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Splinter Cell: Double Agent puts a completely different spin on the series. Rather than hunting down terrorists, Sam is now taking the role of one as he goes deep undercover to try and bring a terrorist cell down from the inside.
The game’s core dynamic focuses on what it takes to be an undercover agent. Gameplay is open and will give you choices. Do you do something that you know is wrong just to get the terrorists on your side, or do you refuse and raise their suspicion? Or is there any way you can do both at the same time? Both the NSA and terrorists will give you missions that you must complete at the same time. The trick is to do things that will both convince the terrorists that you’re on their side while, at the same time, throwing a kink in their plans.
For example, one situation could have Sam holding a gun and being told to execute a prisoner. The obvious “evil” thing to do would be to shoot the guy and get it over with, but random execution of an innocent isn’t Sam’s forte… so there’s your choice. There’s no “wrong” choice, though every decision will come with some repercussions, be they good or bad.
The game’s story will hinge on what you decide to do. Terrorists will become suspicious of you if you fail to do what they say. Remember, you’re a terrorist, not a Boy Scout. Mission objectives will change based on what you decide to do. If you choose to kill a particular person, a future objective may change.
Besides the story, Double Agent looks like it may take more of an action twist than other games in the series. There are still a number of stealth objectives in the game, yet there also seem to be just as many action sequences where Sam will have to rely more on his aiming than stealth. If this is the case, it could add a new element to the series and keep it from hitting that staleness that most long-running series seem to hit after a while.
Splinter Cell: Double Agent will appear on current generation consoles as well as the Xbox 360. Visually, gamers can expect a nice package, regardless of the system. However, expect the 360 version to look just a little better than the others given the system’s added horsepower and the Splinter Cell team’s track record of getting the most out of the hardware they’re working on.
Look for Splinter Cell: Double Agent later this year. |
