Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell

Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell is the first video game in the Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell series. It was developed by Ubi Soft Montreal and published by Ubi Soft and Microsoft Game Studios originally for the Xbox. It was later ported to Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, Nintendo GameCube, Game Boy Advance, mobile phones, mh:crappygames:N-Gage and Mac OS X. A remastered high definition version of Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell was released on the PlayStation 3 in September 2011. A remake of the game is currently in development by Ubisoft Toronto.

Plot
Set in 2004, the story focuses on Sam Fisher, a covert ops veteran recruited to spearhead the newly-activated Splinter Cell Program, which is part of Third Echelon, a top-secret initiative within the National Security Agency (NSA). Third Echelon uses Splinter Cells, lone operatives working in the field with high-tech support, to conduct intelligence-gathering missions in hostile territory.

Why It Rocks

 * 1) Decent plot that involves the Georgian president conspiring with mercenaries and computer experts for some kind of master plan.
 * 2) The game focuses on a unique style of stealth where you have to use the shadows to your advantage. Not only do you must stay out of sight of enemies, but you also need to stay out of the light as the gameplay mainly revolves around staying away from brightly lit areas as a means to keep yourself hidden. With this is a visibility meter that reflects how visible you are to the enemy. The closer the meter is to the white, the more likely you'll be spotted.
 * 3) *You also have to adjust how fast Sam moves. The AI is designed to hear your footsteps, meaning you have to adjust the speed of your movement accordingly otherwise if you move too fast you'll make noise, alerting them.
 * 4) Good voice acting, especially Michael Ironside as Sam Fisher.
 * 5) The GameCube port actually allowed you to play it on the GBA, which is quite impressive, even for early 2000s standards.
 * 6) The game’s graphics looks amazing for its time thanks to the modified version of the Unreal Engine. The lighting especially was revolutionary for the time since it was able to display real time shadows.
 * 7) Much like Metal Gear, there are number of gadgets at your disposal in order to help take out or get past undetected.
 * 8) *Multi-Vision Goggles: These goggles allow the player to maintain their vision in all potential environments while on a mission in a largely unknown sector. There are two different fields of vision: Night and Thermal/Infrared.
 * 9) *Optic Cable: Is used to peek under doors for the purposes of scouting ahead without being exposed to potential enemies on the other side.
 * 10) *Lock Pick/Disposable Pick: The ordinary lock picks are slower, but they are silent and can be used an infinite number of times, as opposed to the disposable lock pick which could only be used once and made a characteristic hissing noise. The player would use the joystick of the game controller to feel the vibration to successfully pick the pin. When successful, the player will be able to unlock the door and silently enter the room.
 * 11) *Camera Jammer: Allows the player to temporarily disrupt surveillance cameras. It operates off of a capacitor that must be allowed to recharge from its battery after a short time.
 * 12) *Sticky Camera: A launchable camera that can be anchored to almost any flat surface including floors, walls and boxes, however, it cannot be anchored onto certain metallic walls or objects. It's also equipped with night, thermal, and EMF vision modes as well as pan and zoom capabilities.
 * 13) *Ring Airfoil Projectile: It can be launched at the target's head to knock them out in a single shot. Striking the target anywhere else will only stun them momentarily, allowing the player an opportunity to strike or capture. Firing two rounds in quick succession knocks the target unconscious.
 * 14) *Sticky Shocker: A non-lethal device that can be used to neutralize any target by knocking them out. Upon hitting it's target, the Sticky Shocker will adhere to them and release an electrical surge within the individual's body, knocking the target out. Water can also be used to conduct the charge from a Sticker Shocker, capable of knocking out multiple individuals at once.
 * 15) *Gas Grenade: A non-lethal grenade capable of knocking out multiple enemies.
 * 16) Amazing soundtrack thanks to well-known composer Michael Richard Plowman.
 * 17) Sam can sneak up on enemies from behind to grab them; allowing interrogation, quiet incapacitation, or use as a human shield. He is also acrobatic and physically adept, and has a variety of maneuvers including the ability to mantle onto and climb along ledges, hang from pipes, and perform a "split jump" in narrow spaces to mantle up a steep wall.

Bad Qualities

 * 1) It hasn't aged well compared to later entries.
 * 2) *The guards have super-hearing and instantly know where Sam is if they sense anything amiss.
 * 3) *Bodies are automatically found when you pass checkpoints if they're not hidden in darkness even if they're otherwise inaccessible.
 * 4) *If that's not bad enough, the body of an enemy that is not in a dark area will be found by the enemy. This happens even if you hide the body behind something because if they look in the general direction of the body where its completely visible in the light then they'll know it's there.
 * 5) *No sound meter yet so you have a tough time trying to figure how to move.
 * 6) *There is an alarm system that can only go off a maximum of three times before it's a game over.
 * 7) *The game can be frustrating at times due to the game relying on a checkpoint system. This only applies to the console versions, as the PC version adds a quicksave feature allowing the player to save anywhere, making this version significantly easier.
 * 8) The PS2 & GameCube ports (that were developed by a different studio), are bit of a downgrade because of inferior graphics (due to limitations), slightly redesigned levels, & levels split in half meaning more loading screens. Although the ports are still enjoyable and also comes with a few advantages; there's exclusive content like FMVs, an extra level in the PS2 port, & the GameCube port has special GBA connectivity features as mentioned above.
 * 9) A bug in the PC version when played on modern PCs that breaks the lighting, making the game impossible. Fortunately, this can be fixed with a fan patch.
 * 10) Much like Hitman: Codename 47, when firing a gun, the bullet will sometimes curve. While it's not as bad as in Codename 47, it's still annoying. Especially at the end when you have to snipe Nikoladze with your pistol.
 * 11) Also like Codename 47, there are some sequences where you have to play the game like a normal third person shooter something the game wasn't designed for since you can't peek while in cover and Sam doesn't have the health for it.
 * 12) It can be beaten in about 6 hours.
 * 13) There are some levels that are frustrating.
 * 14) * Infiltrating the CIA is a beast, because you can't kill anyone or be seen and start the mission without any gun.
 * 15) * The Abattoir mission ends with Sam finding the hostages, only for Grinko and his mooks to start flooding in; granted, you have a turret and wall mines to assist against them, but it seems out of place and happens pretty suddenly.

Trivia

 * Lots of good memes came from this game like 'Mission Failed Fisher'.
 * On December 15, 2021, Ubisoft announced that a remake of the game is under development at Ubisoft Toronto using Snowdrop, the game engine behind Tom Clancy's The Division and Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora. Most of the staff involved in the original game are involved in doing the remake.

Reception
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell received positive reviews upon the game's release. GameSpot's Greg Kasavin said that Splinter Cell has "hands down the best lighting effects seen in any game to date." Scott Alan Marriott of AllGame gave the Xbox version four-and-a-half stars out of five, and called it "one of the few games to elicit a feeling of suspense without resorting to shock techniques found in survival horror titles like Resident Evil."

Criticism of the game was also present. Greg Kasavin said that Splinter Cell is "sometimes reduced to frustrating bouts of trial and error." In addition, Kasavin criticized the game's cutscenes, saying that they are not up to par with the rest of the game's graphics.

Non video-game publications also gave the game favorable reviews. Entertainment Weekly gave the Xbox version an A and called it "wickedly ingenious". The Village Voice gave the PlayStation 2 version eight out of ten and said, "If this game were any more realistic, you'd have to hold in your farts." The Cincinnati Enquirer gave the Game Boy Advance version all four stars and said that "While it lacks 3-D graphics and an impressive use of lighting and shadows found in its predecessors, the stealthy action game still captures the thrill of modern espionage."