Splinter Cell: Double Agent Review

By Kristan Reed Published 20 October, 2006

A question of trust?

Version tested: Xbox 360

After the 'difficult' third album, the cathartic change of direction?

As much as the Splinter Cell series has been a model of consistency since it burst onto the stealth-action scene in 2002, you can only play the same tunes for so long before familiarity breeds contempt.

The third Splinter Cell outing, Chaos Theory, suffered from Oasis' 'Be Here Now' syndrome - high on hype and expectations (and various other things), but light on ideas that hadn't already been used before. Sure, Ubi made Chaos Theory a little more accessible than before and threw in a few more moves, but the team was evidently running out of ideas. Time for a change.

The big question is whether Ubisoft would take the opportunity to pull a 'Kid A' on us and make a true next generation Splinter Cell, or end up facing Standing on the Shoulder of Giants-esque indifference by trying to appease its large audience. It's a gamble.

But the timing of Double Agent's release is excellent, coming just as the 360's getting into its stride on a technical level. Also, coming 18 months after the last one, and with the next Metal Gear some way down the line, any feeling of genre fatigue has been replaced with a real hunger for where Ubi can take the series. All signs point to it being the definitive Splinter Cell title.

Violator

'Splinter Cell: Double Agent' Screenshot dump

Sam gets ready to dump on the opposition.

Even the premise is more interesting than usual. Rather than fighting generic bad guys across the globe that we get a glimpse of between cut-scenes, you end up working for them. This, as it turns out, is the game's master-stroke because for the first time in the entire series you have a real grip on what's going on, who's behind it and why. But more of that later.

In the run-up to launch, Ubisoft's been busily focusing on the sexier 'dark side' element of Sam Fisher's character - but there's more to it than meets the eye. After easing us back into night-time stealth with a fairly typical infiltration mission, things don't quite work out for Third Echelon's finest (to put it mildly). Worse still, Colonel Lambert and the NSA have the hare-brained idea of putting Sam in prison for six months so he can gain the trust of a band of terrorists known, unexcitingly, as John Brown's Army or the JBA. Risking everything "for the greater good", you help engineer a jailbreak and begin an ongoing balancing act that lasts for the entire game.

On the one hand, you have to maintain the trust of your JBA cohorts such as Emile Dufraisne and Enrica Villablanca, but also make sure that you're staying onside with the NSA wherever possible. During the last eight of the 10 missions in the solo mode you have to keep a watchful eye on the two 'trust' meters that occupy the bottom left of the screen. Failure to carry out primary or secondary objectives reduces trust, while succeeding does the opposite. On a few notable occasions you have to choose which way your allegiance lies, putting you right in the middle of the kind of moral dilemmas that might give you bad dreams. Or have you cackling at the evilness of it all.

Faith and devotion

'Splinter Cell: Double Agent' Screenshot stealth

Who says stealth gaming can't be cuddly?

This 'trust' mechanic single-handedly tightens up on so many areas of the game that Double Agent instantly feels like a massive improvement on any previous Splinter Cell game. Most crucially, there's now a genuine incentive to play the game in a stealthy manner - a decision which transforms the enjoyment of the game no end.

In previous titles in the series - particularly Chaos Theory - all you really had to do was make sure you killed everyone, and sneaking around was by far the toughest way of doing things. Your mission rating at the end might have been screwed, but it made no actual difference to your ability to progress. As a result, you'd inevitably take the path of least resistance most of the time instead of being the stealthy spy that leaves no trace. With most of the tension stripped away, and a general reliance on good aiming and persistent quick-save abuse, you ended up missing out on a lot of the good stuff - the fantastic gadgets, the deadly silent manoeuvres and, above all, the possibilities within the level. Not so in Double Agent.

The thing that matters most to you in Double Agent is avoiding losing trust, because doing so will not only strip you of a whole host of highly desirable unlockables, but may well spell the end of your mission - or at the very least make it much harder for you in subsequent levels. And with so many ways to cock up, you very quickly learn to gingerly creep around, hide in the shadows, watch where the sentries go, pick your moment to grab them, silently take them out, hide their bodies effectively, dodge the cameras and disable security. These are all things that, of course, have been in the game all along, but with two sets of trust at stake you won't feel like letting anyone down.

Some great reward

'Splinter Cell: Double Agent' Screenshot ghostbusters

No, it's not stealthy Ghostbusters.

For example, the JBA might not give two hoots about how many civilians you murder, but with the NSA to keep in mind you're forced to consider your moves from both sides. This particularly comes into play during the superb JBA HQ levels, which may well be some of the finest examples of stealth gaming ever devised. With much of the complex completely off limits to you, you're left to your own devices to figure out a means to bypass their security and given no easy way out. With no weapons and just a few gadgets on your person, your only choice is to act as the wily spy, paying close attention to several key personnel and circumventing numerous challenging obstacles.

As frustratingly tough as the four JBA HQ levels feel when you first encounter them, the sense of satisfaction you get out of figuring out the solution is well worth the hours you'll spend experimenting and getting busted. Set against a 25-minute time limit, you end up making every second count as you slowly built up a collection of voice samples, finger prints, key codes and eventually retinal scans to get you deeper into the labyrinthine complex that houses their dastardly plans. With the NSA on your back to uncover exactly what they're up to, you'll find yourself engaging in daring safe-cracking and server-hacking sorties while risking your own life in the process. It's real palm-sweating stuff.

The addition of little one-off mini-game puzzles like the buzz-bar-style mine assembly test, or the cube number puzzle near the climax are superb in their own right, too, as are the wheel-twizzling safe-cracking and nervy decrypting tests. Lock-picking makes a comeback too, but you can soon, ahem, unlock an upgrade to bypass all the thumb twiddling, so fear not.

Policy of truth

The rest of the game does its usual tour of duty around the globe, taking in some excellent - and varied - missions in China, West Africa and Iceland among others, which all offer up hugely contrasting scenarios that the series die-hards will love - and if you've never played a Splinter Cell game before, you'll be downright astounded by the cinematic visual opulence on show - particularly the panoramic view over Shanghai and the Chinese New Year celebrations. It's ambitious stuff, and made all the more glorious by some of the most incredible character models yet seen in a game. Once again, Ubisoft delivers some delicious eye candy that - in high def - is wonderful to behold from start to thrilling finish.

