Includes even more traps for Sam, and will require you to move slowly through each level. A must-own.

Every time I boot up Splinter Cell, I think only one thought: “Why didn’t I have Sam Fisher’s gadgets when I was sixteen years old and trying to sneak out late at night?”

The original Splinter Cell turned the action-stealth genre on its ear when it made its XBOX debut. No longer were gamers relegated to playing only the Metal Gear series for sneaking fun.

In addition to having spectacular graphics and lighting effects, the game play was terrific for conveying that super secret-agent feel.

Ubi-Soft has just released Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow and I think gamers are going to be really happy with the new title.

Although we can’t really say that this is the next true evolution in the Splinter Cell series, we can honestly tell you that there are enough game play tweaks to warrant a new purchase.

First off let’s talk looks. The initial title was beautiful for its time, and still holds its own against most of the other titles on the XBOX, save for Ninja Gaiden.

Pandora Tomorrow looks terrific, but those of you who are looking for a quantum leap in graphics may not be wowed like the first time you played the original. Basically, the player models are the same as they were before. The night vision still looks similar, as does the thermal vision.

Has there been any improvement you ask? Yes, on some fronts. Most notable is when Sam is wading through high weeds and shallow lakes. These new elements look fabulous and give the feeling that the developer is teasing us with what’s in store for the true Splinter Cell sequel.

The settings and backgrounds are very reminiscent of the first Splinter Cell, with awesome lighting effects such as lanterns streaming through cracks in the walls and the occasional flames from burning fires.

Overall, Pandora Tomorrow looks solid. Don’t be fooled into thinking that this is the best the developer could do. This is really more of a title to tide us over while we wait for the sequel. Fans will not be overwhelmed, but they certainly shouldn’t be disappointed.

The game play this time around is also in the mold of the original. This is not a bad thing, because the first title was superior to any other action title on the market at that time. Pandora Tomorrow delivers much the same in the single player experience with a few extras.

The game is still presented from a third person perspective, and Sam still has his hand weapons and gadgets to aid in each mission. Some of these add a much needed breath of fresh air to make this seem like a totally new game play experience, particularly in online play, which we will discuss later.

Sam has been given some new moves, which are very helpful in tight situations. These include an improved split jump, a new half split jump for smaller corridors, a half split jump / jump to reach higher areas. There are a myriad of other moves as well, but I’m not one to spoil the surprise.

The most impressive of the new moves has to be the SWAT turn. If Sam is peaking around a corner, a quick tap of the A button will allow him to perform a highly trained Special Forces spin that allows you to slip undetected around corners.

On the weapons and gadgets front, there is SC-20K bull-pup assault rifle and Sam’s handy silenced pistol. He’s again equipped with an assortment of sticky shockers, sticky cameras, gas grenades, and flashbangs.

The single player experience is excellent, but the true value in Pandora Tomorrow is its XBOX live compatibility. Not only will there be future downloadable content, but gamers can play two on two in what has to be the most intense experience this side of Rainbow Six 3.

The way it’s set up is that two individuals play as spies (like Sam Fisher), whose jobs are to infiltrate areas in the map and steal test tubes or other items. The other two players take on the role of mercenaries who patrol the area to keep the infiltrators from completing their mission.

The true beauty of this experience is on two fronts. First off, the sessions are much longer than what you see in normal online games. Trust me when I tell you that the 30 second Counter Strike rounds that some of you are used to will play no part in this game.

The second is that the spies and mercenaries are balanced to the point that no one particular side will dominate. Spies don’t have any lethal firearms, and can only kill with choke holds. They can however, use sticky shockers to neutralize their foes. Add to that spy bullets (for marking the enemy so they will appear on your teammate’s radar), flashbangs, smoke grenades and noise emitters.

Mercenaries are equipped with lethal assault rifles, spy traps, mines and tazers. While spies have the night vision and thermal vision, mercenaries have the motion vision that allows for quick targeting of nearby intruders.

There are other gadgets as well, but suffice to say that there is plenty of room for strategy and the online play itself appears to run very smoothly. Those with XBOX live will most certainly plunk down the cash just for the online options, and I can personally vouch that it is well worth the money.

The bottom line is that this game is incredibly fun and will keep gamers entertained for weeks with the single player and online gaming options.

The one thing that I will caution gamers on is that the single player missions still require a tremendous amount of trial and error. Some were turned off by this in the first title and, if possible, this one might just be a little more difficult.

This offering includes even more traps for Sam and will require you to really move slowly through each level. This is a small quibble compared to the overall package though, so don’t let this keep you from purchasing the game.

Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow is a solid and worthy addition to your XBOX library. Those who enjoyed the first outing will no doubt enjoy every second of this stealthy adventure game and Ubi-Soft is to be commended for giving us a quality product.


Review by Michael Harris.