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News: Tom Morello stars in Guitar Hero III
Activision has announced that Tom Morello, from Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave, will guest star as a boss character in Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock. Click here to read the article.
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Splinter Cell
Ahh yes, Splinter Cell, the most talked about Xbox game since Halo. We all heard how this game would revolutionize video games forever. The visuals and lighting would be out of this world and the entire experience would be breath-taking. Does all the game live up to the hype? Well, read on and find out!
Splinter Cell has you play as Sam Fisher, a member of a top secret government agency called Third Echelon. Your job is to protect the American people, period. That means you have the right to use whatever means necessary which includes killing an enemy. Should you get caught, its game over and Sam Fisher never existed! Think you can handle it? Well put on your black suit and arm yourself with the coolest gadgets ever and protect the American people from terrorist and possible war.
That is the story that Ubisoft came up with for Splinter Cell. Simple, yet you become immersed by the thought that if you fail, American may go to war. The story develops as you progress through the game with the use of voice overs and cut-scenes.
The controls in Splinter Cell are pretty easy to get used to. The face buttons are used for switching to targeting mode, jumping, crouching, and for interacting with objects and people.
The Right Trigger is used to fire your weapon or for using a gadget. The Left Trigger is used to hold Sam's breath while in sniper mode so you can get a better shot. The White button is used to move against a wall and sneak a peak around a corner. The White button is also used for reloading your weapon. The Black button is used to access your inventory. And last but not least, the D-Pad is used to activated your night or thermal vision.
A big round of applause goes to Ubisoft for including the coolest gadgets in a videogame. Throughout the game you will use lockpicks, doorcams which allow you to look under doors, sticky cams which stick to walls and let you see where your eyes can't, night vision, thermal vision, palm pilot, microphones, and much more! You'll have a blast with all of these sweet gadgets!
The AI (artificial intelligence) in Splinter Cell is amazing! Soldiers will respond to the slightest ping and if you are seen, they will sound the alarm or radio for backup. They will say various things while they investigate like "Who's there" or if you were to throw a bottle or turn off the lights in a room where a guard is present they will say "Who did that?" and immediately investigate the situation. So your best bet is to stay low and in the shadows. Otherwise, its game over for you.
Stealth. That is the main focus of Splinter Cell. You must sneak your way around buildings and infiltrate the enemy's headquarters all while being silent as a cat. Sure you can use your gun if it is absolutely necessary, but be sure to hide the body or another soldier might find it and sound the alarm.
Visually, Splinter Cell provides the best graphics seen inn an Xbox game, even better than Halo. Realtime lighting gives Splinter Cell the best lighting seen in any videogame, period. Is there a room too bright for you? No problem! Just shoot out the lightbulb and the room will go dark like it would in real life. Say there was a window in that room, once you shoot out the light, the light from outside will stream in through the window, all in realtime! Shadows form as they would in real life. Stand by a light and your shadow will cast off of the walls.
The level design in Splinter Cell is marvelous. All the levels are well put together and they make sense. You wont be confused as to where you are or where you are headed. Buildings vary greatly. In one mission you are in a dark office, while in another you are in the apartment of a suspect or how about a jail cell, or maybe a morgue? Nothing seems repetitive in the way Splinter Cell is put together.
Characters are modeled nicely and animate well. The cut-scenes are above average and the overall feeling of actually sneaking into a high security building is present thanks to the amazing graphics!
Now, onto the sound department. Most games tend to have average sound, but Splinter Cell is not most games. Throw a soda can on the floor and you will hear each and every bounce. Throw a bottle against a wall and you will hear it shatter into tiny pieces. Sneak around and you will hear guards having conversation in the background, some of which are quite funny. Voice acting in Splinter Cell is nicely done with Sam Fisher himself being voiced by the perfect actor. His voice is rough and you know once you hear it that Sam Fisher is someone you don't want to mess with! The music is a mix of orchestrated and techno-ish music by the Crystal Method. It comes in at the right time and goes away at the right time with just the right amount of intensity.
Overall, Splinter Cell is hands down the coolest videogame ever made. Amazing visuals, audio, and gameplay help put Splinter Cell in the videogame hall of fame right along side Super Mario and Halo. Do yourself a favor and buy this game. Don't even think of renting it. Buy it, buy it now! You will thank me for it later.
Report Card:
Gameplay = 9.5
Graphics = 10
Audio = 9.5
Replay Value = 9.5
Overall: 10/10
Click here for the Splinter Cell screenshots gallery!
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