Can I Get A Reload?: Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory

Recently, I've found myself replaying a few of the older games in my collection, a situation that has arisen out of a mixture of boredom and the fact that my PC lacks the oomph to run anything post 2007 at an acceptable standard. It's been quite an interesting experience, revisiting titles that I remember were fantastic in their day and seeing how they've stood the test of time.

Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory (2005): Upon starting this one up the first time round, I remember initially feeling disappointment because of the way it felt so different to Splinter Cell and Pandora Tomorrow. Having spent the previous two weeks sneaking my way through the first two titles in the series, I wasn't quite ready for the change of tempo offered by Chaos Theory. Mostly, however, my initial distaste was down to the fact that the new Unreal 2.5 engine seemed to give Sam Fisher et al. stupid fat faces. However, my reservations quickly ceased to be once I found myself immersed in the game proper.

Although Sam seemed to have become less a secret agent and more a super soldier, the game was all the better for it. Stealth and action were balanced perfectly, and because the "Three alarms and you're out" rule was gone, it became possible to shoot your way through levels if you got frustrated with the "sneak-grab-interrogate-stab in throat-hide body" formula. Although adopting this approach still usually ends up with President Palmer* yelling at you, several of the levels set in war zones actually encourage this sort of noisey and generally antisocial behaviour, which breaks up the sneaking and knifing nicely.

Having said that, I still rarely used the SC-20K rifle, which makes you wonder why Sam bothers bringing such a clunky piece of gear with him on all his top secret missions. I struggled to finish the first Splinter Cell, mainly because by the end I was getting bored, but whilst playing CT, this tedium never seemed to set in and the game kept me playing right up to the end.

So how does the game stand up on the replay? Well, I can report that CT is still a magnificently cinematic experience. The game itself still looks lovely (apart from the previously mentioned fat face issue) and it plays fantastically. The techno-thriller storyline chugs along like one of the good series of 24 and the Amon Tobin soundtrack remains as suitably vicious as ever (it's remained a constant fixture on my MP3 since 2005).

When compared to the buggy, poorly optimised mess that was 2006's Splinter Cell: Double Agent, CT stands out as even more impressive. A thoroughly great game, well deserving of a replay or even a first time run through for anyone who missed out on it previously.

The next entry in the Splinter Cell series, Conviction, seems to be heading in a new, more Deus Exy sand-box direction, which could be a good thing although it'll have to be very impressive in order to reach the lofty heights of Chaos Theory.

*Actually Dennis Haysbert only voiced Lambert in Pandora Tomorrow.