But back on topic, these globe-trotting excursions provide important refreshment value between the punishing HQ levels, whilst each offering something unique to each and every one, and it's perhaps the acknowledgement of the consistent high quality throughout the game that's going to leave players with the same feel-good factor that I'm left with after completing it. Taking its cue from high-budget blockbuster movies, the fact that Ubisoft has packed in so many movie-esque moments while staying true to the stealth premise is a remarkable achievement. But as much as the game wows you with its ability to make you play like a spy without making it boring, don't for one moment think that Double Agent doesn't let you loose off a few rounds in anger. In fact, on the penultimate level you can put the trusty SC-20k rifle to good use without getting a slapped wrist for it. You can, of course, still play much of the game with the pistol or rifle if you want, but not only will you make it a lot harder for yourself (mainly by attracting attention more than anything), you'll risk losing more respect than you can afford - not to mention failing various conditions of your mission.

'Splinter Cell: Double Agent' Screenshot yellowsnow

Don't eat the yellow snow, Sam.

So, with the single-player refinements so apparent, it's no surprise to find that Ubisoft has really listened to the criticisms of the rather detached narrative that used to make previous versions feel like a disjointed collection of unrelated episodes. Having played all three previous adventures to completion, none of them had particularly memorable scenarios or characters, but Double Agent is a major improvement. By taking elements of The Chronicles of Riddick, your ability to wander around the confines of the JBA HQ (in first-person if you like) and repeatedly meet the various key players in the game makes a big difference when it comes to the between-mission briefings. You feel a connection with people, and given that you're playing a key part in the terrorists' activities, you know some of their motivations too. With Colonel 'the former president in 24' Lambert popping up from time to time, there's even more of a '24'-style feel to it. In fact, it's a shame Ubisoft didn't do the 24 videogame, come to think of it. It'd probably feel a bit like this.

A question of time

One absolutely mystifying downside of Double Agent is how long it takes to save and load your game. Given how fundamental saving is to the game, it's an absolute joke that it takes well over a minute between hitting 'save' and the completion of the process. And loading is a complete bore too - unless you choose to opt for the most recent save point or checkpoint (which takes seven seconds, to be precise). If you dare to want to load a different save point, it's just as tedious as the save process, and in the trickier sections of the game it's almost unforgivable. Wasn't next-gen gaming supposed to make things like this quicker? Goodness knows how much time was wasted faffing around with the save and load nonsense, but Ubi needs to make sure it never happens again.

'Splinter Cell: Double Agent' Screenshot joke

Sam shares a quiet joke with a pal.

But before we round off the review, who could forget the absolutely superb multiplayer element? Like a more action-focused evolution of the Chaos Theory's Spies Vs Upsilon Mercenaries face-offs that proved so popular, it's been ramped up in terms of pace and numbers. With far more athletic spies than before, the change of pace is bound to cause a massive amount of controversy with the existing fan base who prefer the tension of old, but it's a decision that will definitely attract a lot more players as a result.

As before, you're either the nimble gadget-laden ones doing the hacking, or the slightly lumbering gun-toting team trying to stop the meddling intruders from stealing the valuable data. Just as before, the spies play in third-person and have access to various sections of the map that the Mercs don't (such as ventilation shafts), but what the Mercs lack in agility they make up for with their high powered automatic weaponry, and you end up with one of the most finely balanced multiplayer games around.

Waiting for the night

It definitely takes a fair bit of getting used to in order to adjust to the super-speedy spies, but it's a good decision. The controls, especially on the spies, feel incredibly slick, giving you the chance to leap and roll around the maps with improbable grace. For newcomers, you even get the choice of whether to include ghost outlines next to contextual actions (such as which bits of the environment you can jump onto), and as such it feels a lot more accessible than previously. How it will fare over the long term is hard to say, but the early impressions are excellent. Lag, for example, was non-existent throughout our playtest, unlike several other Live games we've encountered of late.

'Splinter Cell: Double Agent' Screenshot joystick

I say, Sam, is that a joystick between your legs or are you just pleased to see me?

And elsewhere, Ubi has polished the online offering enormously, with a stat-based online level-up system that encourages repeat play on both sides. You can even recruit players to join your own clan to take on all comers, which should prove enormously popular. The various co-op challenges should go down well, too, offering the chance to take on the AI to earn medals and build up your stats. Of course, in the main multiplayer matches for those who just want to dip in, the ranked matches and player matches are kept distinct, so its appeal should be pretty broad, and Double Agent could be dragging away GRAW and Halo 2's players very soon.

Unlike previous games in the series, scoring Splinter Cell Double Agent isn't a difficult task. On the basis of the solo mode alone it's worth a nine, not just because it's by far the best game in series to date, but because it's finally delivering on the rich potential that's been apparent since the beginning. By giving players a real incentive to be the stealthy super-spy, it's opening the game up to being what it should have been. And by wrapping it in a memorable narrative and giving Sam Fisher the ability to be evil, you actually start to care not only about your actions, but the characters in the game too. Throw in a hugely entertaining and evolving multiplayer component, and it's got the makings of a game you'll be playing for months to come.

It's not so much a question of trust anymore, but question of whether you trust stealth gaming to entertain you. If you're not sure, then maybe this is the place to start.

9 / 10

Read the Eurogamer.net scoring policy
Picture of Kristan.

About Kristan Reed

Kristan is a former editor of Eurogamer, dad, Stone Roses bore and Norwich City supporter who sometimes mutters optimistically about Team Silent getting back together.

Read more articles from Kristan by visiting the Kristan Reed archive page.

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Comments (123) Latest comment 3 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • jmctavish #1 5 years ago

    First mofo's!

  • steellam #2 5 years ago

    Depeche mode ?

  • Derblington #3 5 years ago

    Bought this earlier but, even though it's on behind me, I just can't be bothered to play it.

  • UncleLou #4 5 years ago

    Wasn't really that interested in this, but you sold it to me. That must be the 27th game that's released in that week that I want.

  • Helios #5 5 years ago

    hurrah. Hated pandora tommorow but got CT anyway and loved it. Buying this too :D

  • NAC #6 5 years ago

    I've always really liked the SC games every installment seems to get better.

  • jozz #7 5 years ago

    Convincing review. Nice to see a good run down of the MP too.
    Should be getting this tomorrow with any luck :)
    Edited by 1 at 20/10/06 @ 18:30

  • style #8 5 years ago

    What about the Xbox version Krud? What's your take on it? What is missing that's in the 360 version, if anything?

  • SeesThroughAll #9 5 years ago

    "I say, Sam, is that a joystick between your legs or are you just pleased to see me?"

    Captions are getting a little bit on the pornographic side, aren't they?

  • DDevil #10 5 years ago

    Available in HMV high street stores for £39.99... I was very tempted today, even though I don't like Splinter Cell all that much.

