A slightly dissapointing twist for the Splinter Cell series...
graphics: obviously, since this game is on the Xbox 360, the graphics will be at least decent. and i will admit, there are some textures and character models and lighting effects that did impress me, but to be honest, there isn't a huge leap from these graphics to the graphics for Chaos Theory on the Xbox (and in some places, i think CT's graphics are better).
Game play: this is the part that is most disappointing. in this version, Ubisoft got rid of the light meter and sound meter and replaced them with a light on Sam's back (Green = you're invisible, Yellow = not invisible, Red and flashing = lol, you idiot, someone saw you and is about to put a bullet in your head). this, to me, was either a horrible decision or just plain laziness. i want the light/sound meter back! also, the previous SC games have had one main guideline: stick to the shadows. in this game, thats pretty hard to do, considering it seems like there is more light than there is shadow. thats right...Ubisoft decided to put you in broad daylight for some of the missions. bloody ridiculous. other than the bad stuff, its mostly the same SC game play.
Sound: as for the sound, i suppose it is satisfactory for the most part. my only complaints are that they didn't have Amon Tobin do the game's music for this one (he did it for Chaos Theory), and that disappointed me a lot, as i thought Tobin captured Splinter Cell's atmosphere brilliantly. another odd thing (this may just be my Xbox360 fault) is that sometimes the sound for one part of the game just dies for about a minute, then comes back (for example; the noise of Sam's knife dies out, and when an enemy fires at you, you don't here the gunfire).
i suppose i probably seem pretty harsh right now, but if you are a stealth action fan, you will at least like this game. also, please note that i have yet to try multiplayer, and i here that alone is a good enough reason to own this game for the Xbox360. maybe im being a bit picky... i kind of wanted (more or less) an expansion to Chaos Theory.
i hope Ubisoft realizes their errors in time for Splinter Cell 5.
hey update on 2-4-07, just got XBL, played multiplayer, and its like crack. (meaning its addictive as hell). so, I made the score a little better.