a nice addition. As for the game play most is the same and straight forward with exception to a few new things worth mentioning. With the levels being even more larger in depth and the choice of objectives coming with being a double-agent allows for more choice which makes it refreshing though there could be more choices rather than the three or four major ones in the game. These include thing like deciding to blow up a cruise ship or not or killing your boss Lambert. These all work well but again could of been implemented better. You can now do a few more contextual movements such as different melee attacks and grabs as well as the old ones. One fun and very well executed element is that of swimming which works really well and helps in the making you feel immersed in the environment and stealthy at the same time. You also execute moves such as the ice attack where you sneak up and grab an enemy from below the ice if it is thin enough. There is also a in game map thats lets you see where enemies are now and the ability to unlock new weapons and gadgets through the completion of objectives as well as carrying them all with you on missions. As for the story you pretty play as a double-agent Sam Fisher who uses the death of his daughter to infiltrate a terrorist organization known as the JBA (John Brown's Army) and must gain trust for both them and the NSA. The game tries to take a more cinematic and story driven approach which is better than the previous games but still fails at being successful at that. The sound is good just like the other games.
The multi-player in the game is probably the most changed element of the series. It totally starts over from the previous games for a new basic way of game play for new comers and veterans alike. While it is fun in its own way, I still in someways prefer the older model of game play but this way works well too. The maps are well designed for 3 vs 3 spies against mercenaries and the spies get one gadget which I find to be less useful than before. They include a health syringe, Flash bang grenades, smoke grenades and decoy gadget. They are all good ideas but could work better. To make up for this though the spies are now twice as fast, more agile and can perform some pretty flashy moves especially in get away situations. The mercenaries are armed with one standard assault rifle with unlimited ammo. No longer is there the choice for a shotgun or SMG. They also have 3 frag grenades capable of launch, a sniper mode and constant motion tracking which does not require them to switch it on and off. They still have there EMF vision and a new drone capable of following spies in there hard to reach areas and detonating an explosion. In addition to the berserk mode, all of this makes the mercenary more lethal than ever and with the constant beating of the spy detector whenever a spy gets to close, their motion tracking and the spies in ability to perform melee moves other than the neck grab makes it a lot harder to kill mercenaries. Overall it all works and I would recommend this game to people who even remotely liked the previous games because this one is a lot better especially in the single player and the mulitplayer will also last you a long while. The game just does not seem to standout that much as a great game because of the current season of releases of the PS3, the WII and Xbox 360's very own Gears of War, Call of Duty 3 and Rainbow Six Vegas.
Other Helpful Reviews for Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Nijuu Spy
First things first: Splinter Cell Double Agent is an outstanding title well worth picking up even in these upcoming times of multiple AAA releases. There are so many great titles coming out I (like many others) have t... Read Full Review
The Good: Finally a story to care about, the trust mechanic forces you even more to think before you act, fun and addictive multiplayer, great graphics and sound especially the voice acting The Bad: Some minor frame... Read Full Review