  • foamy #11 5 years ago

    Kind of surprised they didn't screw it up with all the lots-of-graphics-no-gameplay. Good to see :p

  • brandon-flowers #12 5 years ago

    been waiting for this review all day!
    Pleasantly suprised at the 9!
    That £23.00 order from hong kong cant come soon enough.

  • UncleLou #13 5 years ago

    Just clicked on the ad on the right - what kind of sillyness is it that I need a login for the official site of the game? They should be grateful that I am interested, not annoy me with the requirement to make an account.
    Edited by 1 at 20/10/06 @ 18:58

  • captainrentboy #14 5 years ago

    9/10 bodes well for the next 360 Splinter Cell doesn't it,and as it'll be an exclusive the developers will be able to concentrate on programming just for that console,and as a result hopefully get even more out of the xbox 360(Both graphically and gameplay wise),as opposed to faffing about with last gen versions too.
    Maybe 360 owners shouldn't be sooo intimidated by the monster that is MGS4 after all :)
    I haven't played a splinter cell game since the first one, but I don't think I can ignore a 360 9/10 title,even though the super expensive month of November is quickly approaching....Ahh I'll get it tomoz,i'm bored stiff of Saints Row lately.

  • IMO #15 5 years ago

    If this is better than Chaos Theory, then it must be absolutely amazing!

  • Scimarad #16 5 years ago

    I've never played a Splinter Cell but I'm thinking this might be the first...

  • sharpfish #17 5 years ago

    I had disregarded this based on past episodes that seemed to get more and more workmanlike. Your review changed that and I am very interested in trying it out now (only played the multiplayer demo which doesn't tell you much about the main game).

    However that SAVE/LOAD time thing sounds horrible, I really hate stuff like that so I think I'm going to pass on this and wait for 5 (and hope they sort it out) OR get it on PC where the loading/saving is probably quicker? That is if there is a PC version as I've been out of the SC loop for a while.

    A real shame about that as they almost had a sale.

  • Knot #18 5 years ago

    Thanx for the review ! Personally, i found SC CT to be the weakest episode as well.

    Yeah, it had various paths, but the AI was way too scared by Sam to counter it.

    SC DA isn't really about the BEST graphics. Otherwise Ubi would have invested in it to start coding from scratch in the Unreal 3 engine. No, they updated the CT engine for multicore and the DA innovation lies in it's game concept & gameplay. (Trust meter shares a few similarities to Hitman's 'suspicion' meter ? )

    Too bad to see that some other reviewers got 'blinded' by CT's jump in graphics.

    The only thing i curse Ubi for, is the delay of the PC version to November 2nd :(
    Edited by 2 at 20/10/06 @ 19:28

  • morriss #19 5 years ago

    Well, I wanted this game for ages, then read the Gamespot review and thought, naaaahhh! But then Krudster comes along, and I'm buying it tomorrow. It seems it has everything I want.

  • UncleLou #20 5 years ago

    Well, I wanted this game for ages, then read the Gamespot review and thought, naaaahhh! But then Krudster comes along, and I'm buying it tomorrow. It seems it has everything I want.

    Heh, I just watched the Gamespot video review, and it almost put me a bit off again. He almost says the contrary of what krudster says on every point, and it all sounds "same old, same old". :)

  • Yossarian #21 5 years ago

    played this for seven hours today, offline and on. it's great

  • Knot #22 5 years ago

    ^ UncleLou- You do realize ... that Gamespot's editor, Kasavin, likes MGS ....ALOT....
    Edited by 1 at 20/10/06 @ 19:30

  • Yossarian #23 5 years ago

    and what's wrong with your 360, EG? saving takes a little over ten seconds on my machine, and the 'load last' takes about five

  • Xerx3s #24 5 years ago

    Let's hope RB6 is just as good. \0/

  • PS3lol #25 5 years ago

    I just bought Chaos Theory tonight for £6.99 as all the Splinter cell talk was getting to me. And Montreal studio know there Splinter cell.

    Will get Double Agent this weekend due to all the good reviews it's been getting. looks like I'll be snaping necks for the next few weeks.

  • silke #26 5 years ago

    Another damn game to buy....I was hoping this would be, well, quite bad ^^ No such luck though, eh? Well, off to the store tomorrow then......

  • Polymath #27 5 years ago

    Love the reference... Depeche Mode FTW!

  • Carrybagma #28 5 years ago

    Ah! Well done - I didn't get any of them this time. Are they all Depeche Mode?

  • potatoes #29 5 years ago

    its a shame the old co-op missions have gone though... they were my favourite part of the last game.

    the so called co-op they have replaced it with is pretty weird too as it seems to pit you against each other to succeed (ie. you dont work together, just alongside one another)

    didnt seem terribly co-op to me...

  • style #30 5 years ago

    @ captainrentboy

    MGS has never been of any relevance to me anyway. I thought the first one was decent back in the day. 2 was absolute muck and while 3 was far better, the reality is that SC overtook MGS a long time ago. Splinter Cell is the Pro Evo/Forza to MGS' Fifa/Gran Turismo. The pretender to the throne that now SITS on the throne. MGS is just too arcadey for my liking. Not authentic enough for a 'stealth and tactical espionage' game I'm afraid.

    Oh, and for those disparaging Chaos Theory, you craaaaazy?! For me, the SC's have gotten better with each new edition. The first blew my socks off upon release. PT made a lot of smart improvements and introduced outdoor enviroments. And CT...well, for the love of God, it was only in the top 1% of all-time Xbox games!

    And from the sounds of it, DA is another quality title from UbiSoft, who are officially the most consistent developer out there. Well, near enough anyway. However, a question still remains unanswered. The Xbox version of DA. What's it like?

  • PhakeDC #31 5 years ago

    I finished Splinter Cell CT in one go. 40 quid for a single gaming session is too much.

  • Dr.Mott #32 5 years ago

    Bought this today. I hate it. It's completely absorbing all the time I need to do things like sleep, eat, and wash because it's so damn good. Curse you Ubisoft. If R6: Vegas is as good as the other Tom Clancy games on 360, I swear...

  • style #33 5 years ago

    @ PhakeDC

    Should have played it first time on Expert like I did! :-)


    @ Dr.Mott

    Yes, Advanced Warfighter, Double Agent and Vegas. That's be quite the clean sweep, wouldn't it? And that's before we've even mentioned the potential awesomeness of Assassin's Creed.

  • absolutezero #34 5 years ago

    Please no more Metal Gear vs Splinter Cell comparisons, they both do completely different things.

    Solid Snake runs up missiles and Sam Fisher hides in the dark with 3 bright green lights on his head.

