User Reviews (11 - 21 of 153)

Show these reviews first:

Highest Rated
Lowest Rated Newest
Oldest Most Helpful
Least Helpful

An OK Translation of an XBox Jewel

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 9 / 15
Date: May 22, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I'm a huge fan of Splinter Cell on the XBox. When I heard it was coming out for the PS2, I grabbed a copy to see how they compared.

I have to honestly say that in the past I'd always thought the graphics on the PS2 and XBox were pretty much the same - that they both could achieve the same level of crispness. But if what Splinter Cell on the PS2 looks like is REALLY the best the PS2 can do, compared to the exact same game on the XBox, I'm afraid the PS2 needs a facelift.

I was really disappointed with the lower quality and jaggedness. Splinter Cell on the XBox was amazingly smooth, and we played the game many, many times because it was so enjoyable. While playing the PS2 version might have been better graphic-wise than say a Bond game, it wasn't up to the XBox version's high quality.

The PS2 version promoted its "great new levels" and adjusted gameplay. So we started comparing. We found actually that many levels were missing many, many pieces. In the XBox a bad guy might have been standing against a balcony looking out over the city. In the PS2, he was standing against a flat wall! There were bad guys missing. There were puzzles missing. It felt "dumbed down" in many ways. Again, having enjoyed it so much on the XBox with its complexity, intricate graphics and challenging puzzles, it was extremely disappointing to keep hitting, again and again, a spot where a scene had been 'kiddiefied'.

They were stupid little changes, too. For example, in the XBox version, you're walking through a house and find a bathroom, with lots of detail. Up on the wall is a medicine chest, just like you'd expect. In the PS2 version, the bathroom is missing and you just find a health kit lying in the middle of the hallway. It took away a lot of the realism.

If you don't have an XBox, Splinter Cell is still a fun game and can give you enjoyment for many hours. I suppose if they tried to port Halo to the PS2 you might have the exact same problem - that a game that people LOVE on the XBox because of its giant levels, intricate graphics and complex gameplay would be reduced to tiny levels, jagged graphics and simple puzzles. Yes, it could still be fun. But it's sort of like listening to your favorite Rock Anthem through tinny speakers at a quiet volume, instead of blasting the sound through your high quality stereo.

For that same "quality level" experience on the PS2, I'd really stick to games where the PS2's abilities shine - which seem to be the Kingdom Hearts and Final Fantasy genre of games.

Great High Tech Espionage

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 5 / 6
Date: June 19, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Splinter Cell has a realistic gameplay feel. In fact, It would make a great Spy flick at the theaters. It combines good graphics, gameplay and sound effects, especially if you have a large TV and surround-sound system. The character voices are also good, unlike the cartoon-ish voices of other games that I've played. The main character [Sam Fisher] is required to complete a series of top-secret missions in total stealth mode.
Although its not the average run and shoot , Rambo-style action game, theres still a good amount of excitement in completing each mission.
A few things I dislike are: The AI is too perfect. When the guards shoot, they never miss! It will take you about 3-4 shots to kill a guard. The 15 minute training sequence at the start of the game should have a by-pass option once you complete it the first time. Sam Fisher's movement is very limited. There are no high jumps or hand to hand combat moves. The split- jump move is not useful in any of the missions. Theres not much replay value either. After beating the game, I expected to unlock secret missions, new weapons or any other perks. At least you get to choose any mission.
Heres a few tips: If you have to shoot a guard, go for the head.
You can put him away in 2 shots; If you miss, he'll duck and kill you. Always hide the bodies in the shadows to avoid other guards chances of spotting them; Collect and read all Data Sticks. They will help keep you out of trouble; Be aware of your own shadow. The guards will become alert if they spot it! Collect all ammo. clips and medical kits, you'll need them in the last few missions, trust me! And last but not least, have fun!!

Stealth wins out over brute force

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: December 03, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Splinter Cell is one of the greatest PS2 games out on the market.

