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An excellent game, with some shortcomings

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 16 / 18
Date: October 31, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Before I start, I'd like to first say that this is an actual review of the game by someone who owns and plays the game, not like the above 'review' of someone copying out of the Chaos Theory instruction manual, and saying how good Double Agent WILL be.

This game has three major parts to it- Solo, Coop, and Versus, just like Chaos Theory. I wont really be talking much about the Co-op, as it is basically just a continutation of the Chaos Theory coop. However, this time, it feels like there are actually enough missions. There are some new moves, but basically, it feels the same as the CT Coop. So, now, onto single player,

Single Player-

I haven't quite beaten the game yet, so I can't really comment on the heavily hyped multiple endings gameplay (Check back in a week or two for details on the endings). So, to start off, you are in iceland with a dumbass computer partner. You do a bit of preliminary activities with him, then are boosted into a secret underground base. I personally despise this level, as it is repetitive, not very graphically suprising with its settings (with the exception of the ice caves at the very beginning), and you are not faced with any hard choices, or special challenges. I begrudginly finished the level, crossing my fingers that the game would improve.
My wish was granted. As soon as I hit the jail level, the game took a suprising turn for the better. There was a trust meter, and although at times it didn't make sense (the JBA wouldn't nessicarily trust you less for something they didn't know about), it added another level to the game. In one sequence ("Scripted Moments"), I was confronted with the choice to kill a jailyard bully, or to merely knock him out. I chose to kill him to please my new freind, and the consequences were with me almost three levels later (I'll explain this below). For one, I was given a higher amount of JBA trust, and thus, a lower level of NSA trust. I was given a gun to fight with in the jail level, but in the level after it, my boss's boss cut me off from some equipment, making that level harder to complete. Getting back to the jail level, the lighting was beautifully designed, and what happened was plausible (there was a riot, creating a diversion, etc). There were many ways of going about things, making that level seem more open ended than most Chaos Theory levels. Also, the optional objectives now have meaning. In Chaos Theory it was the percent completed of the level (your score) that you got at the end, but in Double Agent, your mission ends if a trust level goes too low on either end- so you need to carefully weigh out your optional objectives, and usually complete all of them. Some of the levels you will undoubtably tip your trust level to one side, which angered me a bit, considering you dont have a choice about your primary objectives. There is an odd "HQ" mission where you are not allowed to kill anyone, and are pretending to be someone else, so the JBA doesn't suspect you are a double agent. I liked it when a guard would yell at you to surrender, then come to arrest you, and you would rip the gun out of his hand, and preform a pretty cool knockout move on him. Mostly the equipment is the same as CT, with a few added things, like the C-13 somthing launcher (in the HQ missions), and the EMP grenade rounds that disable electronic devices permanatly, but mainly, your kit is the same as in CT. And that is the biggest flaw of this game, and the reason I gave it a 4 out of five stars- there isn't enough new about this game. There was the first splinter cell, which had amazing graphics, a pretty new idea, and was amazingly executed- then there was chaos theory, which had ridicuosly good graphics, better than any other Xbox game I've seen, as well as an added touch of realism that perfected the package, in addition to the amazingly beautiful lighting, and original settings. Unfortunatly, this game wasn't a leap forward- it was just a few steps. The graphics are very similar to Chaos Theory, with precious few changes, and the other game elements react in very similar ways to before. However, the trust meter system, the amazingly well done Oshtosk level, and the amount of plot (it actually matters, unlike previous splinter cell games) make for a gigantic amount of replay value, and overall, an enjoyable single player experience.

Versus Mode-
Now this is where Double Agent really makes a breakthrough. I think they sensed at the right time that the old Spy V Merc gameplay was getting a little old, and spiced it up with this new, action packed game. You can play the Multiplayer in many differnt ways, unlike before. The basic game is Spy v. Spy- two teams, or many individuals- all armed with a reasonably powerful sub-machine gun, and amazing physical abilities are pitted against each other. The gun has a small ammo capacity, and slow firing speed, but it gets the job done at shortish ranges. This game is way more fast paced, and the characters are much more agile than before. There are also a ton of lethal close combat moves, which are very fun. For example, you run up to an enemy, you both grab each others throats, then whoever wins a really short minigame first, gets the kill. This ranges from kicking the opponent in the face, to elbowing him in the neck, to snapping his neck. Then, there's my favorite, if someone comes up and grabs you from behind, if you're fast enough, you toss them over your shoulders, their head hitting the ground hard, killing them. It definintly makes for a more fast paced, and less stealy game, with the usage of weapons, and the lethal close combat moves. It is definintly fun, and the sheer number of maps and game possibilities, makes it fun to play over and over again.