    Neither are realistic. Judging either based on the level of realism and credibility is just a bit silly.

    Gotta wait for mine to arrive from Play-asia :/ Im buying it mainly for the multiplayer anyway, never was a fan of the Splinter Cell single player, the controls were horrible, it was next to impossible to move, get out a gun and aim at the sametime.

  • Lex_Luthor #35 5 years ago

    I just knew someone would be sad enough to drag MGS into this. They're not the same sort of game at all, stop trying to pretend they are.

    I know I'll probably hate it, but I'm tempted to give it a shot now...
    Edited by 1 at 20/10/06 @ 21:20

  • Knot #36 5 years ago

    @ absolutezero ; sp SC1 was and is great. The point of the game is to NOT having to resort to shooting.

    SC DA's going back to SC1 roots by zero kills/shots = key to succes.
    Edited by 1 at 20/10/06 @ 21:34

  • freedumb #37 5 years ago

    'Splinter Cell is the Pro Evo/Forza to MGS' Fifa/Gran Turismo. The pretender to the throne that now SITS on the throne. MGS is just too arcadey for my liking. Not authentic enough for a 'stealth and tactical espionage' game I'm afraid.'

    I'm the complete opposite. Every Splinter Cell game I've played, I could never get beyond the opening few levels because...it..was...just...so...dull. The story in everyone puts you to sleep, the extra realism (not that's it's entrely realistic, but that it aims to be) is no fun. MGS is much more fun, you've got ninjas and vampires, giant robots and nefarious villains, charismatic bosses, interesting dialogue and characters, and variety in gameplay.
    Edited by 1 at 20/10/06 @ 21:42

  • JediMasterMalik #38 5 years ago

    I love both MGS and SC, but MGS has to take the cake.

    Will be getting this for PC probably over the next week. :)

  • style #39 5 years ago

    @ freedumb

    Each to their own I guess. I like my SC, my Pro Evo, my Forza, my Brothers in Arms, my Football Manager. MGS, Fifa, Burnout, Call of Duty, LMA Manager. They're not really for me.
    Edited by 1 at 20/10/06 @ 21:44

  • Sid-Nice #40 5 years ago

    Essentially the Xbox 360 is currently wiping the floor with the PS3’s Christmas line up; Microsoft's offering at this point in time is looking unassailable to be quite honest with you.

  • PS3lol #41 5 years ago

    I've played all MGS and Splinter cell games. Sure Splinter cell goes for realism but that's not a bad thing. MGS is so far "out there" there is room for a proper realistic stealth game.

    As to which is better, I call it a draw. Splinter cell is slower paced, but seems to have more realism/immersion. MGS is easier, with more forgiving gameplay and a more arcady feel, which could equal more fun in some peoples eyes.

    I love them both, but PS3 isn't impressing me so far as it's not what I would call a console, more a mulit media machine that's way to expensive, and I hate the way Sony are marketing it.

    **** Blu-ray.

  • freedumb #42 5 years ago

    Well it's been out for a year now and to be expected while the PS3 is just launching.
    Edited by 1 at 20/10/06 @ 22:30

  • TonyBlair #43 5 years ago

    I hate MGS the bosses with "powers" that know youre in the vicinity but chicken with you who are suddenly summonded after you defeat the humble foot soldier patrols. Constant Metal Gear prototypes like a Nissan production line that are effective as scrap but the worst bit is the TEDIUM of the cut scenes with geeky guy and silly codec messages. Solid Snake was cool as fook some years ago until Sony decided to fook bout with him a strange comparison would be George Michael.

    But they are different games I liked the first one can someone reccomend this is worth it given (the MP Demo was impressive) what is heading to 360 this christmas given Pro Evo TW06(I like kneecapping spectators) COD3 RS Vegas GOW like a kid in sweetshop.

  • deafwing #44 5 years ago

    Fascinating.

  • Hughes. #45 5 years ago

    Clearly a Friday night drinking binge in the Blair-zone..... why didn't I think of that?

    /raids drinks cabinet

  • captain-future #46 5 years ago

    Good. Good. Chaos Theory was the first Splinter Cell I couldn't myself motivate to play through...
    Edited by 1 at 20/10/06 @ 22:49

  • TonyBlair #47 5 years ago

    /Toasts Hughes for his strangely cohesive keyboard input why didn't I think of that!

  • Dizzy #48 5 years ago

    9? Wow... the XMas AAA rush is here early! Bring on GoW ;)

  • PS3lol #49 5 years ago

    You know what ruined a lot of games last gen?, hype.

    I've started buying old games again like RE4, Chaos Theory, Ninja Gaiden and they seem to play even better now than they did in there prime.

    Without expectations (and a high price) you can enjoy games a lot more. And there was a hell of a lot of good games last gen that never lived up to the massive hype but looking back were really good games in there own right.

  • PS3lol #50 5 years ago

    As for your 1 minute load times, I think you need to clear your 360 cache.

  • Yossarian #51 5 years ago

    yeah, after reading the review I checked

    the time it takes to go to the menu, overwrite an existing save game and return to the game is around 10 seconds. quick loading your last slot takes 5 pretty much exactly. other slots on the same level take a little longer, but not considerably so

    this game is really, really good. the missions just seem to get better.

  • Talha #52 5 years ago

    Wow, a 9er! This is surprisingly generous compared to even sites like GameSpot and GameSpy. I haven't played the game yet, but I feel that - GASP! - those sites have a better case for their lower scores. GameSpy even goes as far as to say that this game doesn't feel all that next - gen, and coming from wide-eyed, awestruck idiots that are GameSpy, that is something.

    As for the save issue, I will say one thing: in case of both PS3 and X360, today's average high-end PC has TEN TIMES their RAM. Sony would have done well to build 1GB of RAM into PS3, but they didn't. TEN TIMES - that's a scary thought. I guess issues such as save times will only increase in the future

  • weaselrat #53 5 years ago

    I haven't been the biggest cell fan in the past but this game is rocking my world, hence the time and i'm still palying it, Th e solo is great but oh my god the multi player is better then..............................A donner kebab after 7 beers! Everyone I command you to buy, no one will be dissapointed!!!

  • snick #54 5 years ago

    @freedumb

    The fact the PS3 was meant to be out almost a year ago suggests to me the initial software line up should be immense, why there haven't been playable titles for the last 9 months is bizarre. I for one can't get excited about a single one of the games.

  • t8yman #55 5 years ago

    I only played the first game on xbox for about 2 hours and was royally bored by it. I read the ign review (again 9/10) of this which sold me completely so bought it thursday and it is indeed a fantastic game. Also going on the xbox360 official forum R6V is looking great too, the yanks have got a covermount demo of it on u.s. OXM, and they all love it.

    christ november is gonna crease me

    "Sorry kids, santa couldn't afford much this year!"

