After missing my chance to play the game at the E3, I finally got around to sitting down (well, actually, I was standing up) and playing the 360 version of Splinter Cell: Double Agent.

After Pandora's Tomorrow and especially after Chaos Theory I somewhat lost interest in the Splinter Cell franchise. I must say though that Double Agent promises to bring the kind of single player features that I'd expect to see in a proper game sequel.

First of all, the game does look pretty amazing. I was able to play one of the daylight missions. This is also the same mission that was shown at the E3 I believe. The environments look incredibly detailed, and one other thing that I've noticed right off the bat is the level of detail on Sam Fisher's bald head. Yep, you read that right. The textures are so crisp (even on the 360) that you can see scar marks on his short, short hair (Sam hasn't shaved in a couple of days obviously).

Moving on to the game interface, another thing that I've noticed is the complete lack of it. Actually, hitting a button, you will bring up the ole' command menu, reworked so that it looks like a watch interface. But the actual game screen is devoid of any information, save for one little light in the lower left corner and a mission objective reminder. The little light in the corner of the screen is also reflected on a blinker mounted on Sam's back, so there's really no way of missing it.

This little light will essentially tell you everything about the environment. Green means that you're in the clear, yellow means that you are likely going to get spotted, blinking yellow is code orange so to speak, and red is, well... busted, punk!

It's amazing how this sleek little interface works in the game. It's extremely intuitive and what's more, completely non-intrusive, allowing you to fully immerse yourself in the game.

Given the fact that the mission took place during daytime, shadows didn't play that much of a role in my attempts to remain undetected. Instead, I had to use a lot of cover and higher grounds (use building roofs, stuff like that). The Ubisoft guy that was demoing the game for me explained that the developers decided to use effects like fog, rain, ice and snow to try and compensate for a lack of the customary Splinter Cell shadows. About 30 percent of the missions, according to him, take place in the classic dimly lit SC settings, while the rest will take place in the new type of settings.

This is truly refreshing for the franchise, as, obviously, even Ubisoft realized that everyone was getting a little sick of the same old routine.

Finally, seeing how Sam is a double agent in this game, the Ubi guy showed me how your choices in game might decide the outcome of the mission, as well as the level of trust you gain with each side of the mission. I had to decide whether to interfere and save a bunch of civilians from certain death, or carry on with my mission, not compromising my cover, or gaining too many brownie points with the good guys. Being too close to one of the sides will inevitably lead to failure. In turn, this means that sometimes you will be absolutely forced to not play the good guy, so as not to blow your cover. Pretty neat concept if you ask me.

The level design looked a lot more expansive and natural than in, say, Pandora's Tomorrow. I didn't feel like I was running into invisible walls left and right. Instead, my movement through the level felt quite smooth.

Another piece of good news is that the AI was smart enough to navigate its environment properly. I entered the ground floor of a tattered house and before you know it, the light was blinking red and I was being shot at by a bad guy. After a few seconds I noticed he was shooting at me from the second floor. After he lost the proper angle on his target (me), he ran down the nearby stairs where he caught up with me and killed me. Good job, bad guy.

Of course, I only played one level of the game, but it looks like Ubisoft is on the right track with this one.

-- Uros '2Lions' Jojic

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Sam is back in action!

Who said you need shadows to kill bad guys?

	Absmas	[mail] Sep 03 2009, 12:00 am EDT
	Reply Wtf is "Pandora's Directive" ??? There is a Pandora's Tomorrow. Hmm......beer and "killer" german babes getting to you 2lions?

	FesterSilently	[mail] Sep 03 2009, 12:00 am EDT
	Reply Yah - what he said. *I* thought I'd missed a console version or something! Humph. Fester Out.

	Absmas	[mail] Sep 03 2009, 12:00 am EDT
	Reply Oh makes us look stupid now dosent it?? At least you corrected it. P.s. Try some of that Apple bear in Leipzig. Love it!