User Reviews (11 - 21 of 276)

Show these reviews first:

Highest Rated
Lowest Rated Newest
Oldest Most Helpful
Least Helpful

an avid xbox gamer

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 9 / 12
Date: November 15, 2002
Author: Amazon User

I just played this game and it was AMAZING! Hands down the best Xbox game, or video game i have played. I was thinking of getting Metal Gear Solid but wheni played this there was no doubt i was reserving this puppy.
The first thing i noticed wre the graphics. Everything looked beautiful but i have yet to test it on my 55 inch TV. The physics are also amazing. The curtains that you walk through are very cool. There is also a variety of things you can do like take a civilian hostage with a gun to his head and interrogate him, use him as a human shield, you can jump up and climb, shoot from while hanging from, and crawl on , pipes. The stealth aspect of this game is very hard. You have to dispose of the bodies of your vicims and if too many alarms go off, mission failed. The gadgets also are so cool. There are things like an optics camera that lets you see under doors, night vision, thermal vision, disposible lock pics, diversion cameras, and much much more. Thge cas and things you can pick up and throw make good guard distractions for when they go over and investigate it.

Pros:
Amazing game play
Great Graphics
Cool Physics
Anything else i havent mentioned

Cons:
More weapons please

Amazing game, only one flaw

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 8
Date: January 01, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I agree with what the other reviews say. The graphics in this game, especially the lights and shadows, are breathtaking. The AI is really good, though still pretty fallible and exploitable once you learn their reactions. The missions are varied. One mission you're going around killing everyone in sight and dont have too much time for secrecy. The next, your not allowed to kill ANYBODY, and cant even be detected. This makes for extremely intense, varying gameplay.
The music works perfectly with the game's sounds. When lurking about in shadows you hear every noise around you and all those that you make. When you are detected or are in a fire fight, theres this awesome bass and drum stuff that goes right along with your mood and the action.
Overall, I see one problem with the game. The control style while shooting. AT all other times the controls are fine, but as soon as you draw your weapon the controls become sluggish and unresponsive. However, the overall effect of this is that you cannot run around shooting people because YOU WILL LOSE! Theres no James Bond or HALO type running in and shooting up 8 guys. In this situation you will lose every time unless youre a god. The game forces you to be creative and seek other solutions. Distraction cams are my favorite. They make noises until the guards come close, then you can release poisonous gas to knock them out. Very fun.
Overall, great gameplay, graphics, audio, controls, etc. The only complaint isnt really a complaint because it really helps the game in the end. A must have for any gamer who likes to think things through before hand. Youll know when youre plan hasnt worked almost immediately, because youll be lying on the ground dead.

Visually stunning, mostly playable : 4.5

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 8 / 10
Date: December 03, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Canadian software developer and publisher Ubisoft has outdone themselves in this, their latest colaborative outing with author Tom Clancy. While not perfect, Splinter Cell sets the new standard for immersive game environments and lighting effects. The models and texture maps are astoundingly detailed, and the level designers really went out of their way to think of everything and include it in a most believable way. I would definately have to consider this game a must-have for xbox, if only because of the benchmark it represents, although there is much more to appreciate here than just visuals. The ambiant music and FX audio fits so well with the overall feel of the game that you may not even notice it's presence, just experience it as a natural extension of what is being presented on the screen.

The story line is interesting and believeable (you can read the synopsis elsewhere), and the cutscenes are quite well done, if a bit redundant. The dialogue is extremely well acted by Michael Ironside (our hero Sam Fischer) and company. The extra materials, including some "making of" videos, and an interview with our animated protagonist were a nice touch.

Controllability is mostly adequate as well. I'm usually a PC guy with FPS type games, but this game handles very well with the console controls. Some of the acrobatic maneuvers that are used in the game are a bit temperamental, always at the most inconvenient times, and I really think the Ubisoft game testers may have been a bit too concerned with the graphics to concentrate adequately on some of the playability issues that come up.

It's the playability issues alone that keep me from giving this game a 5 star rating. A few "quirky" issues here and there add up to several instances in the game where you are forced to replay sections ad-nauseum before you can commit all of the AI patterns and reaction sequences adequately to memory before being able to proceed to the next section, and sometimes success seems to come by blind luck. Also, there are a few aspects of gameplay that simply do not add up, or function spurradically to the point of being just too frustrating. Ubisoft made some real transparent programming and level-design decisions to make sure players are made aware that this is NOT A SHOOTER. Examples would include; a very limited supply of ammunition and pick-ups, the main character's inability to live through more that a few confrontations, and his atrocious markmanship. OK, Ubi, I understand that this isn't Halflife, but why not let me play the game how I choose? The storyline is essentially 100% linear as it is, why limit it even further? Also of note to some players - there are reportedly no cheats codes whatsoever programmed into Splinter Cell. I will admit that some of the frustration I experienced in playing made me go surfing for ways to bypass certain parts.