  • Stormflood #56 5 years ago

    Liking this game a lot. The subtle change in the music as danger nears is beautifully done.

    My only gripe, and I have this with all SC games, is that the gorgeous graphics have to be sacrificed for green screen half the time so you can see where you're going.

  • Rambaldi #57 5 years ago

    "Good. Good. Chaos Theory was the first Splinter Cell I couldn't myself motivate to play through... "

    Wow..I thought it was only me! Clearly the middle age crisis isn't for another few years!

    /bangs on Double Agent and grins

    EDIT: AN APPEAL TO EVERYONE TO KEEP PLAYING THIS ONE ONLINE UNLIKE CHAOS THEORY WHICH WAS A DEAD DUCK AFTER A FEW MONTHS. IF INTERESTED ADD MATHM0S (o=a zero) AS MY FRIENDS DON'T LIKE SAM :)
    Edited by 1 at 21/10/06 @ 10:44

  • captainrentboy #58 5 years ago

    Are the graphics really as sweet as they look in a few of those screenshots?(The shootout in that courtyard in particular)Because a few of them,to me anyway,make it look like one of the sexiest 360 titles in long while.
    Any framerate issues,or god forbid screen tearing on this one then?

  • PS3lol #59 5 years ago

    So much hate for Chaos Theory, you have bad taste.

    It was ranked 14th in the greatest games of all time by reders of IGN yesterday. Ahead of all other SC games.

  • PS3lol #60 5 years ago

    "As for the save issue, I will say one thing: in case of both PS3 and X360, today's average high-end PC has TEN TIMES their RAM. "

    ^^^^

    No they do not, where do people pull these BS comments from?. I have yet to see a PC that makes use of 4GB or RAM. Or a average PC for that matter, which has abouit 1GB compared to 360 and PS3 that have 512MB
    dedicated to playing games. Not shared, well maybe PS3 shares it's RAM but not 360.
    Edited by 1 at 21/10/06 @ 11:15

  • weaselrat #61 5 years ago

    I've got no frame rate issues and yes it is sexy!!!!! @ Rambaldi, I'll stick you on my list later (My good one).
    Edited by 1 at 21/10/06 @ 11:23

  • Putty-Man #62 5 years ago

    Nice review Krudster. This was one of the few games I bought before reading the Eurogamer opinion and I must say so far I agree with it. Very similar to Chaos Thoery and if the constant reloading from your last save to avoid detection doesnt bother you then its top class.

    Tho I must agree with other forumites here on teh save/load thing, 10secs max to save and about 5 to reload on my 360.

  • SomaticSense #63 5 years ago

    Brilliant game, but way too short. In fact (it's probably my imagination, or the fact that I was utterely addicted to it thus destroying any true concept of that thing called 'time') I felt it was a hell of a lot shorter than any of the previous Splinter Cell games. In fact it took me less than a day to finish, which I very rarely manage, and that's including the constant reloading (and it was a lot) after being seen/shot, and the fact that I played it on the 'normal' difficulty level (being notoriously shit at games, I normally play on the 'easy' level, so that actually says a lot).
    Not counting the 4 JBA missions (and the first and last missions are way too short to count either), there are only about 5 'proper' missions in the entire single player campaign. Fair enough, one of them (Kinsasha) is three parts long, and another is two parts long, but that is still ridiculously short for any kind of action game and was I felt that side of it was a massive disappointment.

    It did make up for it though with the gameplay, and I'll definitely be replaying it again for the other endings, because although it was brief, it was massively enjoyable.

    Don't agree with the save times though. Where you got a minute from I'll never know. A minute now lasts about 20-30 secs now apparantly...........
    Fully agree with the loading though. Not only does the loading take longer than fucking OBLIVION FOR CHRISSAKES, the game also feels the need to load each bloody menu screen. I don't remember that on the fucking PS1 for crying out loud, why the hell it's like that on a next gen console I'll never know. I mean it's not like there's anything special in any of the menu screen anyway, just your usual bog standard menus.

    *EDIT - gen
    Edited by 2 at 21/10/06 @ 11:48

  • Yossarian #64 5 years ago

    I am going to get a stopwatch out for the loading times, I swear to god they aren't past five seconds

  • Yossarian #65 5 years ago

    I have always played SC games on the highest available difficulty, so I can't comment on how long the game takes on Normal. I've put about seven hours into this and I'm on the mission after the 2nd JBA HQ, however far in that is.

    I also tend to avoid saving outside of the default checkpoints, so maybe that makes a difference to longevity too

  • freedumb #66 5 years ago

    @snick

    that may be so but its still the launch. The 360 didn't especially have a cracking launch, none of it's games were must buys. A year down the line would be much better to see what the PS3 has come up with, rather than rushed launch games.

  • style #67 5 years ago

    Splinter Cell on hard is a must. At least. Personally, I think experienced Third Echeloners shouldn't be starting on anything less than Expert, if you ask me. That's when the game is at its most difficult, tense.....and fun.

  • captainrentboy #68 5 years ago

    Well I just went and bought it,and after my turkey burger sandwiches I will begin playing....And with a 9/10 it had better bloody blow my mind,i'm skint as fuck now :)

  • Eighthours #69 5 years ago

    With Colonel 'the former president in 24' Lambert popping up from time to time, there's even more of a '24'-style feel to it.

    Error. Dennis Haysbert was only in Pandora Tomorrow. The other 3 games have all used the same (different) voice actor for Lambert.

    I'm finding it very difficult to stay stealthy in the lighter levels! The snow bit was a nightmare!

    I wish that there were more "directed moments", and the screen tearing is terrible (yet bizarrely not mentioned in the review), but it's a great game overall and the multiplayer is ace.

  • Tomo #70 5 years ago

    Sigh.

    Another reason to buy a 360. Im depressed I can't afford one :[

  • Yossarian #71 5 years ago

    save/load times, to my watch:

    from the moment the disc drive closes to getting into your last save: just shy of 2 minutes
    loading (from pressing start until getting back in the game): 8 seconds
    saving (from pressing start, until back in the game, overriding an existing save): 10 seconds

  • greenfeld69 #72 5 years ago

    I'm not impressed. If you didn't like previous games, this has NOTHING to change your mind. I enjoyed aspects of the others but found this dull. Also, if you've never played any of the others, you will struggle to get into this as it doesn't give you much of an idea how to do things. The tutorials are garbage too.

