The single-player mode will be all too familiar, but it’s the multiplayer mode that brings a new meaning to game.
All of the controls are still intact, and even a few new features have been added to make life a little bit easier for our favorite spy from the Third Echelon. One great new feature is the addition of a laser sight added to Sam Fisher’s pistol.
Playing the game is still just as much fun as it was in the original, but I think a little more could have been added to spice things up a bit. The level designs are definitely top-notch, as you will need to be very clever to take advantage of every little hiding spot and obstacle. Many times you will actually have to repeat a certain section of the mission due to the trial and error approach. This can become rather annoying after a while, but the cool thing is that the possibilities of passing a certain section are endless.
Of course the biggest addition to the game is the online mode. Never have I seen such a clever and innovative online game such as this. The idea is still typical, but the execution is better than anything else out there. The fact that the Splinter Cells play the normal 3rd person view against 1st person views from the terrorists is just so much fun and exciting. The maximum number of players allowed on each team is two, which makes teamwork all that much better.
Also added to the game are more save-points and checkpoints. This really does take away from some of the intensity, but it’s also a blessing when you’re working against the trial-and-error formula. This possible problem could have been avoided all together if Ubisoft would’ve just allowed a save at anytime, anywhere in the game.
The graphics are still up to standards, but it seems they have taken small step backwards. The original seemed to do a better job of showing the shadows and lights, where as the sequel seems as if all of that was a rush job and not a whole lot of time and effort was put into it. Character models are actually done very well, especially Sam Fisher. Animations from all the characters is very life-like, no rag-doll physics here.
Probably the most irritating problem with the game is how the change in music during a level is not smooth what-so-ever. The music will be all tense and suspenseful at one moment, but then as soon as you go into a new room, it immediately stops, as if someone just hit the mute button. The good news is that all of the other parts of the sounds, voices, and effects are very smooth and done very well. The voice acting is very good, but the only problem is that all of the voices are done in English, even when you’re in Jerusalem, and there is no accent at all.
Considering it will take at least 15 hours to beat the single-player mode due to the trial-and-error gameplay, plus most of the levels are actually pretty large, adding to that the online mode, and you could possibly be playing this game for months.
The original gameplay is still lots of fun and provides a good story. Follow that up with the online mode is absolutely thrilling and you’ve got a great sequel that is worthy of being on anyone’s shelf. If you enjoyed the original Splinter Cell, then Pandora Tomorrow is definitely right up your alley.