This is Part Two of a on-going series re-visiting the classic Splinter Cell franchise. Be sure to check out the Part One Introduction!

Splinter Cell
Splinter Cell released in 2002 on Xbox as a timed exlusive. It took the stealth gaming genre and evolved it with a real-time lighting system, which may seem simple by today’s standards, but was considered mind-blowing tech 15 years ago. Fisher was lit by street lamps and security lights, and his shadow cast behind him. In order to stay alive you needed to stick to the shadows, and if there weren’t any, the game allowed you to create them. The game was based around this concept, and it excelled.

The game was then released a year later on PS2 and Gamecube, but the other two systems’ lack of an internal hard drive and overall horsepower meant the game had to be re-worked. Some changes included smaller individual level designs and baked-in lighting replacing some of the real-time effects. Other noticeable changes were aesthetic, such as the Oil Rig Mission being at night instead of sunset (a change I personally preferred).

Analysis
There were several moments during my playthrough in which I felt this whole re-visitation series might be over before it began. Splinter Cell is tough. Teeth grittingly, mind numbingly, nerd ragingly tough. In my younger days I may have thrown a controller or screamed into a pillow, but nowadays I have my own home, and therefore get to vent my frustration in the form of loudly shouted obscenities strung together with a witty use very colorful adjectives. And shout them, I did.

The game was challenging back when it was new, but today the challenge is amplified due to the fact that we as a gaming community are used to more fluid controls, more options, and a better consistency. I can acknowledge the fact that there were design choices that were made to overcome hardware limitations back then, but several times I just wanted to stomp my foot and declare that “I should’ve been able to do that!”

The Splinter Cell series is a victim of its own success. The games have grown and evolved over the years, both out of necessity and through fan feedback of what may not have worked so well before. Sam Fisher has gone from a wooden mannequin with a stick in his ass to a slick, lethal killing machine. Unfortunately, this was their first attempt, so we’re stuck with a Sam Fisher that has all the flexibility of a Ken doll.

But more than Sam’s robot impressions, the main problem with the game is consistency. Many times I was forced to re-load a checkpoint and play through a section, and while a lot of it was my own stupid fault, a pretty good chunk of those replays came down to something that just didn’t work the way it was supposed to. Perfectly lined headshots that would inexplicably miss their target, or a jump to a higher ledge that Sam, for whatever reason, didn’t grab onto, would alert the guard when his feet thudded back down on the ground. These things are beyond the control of the player, yet it was the player’s responsibility to deal with the shit hitting the fan. Most of the time this would end in death because…

The hit detection in this game is horrendous. When shooting at a guard or soldier, it seemed that maybe one out of every four bullets fired would actually connect. This led to many deaths from unflinching bad guys hosing me down, even though they just took three rounds to the gut. Sam needs to start checking clips for blanks. It was manageable in the early goings of the game, but by the last few missions, when the stakes were the highest, it became infuriating as I replayed some checkpoints at least 15-20 times. That’s not an exaggeration.

Does it hold up?
Graphically, yes. Splinter Cell’s dramatic lighting and low-lit environments still look pretty good, and if you’re playing the PC version you’ll likely be able to avoid some of the frame rate issues of the Xbox version. The controls are responsive, except for the clunky jumping. The voice acting is still good, even if Michael Ironside’s voice clip for healing yourself might make you feel a little grimy.

Is it worth going back to?
Probably not. It pains me to say this, because I’m a huge fan. But the limited design and clunky hit detection was a major source of frustration. Others may not have as much trouble with it as I did, but it’s something to keep in mind. The main reason to return to the original is for the story. While it’s typical Clancy political fiction, it does give a foundation for the characters and will give the events in Double Agent a bit more gravity. There are tensions that drive the characters in Double Agent, Conviction, and Blacklist that are better understood if you’ve played the first three.

Conclusion
If you’re a fan of the Dark Souls series, or if you’re just a hardcore gamer period, you may enjoy a trip back to 2002. The trial and error gameplay will be right up your alley. If, on the other hand, you’re someone who angers easily, you may want to begin your Splinter Cell experience with a later installment. I’ll be starting up my playthrough of Pandora Tomorrow shortly, so I will be able to let you know if it cleans up the issues of the first game. Stay tuned!