  • repairmanjack #73 5 years ago

    Screen tearing? That really surprises me. I'm someone who usually overlooks such things, but I'm still aware of them. I don't think I saw a single instance of it in Splinter Cell - and I've been through the entire single player once already.

    And yeah, the reported saving times are a joke. Ten seconds *max*. Time to get your Xbox a service, perhaps?

  • Crea #74 5 years ago

    I've had zero problems with excessive loading times.

    Not very far in, very atmospheric thus far.

  • SuperBas #75 5 years ago

    About the comment of being able to shoot your way through the three previous games: you could, but why the hell waste money on a SC game if you're not going to sneak around?

  • captainrentboy #76 5 years ago

    Just had a 3 hour go,was dissapointed initially,the first level seemed to drop me in the shit quickly and I had no idea what I was doing,but after persevering through that and the jail break it's definitely got a whole lot better.
    Some of the graphical effects are bloody gooorgeous,textures and what not,and I especially loved the sneaky kills under the ice,great stuff.
    Now just one question,how in the hell do I get to the captain on that big frozen cargo holder,I've looked at that 3d map 100 times,and I can't see how to get down to him :/...It's probably really simple.
    edit:ohh and clearly the loading and saving fiasco is console specific,saving a game for me takes 4 secs exactly,going back to that save after dying is no more than 5 seconds,the only fairly big load seems to be when you first start a new level,but that's no more than 20 seconds.Maybe it has something to do with how full your hard drive is.
    Ohh and i'm getting slight tearing too :(
    Edited by 1 at 21/10/06 @ 18:05

  • Yossarian #77 5 years ago

    I really, really love the JBA levels. they're like beautiful little freeform puzzles

  • McGeeza #78 5 years ago

    "I'm on a 14 (FOURTEEN!!!) meg line and I got some appalling lag in both the games I played tonight."

    Common misconception. It's not how fat your cock is that counts, but how fast your jizz travels down it...

  • The-Bodybuilder #79 5 years ago

    The 360's christmas season has finally begun.

    But I must resist the temptation to buy this (along with pro evo, GOW, and all the other top quality titles) as this semester for uni is my hardest yet.

  • krudster #80 5 years ago

    Cleary I need to do a YouTube video to prove the save load issue. I've even played it on two different 360s, with the exact same issue.

    Also, I think some of you are misunderstanding my point.

    Load last save is about 5-7 seconds. Fine - but often you don't want to load the last save or checkpoint.

    Loading previous save takes - for me - over a minute to even show you the list of saves before you can select the save.

    Saving the game also takes a bloody age. I'll literally have to film it to prove this.

    For reference, my hard disk has 6GB left. I've no idea if this makes any difference.

  • SeesThroughAll #81 5 years ago

    For reference, my hard disk has 6GB left. I've no idea if this makes any difference.

    I don't own a 360, but I heard that hard drive fragmentation affects games performance... Could it be your hard drive needs optimization?

  • krudster #82 5 years ago

    Ok, that's quite likely, given the constant use over the past 11 months. How do you optimise the hard drive then?

  • thefilthandthefury #83 5 years ago

    Yeah that's definitely not normal. The loading isn't great, but nothing like that.

  • SeesThroughAll #84 5 years ago

    Come on, wasn't there once a dashboard update that gave this functionality?

  • PS3lol #85 5 years ago

    "There is no way. Its not like the Xbox 360 comes with Defrag whatever"

    Actually it does, sort of. THIS IS HOW YOU CLEAR YOUR HARD DRIVE CACHE.

    It will delete system updates but all your saves and game downloads will be safe.

    [link url=http://news.teamxbox.com/xbox/11131/Xbox- 360-Cache-Clear-Code-Revealed/
    ]http://ne ws.teamxbox.com/xbox/11131/Xbox...[/link]

  • captainrentboy #86 5 years ago

    I'm sure I remember reading a top secret way how to defrag the 360's hard drive on the net a while back,although I don't think its something MS want to be common knowledge,ooor the person who posted it was taking the piss.
    But the reviewer's copy taking nearly a minute to save really isn't right :/ Mine has never taken more than 5 seconds.
    Still need help finding that friggin captain if anyone can help :)

  • MrCarrot #87 5 years ago

    As for the save issue, I will say one thing: in case of both PS3 and X360, today's average high-end PC has TEN TIMES their RAM.

    The average high-end PC has 5GB of RAM? I better upgrade.
    Edited by 1 at 21/10/06 @ 22:57

  • repairmanjack #88 5 years ago

    @krudster

    First time I loaded the game up, it sat at the loading screen for almost a minute. I figured it had locked up (although this didn't seem to be the case). After I reset the game and rebooted it, I had no problems at all. The disc's been in and out of the machine a good dozen times, and I haven't seen it hang like that since.

    Perhaps there is some kind of flaky issue with loading... I'm actually rather impressed at how glitch free this game is.

  • richardiox #89 5 years ago

    re: defragging the HDD...this issue came up in relation to Oblivion where players experienced awful audio stuttering. It could be cured by holding A down during start-up all the way to the games start screen.

    I saw it work first hand on my friends 360 but have no idea whether this works outside of oblivion.

    I can see how with regular use the disk would get gradually fragmented but it's odd the MS haven't updated a Defrag option into the dash.

  • The-Bodybuilder #90 5 years ago

    >"The average high-end PC has 5GB of RAM? I better upgrade."

    Apparently so. And this makes even harder to understand why MS & sony didn't include more memory.
    After all, we all know how cheap it is to have large memories for consoles. I'm ure the extra 512mb or 1Gb would not have inflated the already cheap ps3.
    Edited by 1 at 22/10/06 @ 09:31

  • MrCarrot #91 5 years ago

    @ The Bodybuilder

    You owe me a new sarcasm detector. >:(

  • Royal Fool #92 5 years ago

    I'm a big fan of both Metal Gear and Splinter Cell, having played every installment (Also tried the first MG Acid game on the PSP, felt it was rather crap).

    However, I wasn't really all that hot for this newest SC game, partly because of the whole "dark side" thing (Last time that happened was Jak & Daxter, and we all remember how badly that turned out...) and also because I expected it to be the same old, same old. Frankly, that would have totally turned me off.

    But after reading this review, it seems that Ubisoft tried very hard to make this game feel different. After seeing this glowing review (and others), I'm getting it on Monday. I also thought it wasn't supposed to be released until the 27th, what a surprise!

  • The-Bodybuilder #93 5 years ago

    >"You owe me a new sarcasm detector. >:("

    Ask blerk. I'm sure he's got plenty lying around.