I may be being a little too harsh on the cons here, but it's probably because all the other elements are so well done that these imperfections stand out all the more. With a little extra massaging and tweaking, we could have seen a perfect execution (no pun intended), but we are still left with what is certainly one of the best titles out there for Xbox to date. A very good choice for your next purchase.

A masterpiece, not something you want to miss

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: December 12, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Before I begin, I would like to address all those who label Splinter Cell as a Metal Gear Solid clone. Making such a comparison is like accusing Halo of being a Rainbow Six knock-off. Both are great, but the differences lie in the realism.

Anyway, Splinter Cell is a unique experience. Even if you've played the demo, the full game is nothing like it. If you're the kind of gamer who wants pure Rambo shoot-em-up action handed to him on a silver platter, look for something else, this game is not for you. This game is excellent, to be sure. But, it's not for everyone.

Gameplay-
Like I said, it's a unique and rewarding experience. The techniques, gadgets, and incredible things you can pull off are through the roof. The brutal difficulty is likely to make you repeat certain areas a dozen or so times. Don't be suprised if it takes you over an hour to get through certain sections. This unforgiving difficulty can make things tedious if you're not very patient, but like I said, it's rewarding at the end.

There are some minor complaints, however. Some levels are awful linear, meaning there are rarely forks in the road in the earlier stages. As you progress, however, things get much better.

Controls and playability-
If you enjoy games that constantly pummel you, then you'll be in heaven. The controls are not the most sensitive ever, but that's actually a good thing. In this kind of game, when an accidently pushed button is the difference between life and a loading screen, the game won't normally respond to a quick tap. You won't ever have to mash buttons to do something, though.

There are some minor complaints, however. The jumping mechanics can be troublesome at the wrong times, and the targeting system isn't ideal for intense firefights if you happen to get yourself into one. Like you care.

Graphics-
In case you haven't heard, the lighting effects are simply second to none. They feel rather exagerrated at times, but I wouldn't know. The animations are fluid, and the textures are meticulously detailed. Unfortunetly, the cutscenes that use the same graphics engine as the game itself look incredibly poor, and some minor graphical glitches occasionally break the spell. Still, this is pretty much the best looking game around, period.

Sound-
Easily the best area, as in most high-quality games, probably because it's pretty hard to find a fault in the sound if it's of any quality. The soundtrack is excellent and always things dramatic when it should be dramatic. The sound effects are superb, and the little details will leave you in awe. For example, if I'm in a large computer room, and open a door to the smaller computer room, you hear both rooms and their subtle details, like a ringing phone or a computer loading data. As soon as the door closes, you hear only the sound of the room you're in. It sounds incredibly unimpressive, but you have to hear it to appreciate it.

This is one of the best games I've played in a while. It definetly deserves every bit of attention it's received.

Good, but no Halo

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 5 / 6
Date: December 27, 2002
Author: Amazon User

I was a little disappointed in this game after reading some of the rave reviews. Here's what I thought:

Graphics - 4/5 - While the graphics are nice, there are some bugs within it. For example, I picked up a body and attempted to lay it on a couch. Unfortunately, only the body's head touched the couch and the rest of the body levitated in the air. The main character seems to levitate a lot too. The characters feet must always be in a horizontal line, so if you stand on something uneven, one of his feet will hang off the object and appear to be resting on something invisible in the air. This is really noticeable on stairs. He never has one foot down and one foot up like a real person. All these things take away from the realism and make you remeber you are playing a game. However, as many have mentioned, the lighting is very good. This is true with the exception of one of the first "scenes" where your boss at the NSA enters the room and the effect of the light coming through the blinds is just way too overdone. But in the game itself the lighting is probably the best I've ever seen.
Gameplay - 4/5 - Many reviewers have mentioned patience is important with this game. I'm OK with that, but as long as it comes with some reward. (If you've been crouching in a shadowy corner for a minute of two to take out a thug, the very next challenge should feature something a little more fun than more crouching and hiding again to take out a thug.) The fact that how loudly you affects how the characters react to you does add realism, but there are too many other things that take away from it. The game has too many parts where it seems to have predetermined how you are to go about solving a problem, and if you do it any other way than that, someone sounds an alarm and the mission is over. There are also too many rules. For instance, if you kill two civilians in a stage, your mission is ended. That's fine except that it considers cooks in an embasy you are sneaking around in to be civilians. Yet if you don't knock the cooks out in time, they sound an alarm, a guard comes in, and you get shot to death! If they are going to alert someone to come kill me, shouldn't I be able to shoot them too! I would think so, because I would in real life! The funny part is, to get around these to cooks, I had to throw a wine bottle at one's head and knock out the other. You would think all that comotion would get the guard next door to come in, but it didn't. Seems to go against the games emphasis on stealth. If this were really about stealth, wouldn't it be more stealthy to shoot both of them in the head with your silenced gun? But to be fair, there are things about this game that make you want to keep trying at it. Mostly, it's just to see what is behind the next door, and I guess that's the main appeal of this game.

