It’s been a long time since fans last saw Sam Fisher in action. Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory is the most recent instalment in the stealth-action series, reintroducing players to Third Echelon.
The game is rated M (for mature) and returns to the franchise’s roots. The lighting and shadows are fantastically rendered and the experience of slipping through environments while avoiding detection is still very rewarding.
Stealth
The game introduces a variety of improvements to the franchise’s basic stealth gameplay. Among these are the ability to use Sam’s combat knife during interrogations and close-quarters combat, as well as the option to kill enemies rather than knock them out in order to take them captive. Other changes include an improved aural monitor that more accurately measures the noise Sam makes, and the addition of ragdoll physics when using his grappling hook.
The aural monitor also indicates how close enemy guards are to Sam. In addition, a new radar displays nearby patrols and stationary guards as well as active alarms.
In addition to a single-player campaign, Chaos Theory features competitive and cooperative multiplayer. The latter allows two players to play as a pair of rookie Splinter Cell agents in training, who must complete a seven-mission story mode that parallels the single-player campaign. Michael Ironside reprises his role as Sam Fisher, while Don Jordan returns as Third Echelon director Irving Lambert and Claudia Besso as hacker Anna Grimsdottir.
Action
As with previous games in the series, the action in Chaos Theory is a major part of gameplay. This time, the NSA’s Shadownet division deploys two agents in training to counter a worldwide crisis and challenge Sam Fisher. This game includes a cooperative campaign and an exclusive VS mode that expands gameplay by challenging players to compete against each other.
Unlike previous installments, Chaos Theory allows Fisher to kill civilians and enemies he interrogates instead of knocking them out. This gives the game a darker tone and caused the ESRB to rate it an M.
The graphics in the game are significantly improved over previous installments. The game uses normal mapping, HDR lighting, parallax mapping, refraction, and water and heat distortion. It also uses ragdoll physics for characters and is the first to use it in the series. The soundtrack is composed by Amon Tobin and Jesper Kyd. In one mission, two guards mention a new Prince of Persia video game that was released the same year as Chaos Theory, a reference to another Ubisoft game.
Co-op
In a first for the series, players could work with a friend in co-op to complete missions. This version of the game also introduced more gameplay options and improved graphics, such as parallax mapping, normal mapping, refraction, and heat distortion.
Chaos Theory further refined the stealth system, adding a combat knife that Sam can use for interrogation or killing enemies in close-quarters combat. It also added a variety of new augmentations to Sam’s abilities, including the ability to grab an enemy from a ledge and choke him out while hanging upside down.
The game’s graphics were highly praised by critics, with GameSpot’s Greg Kasavin describing them as “some of the most lifelike to date.” The soundtrack features songs by the band Kesshin. The Drift’s aural monitor allows the player to hear the noise Sam is making and the ambient sounds of the environment around him. It also provides a stealth meter that indicates how visible Sam is to nearby enemies.
Graphics
The game’s graphics are considered by many to be the best in the series. A variety of enhancements are introduced in Chaos Theory including ragdoll physics, normal mapping, high dynamic range lighting, parallax mapping, and refraction effects such as water and heat distortion. The game also features a number of camera effects such as shake, zoom and head tracking.
The soundtrack to the game was composed by Amon Tobin and Jesper Kyd. The CD is available for purchase and contains music from the game as well as some of the cinematics.
The game was a critical success, being named Xbox “Game of the Year” in 2005. A remade version for the Nintendo 3DS was released as Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory 3D. The original PS2 and GCN versions of the game are included as part of Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Trilogy on PlayStation 3. A non-playable arcade cabinet in Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Vegas references the lighted SC-20K and Multi-Vision Goggles of Chaos Theory.