Why you ask?

Splinter Cell is unique in the game market since instead of using brute force i.e.; gunning everything in sight, the player has to use stealth and evasive techniques to avoid the baddies when trying to complete missions.
The player controls Sam Fisher, an agent for the NSA. Armed with a varying array of weapons, lock picks, fiber optic spy cams...etc, Sam is sent on a number of missions which require you to navigate Sam into the shadows and avoid detection while trying to attain objectives.

Players will have a good list of actions available to get Sam to his destination undetected. The game controller is setup with the left analog joystick used to move Same while the right allows the user to pan the camera. I found this to be very useful in allowing me to look around corners without putting Sam into view.
Left and right d-pad buttons allow for Sam to use the night vision /thermal goggles he carries. Very helpful to see in the dark, which you'll hopefully be most of the time. The lighting in this game is very life like, so I've found it helpful to use the night vision in rooms that are in full light to help flesh out objects I might have missed when searching a room.
O button allows for Sam to crouch down. Since the object of the game is to try to complete these missions undetected, crouching offers a number of different advantages. Aside from the obvious, hiding out of sight, crouching while jumping down from a high place, softens the impact, thus making less noise.
Triangle button is useful for jumping. In Splinter Cell you can have Sam jump to and from ledges, off of walls, or go down a zip line. If you're in a narrow corridor, you can even do a split jump and wedge yourself with your legs flayed out. Baddies can walk below you all while being undetected.
X button allow for numerous tasks such as repelling off of a building, opening doors, or grabbing a bad guy to interrogate. I found that when I hid in the shadows and waited for a guard to get close and turn around, I would crouch and sneak up behind him. Hitting the X button allowed me to put him in a head lock and hold a gun to his head. From there you can pump the guy for info, make them do something, like stand for a rental scan, or you can hit the R1 button to just knock them out.
R2 button allows the used of a varying array of weapons at your disposal. Sam has the standard 9mm with silencer, which is helpful in taking out opponents as well as knocking out light bulbs to insure your stealth. Each mission you'll be equipped with different weapons or tools, wether they be a 9mm, or assault rifle, or even a laser microphone. They're all pretty much accessible via R2 button.

The graphics in Splinter Cell are superb. Actually better than other games I've played like Vice City or even Ghost Recon. Shading and lighting as well as color are incredible and very life like in this game. I thought the night vision was easier on the eyes instead of the greenish tinge night vision that Ghost Recon uses, Splinter Cell uses a black and white tinge to the night vision, which I feel allows you to see more clearly into darken area and make out objects better.

Splinter Cell, however, is much more than just a "shoot'em up" game. As I stated above, the game is more stealth and evade. With that in mind solutions to reaching these goals are not apparent. I spent a good deal of time examining the environment that Sam found himself in before acting. Instead of barging through doors, I found it better to use the fiber optic camera that Sam carried to look under doors to see what/ who was here. From there you can develop strategy in how you're going to enter the room undetected, or if your cover is blown how to incapacitate your opponent. You'll definitely find that there is more than one way to tackle a problem in Splinter Cell. The missions may be linear, but the solutions to problem within each mission are not.

Figuring out how to get Sam to act in a stealth manner isn't self evident.
The training mission in the beginning of the game acts as a tutorial to practice your moves before going out into the real world. Here you'll practice all the running, jumping, climbing, hiding and evasion techniques you'll need to be the best covert ops agent there is.

Overall, I put Splinter Cell on my must buy list and must have for any hard core gamer.

Stealth Action to beat

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: December 29, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I don't think there are tons of stealth games to compare this too. While MGS has some cool moves, I have to say SC tips the scales. According to Xbox users, nothing is as great as xbox graphics, but the graphics for the PS2 are pretty darn impressive. A game like SC must rely on its environment to make the game interesting, intriguing, inventive and entertaining. And it does.

