Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell

 PlayStation 2
User Score
7.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 142 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 99 out of 142
  2. Mixed: 27 out of 142
  3. Negative: 16 out of 142
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  1. Airbonicsam
    Jun 10, 2004
    6
    The overall game is not too bad. But and its a Very big But, there are a few bugs that take this game one shelf lower than MGS2. i.e. the Guard A.I can be Ridiculous. They can walk straight up to you and not see you. They will Spot you and fire at you for a while but if you hide for a bit he will "eventually forget" that he was about to be killed and continue on his patrol. I personaly The overall game is not too bad. But and its a Very big But, there are a few bugs that take this game one shelf lower than MGS2. i.e. the Guard A.I can be Ridiculous. They can walk straight up to you and not see you. They will Spot you and fire at you for a while but if you hide for a bit he will "eventually forget" that he was about to be killed and continue on his patrol. I personaly feel that this factor brings the game down alot. However the game does have its up moments. The story Fluid and the Backgrounds are whole and polished. Overall this is a game that people will play but will not remember...not as much as a certain other stealth Jewel.… Expand
  2. sufflaminandus
    May 24, 2019
    5
    + Plot. Endorsement by Tom Clancy indeed means something because the story about neutralization of crazy georgian president threats , though having some extremely cliche moments (like russian bandits or scary nuclear weapons), is solid, consistent and entertaining. The mood of agile espionage, of shadow counter-terrorism is perceivable and this experience is amazing. So is the protagonist+ Plot. Endorsement by Tom Clancy indeed means something because the story about neutralization of crazy georgian president threats , though having some extremely cliche moments (like russian bandits or scary nuclear weapons), is solid, consistent and entertaining. The mood of agile espionage, of shadow counter-terrorism is perceivable and this experience is amazing. So is the protagonist Sam Fisher - typical taciturn cynic but, damn, why taciturn cynics are always so good? His voicing is another gem.
    + Breakthrough graphics at the time. Perfect lights, shadows, animations (shattering glass), animated suspended objects (like chains or curtains). Extensive sound supplement - effect, movements, surfaces. Shooting physics. General quality of textures and detalization of environment.
    + Detailed stealth mechanic (quantity). Classics: light-sound meters, kill/stun, body movement, light extinguishing, cameras, alarms, mines, stunning projectiles, gas projectiles. Multiple degrees of movement speed. Night vision. Heat vision. Person capture and drag. Interrogation. Retinal scanners. Sticky cameras, diversion (gas) cameras. Laser floors. Mine fields. Light projectors. Guards with flashlights. Dogs (!). As you see there a great many elements in Splinter Cell and most of them are actually useful/regularly encounterable.

    +- Interface and controls. Left stick is very responsive (positively) to movement. Interface is modest but it is OK. Shooting, item switching and information screen are inconvenient. Sometimes it ruins stun combo attempts. Tutorial does not cover item use.
    +- Stealth mechanics (quality). On the one hand it seems elaborate: guards hear movements well, investigate both point and possible source of disturbance (not only the point), understand that if two light bulb were shattered near them in a quick succession, it is time to sound alarm (and not say things like “Eh? What was it?”), wake up their unconscious buddies, turn on the lights, suddenly turn around on suspicious sounds. On the other hand: they have a super eagle vision - one glance at even poorly lit up Sam and he is revealed, alarm, location is known to all the world, the fact that Sam’s passing through that bare light had a duration of one second is not excuse; they have some sort of interconnected intelligence - once one guard reveals your location, all other guards in the vicinity immediately knows your precise location too; they have super reflexes and accuracy - once Sam is revealed, it will take less than a second for guards to shoot you straight into face (and now combine it with previous sentence); when Sam is revealed, they suddenly acquire perfect night vision - so if you are revealed by sound you are dead, even if you are located in perfectly dark room (and now combine it with two previous sentences). Therefore at times Splinter Cell feels very realistic but most of the time (for me) it felt like a save-load bore where everything needs to be done exactly like game engine allows, as opposed to natural perception.
    +- Data sticks. Aka audio logs, notes, codex entries, etc, etc. Do I need it really?

