Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow

Take control of stealth operative Sam Fisher once again in Pandora Tomorrow. Too bad UbiSoft let a crash bug slip through QA.

Innovative, original, and refreshing are all ways to describe a truly rewarding gaming experience. The first Splinter Cell certainly fell into that category, and in a time full of dull sequels and predictable franchises, the same endorsement can be bestowed on Pandora Tomorrow. Yes, this Splinter Cell follow-up is that good.

Advanced International Relations
Pandora Tomorrow, at the very least, retains all of what made the original Splinter Cell so successful and fun to play. The story is again captivating, and it?s set within the Tom Clancy world, making it seem believable and authentic in today?s struggle against terrorist threats. This time, you guide National Security Agency agent Sam Fisher on a hunt for a nutcase who?s threatening the U.S. with a biological weapon. To stop him and his demented gang of cohorts, Sam uses the same inventory of deadly and nonlethal devices. Even his acrobatic skills like silently gliding down zip lines or hanging stealthily from overhead beams remain in his repertoire. As in the original, the game?s visual presentation is again jaw-droppingly gorgeous, filled with lots of detail, cool light and shadow effects, and superb character animations.

The subtle gameplay improvements, however, are what make Pandora Tomorrow excel as more than just a solid sequel. Large levels with well-placed save points (a feature lacking in the first Splinter Cell) make the flow of the game seem much smoother. Environments now include a nice balance between indoor and outdoor areas, and multiple paths break up the linear feel of the original. A creative alarm system where enemies upgrade their defenses each time they detect your presence is ingenious and adds depth to the gameplay.

The game now fully utilizes Sam?s equipment and smooth moves, too. On his first mission, one of the largest criticisms was that much of his tumbling and slick gadgetry weren?t really necessary to get through the game. This time, however, even the sticky camera is an important piece of equipment to use, plus the split jump has been refined so you can use it to reach higher places. Using night vision and thermal goggles also plays a bigger part in Sam?s tactics.

Tomorrow Is Today?s Standard
The gameplay is further enhanced with Pandora Tomorrow?s imaginative multiplayer game. Players need only to choose two sides. As a spy, you must infiltrate areas and complete particular objectives in a third-person view. You use the same techniques as Sam Fisher, except that your entire arsenal is nonlethal. As a mercenary, your job is to hunt the spies in a first-person view. You?re equipped with a variety of lethal weaponry, but you can?t climb up poles or hang from beams like the spies. This is a clever way of using the essence of the single-player Splinter Cell and turning it into an addictive multiplayer game.

Even if you didn?t play the first Splinter Cell, you shouldn?t hesitate to pick up Pandora Tomorrow. It?s an unbelievable adventure that successfully ups its Splinter Cell reputation to an even higher standard of unforgettable action.

*Editor's Note:
The shipping version of Pandora Tomorrow has a bug in the Xbox Live implementation which causes the game to crash if you select Optimatch for more than 10-15 seconds. UbiSoft has promised to issue a patch via Live. Once patched, our 5.0 rating stands, without the patch Pandora Tomorrow has a Fun Factor of 4.5. After all, crash bugs are no fun!

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AntiAmericanArmy

To put it simple... Gamepro gave this game a 5.0 in fun factor and then give the best Splinter Cell game ever a 4.5 in fun factor. What Splinter Cell is that? Well Chaos Theroy of corse! This game had A LOT of problems, that Chaos Theroy did not have. But what do I know I just played the games???

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