The use of shadows, light, and other objects in the game make it fun to skulk around. As expected of a black op, you must be quiet, get in, get the info and get out. Playing Sam Fisher I feel like an elite NSA agent, and the moves of the character are really excellent. I like the way he crouches and walks, presses himself against walls, walks slowly with the gun, and hang and crawl on pipes and ropes. Very cool.

The story is very well done and the intercuts of the 'fake' news and updates on the ongoing terrorist saga is fantastic. The graphics are wonderful. Again, the in game environment is very realistic. If you walk on paper it crinkles, boards creak, water splashes, curtains blow in the wind, etc. I think that makes for better game play.

There are two levels, normal and difficult. I haven't played difficult but I suspect the enemies must be smarter. On normal there are definite moments where the enemies are morons and don't see you standing right next to them. They don't hear other guards being knocked out or grabbed. BUT, that's good when you're not an expert player and are not looking for that level or realism to just make it to the next level.

There are plenty of checkpoints and I don't think the game makes you play a lot over and over if you die, which is good. It seems to have checkpoints and saves in crucial moments (before a big fight, etc)

Michael Ironside sells the voice of Sam and how he interrogates enemies is funny sometimes. It's challenging without being overwhealming or incredibly frustrating, though some things you will definetly do more than once. Patience, shadows, timing and perfect aim are key.

While there are plenty of walkthroughs to help, I found that after doing something 4 or 5 times you find your own way to do it; and you have plenty of gadgets to help you.

The only little flaw is that you don't use gadget nor every move. I didn't use the split jump once, nor did I use the rappel and shoot or use an enemy as cover.

But I really, really enjoyed this game and am in love with this series now. I think Sam is a very mysterious and intriguing character.

Good game, but NOTHING touches Solid Snake

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 5 / 7
Date: April 23, 2003
Author: Amazon User

This is a great game but I have to go against what everyone is saying about it. This game does not even compare to the Metal Gear Solid series. Metal Gear Solid 2 has a much better storyline and characters. Sorry Sam, but Solid Snake owns you any day.

James Bond with a Dark Tint

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: April 21, 2003
Author: Amazon User

If you like to run around the place firing all-out assaults on people, then this game may not be right for you. Instead, Splinter Cell combines the excitement of James Bond, the Strategy of any good RPG, and the Mind Games of Tetris all into one exhillirating experience. Even the training mission will get you hyped up and just urging to play on. Instead of the common run-of-the-muck find the bad guy and kill him premise, you must deceitfully find a way to accomplish your mission, which can vary from something as simple as finding a black box behind a portrait or rappeling down a wall and jumping through a glass window(quite fun as I played that mission several times before moving on), to something as challenging and enthralling as kidnapping a CEO or infiltrating the CIA looking for key evidence. And then there are the gadgets. ALong with the basic Rifle, Pistol and grenade or two, you also get a launchable camera used to see around corners, a key that explodes open a locked door, and among nearly a dozen more,(my favorite) the sticky shocker, a high-charged battery covered in glue that is launched at the enemy and induces an incapacitating shock through their body. Highly enjoyable to watch. It's a great game and a great twist on the norm. Highly recommended to any gamer.

Sam Fisher vs. Snake *pow* Sam wins

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: December 11, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Brilliant. Truly brilliant. Here's the lowdown.

PROS:
1. The best graphics ever seen in a video game.
2. Perfect difficulty (at least for me)
3. Utterly addicting
4. Two weapons, one with multifunctions, that is so brilliant.
5. AI is the best I've ever seen.
6. Great music actually WORKS WITH YOU while you play (it changes to something more dramatic when an enemy hears or spots you)
7. Missions when you cant kill anyone are so hard they are awesome!
8. Perfectly placed checkpoints

9. Awesome moves can be performed.
10. Interactive environment is PERFECT, COMPLETELY PERFECT.
11. Intense feel of danger
12. Plot that takes place WITHIN the game, not in cutscenes.
13. When the in game plot peaks at the last level, you will be utterly suprised at what Ubisoft can do.

