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Monday, April 04, 2005
Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory
Barb picked up Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory for our Xbox this weekend. She traded in several games we weren't going to play again, managing to both clear our shelves a little and get the latest installment of our favorite game franchise.
For the past week, I've been playing the first Splinter Cell over again, in preparation for playing the sequel Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow (having only gotten three or four levels into it) and finally Chaos Theory. That said, Barb finished Pandora Tomorrow a long time ago and is as devoted a Splinter Cell fan as myself. So we got the new game, which was a good thing - she bought the last copy of the Collector's Edition at the Ala Moana Software Etc.
Splinter Cell is the first console game that completely sucked me in. I remember being thrilled at the demo, shooting out lights to hide in the shadows, sneaking up behind enemies to grab them in a choke hold, split-jumping to hide high above unsuspecting people... I quickly found out there was a history of stealth games, most notably the Metal Gear series (though I found Metar Gear Solid 2 highly disappointing and not truly stealthy), but Splinter Cell moved the genre a quantum leap forward. In our household, it remains the standard by which all other games are compared.
There is a powerful and refined sense of control to playing Splinter Cell hero Sam Fisher that's different from other games. One Xbox critic said it felt like being God, but I'd point out it's different from "God mode". In God mode for games like Doom, you were invulnerable and fully armed with limitless ammo, able to kill and destroy at will while suffering no consequences. (An astute academic I met at a conference opined that the last third of the first Matrix movie was about Neo entering God mode.) I used to play God mode in Doom just to chainsaw everyone to death until I get bored. Splinter Cell has a more ethereal godhood - you know what people around you don't know, you can see (through night vision and infrared) things that other people can't, and you can choose to spare lives instead of killing. You're not tearing through the landscape, wreaking havoc on all that stand in your way - instead, you control the landscape, you manipulate the situation from an unseen perch. It's an extension of the power trip that goes into sniping - and yes, sniping is a part of the game, as well. And for me, at least, it never gets boring.
The Splinter Cell franchise is based on excellent, innovative gameplay, but it has more than that. The graphics are gorgeously state-of-the-art, with lighting effects unlike anything previously seen. The writing and plot is consistently strong in a geopolitically paranoid thriller kind of way. (This is a Tom Clancy game, after all.) Sam Fisher is voiced by one of the great character actors of our time, the inimitable Michael Ironside, with a subdued menace and humor that enhances the game further. On the Xbox, at least, Splinter Cell has never failed to live up to its hype.
While I'm going through the three Xbox Splinter Cell games in order and Barb does Chaos Theory single player in the meanwhile, we can also try something new with Chaos Theory: co-operative play. Pandora Tomorrow initiated an innovative multiplayer mode, but it was best done with four people online. As a result, we both dabbled in it but never really got involved. Chaos Theory has co-operative for two people and it can be played via split-screen, system link, or online. You play as Splinter Cell trainees, not as Sam Fisher, and there are unique move sets which depend on the players working closely together. And while I'll delay Chaos Theory single player until I get the first two games completed (maybe), co-op is a whole other beast and must be played immediately.
I'm not one of those who believe couples should do everything together - as a matter of fact, I'm very possessive about my alone time, which I'm sure irks Barb. But co-op gaming on Splinter Cell is irresistable. In the past, Barb and I played Halo co-op and then moved on to split-screen versus, but she was too competitive for me. When she began talking too much smack, I decided enough was enough. We haven't played Halo together since, if only because it'd make lousy grounds for divorce.
If anything, our mutual love of gaming brings up clear differences in our personalities. I'm not very competitive, Barb is intensely competitive: a bad loser and an even worse winner. I don't have fast reflexes or great hand-eye coordination, Barb does. While I like some shooters, I prefer games where the emphasis is on moving at my own pace, exploring, strategizing. Barb likes games that move fast and have clear paths: shooters like Rainbow Six, platformers like Blinx. Barb is also much more social than me - where she developed a taste for Sims Online and made friends there, I stayed offline with the various Sims expansion packs. I play Halo 2 online but keep my mouth shut; Barb's played Rainbow Six online and chats breezily with whoever else is talking. When I hit a wall and can't get any further on a game, I'll turn it off and walk away until I'm inspired to try again; Barb will just stick with it and keep playing and playing until she finally breaks through.
So we found out quickly that Splinter Cell co-op would have challenges, not just from the game, but from what each of us wants from the game. Barb likes to run-and-gun, I'd rather sneak and wait patiently for the right opportunity. I'm willing to trial-and-error on purpose, running into fatal situations so I can start over and get it right the next time. Barb gets frustrated when she's not sure what's going on in the game; I get frustrated when Barb gets frustrated.
The first level took several hours on-and-off over the weekend to work through. Not only did we have to figure out a typical Splinter Cell level, but we had to do so together. That said, there was a satisfaction in performing the co-op moves: even something as simple as shooting two guards at the same time was enjoyable. The more elaborate moves, including throwing each other into enemies, is a huge kick when done right. And as we got the hang of co-op, we were able to communicate more effectively. Barb prefers having both of us act in synch at all times (both of us shoot out the lights, both of us hunt down the clueless guards), I prefer splitting tasks (she shoots out lights while I prey on the guards spooked by the sudden darkness). We've reached a kind of middle ground, working together when we must but also taking individual initiatives during the exploration of levels. We're also vocalizing as we go along, telling each other what we plan to do instead of just running around and hoping the other person figures out (something I'm very, very guilty of).
