 | | Sam really wished he hadn't come in to work with diorreah that morning |
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I won't make this too long, as I'd rather get into some more detailed thoughts on this bad boy when it's properly released next month, however I do want to give you a brief idea of what's in store for the third and very possibly greatest Splinter Cell title yet.
So far I've only played the demo level, but even this single escapade was a mammoth undertaking that took an age to work through. The game has been reworked to utilise a much more open-ended architecture - you now have multiple choices throughout, with different options and outcomes affecting not only the level you're in, but also future missions you'll play further down the line (at least, so we're told).
Pandora Yesterday
But rather than chat about gameplay mechanics, it's the graphics I'm here to spunk over, as they are by far the most impressive feature of the game right now. Let me make it clear; this is quite possibly the most visually impressive game out there. It's such an epic upgrade over the previous Splinter Cell game that it renders Pandora Tomorrow near-laughable.
 | | Batman didn't appreciate being disturbed mid-sleep |
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It uses a sophisticated blend of Half-Life 2's massive outdoor environments with Doom III's exquisite indoor lighting, and thankfully now comes fully wrapped up in beautiful brand new ragdoll physics as well. These physics give the human characters a much more organic and less regimented feel than in previous SC titles. The ability to shoot corpses over cliff edges in order to hide them is not only amazingly useful, but it never grows tiresome either.
The great thing is, the super dark look that caused frustration for so many in Doom III, with its endless switching back and forth between torch and gun, is so easily sidestepped here thanks to both Sam Fisher's night and thermal vision modes. In fact, the pitch black tones of Chaos Theory make those previously somewhat gimmicky contraptions from the prequels absolutely essential now. And my god they've never looked better.
Sam Fisher's Never Looked Better
 | | Baptisms, Fisher-style |
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I just can't get over how stunning this game looks guys. The weather effects are truly magnificent, just wait until you step out into the rain and the water glistens across Sam's raw, rippling biceps...mmmmm. Erm...sorry, getting sidetracked.
Every single texture just has a depth and believability to it that I've never seen before, and the overall effect is simply breathtaking.
You can throw around terms like normal mapping, dynamic lights, bump maps, blooming, and all the jazz the developers are often so keen to reel off like a shopping list, but when all's said and done it boils down to one thing...the most photorealistic game I've ever seen.
As for how the rest of the title pans out, we'll wait and see when Chaos Theory debuts on March 29th for all the big systems.
This review/report was created by the great team at TPSreport.co.uk:
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