    - Total linearity. Whole big levels but always one corridor. The game also kindly creates false hope of diversity by putting many doors but interactable always only one: you may be assured it will progress the story. Therefore nothing to explore. Also Splinter Cell very often put you into situations with one predetermined solution. For me, as a Thief player, this seems outrageous. What if I want to be a ghost and don’t even knockout guards? It is impossible because some story doors are code locked and codes sometimes can be found only on guards’ satchels (that can be acquired only from fallen bodies). Other example of predeterminism - some corridors are explicitly not passable via common path (turret placed right on the doorway, etc.). Thief player will think: “Hmm, there must be multiple ways to bypass that”; Splinter Cell player should think: “Hmm, there must be this *exact one* way to bypass that”. And there is always (always) only that one pipe/stairs/hole/switch that will solve your problem. At times I felt like I am playing a puzzle game.
    - The game forces you to play in one predetermined way. This fault is basically derivative from previous one so I will only add few more sentences. I assumed Splinter Cell is a stealth game so I decided to play it stealthy - no killing, no alarms, minimum knockouts. Imagine this - it has multiple stages where you are forced into shootout! Damn, even action-role playing Deus Ex allows to complete the game without killing a single person but here… it is insulting. And ‘no-knockout’ challenge - just forget it, not only code locked doors but many other situations are not bypassable without knockouts.

    Verdict: total linearity and being forced into predetermined playstyle outweigh all advantages of the game. Guard mechanic does not help too.

    5/10    … Expand
  3. MG
    May 7, 2003
    7
    This game is too easy! How many guys can you sneek up on and put in a headlock? It gets real boring. I wish there was more freedom throughout the levels. Every level has a specific path drawn out for you. I'd like to see alternate shortcuts, passage ways. I want to be able to repell off all the buildings. I think I repelled like four times the hole game. Splinter Cell is a cool game,This game is too easy! How many guys can you sneek up on and put in a headlock? It gets real boring. I wish there was more freedom throughout the levels. Every level has a specific path drawn out for you. I'd like to see alternate shortcuts, passage ways. I want to be able to repell off all the buildings. I think I repelled like four times the hole game. Splinter Cell is a cool game, but it gets real old, real quick.… Expand
  4. KeithM.
    Oct 26, 2004
    5
    Ubisoft was smart to make a game in reflection of the ever popular metal gear, however cool the idea of being a stealth commando and using high tech gear its no good if you can't have full mobility! user friendly controls are the regards, flat out the game is bad ass, but more work needs to be put into the make of it or it will lose its cool points very fast.
  5. ChristopherC.
    Oct 18, 2005
    7
    Excellent graphics however the game play shall we say is not up to standards expected. The missions are hard to follow, but I still can't wait until the next one. Please hurry Ubisoft.
  6. Stealthgear
    Jul 16, 2013
    7
    This is a stealth game with some decent missions. Most of the fun is hiding in the shadows. It doesn't quite match the excitement of James Bond or detail of Metal Gear Solid. Splinter Cell is a slower paced 3rd person game. If you do get in a pinch, you seem to end up dead instead of having any fighting chance. Saves obviously help a lot and there is a lot of replaying the same level.This is a stealth game with some decent missions. Most of the fun is hiding in the shadows. It doesn't quite match the excitement of James Bond or detail of Metal Gear Solid. Splinter Cell is a slower paced 3rd person game. If you do get in a pinch, you seem to end up dead instead of having any fighting chance. Saves obviously help a lot and there is a lot of replaying the same level. Careless mistakes will burn you or make you fall into forbidden zones that game over. The controls are easy and more fluid than Metal Gear. The gun play is not really here though, and is more clumsy with a not-so-great crosshair. The first training mission bogs the game's pacing a little bit. Mostly these are just small criticisms. They did an awesome job for a 2003 title. It looks like it could be on PS3. I find myself wanting to play this casually and progress a couple of levels every once in awhile. I'm not super attached to this game.There are so many options on the PS2 for this style. It did help define the genre and become is on phenomenon, but that doesn't free it from criticism or competition. With a slower paced game there needs to be more in-game cutscenes (close ups) and atmosphere. You mostly get voiceovers. With the media powerhouse that is the PS2, it just became a necessity to do extra character animations and I didn't see many. Since the gameplay is more about navigation and cleverness, and not arcade style, they could have made it more comical or add some more flavor (which MGS does best). Great graphics, controls, jungle gym levels and nice progressing game. Would I recommend a buy in 2013? I'd probably say YES. This was a popular game, on multi-platforms, and adheres to a common 3rd-person style that has been adopted in so many other games, so maybe not the most essential game to collect. It would have been more fun with crazier weapons, vehicles, and over the top baddies. The realism is null these days. Its just a game. You probably won't feel bad if you don't play Splinter Cell, but hey, its not bad at all if you manage to find a copy! Kinda fun, but not mind blowing or difficult.… Expand
  7. drlowdon
    Jun 9, 2013
    7
    Originally released as a timed exclusive on the original Xbox Splinter Cell was considered a ‘killer app’ and quickly became one of the primary reasons to get the console. In terms of gameplay the most obvious comparison was Metal Gear Solid but, whereas Kojima favoured over the top characters and long drawn out cut scenes, Ubisoft’s ‘stealth em-up’ retained a more realistic style.

