Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Pandora Tomorrow
Does the Gamecube version do the franchise merit? Read on and find out.
Tags: Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Pandora Tomorrow Categories: Game Cube Reviews, Reviews
Posted by David Hinkle on Aug 27th, 2004
| Title | Players | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Pandora Tomorrow (title page) | 1 | ||
| Developer | Publisher | Genre | Online |
| Stealth Action | Yes | ||
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If you’re not familiar with the story in Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow(SC:PT), then you haven’t been reading my other reviews. Just in case you don’t feel like clicking, I’ll give you a brief summary. As with other titles bearing the Tom Clancy insignia, this revolves around international terror and espionage. While not commanding elite troops in this title, players instead take control of Sam Fisher, the best darn spy this great country of ours has (assuming you are from America – otherwise… well, you get the idea). In the year 2006, a newly-formed democratic nation of Timur is occupied by America, who in turn installs a military base to help train the troops there. A guerilla leader named Suhadi Sadono, acting on behalf of many top officials in the Indonesian government, violently occupies the American Embassy taking many hostage. Sam is sent in to destroy vital information housed on an employee’s computer and is thus catapulted into a situation much larger involving an experimental bioweapon and the possible end of the free world.
This port of SC:PT hits the GameCube with an even more watered down version than that of the PS2. With lack of Multiplayer, and some major graphical flaws, this is by far the worst version of the game. If all you own is a Gamecube then you’d be better off shelling out the money to get another system to try this title, because frankly, you’re missing too much. Hey, at least the sound transitioned nicely.
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It may not be Dolby Digital sound, but it’s still pretty good. From the short, tension-building loop tracks in the background, to the frenzied screams of a squad of guards being fired upon from the shadows, almost every sound is recreated faithfully from the PC and Xbox versions. While nice, this is pretty much the only positive thing to be said about this game.
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Sure, the single-player campaign is great gameplay on its own, but for how long it took to hit the GameCube its just too little, too late. Speaking of long, be prepared to sit through several long loading screens and many more checkpoints than in the original version of the game. All the missions are here (including an extra jungle mission), along with the ability to connect the Game Boy Advance for some shallow cosmetic features (displays a map, lets you access turrets and other switches through it, etc…). While a tad bit shorter than the first Splinter Cell, you will be exploring more exotic locales and not be confined to building after building. All the original members of Sam’s team also reprise their roles, along with a few new characters.
The biggest surprise in this title is how well the controls are, given the GameCube controller has less buttons and is oddly shaped when compared to the Xbox and PS2. Everything is spot on though, feels comfortable, and reacts when you want it to. If you’ve played any of the other versions, picking this up and playing it will be no problem at all.
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The graphics in this game are a minor step below that of the Xbox and PC version. The biggest fault you’ll notice is the framerate issues. In locations with many things going on you’ll notice issues. I mean, in the very first scenario of the very first mission you’ll notice it within 10 seconds of playing, it’s that bad! Besides this, there is no good light definition which causes the problems with the PS2 version’s lighting system to arise. Even if it looks like you’re totally in the shadows, you’re detection meter in the bottom right-hand corner will show you aren’t. This is the type of thing that immediately takes you out of that immersive environment. Other than these flaws, it still looks a bit better than the PS2 version(which is best noticed while wearing the thermal goggles).
While an excellent story, and pretty much the best stealth action title you can get your hands on, this version doesn’t do it any justice at all. Cutting out the multiplayer was not the wisest decision, as it is pretty much all the replay value. The bombardment of checkpoints and loading screens make it the kid picked last for all the recess games.
NOTE: The screens used in this review are not from the GameCube version of the game.
| What Works | Score |
|---|---|
|
+ Story + Gameplay + Controller |
6.0 |
| What Doesn't | |
|
- Slowdown - Lack of Multiplayer! - Loading times - Checkpoints |
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| Under the Shrink-wrap | |
| Pretty much the Cadillac of stealth titles, Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow is an excellent title and worthy of the Tom Clancy name. This version, however, is not...maybe if it was cheaper than 50 bucks. | |
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Tags: Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Pandora Tomorrow
Posted by David Hinkle on Aug 27th, 2004 and is filed under Game Cube Reviews, Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can post a comment, or trackback from your own site.
