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Splinter Cell Review By: Nick
Story Your Sam Fisher, ex-navy seal ex-CIA agent. Who is called for help by the National Security Agency. Who has started a sub-agency called Third Echelon (which was going to be the original name of the game.) The Third Echelon is to gather intelligence of the more brutal points in 2004's Cold war that may be inflected to the U.S by Georgia. Third Echelon Deploys these highly trained and skilled Splinter Cells, all these Splinter Cells are gathered by Fifth Freedom except when dealing with CIA Intelligence. They do whatever it takes to protect the four cornerstone American values: freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want and freedom from fear. Although I'm not quite sure where they got those in the constitution, anyway Sam Fisher has Fifth Freedom, which means he can kill without regard to sociopolitical consequences. Allow if Sam Fisher gets caught, US government will disavow any knowledge of his existence.

Being a Splinter Cell for the Third Echelon, you only receive information when you need it. As you proceed in the game your uncovering plots and different facts as well. Your first mission starts out in Georgia (the republic, not the US state) to investigate the disappearance of two CIA agents, agents Blostein and Madison. One had infiltrated the Georgian government before disappearing, and the other disappeared while investigating the disappearance of the first missing agent.

After each and every mission (which I think is kind of a nice way to sum up the mission), you will watch a 24-news program that will tell you the latest scoop on top stories involving apprehended terrorists and disasters etc. The TV news program does a nice job at summarizing the story as you go through the game. Yes the world is in critical danger and needs to be saved, but the whom, what, and why unfold as you go through the game.

Gameplay The gameplay is a stealth-based 3rd person shooter. Unlike many other third person shooters this one is by far different. For one example you're the only Splinter Cell on the trail. Splinter Cell isn't about huge firepower, instead its more stealth, such as trying to get evidence or to get in highly guarded places where Sam is clearly not suppose to be. That's what the levels are designed for, to get Sam in places where he isn't supposed to be. Its not going to come easy you're going to have to use highly sophisticated weaponry and equipment such as the division camera, which you can shoot out of your SC-20K M.A.W.S. This weapon allows you to distract the guard(s) that may be guarding the place you need to get it; but not only that, it allows lets out smoke at your command to knock out the enemy instead of kill him. For another example lets say there is a keypad on the door that Sam needs to get it and he doesn't know the number. First off Sam can get the number from the guard if he can get in a position to grab him and threaten him, or kill him and hope the heck he has a memory stick that tells the number somewhere in it.
Most missions Sam has a primary task and a level with enemies that react to Sam's, movement, gunfire, noises etc. Your goal is to not disturb them only when necessary. If you don't have to kill them or distract them, don't, simple as that, only if you want to make it harder for Sam to pass certain areas in the game. Also if you have to get in a door and the guard(s) is standing right in front of it, then interact with the environment. You can do this by picking up a bottle (pop/glass) to distract him in a different position so you can sneak to your destination. Another way to get in somewhere is to shoot out lights that you see around the environment. Such as in the second to the last level where you have to get in a door using your heat goggles or sneaking in (which I prefer doing). Shoot the last light and then wait for the guards/enemies, once they enter the keypad Sam can sneak while the door is still open.
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