Decent game, but not quite up to par with the rest of the series...
Story: This is something that should be added to the scoring categories for any review as this is the department I feel most game developers have been seriously lacking in since 2001. Perhaps the reality has set in that developers don't need to be great writers so long as the majority of their audience is, for lack of a better word, mindless. The background story that explains Sam's situation is a bit hazy and extremely lacking in detail, but as far as character development is concerned at least makes sense from a logical standpoint. The JBA is a terrorist organization that isn't really given any proper background information as to their beginnings either and their goals aren't terribly clear until the very end, if then. Basically the story is extremely lacking in detail and not very well developed for a fourth release in the series.
Gameplay: The gameplay was fairly good, but not as consistent as it should've been with the rest of the series especially Chaos Theory. The co-op system in place in Chaos Theory was excellent but excluded from this release which, in my eyes, was also a mistake on the developers' part. I do however like the swimming element and the ability to grab enemies from beneath the ice on some levels. There are a few new gadgets that are fairly useful, but I found the enemies to be terribly flawed on some maps where enemies several floors below you would become alerted to your presence when you made a noise that no one in the nearby area would even notice. The online play is alright, slightly different from the previous release but still lacking in something that makes it worth playing more than once or twice.
Graphics: The graphics are ok, but not really up to par for "next gen" games and certainly a far cry from Gears of War. Perhaps in time they'll get it down and there might be another release in the works as the game hints towards this notion at the very end of the game.
Sound: The sounds were excellent as always although I liked the music in Chaos Theory a lot better than in this release.
Value: The title is worth playing if you're a fan of the series and hoping for another release with a chance to add to the story a little bit more.
Overall I felt that the game was simply not up to par with the rest of the series in terms of Story and motivation. The single player was also fairly short for a fourth release and I'm hoping that should the title get picked up for a fifth release (not likely, but wishing) that the project be handed to a better Ubisoft studio like the Montreal department. Or at least a developer team willing to write a more in-depth storyline that feels concurrent with the series and create a longer single player. This has been the best stealth-oriented series since Thief and I'm hoping they pick up the Thief series again soon!