Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell®

This gem of a game still ranks highly with me because of the whole nature of the game play. If you go in guns blazing--well, you aren't being stealthy are you? I would suggest a different approach to fully enjoy this game. Also, the levels in this game are still really amazing. One example is the C.I.A. That is all I am telling you. Buy this beauty of a game. If GOG gets the next two games in the series I will tell yo to buy them as well.

It's a nice game, but for someone who was trying to get a Thief fix when it came out it was a big let down : It is *much* too linear in many places. If you finished all the Thief's and Deus Ex's, then it's kind of okay.

I put three stars simply because GOG does not allow half star ratings. This game is a 3.5/5. Simply put this game is fun to play. You have avoid being seen most of the time while disposing of enemies in a stealthy manner. The story is forgettable and feels as though it came from a bad Hollywood action movie but if you are playing this game for the story you are doing it wrong. While the action is fun, it does feel a bit repetitive at times. Certain sections of the game feel like trial and error where you make a mistake but then reload a previous save and attempt to do something in a new way to see if that works. I personally felt like there was a learning curve as well. In the first few levels I wasn't doing too well at all but once I got the handle on it I was capable of doing entire missions without taking any damage. Got it for about 2.49$ and it was worth every penny. If you ever see it on sale and want a fun action game then this is the game for you.

I remember being amazed at not just the technical advances in light & shadow but how they're incorporated into the gameplay. I'd replay the same section again and again because of the various ways I could complete it. Do I lure the guy out? Do I jump above him into the darkness and wedge myself between the walls? Do i just shoot him in the face? I even remember just marvelling at how good the thermal vision graphics were. Today it's a lot easier to see the issues. There are games with way more freedom than this today. There IS freedom there, but more how you deal with moment to moment enemy encounters and so on, not really in the way missions pan out). The graphics have dated, although the importance of light & shadows on gameplay, the usage of the different vision modes and slower pace still work well. The shadows have that, now retro, early, sharp 'pitch black' look, so that they feel more like physical objects than actual shadows, but it adds to the charm. There are lots of linear and scripted sections that, while they serve the story in the sense that they make you feel that you are slipping between seismic events and getting deeper into the thick of things, they conflict with the desire for free-form stealth gameplay. There's also a limitation on that 'freedom', especially in areas that force combat upon you, or send you down a series of specific paths. The immersion breaks from time to time, however for an 18 year old (cries) game, I think you can forgive some of it's flaws. The story is well told and acted. It's a bit convoluted, but the main thing is you really feel engaged with the urgency of the missions thanks to the back and forth between the voice-in-your-ear. The series climaxed with SC3, and I'd say for story and immersion factor (as well as it being a landmark game), this is the next best one in the series.

Really good stealth game my only issue is the forced fight sequences that occur very rarely apart from that a wonderful game that I would reccomend for any person that loves the stealth genre.