So, all in all, despite the lack of a huge amount of new substance, single player and multiplayer together make for a great gaming package, definintly worth the $40 if you are a fan of the Splinter Cell series, and want to see where it is heading.

-he who has no name.

Much better than the 360 counterpart. Not the best SC, but still good.

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 12 / 12
Date: December 20, 2006
Author: Amazon User

After making the mistake of trading this version in for the 360 version, I finally decided to trade the 360 version in to get my old XBOX Double Agent back after being dissapointed with the 360 version.

I won't even go into graphics and sound, because as always they are great. No big improvments from Chaos Theory, but that is not a bad thing since the visuals and audio in CT were near perfect.

The actual storyline is kind of a twist from past Splinter Cell titles, instead of working solely for the NSA, you actually become a double agent to bring down the terrorist organization, the JBA from the inside. The things that happen in this game have already happened as you will be able to tell from the cutscreens between the missions. As a Double Agent, you will be forced to make tough decisions. Before you choose, you must decide what is most important, the lives of innocent people, or keeping your cover and gaining the trust of the JBA. But be carefull tip the trust meter too much to one side and your mission will be in jeopardy one way or the other. Do too many things that help the JBA, and the NSA will threaten call off the mission, Do too many things to help the NSA and the JBA becomes suspicious and your cover may be blown.

The game mechanics are pretty much the same from past, and you have what seems all of the gadgets and tools you have from past Splinter Cell titles, you can still remote hack, split jump, optic cable, disable cameras, lights and other electronics with your pistol, etc. Also reappearing in this game is the visibility and sound meter tied to your OPSAT. For reasons that are beyond me, many of these things Splinter Cell vets have come used to are MIA in the 360 version, one reason why I got the XBOX version of the game back. While all of these thigs are in the XBOX version what makes this game different is the fact you are forced to make decisions and they can be nerve racking, (in a good way). One example is that you are forced to make a decision on whether you want to allow the JBA to set off a bomb on a cruise ship or bug the phone bomb so it won't go off. You are screwed either way, and the decision is up to you. The double agent aspect of a game is a interesting twist, and makes the game pretty fun and helps the replay value because there is potentially many different outcomes of the game.

As I said in my title this game is not the best of the splinter cell titles. This is not because of the double agent aspect, it because the missions do not seem as fun as missions in previous Splinter Cells. Things can sometimes seem to drag along making an already stealthy game, more tedious and time consuming. The first couple of levels were really like this, but now that I am getting further into the game, it seems to be getting better. I also have a much greater appreciation of this title after playing the obviously rushed, unpolished 360 version.

Saves in this game is very forgiving. You still have save points, but you can also save AT any point in the game and you have an unlimited number of them. This translates to not being forced to do things over and over again, which is one of my pet peeves with video games. I am not sure if using "too many" saves will affect your stats or mission performance, but from what I have seen it doesn't.

There is also a multiplayer mode, which I haven't played and more than likely will not be playing online, and if you check my past reviews on multiplayer games, you will know why.

While this game is not the best Splinter Cell title, an award I will still give to the very first game in the series, I still think it is a very good game. If you have an XBOX and an XBOX360 and are debating on which Double Agent you should get, take it from someone who has owned both, get the REGULAR XBOX version! It is more polished and overall a much better game. For more info, see my review for the 360 version.

Great Game!!!!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 1
Date: January 09, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Well I've played all the splinter cells, and my impression is this is a classic game. It is better then the last splinter cell with the storyline. I'm oversea's so it's hard to get the game titles you want when they come out. I will say that this seller was grade "A" when it came to getting me what I wanted in a timely manner.

Great Game!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: April 05, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Frame rate suffers somewhat in large open spaces, but overall the more open missions coupled with the "trust" system makes this the most interesting splinter cell yet!

Different game engine for Xbox Live

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: May 24, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I really enjoyed playing this game. It took several hours to complete and had a storyline that played out like one of those "choose your own adventure" books I used to read when I was a kid. That added a whole new level of depth to the storyline and overall experience.

I didn't get a chance to really play multi-player, but if the people already playing on Live have already discovered exploits in the game in order to cheat, it wouldn't even be worth my time to attempt playing online with them. Cheating was a major problem with playing Chaos Theory on Live because it seemed that after a few months, everyone was doing it.

Anyway, now I hear talk of a new one coming out, but since they're not going to be releasing any new games on the Original XBOX, upgrading to the 360 is eminent!

Great game!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: June 06, 2007
Author: Amazon User

This game is a shoot 'em up covert spy game that is the new generation of spy games. This game was extremely difficult to figure out the controlls and weapons, but once you did, It was very Fun!

great game but very bad online play

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: August 25, 2008
Author: Amazon User

this is an amazing game and I would recomend this to any fan of the series but their are to many bugs with the online play and that to me is what kills this game to me.