In summary, this is a good game and worth buying, but it has bugs to be worked out. The developers could really make a great sequel to this if they make some changes. And please, no more comparisons to HALO. It isn't quite in that league.

The Best Game I own

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: January 21, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Splinter cell is easily the best game i own. This games graphics are increadible The controls are easy and its the most rediculously hard game I have ever played in my life. But the extream dificulty is what makes this game fun. Not being able to just bust into a room and kill every one is what really gets you hooked and makes it a challenge. I would strongly sugest a stratigie guide for this when I bought one in greatly reduced the stress factor for me and made the game alot more fun. Like other people that have reviewed this I would sugest you think about your patience threshhold befor buying this because alot of the missions involve waiting around and timing the gaurds movements waiting for the right time to pass (this can be liek 20 min) but thats what makes the game fun and realistic. I strongly recomend this game because its amazing.

This is the only version to buy !!

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

I have owned both the Gamecube version and the Xbox version.
First I bought the Gamecube version, so I didn't know what I was missing( and that's alot ).First off how much do you think they can fit on those little tinnie tiny discs that the Gamecube uses( answer: not very much ).I traded my Gamecube version for the Xbox version, and what a difference that made.
The Gamecube boasts 30 min. of extra movie footage, Gameboy advance hookup ability, and a couple new gadgets. What they don't tell you is that they took away the ultra realistic lighting effects, the real smooth frame rate, the detail in the levels,
and huge chunks of the missions are missing as well.In close do yourself a favor and buy the only version to own...Xbox version.

WOW!!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: January 08, 2003
Author: Amazon User

This is easily the best game I have EVER seen for any console! The game play is magnificent. Sure there are small bugs, like body's heads disappearing into walls and your feet looking like they are floating in space, but neither of those issues really effect the game or the game play.

I have read a few critiques and I have seen how people are complaining about how things are rather linear and you have to do things in specific ways. However in all of the examples they have given I accomplished the task in a different method. For instance, the cooks that you have to get rid of, I took the bottle and threw it into the open door for the walk in cooler, wehn they went to investigate the noise, then I snuck around them and into the next room.....not too tough and just took a little thinking outside of the box. That is how this game works.

It is obvious that many people worked on this game, because the possibilities and methods to produce these outcomes seem endless. I am not going to be ridiculous and claim that it is the perfect game, because there is no such thing, but it is absolutely amazing. Yes it is slowed paced, but that is good because it allows you to take in the scenery of an amazing game. However take it from one who has learned, keep the telephones a little distance away, because the phone ringing can make you jump at those quiet, stealthy, inopportune times.....thus making for a really bloody Sam Fisher, and you being really pissed at your caller.

Dont believe the hype...

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: December 16, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Better than metal gear?
Aside from the fact the developers took 90% of splinter cell's gameplay elements directly from metal gear this game somehow manages to feel nothing like metal gear. Its entirely a matter of opinion as to which game is better. People looking for a stealth SIM with slow paced cerebral gameplay should play splinter cell. Thats not to say metal gear isn't without slow placed gameplay that requires a lot of thought before action--but it contains scripted action sequences and amazing boss battles. Anyone looking for boss battles or extreme difficulty should play metal gear.

My game is better than your game so there!

"Better than Metal Gear"--Xbox magazine
Imagine playstation magazine saying that ratchet and daxter(or whatever) is better than Mario. Mario is an established franchise that has been around for nearly two decades, metal gear has been around for nearly 15 years. Xbox magazine has no integrity. A year after halo, xbox mag gives splinter cell the highest score it has ever given and boasts that the game is better than metal gear. Sounds too good to be true, doesn't it? That's because it is.

Gameplay
Hmmm. The controls aren't streamlined--in fact they aren't very good. To look around a corner you have to go stand next to a wall, push the black or white button(i forget which button) then slide across the wall until you reach the end and then you must manually adjust the camera. Sam fisher moves and jumps like a tard, but he can move while aiming in first person. The game does include a lot of tense moments and interesting scenarios.

Graphics 9/10 Excellent lighting... the best lighting I've ever seen.

Presentation 7/10
The graphics are great, but the whole super secret agent fighting terrorists is over the top.

Best game ever?
Hardly. Its a good game but I can't see why xbox owners insist this is the best game ever.

More stealth games please!
Metal Gear was the only stealth game for quite some time, but now its nice to see so many stealth games.

Splinter Cell - The best game for the Xbox this year.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 10 / 20
Date: October 18, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Hands down. It's no contest. Seriously, there isn't another game like it on the Xbox, on the PS2, on the PC (until Splinter releases on that a couple months afterward).

What sets this game apart is its revolutionary use of shadows. You hide in them and try to avoid enemies (but you can take them out if you absolutely need to). The main character, Sam Fisher, can do all these neat moves, like rappel down walls and use night and heat vision goggles. Just check out the screenshots and the moves, and you'll see. There is no contest. THIS IS THE GAME TO HAVE!

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

Actions