| Introduction
Splinter Cell for the X-Box was a big chart topping
hit for Microsoft late last year. At that time, it was
an exclusive X-Box only title and seemed unlikely to
appear on any other console. Well, despite the wait,
the good news is that Splinter Cell is now available
for the GBA. As usual, GBA owners in Europe had to wait
a little longer for the game because of Ubi Soft's desire
to capitalize on the linked-play features by releasing
both the GBA and GameCube versions at the same time.
While this is good marketing for the publisher, there
is still the usual concern by players as to whether
the console version would be successfully reproduced
on the GBA. After all, 3D games are generally watered
down to a 2D environment when it appears on the GBA
and worse still, rarely possess all of the features
and game elements of the original. Ubi Soft, however,
did a wonderful job with the last Rayman port and so
it's hopeful that they'll do it again with Splinter
Cell.
GamePlay
In the game, you assume the role of Sam Fisher, one
of the NSA's top agents, tasked to recover two CIA agents
who have vanished in the former Soviet Republic of Georgia.
Before each level in the game, you're given a list of
objectives to complete. This usually includes hacking
a computer or placing a bugging device. As the game
is rather linear, (and also a side-scroller where you
can only move forward and backward) you won't have to
worry too much about backtracking or completing your
objectives in a certain sequence. When you complete
a level, you will be given a final score and your success
rate as a percentage.
In Splinter Cell, stealth is very important, and
just like the console version, plays a big part in completing
the game on the GBA. As such, you can't simply go running
around and shooting everyone in sight. If you do that,
the alarm will sound and you'll find yourself surrounded
by enemies. Don't worry though, you'll have some nifty
gadgets to help you. The most useful of these is the
Sticky Camera, which not only allows you to see greater
distances but also indicates the sweep paths of surveillance
cameras.
Also, if two guards are standing together, it's usually
easier to use a smoke canister, while patrolling guards
can be knocked out with a grenade when their backs are
to you. Another good stealth gadget is the thermal and
night vision goggles, which are really helpful not only
in the regular sections but also in those areas where
you'll have to negotiate some tricky laser triggered
alarm systems.
Aside from the standard running, jumping and shooting
fare in the side scrolling part of the game, you'll
also be challenged to complete some 'Silent Scope' styled
sections. It's not all about disposing of guards, however,
as the first level of this section actually involves
you taking pictures of suspects for evidence. For even
more variety, there are also puzzles to solve. The puzzles
mostly concern lock-picking and gun-disabling, which
must be completed in a certain time. The later levels
include the same puzzles, but with even tighter time
constraints. Generally, if you fail to complete a puzzle
in time, you'll trigger an alarm and become the focus
of every guard in your immediate area.
Control
To understand the varied controls in Splinter Cell,
a trip to the Training Area is recommended. Here, you'll
be given a rundown of the basic controls and how to
use the various stealth gadgets. Unfortunately, the
explanations aren't nearly as helpful as it could have
been and much of it will depend on your own interpretation.
I'm happy to report though that control system is actually
very good. Once you get used to it, you'll find that
it'll be simple indeed to make Sam Fisher perform all
his impressive moves in both combat and stealth modes.
To make things even easier, 'quick keys' are also available.
Basically, these keys are short cuts that you can use
to change a weapon or gadget without having to access
the inventory menu.
Graphics
Splinter Cell is undoubtedly one of the better looking
games currently available on the GBA. The environments
are richly detailed and work well to create the required
atmosphere. There's also some nice use of the GBA's
graphic hardware with plenty of multi-parallax scrolling
and smoke effects around every corner. In the game,
each section is preceded by a title page with text rather
than cut-screens to push the plot along. The highlight
though is Sam Fisher himself, whose character animation
is both smooth and varied regardless of the task at
hand. An example of the cool graphic effects is when
Sam moves slowly into the shadows to hide from the guards
and then eventually becomes invisible. Nice!
Sound & Music
Splinter Cell has a great musical score, one that
suitably evokes tension and the heart thumping fear
that something is about to happen. The samples are good
too, with the guards muttering a very Metal Gear Solid
styled 'hey' whenever you're unlucky enough to be spotted
by them. This is all accompanied by some very clear
sound effects such as guns and explosions, which enhances
rather than drowns everything else in the game.
Final Comments
The developers have done a fine job with Splinter
Cell's conversion to the GBA, despite the 2D downgrade
and overall miniaturization. Every aspect of the game
is extremely slick in presentation and the attention
to detail is admirable. Unfortunately, it's not as stealth
based as the console version, maybe because of the GBA's
hardware limitations, nor is it as realistic and brutal
as the original, mainly because it's now targeted at
a younger audience. Still, it's a good game with good
variety and plenty of extras to unlock via the GameCube's
linked-play features.
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