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The gameplay appears to be fresh, while still incorporating the stealth elements that make this franchise so addictive.

Ubisoft won’t ever again be accused of churning out the same old storylines. In what might be the boldest move in the stealth gaming era, Splinter Cell not only breaks new ground in terms of game play, it also breaks the Sam Fisher character into small pieces and reconstructs him in a very different way—a much darker way.

Buzzwords such as revolutionary, innovative, risky, etc have been used to describe Splinter Cell: Double Agent. Although those words are often overused in our industry, Ubisoft will receive no criticism from this gamer. When details of this game first leaked out, my first feeling was that of shock. I fully expected the newest Splinter Cell to utilize the tried and true game play mechanics from the first three games, which of course would be perfectly fine if the graphics were in high definition.



How blown away I was to find out that Sam Fisher’s daughter Sara would die and that this would be a major catalyst in changing his persona. As a father myself, I cannot imagine the horror of losing a child, especially in the brutal manner that it occurs. Sara’s life prematurely comes to an end due to a tragic accident. As a man who is used to being in control of any situation, this would no doubt drive our stealthy hero to the brink of insanity.

In fact, Sam Fisher does what most men in his position would do, which is to try and start over. Unfortunately for him, that means taking what most intelligent experts consider the most dangerous assignment on the planet. That is to become a Non Official Cover agent (or NOC for you Mission Impossible fans).

Those who choose this type of life sever all ties to their previous existence and basically live the life of an underground criminal. That is the basic premise of Splinter Cell: Double Agent. If you think that all of this is just back story, think again. Game play centers around this philosophy as well as you guide Sam Fisher through missions and scenarios that will be unfamiliar to SC fans.

First, our hero and his new employers stage a bank robbery in order to get Sam into prison. Yes, that’s right, prison. Sam’s mission is to infiltrate a highly organized and deadly terrorist cell. From the very first mission, you will find that our agent has to constantly satisfy two sets of objectives: those of the NSA and those of the terrorist. As you might have guessed, these multiple objectives will constantly keep you in conflict.



The line of morality will remain blurred as you try and determine the most appropriate path to achieving your overall objective. As this tug of war plays out in front of your eyes, it will quickly become evident that you don’t always have your trusty gadgets that were so critical in the first three titles. In many instances, you will have to navigate Fisher through levels where there will be no night vision goggles, fiber optic camera, or even your ultra cool spy suit. You the gamer will have to use your wits and creativity to stealthily solve problems and complete your goal. Don’t fret though. Ubisoft has assured that in some areas you will still have these weapons and some new ones.

What sets this newest iteration apart from previous experiences is the emotional drama of having to walk such a tight rope - satisfying the leadership of the terrorist cell, while also serving your country by achieving objectives given to you by the Third Echelon.

For example, the recent demo at E3 showed Sam Fisher in a sunlit, desert setting where terrorists were littered across the map. In a couple of instances, these terrorists had innocent civilians down on their knees, ready to be executed. Your patriotic side wants to quickly kill the rebels and save the civilians. Unfortunately, your objectives may have nothing to do with that and you have to grit your teeth and ignore this atrocity.

Ubisoft assured those viewing the demo that Double Agent would be chock full of moments such as this. To help alleviate your guilty conscience of letting innocents die, Sam Fisher has some kick ass new moves. Although Ubisoft is keeping silent on certain aspects, we were able to see a couple of new ones.

One is probably the best thing I’ve ever seen in a video game. Fisher was swimming in an artic lake just underneath the frozen ice. When the enemy walked out onto the icy surface our hero punched a hole in the ice, pulled the bad guy into the lake and stabbed him with his knife. It was a perfect gaming moment. Another scene has Sam placing a terrorist in a chin lock and snapping his neck.



As tense as the game play mechanics sound, you can rest assured that your eyes will feast on the next generation graphics generated by your Xbox 360. The game play appears to be fresh, while still incorporating the stealth elements that make this franchise so addictive. Come September of 2006, Splinter Cell Double Agent will once again change the face of stealth action forever.

Article by Michael Harris.