It lacks the kick ass multiplayer - which really sells it short – but still an engaging single player game.
Who’s Sam you ask? You mean to tell me you’ve missed out on the blockbuster smash hit that is Splinter Cell? Backed by the master mind known as Tom Clancy?! You should be punished! Actually, you should check out Pandora Tomorrow. The sequel to the award winning Splinter Cell.
I’ll bring the newcomers up to steam by filling you in on what you missed. Splinter Cell is an espionage action game that pits players in the boots of Sam Fisher. An NSA agent working for a smaller branch known as Third Echelon. Sam is a Splinter Cell, his government will disown him the instant he is caught, and he uses his mind more than weapons. Sam also takes advantage of his surroundings, more notably the shadows. He can stalk his prey without ever being seen while in the darkness, and a luminosity meter will inform the player how well lit up Sam is. The light and dark areas smartly fit their way into the level design, and the games unique realistic/artistic direction is distinctive and impressive to say the least. The Cube version is less impressive than the Xbox yet still incredible when compared to other GameCube games. The lighting is beautiful, the level designs are dynamic and feel down to earth – which makes traveling to the middle east all the more exciting. The visual effects should also be noted for their splendid use of the Cube’s hardware; night vision and thermal goggles add immensely to the gameplay mechanics and look drop dead gorgeous. There is some slight graphical lag here and there, and Sam may often unrealistically stand out when immersed in darkness – but beyond that this game is one of the greatest lookers this generation.
Pandora Tomorrow looks as good as it plays, and Sam Fisher has what it takes to roll with Snake, 007, and the other big boys. What you won’t find here are ridiculous gadgets and hour long cinematics. Instead you have reality based future spy gadgets and jaw dropping “cut to the point” cinematics backed by a dynamic story that weaves a web from Jerusalem all the way to Los Angeles. The diverse locations add taste to the different situations and the biological warfare theme is important since its similar to modern day warfare. The voice overs for the main characters are excellent, they truly add a new dimension for players looking for a full blockbuster experience. Michael Ironside – the voice of Fisher – does a banging job of being a stealthy bad ass who could kill you with a spoon. The other characters roaming the streets are a little mediocre but they get the job done.
The soundtrack is dynamic and impressive, the streaming soundtrack goes all anxiety crazy when guards are on to you and it instantly calms down when your in the cool. As noted earlier the voice overs are well rounded and the ambience rocks, gives the environments a creepy isolated vibe.
As good as Pandora looks and sounds, it’s all about the gameplay. The stealth elements have been perfected from the original, sneaking up on guards is exhilarating. And the amount of choices the player has at his finger tips is incredible. You can kill, stun, electrocute, snipe, knock out, and hide the bodies once your done with them.
You weapon, bullets, gadgets, health, luminosity, and alarm level are all shown on screen at all times - I wouldn’t mind a more organic interface that allows for more cinematic sequences but that’s just nitpicking. Where this game really lacks is in creative freedom, well, in certain levels that is. While some levels restrict the use of lethal force and often have only one way of getting the job done, other levels offer multiple ways of completing your objectives. The more linear missions can get fairly frustrating, especially when you go game over the instant Sam is caught. You can’t have everything though…Until Chaos Theory rolls around.
But until Chaos Theory gets here, GameCube owners have Pandora to play. It lacks the kick ass multiplayer Xbox Live has – which really sells this game short – but it’s still a well rounded and engaging single player game worthy of anyone’s attention – if you’re old enough.