Sunday Special/Belated Sneaky Saturday| Splinter Cell: Double Agent (Version 1)

 

Image Credit: Wikipedia

Welcome to a belated Sneaky Saturday review of the Xbox 360, PS3, and PC version of Double Agent. This game is very interesting to me as a fan of the series as on one hand it marked the series decline into more action focused gameplay than stealth but at the same time I love the story being more focused on Sam instead of the state of the world. Overall this version feels so conflicting as the gameplay is similar to Chaos Theory and Version 2 of Double Agent but makes it more linear and tight corridor focused. With all the parts that don't land though other parts do land like having an actual progression system unlocking new upgrades and attachments to upgrade your gadgets and create new options. Let's dive into the review and break it down! (Reviewed on Xbox Series X backwards compatibility with HDR)

Beware Spoilers Below! 

The story is very similar to the previous version's story it kicks off with Sam and a new Splinter Cell agent John Hodge infiltrating a geothermal plant in Iceland to investigate terrorist activity. As the mission progresses the stakes raise as we find out there is a missile ready for launch so we push to enter the plant and John believe he found a way in only to be surrounded by terrorists and gunned down. Sam sneaks through and disarms the missile and evacuates with only seconds to spare as the MV-22 evacuates him Lambert informs Sam the his daughter Sarah was killed by a drunk driver. From there Sam falls into grief and depression, to pull him out Lambert offers him the most dangerous assignment to go undercover and infiltrate the terrorist organization known as John Brown's Army. Sam goes undercover in prison and befriends Jamie Washington who he helps to escape from the Ellsworth Penitentiary in Kansas. From there we are taken to the groups HQ in New York to meet the rest of the group. From there we encounter my favorite parts of the game in the HQ you are given a time limit and several objectives to complete and are not allowed to be caught or else the group trusts you less and less but overall these parts make you feel like a true spy as you sneak through and the HQ and hack their PCs and plant bugs. The story progresses through some similar location as Version 2  like the Sea of Okhotsk, Kinshasa, and Cozumel but this game adds some fun twists that weren't in Version 2. Overall the story concludes differently as instead of being discovered as you jump out of the plane to attack New York you instead have to fight through the gangs headquarters killing them all and disarming the red mercury bomb. The game concludes with Fisher on the run boarding the ship that the last bomb is on disarming it and jumping into the water to disappear.

Overall the gameplay is similar to the previous titles just with enhanced graphics and a much more simplified HUD that really doesn't lend itself to those interested in stealth as we now only have a light that changes between green, yellow, and red. Green means safe and hidden, yellow means that you are more visible but still hidden, and red means you're in combat. The game now offers more gadgets than ever before including gas and flashbang mines, multiple grenade launcher options, and tools like a ultrasonic emitter that can make a distraction where you point it. Overall the game feels much more linear and action focused than previous titles as it funnels you into these small corridors but gives you plenty of options. Overall this game shines in the JBA HQ missions as they really are the most freeform and make you feel like a true Double Agent when sneaking through and raiding the filing cabinets, hacking emails, and sneaking around where you aren't supposed to be. This game gameplay feels smooth in places but rough in others as I constantly was stuck on the walls with strange clipping issues and would often need to reload the checkpoints and saves to get unstuck. Other points felt like enemies had x-ray vision as I would get spotted in some weird spots that were out of view but it could also be a skill issue on my part. Overall this game is decent and pretty fun but broken in some spots and can be annoying at times. One big thing i will warn about is a puzzle in the third JBA HQ mission that will cause you to rip your hair out if you try to solve it but will feel great if you solve it on your own.

The sound is our final point overall it is similar to previous games but feels less compressed probably due to the game being designed for at the time the newest hardware. The soundtrack is much more memorable than the Version 2 soundtrack and has energy that matches the mission well. The guns sound good and punchy and the environmental audio is interesting especially in mission like Shanghai and Kinshasa as there are fireworks and open combat happening in those missions. The music always feels grounded to the mission and enhanced the atmosphere be it rappelling down the side of a hotel to record a meeting or sneaking through the compound the music always felt right.

Overall this version of Double agent has earned a 3/5 as it is a genuinely fun game with an enjoyable story but doesn't reinvent the wheel in any way. The game is comfortable to players who have played the previous but will not satisfy that want for more Chaos Theory in the fact this game is way more linear than Chaos Theory and feels more like an action focused game. If you like the story of the Version 2 on Xbox you may like this more as it explains and shows much more than the previous gen version could in its condensed run time. If you want to get a more action focused spy game this is a good entry point but if you want the true stealthy feel start earlier in the series.

With this review I can truly say that splinter cell has proven to me why it was at one point seen as the peak of stealth games. I do intend to review both blacklist and conviction to give you guys a full series review of all the titles. Next week I publish my review of conviction but played through as John Wick game instead of a Splinter Cell game. Also next week once I get to run the new Destiny 2 raid I will post a review of the Final Shape and a Ten year retrospective on this amazing journey that it has taken many through this past decade. I believe after Splinter Cell one of my next reviews will be Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice as I have wanted to play that since it released and with Hellblade II releasing recently I think now is the perfect time to hop into it. Since it won't be focused on stealth games my next reviews will be under a new title. Thank You for Reading!