THIS GAME WILL ROCK PEOPLES SOCKS!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 40
Date: March 20, 2006
Author: Amazon User

FIRST REVIEW!
This is going to be an incredible game. You play as 50-something year old Sam Fisher, a 'retired' agent who just cant leave being a spy.

(For more info on other 'Splinter Cell (Splinter Cell, Pandora Tomorrow, Chaos Theory) you can check up on them on sites such as this one, and (another great one) IGN.com)

ANYhoo...

This game takes place in 2009-2010. Third Echelon, a 'secret' branch from the 'National Security Administration' (NSA) has discovered a secret terrorist organization, IN NEW YORK CITY!
Fisher, who has just gotten over the death of his daughter, Sara. He's ready to go on any mission the NSA.
So, he has to act like a 'double agent'. He pretends to be a criminal, and gets arrested, bringing him into the organization. His job is to break down the organization from the inside. But, the games Artificial Intelligence (AI) is amazing. The enemies will notice if one of their men is killed, or if a number of men are missing. So, if you kill to many terrorists, alarms are sounded. If you don't kill any, than you're dead. Thats the name of the game: balance.

This is a 'stealth' game. You dont go in guns blazing, because
1) You dont have nearly enough ammo
2) Alarms are sounded

For those of you unfamiliar to the games, you must shootout light objects, for the enemy to not be able to see you.
Then, you have 3 vision modes: Nightvision, Thermal Vision, and a vision that helps you see electronics (the only ones that really help are the first two).

SO, when the enemy gets close, you can
1) Grab and interrogate him
2) Slit his throat w/ your combat knife
3) Shoot Him

The first one is the most helpful in beating levels, for the guy you grab can hold valuable information.
The knife is also helpful, for it is a quick kill (but then you must hide the body, or others will find it, alarms will sound, making it a lot harder for you)

The gun works in critical places, but since you only get 100 rounds for the entire level, and it mostly consists of shooting lights out, conserve your ammo.

My next topic is weapons:

1)Combat Knife:
A double-sided, razor sharp blade that can be used to slit throats, stab enemies, and use to make them afraid so that you can get information out of them.

2) Pistol
This is a silenced pistol, with a 20-round clip, and you hold 40 rounds for it in the beginning of each level.

3) SC-20K Launcher
This is Fishers 'main weapon'. It fires 30 bullets a clip (and fisher can hold 60 bullets for it). It is equipped with 3 modes:

Normal Mode
Shotgun Mode
Sniper Mode

All help to suit each situation. It can be fired in single shot and in fully automatic modes as well.

In addition to firing rounds, it also has gadgets it fires.
1) Sticky Shocker- a round that electrifies an enemy, incapacitating him.
2) Airfoil Round- a ringed round that incapacitates an enemy
3) Sticky Camera- pretty self explaining
4) Diversion Camera- same as above, only makes noise to attract the enemy, then releases gas to incapacitate them.
5) Smoke Grenade- again, pretty self explaining.

Those were the main weapons, but i assume that there will be more in this game.

Meet the team:

Sam Fisher: Spy in the field
Irving Lambert: Leader of group- (think Jon Voight from M:I)
Anna Grimmsdottir: Computer Expert
William Redding: Gives all gadgets and weapons

Fisher is voiced by Michael Ironside, who has been in movies such as 'Starship Troopers'.

In addition to a wonderful single-player mode, this also includes many great multiplayer options-

Co-op: You and a friend (split screen, or from Xbox Live) can go through other missions that you didnt play in the single mode.

Versus: You play against others (Spies vs. Mercenaries) to get objectives. Spies have many gadgets, and can do sick moves. Mercenaries have HUGE machineguns to beat the crap out of the spies. I dont have Live, so i cant give much more on the Versus mode.

This game has amazing graphics, ai, and fun stuff. I havent played it yet, but i know it will be amazing. I recommend that anyone wanting to play this play the original 3 first.

This game came from the creative mind of Tom Clancy, so you know it will be good.

I dont have much more to say. Thanks for your time!

It will be available for Xbox, Xbox 360, PS 2, and later on PS 3. It will rock everyones socks!

:0)

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 6
Date: November 26, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I'm a huge splinter cell fan and this one i thought interesting like the concept of being on both sides and interacting and doin missions with more people and having to choose sides...also a bonus playin coop because it ties in helpin sam getting out of prison had fun playin an it definetly belong with my other collections...

Pretty enterteining!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: January 11, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I bought this game because I have some of the previous versions. I just loved it. I got the chance to play it all once as a good guy, and then again as a bad guy, so it packs a double punch.

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