Splinter Cell: Double Agent (GameCube) Preview

The whole premise behind SC: DA is deliciously dark and full of promise. Essentially Sam's life has gone a bit tits up and as a result he's taken on a mission that'll see him take on a new life for a while, he will be infiltrating John Brown's Army (JBA). JBA are an American based terrorist agency and rumours are abound that they are planning a much larger attack than previously attempted by them. So Sam is sent in to liase with fellow double agent Hisham Hamza and to disrupt John Brown's Army as much as possible... or at least that's the plan. It's really down to you.
You see, this game hands the incentive to the gamer more than any of the previous games of the series with multiple endings and gameplay objectives dependant on how you act as a double agent. You won't always have the NSA barking orders in your ears, discretion is required and you have a choice of how to act at all times. Follow the terrorists too often and the NSA will start withdrawing support, information and weapons. Slaughter loads of terrorists and botch their plans and the NSA will certainly be happy campers. However your standing within the terrorist organisation will be abruptly halted and your cover may even be blown. Who knows, even your relationships with other terrorists could be affected...and Sam wouldn't be happy if a certain lady in the organisation went off you now would she. This is shown by a "trust meter" on your screen that essentially looks like the gas tank meter with a needle in the middle and each side representing the NSA and JBA. Obey NSA and the needle will swing in their favour, don't and it'll fly towards terrorist town. Combine this with multiple endings and non-linear plotlines and you have the most open-ended stealth game getting even more open-ended.

The classic gameplay is still intact but has been tweaked oh so slightly and this is based from actual testimonies Ubisoft have taken from former double agents. If anything this heightens the stealth aspect of the game as you will be hiding from so many more enemies and at the same time making sure certain people show you nail your colours to the mast. The main problem for Sam will be if the authorities spot him acting as a terrorist or if the terrorists see him acting as a splinter cell, so you have to be constantly aware of whom to trust and when.
Of course to be a good double agent Sam will need his skills to be finely honed and as a result SC: DA features all your old favourites as well as quite a few new moves for you to implement against the bad and good guys. Breaking locks with knives, smashing through ice and glass to get to enemies and new ledge kills are just a small selection of what promises to be a small truckload of new moves to play with. One of the criticisms levelled at Chaos Theory was that it was easier to play through without using split jumps or any other of the moves, so Ubisoft are claiming that the stages are now made with moves in mind and you will have to make use of Sam's skills to proceed.

Aside from that gameplay isn't changing hugely. It's still an objective based game combining stealth and force except that it's been expanded in an effort to keep up with the competition. Kills are now a great deal more imaginative than they were in the past with the sticky shocker in particular being truly integrated in the environment. Is your enemy standing in a puddle...well I think you get the rest. Your weapons can even trip things like sprinklers to distract the enemies, and wet enemies can be fun with a sticky shocker as well.
The game also relies a bit more heavily on set pieces for dramatic purposes. An example being shown off is set in a building that's being bombed, periodically the lights will be hit and that is when you have to act and take out enemies in the cover of darkness. You will also get some mini game based segments, for example Sam has to parachute onto a tanker at one point. You control the descent directly, but mess it up and the parachute becomes tangled. You then get presented with button presses that you have to do to save the day, it's a very minor touch but makes the game that bit more cinematic and brings it closer to the Metal Gear series in that respect.

This generation of consoles marked the great battle between the tactical espionage action games and it was largely agreed that Metal Gear Solid was the most cinematic and Splinter Cell had the best stealth action. However this game could mark the turn of the tide in favour of Splinter Cell with a fantastic concept backed up by improved gameplay, cinematic set piece moments and all neatly rounded off by the trademark slick graphics and soundtrack. A late contender for game of the generation could be on the cards, and this is shaping up to be a superb swansong for the GameCube.