    At    Originally released as a timed exclusive on the original Xbox Splinter Cell was considered a ‘killer app’ and quickly became one of the primary reasons to get the console. In terms of gameplay the most obvious comparison was Metal Gear Solid but, whereas Kojima favoured over the top characters and long drawn out cut scenes, Ubisoft’s ‘stealth em-up’ retained a more realistic style.

    At times the game could be genuinely tense as you used all manner of clever gadgets in an attempt to avoid being spotted and for the most part the challenge was set just about right, although things could become frustrating when faced with missions that were failed instantly as soon as you were spotted. A further flaw, that was the case with many games in the genre at the time, was the fact that the enemies would walk pre-set routes over and over again meaning that simply memorising these patterns was often the key to success.

    Of course none of that prevented Splinter Cell from being a top quality title even if it has now been surpassed by more modern efforts.    … Expand
  8. M9ki
    Nov 25, 2013
    7
    This game was ok, but I would not get all hippy and jippy about it its just a decent game. Way to difficult for me so I did not really get to experience it well...
  9. Shadow1
    Apr 10, 2016
    7
    This is normal game . Sam Fisher one of the best characters from stealth games . Splinter Cell is a good series and this game too . This game release on april 2003 on PS2 . Splinter Cell series similar to MGS series , but MGS series better than Splinter Cell series . First game in Splinter Cell series has got good graphics for 2002-2003 , amazing storyline and excellent gameplay . 7/10
  10. FelleBanan_ygsr
    Feb 15, 2018
    5
    One of the most mediocre games ever. I’m usually not frustrated by video games, but this is really not a fun game. Tedious and slow with bad pay-off.

Awards & Rankings

14
#14 Best PS2 Game of 2003
26
#26 Most Discussed PS2 Game of 2003
42
#42 Most Shared PS2 Game of 2003

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
89

Generally favorable reviews - based on 24 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 22 out of 24
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 24
  3. Negative: 0 out of 24
  1. GameSpy
    92
    Where the PS2 version really shines is in the control department. The controls become almost second nature after only a few minutes of running around.
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  2. GamingTrend
    80
    Good game, Good graphics. Not as good as "Metal Gear Solid 2." Not enough content. Kind of short.
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  3. Games Radar
    89
    Superior to the Xbox version in every way... Massively enjoyable yet enormously painful, Splinter Cell is a serious game whose brilliant realism should shake up a few complacent gamers. [PS2 MAX]
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