Allow me to reintroduce Sam Fischer, professional badness. He stalks his terrorist prey patiently, lurking in the shadows until the most opportune moment -- like a turned back, cigarette break, or untamed shoelace -- allows him to pop out and strangle gun-totting pansies, killing them with the utmost silence and precision. Then again, you probably know him pretty well already.
The Tom Clancy-created character rocketed to instant stardom last year by flaunting his stealthy skills in the original Splinter Cell -- the kind of celebrity that folks like Tom Cruise or, say, Paris Hilton, strived for years to achieve. With a personality fueled by Michael Ironside's guttural voice and screenwriter JT Petty's witty, gritty one-liners, he's the kind of talented super spy that Bond always dreamed of maturing to.
That always-gets-the-mission-done mentality is challenged, though, when Fischer's appointment book is filled up with some more "exotic" jaunts. Mixed in with those typically claustrophobic industrial parks from the first game -- often decorated by nothing more than concrete floors, brick walls, and an occasional barbwire fence -- are jungles dominated by thick foliage. Sure, trees provide dandy cover, and tall grass sways with every breath of the wind, but such a "green" stage also presents Fischer with fashion dilemma. Thus, Ubisoft has designed a new outfit for the covert-ops agent, helping him blend in with his surroundings; just don't count on his new threads winning him any VH1 accolades.
Nonlinear Frills
That costume change actually perfectly represents the template for Pandora Tomorrow: options aplenty, sometimes even dependent on your mood. While not many levels have been showcased as of yet, you should file this one in that rarely opened "more stunning than [insert you favorite actress's name here]" folder. From the moment Fischer is plopped on the top of a moving bullet train, you'll be in awe -- with that awe multiplying beyond with every step you take. While the objective was purposely left a mystery by the producer guarding the demo station, it was clear that there was something at the head of the train that had to be reached. How, you ask? Well, the choice is entirely yours; just heed the advantages -- and disadvantages -- of each path:
1. Running atop each car might alert the terrorists inside, but it certainly is the fastest route.
2. Hanging from the bottom of the train -- sparks igniting and pebbles flying as you zoom ever-so-close to the railway -- your movements are entirely indiscernible to folks holding AK-47s in the cars above. However, when you actually need to surface, a baddie might be coincidently waiting right beside the entrance shaft.
3. A riskier course is shimmying on the outside ledge of each car, but you'll have to pay attention to a variety of enemy stimuli: First, if you pass a window while the train is speeding past lampposts, your shadow will be shone into the car, alerting terrorists of your presence. Then there's the issue of bored passengers peering out of the window aimlessly or drawing pictures with their fingers in the frost; you'll have to wait for them to turn their heads before passing any windows. Oh yeah, and passing trains are a consideration, too; getting sideswiped would leave a mother of a welt.
Mr. Fischer can still perform split kicks like no other.
Visually, you should be sensing a pattern, too, because that's exactly what the inaugural Splinter Cell romp garnered attention for: dynamic lighting effects, impress textures, and good graphics all around. Each of the situations described above are primped with poppy visual quirks. Just stare at the accompanying screenshots for hard proof.