  • krudster #94 5 years ago

    Again, to clarify - it's not saving that takes ages, but physically accessing the save and load menus in the first place. Load last save is fine. It's when you click 'load' I have to wait ages for it to search the hard disk for my dozens of saves.

    Maybe my hard disk is now so jumbled with save data from about 50 odd games that it's completely fragged to hell.
    Edited by 1 at 22/10/06 @ 09:59

  • Xerx3s #95 5 years ago

    "I'm on a 14 (FOURTEEN!!!) meg line and I got some appalling lag in both the games I played tonight."

    Common misconception. It's not how fat your cock is that counts, but how fast your jizz travels down it...

    Best IT to normal person translation in some time. :D

    Ok, that's quite likely, given the constant use over the past 11 months. How do you optimise the hard drive then?

    A magnet? :p

    re: defragging the HDD...this issue came up in relation to Oblivion where players experienced awful audio stuttering. It could be cured by holding A down during start-up all the way to the games start screen.

    Iirc, this only resets the cache file that contains stuff for fast loading. Kick me if I'm wrong.

    <a href='http://f orums.xbox.com/7191718/ShowPost.aspx'> this might be an interesting read.</a>
    Edited by 1 at 22/10/06 @ 10:22

  • Yossarian #96 5 years ago

    I loaded a previous save (on the same level) last night in JBA HQ 4 and it loaded at the same speed -- around five-ten seconds

  • asphaltcowboy #97 5 years ago

    AWESOME! Been waiting for this! The series needed a bit of refreshing (despite SC:CT being great) and Ubi have delivered as always! Fantastic!`

  • Yossarian #98 5 years ago

    I finished my first game last night, and while the game itself is getting better all the time, there is still so so so much more they could be doing with plot, characters, themes, emotions etc. game feels hamstrung in crucial areas

  • Xerx3s #99 5 years ago

    Yeh, UBI has slowly been building into a AAA only title publisher over the past few years. EA, take note: It IS possible to make good non generic, non chav games and still make a profit.

  • SomaticSense #100 5 years ago

    Eighthours - "and the screen tearing is terrible (yet bizarrely not mentioned in the review), but it's a great game overall and the multiplayer is ace."

    Bollocks. I know exactly what screen tearing is (about half of the 360 games have had it to my experience and first experienced it in Serious Sam on Xbox), and I've come across NO screen tearing whatsoever.
    Maybe you are getting confused with framerate drops? Or maybe it's because I'm playing in HD that I'm not getting any probs, but then I would've thought that played in HD would actually make the problem worse.

    On the issue of save/load times: I admit I didn't time it, I just came to the 20-30secs time as a compromise and an average based on what it seems like to me and on what times other people have mentioned. Although going back and checking it again, it only took me about 10-15 secs personally, although it will change from 360 to 360.
    Load times though when loading a new level are stupidly long. They may not be a minute but are certainly longer than Oblivion. The sheer amount of loading is inexcuseable though, NOT what you'd expect from a next-gen console with a decent amount of RAM and a 20GB hard drive. GRAW had better graphics and more stuff going on in levels, but that game never had the amount of loading or the load times this game suffers, or any other game on the 360 for that matter, so there is no excuse for it. I mean it has to load each bloody menu screen for crying out loud. EACH MENU SCREEN!!!
    Edited by 1 at 22/10/06 @ 14:01

  • Bates #101 5 years ago

    "It IS possible to make good non generic, non chav games and still make a profit."

    Maybe Ubisoft will try it one of these days then.

  • Derblington #102 5 years ago

    Bollocks. I know exactly what screen tearing is (about half of the 360 games have had it to my experience and first experienced it in Serious Sam on Xbox), and I've come across NO screen tearing whatsoever.
    Maybe you are getting confused with framerate drops? Or maybe it's because I'm playing in HD that I'm not getting any probs, but then I would've thought that played in HD would actually make the problem worse.

    I'm playing in HD and I've had tearing on plenty of occasions. Maybe you've just not noticed it?
    Edited by 1 at 22/10/06 @ 14:32

  • Eighthours #103 5 years ago


    Bollocks. I know exactly what screen tearing is (about half of the 360 games have had it to my experience and first experienced it in Serious Sam on Xbox), and I've come across NO screen tearing whatsoever.
    Maybe you are getting confused with framerate drops? Or maybe it's because I'm playing in HD that I'm not getting any probs, but then I would've thought that played in HD would actually make the problem worse.

    Not bollocks at all, I'm afraid. I'm playing it at 720p through component on a Samsung HDTV, and there's absolutely loads of tearing. Just stand still and turn the camera at a medium speed in one of the more visually demanding levels. This was also a problem in TDU and various other 360 games that don't have VSync enabled.

  • Knot #104 5 years ago

    Aaargh ! Still no PC version ! due on Nov 2nd !??? Hope it will feature less bugs and better framerates !

  • Xerx3s #105 5 years ago

    Maybe Ubisoft will try it one of these days then.

    hey, here is an idea: If you can make a better game, why don't you do so? Must be really good games if they mop the floor with 90%+ games...

    Oh wait, that's just you trolling again...

  • Dizzy #106 5 years ago

    Ok .. After this review I got the game yesterday and have played a few online games and 2 first missions and I am impressed. Spot on review IMHO. A very nice 9.

  • viperfoxbat #107 5 years ago

    I can't wait to get this game myself but will have to wait untill later on because it's not long before Gears of War will be out. I can't buy alot of games within one month at current prices. This game and RB6:Vegas along with many others coming is going to put a hurting on my wallet. :(

  • Der_tolle_Emil #108 5 years ago

    Damn Christmas. I played PGR3 for ages, and everything was fine. No need to spend money, enough time for PGR3. Then came Lego Starwars II, Dead Rising and Test Drive Unlimited on the very same day. My wallet was crying - luckily I was on a three week vacation starting with this huge release day and thus had enough time to play them all, but not as much as I wanted to. Then Doom on Arcade got me, and now a surprisingly good multiplayer demo plus this review convince me of buying this.

    I bet tomorrow's RB6 demo forces me to buy it too. I am just happy that I am not really interested in Gears of War. But maybe it will be the same with GoW as it was with Splinter Cell and RB6 and I just have to have it. Which is bad because I am very interested in Viva Piñata too. Not to forget the Wii launch.

    Argh, I need more time.
    Edited by 3 at 22/10/06 @ 21:34

  • Xerx3s #109 5 years ago

    Need more money.


    /gold please

  • The-Bodybuilder #110 5 years ago

    >" EA, take note: It IS possible to make good non generic, non chav games and still make a profit."

    of course EA are taking notes. But the only notes they have is that ubi is making money (they can't see how), and that's why they wann buy them out.