CONS:
1. Why can't the game be longer?!!!! Please make the next one longer!!!!
2. The CIA level with all the keycodes and not being able to kill people is so hard!

Buy this. NO matter the price, buy it, just buy it.

Best stealth action game I've played.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: December 20, 2003
Author: Amazon User

They broke the mold with this one. Splinter Cell is awesome. If you like high-action, but hate mass fighting and Hollywood-style fakeness, this is your game. This game stresses and tests your mental AND physical dexterity. You stew in fear as you are a foot away from a swarm of trigger-happy enemies. Your fingers tense on the controller as you wait minutes for that golden opprotunity to slip passed he guards into the main hall. With the best PS2 graphics I have ever seen, you make excellent use of the shadows to swiflty and silently evade your enemy. Controls are quite easy to learn. The sounds is awesome. The enemies torture you as they catch on to your scent, sneaking or hiding behind corners waiting for you. Now, I don't know if they did this on purpose or not, but the guns and shooting isn't great. It is tolerable actually, making it so you want to rely on your mad hiding skills, and not going Rambo on these guys. Definetly a keeper, here is one that you can play over and over, and will.

Incredible game that's so very deep!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: December 29, 2003
Author: Amazon User

The best aspect of this game is that every one of its eight missions is extremely deep and takes a good long while to finish. You can't finish the game in just one night at all.
Some missions require more stealth than others, including one mission in which you're not allowed to kill anyone at all, simply disable them.
The graphics in this game are absolutely incredible, nearly the quality of SOCOM or SOCOM II. The drawback is that each mission is linear and can only be completed one way, in contrast to SOCOM's "free ranging" style. That's especially frustrating when you're encountering particularly difficult enemies, and they usually pop up just before you get to a point in your mission where you're allowed to save.
While each mission is very long, don't fear, if you die you don't have to go back and complete the entire mission. There are several "checkpoints" in each mission and if you die, you simply go back to the last checkpoint and begin again, but with more knowledge on how to complete the level.
The storyline is also quite engrossing and relevent to today's world. Your character is Sam Fisher, a NSA operative that needs to help save the United States from cyber terrorist attacks sponsored by the deposed President of the former Soviet republic of Georgia. You also have real life weapons or prototypes of weapons that will be in the US arsenal in a few years, as well as the use of infared and night vision scopes.
For those that like shooter games, this game isn't always all stealth and sneaking around. You've got plenty of levels where your entire goal is to kill any enemy you come across and don't even have to worry about hiding their bodies or anything.
This game really has it all.
The only drawbacks I think in the game is the aiming just isn't very precise and the game lacks the ability for your character to go prone and shoot, it only lets you crouch. Even when you're carrying a weapon with a sniper scope and crouching, your scope just won't aim correctly for more than a second or two before it bounces off target. Each level also seems to never allow you enough ammo so you find yourself having to invent ways to kill enemies when the best course of action would be a shot to the head...but you're out of ammo.
Even despite those drawbacks, this game is a great buy. The next version of the game will be out in 2004. In order to understand the premise of that game and your character Sam Fisher, you really should pick this one up.

Involves a Bit of Strategy

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: October 07, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Do not buy this game thinking it will be a shoot- em up. This is one of the most comlicated and strategy-filled games out there right now. The game Splinter Cell is fun, has good graphics, good tactics for fighting and an overall great plot. The reason I said 4/5 stars for fun is because it will take a while for a regular gamer to get into. This is because it isn't your average game. There are two reactions to this game - It's way too hard or It's very challengning, therefore i like it. Tom Clancy video games usually have a distinct or unique feature, and this Tom Clancy game has stealth. The kind of stealth where you can't just run up behind someone and blow their head off. You sneak up to them and get information. So like i said, it's not a shoot em up. You do kill people but it's more organized and more realistic. Altogether, a great game.

Review Page: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Next 

Actions