It's a shame there are only four co-operative levels to the game. Hopefully, more levels will be made available for download in the near future. It can only do good for our marriage.
For the past week, I've been playing the first Splinter Cell over again, in preparation for playing the sequel Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow (having only gotten three or four levels into it) and finally Chaos Theory. That said, Barb finished Pandora Tomorrow a long time ago and is as devoted a Splinter Cell fan as myself. So we got the new game, which was a good thing - she bought the last copy of the Collector's Edition at the Ala Moana Software Etc.
Splinter Cell is the first console game that completely sucked me in. I remember being thrilled at the demo, shooting out lights to hide in the shadows, sneaking up behind enemies to grab them in a choke hold, split-jumping to hide high above unsuspecting people... I quickly found out there was a history of stealth games, most notably the Metal Gear series (though I found Metar Gear Solid 2 highly disappointing and not truly stealthy), but Splinter Cell moved the genre a quantum leap forward. In our household, it remains the standard by which all other games are compared.
There is a powerful and refined sense of control to playing Splinter Cell hero Sam Fisher that's different from other games. One Xbox critic said it felt like being God, but I'd point out it's different from "God mode". In God mode for games like Doom, you were invulnerable and fully armed with limitless ammo, able to kill and destroy at will while suffering no consequences. (An astute academic I met at a conference opined that the last third of the first Matrix movie was about Neo entering God mode.) I used to play God mode in Doom just to chainsaw everyone to death until I get bored. Splinter Cell has a more ethereal godhood - you know what people around you don't know, you can see (through night vision and infrared) things that other people can't, and you can choose to spare lives instead of killing. You're not tearing through the landscape, wreaking havoc on all that stand in your way - instead, you control the landscape, you manipulate the situation from an unseen perch. It's an extension of the power trip that goes into sniping - and yes, sniping is a part of the game, as well. And for me, at least, it never gets boring.
The Splinter Cell franchise is based on excellent, innovative gameplay, but it has more than that. The graphics are gorgeously state-of-the-art, with lighting effects unlike anything previously seen. The writing and plot is consistently strong in a geopolitically paranoid thriller kind of way. (This is a Tom Clancy game, after all.) Sam Fisher is voiced by one of the great character actors of our time, the inimitable Michael Ironside, with a subdued menace and humor that enhances the game further. On the Xbox, at least, Splinter Cell has never failed to live up to its hype.
While I'm going through the three Xbox Splinter Cell games in order and Barb does Chaos Theory single player in the meanwhile, we can also try something new with Chaos Theory: co-operative play. Pandora Tomorrow initiated an innovative multiplayer mode, but it was best done with four people online. As a result, we both dabbled in it but never really got involved. Chaos Theory has co-operative for two people and it can be played via split-screen, system link, or online. You play as Splinter Cell trainees, not as Sam Fisher, and there are unique move sets which depend on the players working closely together. And while I'll delay Chaos Theory single player until I get the first two games completed (maybe), co-op is a whole other beast and must be played immediately.
I'm not one of those who believe couples should do everything together - as a matter of fact, I'm very possessive about my alone time, which I'm sure irks Barb. But co-op gaming on Splinter Cell is irresistable. In the past, Barb and I played Halo co-op and then moved on to split-screen versus, but she was too competitive for me. When she began talking too much smack, I decided enough was enough. We haven't played Halo together since, if only because it'd make lousy grounds for divorce.
If anything, our mutual love of gaming brings up clear differences in our personalities. I'm not very competitive, Barb is intensely competitive: a bad loser and an even worse winner. I don't have fast reflexes or great hand-eye coordination, Barb does. While I like some shooters, I prefer games where the emphasis is on moving at my own pace, exploring, strategizing. Barb likes games that move fast and have clear paths: shooters like Rainbow Six, platformers like Blinx. Barb is also much more social than me - where she developed a taste for Sims Online and made friends there, I stayed offline with the various Sims expansion packs. I play Halo 2 online but keep my mouth shut; Barb's played Rainbow Six online and chats breezily with whoever else is talking. When I hit a wall and can't get any further on a game, I'll turn it off and walk away until I'm inspired to try again; Barb will just stick with it and keep playing and playing until she finally breaks through.
So we found out quickly that Splinter Cell co-op would have challenges, not just from the game, but from what each of us wants from the game. Barb likes to run-and-gun, I'd rather sneak and wait patiently for the right opportunity. I'm willing to trial-and-error on purpose, running into fatal situations so I can start over and get it right the next time. Barb gets frustrated when she's not sure what's going on in the game; I get frustrated when Barb gets frustrated.
The first level took several hours on-and-off over the weekend to work through. Not only did we have to figure out a typical Splinter Cell level, but we had to do so together. That said, there was a satisfaction in performing the co-op moves: even something as simple as shooting two guards at the same time was enjoyable. The more elaborate moves, including throwing each other into enemies, is a huge kick when done right. And as we got the hang of co-op, we were able to communicate more effectively. Barb prefers having both of us act in synch at all times (both of us shoot out the lights, both of us hunt down the clueless guards), I prefer splitting tasks (she shoots out lights while I prey on the guards spooked by the sudden darkness). We've reached a kind of middle ground, working together when we must but also taking individual initiatives during the exploration of levels. We're also vocalizing as we go along, telling each other what we plan to do instead of just running around and hoping the other person figures out (something I'm very, very guilty of).
It's a shame there are only four co-operative levels to the game. Hopefully, more levels will be made available for download in the near future. It can only do good for our marriage.