  • PS3lol #111 5 years ago

    Playing through Chos Theory until I get this next week. Chaos Theory is so damn good, I forgot just how great it really is.

    I think as I'm getting older I'm starting to like Splinter cell more and more, it's edging out MGS for me as the best stealth series.

  • Chewy #112 5 years ago

    I've just started playing Oblivion! No bloody time for this! Then GoW is coming along! Damn you! ;-)

  • asphaltcowboy #113 5 years ago

    Well, I bought it in HMV yesterday (for £39.95 - is this going to be their new price point for next-gen games?) and spent the rest of the afternoon/evening completing the last few levels of SC:CT on PC which I hadn't entirely finished! Got enough time to play training level 1 before work... I've just got in and I want to go hooooome! :(

  • whome #114 5 years ago

    I see plenty of tearing in HD, dont really see how anyone can not notice it tbh??

    never really bothered me that much though, still a v good game.

  • Stormflood #115 5 years ago

    I absolutely love this game, but there's shit loads of tearing, and the framerate isn't great either. I'm on a 720p HDTV too.

  • krudster #116 5 years ago

    Tried with the save-load problem again last night and timed it at this:

    -85 seconds to access the save menu
    -Same to access the load menu
    -About 70 seconds to physically load a saved game unless it's "load last save/checkpoint" - in which case it's 5-7 seconds.

    I even moved a save game to a memory card in case it was the hard disk, and had the exact same issues. This 360 is brand new, and it was exactly the same with an older 360.

    Regarding v-sync tearing - there's a minor amount in this (nothing like Saints Row) but nothing that really had me worried. I'd say it's somewhat TV dependent, with some people screaming about it, others hardly noticing it.

  • belziah #117 5 years ago

    has anyone else noticed the game crashing when attempting to hack a machine. its happened to me on several occasion, particulary when trying to open the safe on the tanker.

  • Fatnick #118 5 years ago

    I'm playing on a 19 inch widescreen monitor. Screen Tearing agogo :(

    The game is good though.

  • Darren #119 5 years ago

    I always thought that if a game has any vertical synchronisation issues then it'll exhibit signs of tearing regardless of whether you play it on an LCD or Plasma HDTV but will be less noticeable on a standard definition TV as screen resolution affects it. It's an issue caused by the game overloading the frame buffer with more frames than it can display and nothing to do with the TV itself. When did you ever see Eastenders or Lost tear? /wink

    I think the fact that not everyone complains about it is purely down to the fact that not everyone notices it or knows what it is plus it's dependent on far you sit away from the screen.

  • whome #120 5 years ago

    @ Krudster - load times sound the same as mine, only thing that is fast is load last save, anything else takes well over a minute.

  • krudster #121 5 years ago

    Thank god, someone finally has the same issue. Anyone else? Surely I can't be the only one.

  • Crea #122 5 years ago

    I've noticed it getting worse as I've gone on. Load last save and last checkpoint is always quick, so it doesn't bother me too much (although like you say you occasionally wish to load a less recent save).

    After recalling a similiar experience with Oblivion, where load and save times began to really ramp up once I had an absolute pile of saves, I'm wondering if it's somehow related to the number of saves you have and this semi-mythical HD defrag issue people keep talking about.

  • lennon #123 5 years ago

    Loading a level takes an age. Loading a save takes around 30 seconds and a checkpoint load is virtually instant.

    Havent noticed many screen tear issues myself but I think I did spot it happen once but it hasnt affected my experience of the game.

  • PS3lol #124 5 years ago

    Chaos Theory has screen tearing as well, I'm used to it.

    It's not rampant in the game so why worry?.

  • krudster #125 5 years ago

    For reference, I ended up with about 78 save games. Maybe the answer is to keep the number of saves to a minimum, overwriting as you go.

  • polymorph #126 5 years ago

    Just my 2 pence worth. Vsync tearing, ok im only on the first jba mission as we speak, but i have seen none so far, and before anyone says other wise i know what it is, saints row is bad with it, but as someone else said earlier maybe its down to how different HDTV,S update the screen(like gaming lag maybe)? Load times on mine pretty good, KRUDSTER has a problem, maybe its the actual game disc not the 360, i only have about 6 gig left on my drive and have had close to 50 games through mine aswel (including live arcade).

    What actually constitutes a game save, is it saving from ram or a paticular part on the game disc?

  • whome #127 5 years ago

    maybe I'll try with fewer saves later and see how it compares, though TBH I dont remember it being that fast when I started the game....

  • jamesbee #128 5 years ago

    No question it's to do with the game saves, I saved about 15 in total. As I went on the time to list the saves grew, tho, never more than about 5 seconds or so to list them. 78 saves would definatly cause some problems in my experience.

    Oh, and, what a graphics engine, amazing that it's still looking so good. The final level in particular has some amazing lighting and scenery. Did everyone here get the 'best ending?' What a nice looking level!!

  • Crea #129 5 years ago

    What I love about the game is that you can really see the roots of where Ubisoft are going with Assassins Creed - all the context sensitive movements, where Sam seems to react to obstacles in the environment in a very contextually appropriate manner.

    It's clear that Assasins Creed takes this to the next level, where even more of the environment is 'contextualised' (is that a word?) properly. I think it's great, but it must be absolutely horrendous to level-design. Must place a great burden on level designers and particularly animators.

    Unless its being done via a clever procedural system, but I suspect not.

  • jimbob101 #130 5 years ago

    How does the orignial Xbox version compare? Unlike MS and a lot of the gaming media seem to think not everyone has bought in to the next gen yet. Ubisoft seem to have remembered though.

  • PS3lol #131 5 years ago

    The Xbox version is missing a few things fromt he next gen version, like the interactive cut scenes. No longer do you control Sam in the sky dive, thingls like that.

    So I hear, I haven't played it.

  • haowan #132 5 years ago

    PS3lol, you are on Global Ignore and nobody can read your posts. You're wasting your time.

  • darkbhudda #133 5 years ago

    78 save games?

    Almost every game I've played on any platform has load and save time issues with large numbers of saves. Yet you made it sound like it was a problem unique to the game.

    Now I know why people hurl abuse at reviewers.

  • Bili #134 5 years ago

    I guess someone is Depeche Mode fan here :)
    Maybe NIN titled review nextime, anyone?

  • Obiwanshinobi #135 3 years ago

    I guess someone is Depeche Mode fan here :)
    Maybe NIN titled review nextime, anyone?
    Then what? Modern Talking?