14 DAY TRIAL // 
Graphics: 10 Audio: 9 Gameplay: 9 Concept: 10 General impression: 10
SOFTPEDIA MARK: 9.7
When you set your mind to develop a series of games based on the story of the same character, where the action between titles doesn't vary much, it's easy to fall in the trap of monotony.
But Ubisoft understood that it takes more than new graphics, a few scenery changes and some new challenges for the main character to ensure the success of a series of games.
Hence, the last title of the Splinter Cell franchise, Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory, comes with a lot of changes, even though the main character is still the super spy Sam Fisher.
Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow, the previous game of the series, was a great success mainly because it represented a new experience for gamers: the stealth-action genre in the online multiplayer mode. If in Pandora Tomorrow, the multiplayer mode was like a beta version, Chaos Theory comes with the final release.
This doesn't mean that the single player was ignored. Ubisoft succeeded to develop an equally interesting game both in single player and multiplayer mode.
Again in the world of conspiracies
The changes brought by Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory have nothing to do with Sam Fisher's personality. He is still the quiet, efficient, with dry humor spy who doesn't get emotionally involved in the actions he takes.
If you hope to find more about Sam Fisher's life, you will be disappointed. The epic line was never one of the main characteristics of the Splinter Cell series and Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory is no exception. You will find out all sorts of details from the conversation between Sam Fisher and his team rather than from the introductive briefing.
Like in the previous games, Sam Fisher will be sent during the 10 missions in every possible location on Earth: from Panama to Tokyo to solve international conspiracies which tension the relations between the United States, Korea and Japan.
The first differences between older Splinter Cell games and Chaos Theory show up from the way in which the game's levels are designed. If in Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow, Sam Fisher had only one way to achieve the objective, in Chaos Theory the levels are much bigger and there are many ways in which the primary and secondary objectives can be achieved.
For example, there is a mission where Sam Fisher has to steal some hard disks from a safe in a guarded room. To get to the safe, Sam Fisher can enter the building through the front door, wait for the soldiers to open the door, kill them all and then steal the hard disks. Another option is to infiltrate Sam Fisher through the ventilation system in the neighboring building, get him to the safe and steal the hard disks without being noticed. That is why Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory can be replayed without getting bored.
Redesigning the levels and the way in which the missions can be accomplished is not the only change. Ubisoft made also some improvements regarding the AI of the game. If in Pandora Tomorrow, the enemies reacted to the slightest sound and armed themselves with more powerful weapons as the level of the alarm grew, in Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory, the enemies won't react that violent.
Even if Fisher triggers the alarm several times, this won't mean the failure of the mission as it happened in the previous games, but it will reflect in the final score.
The enemies have a more realistic behavior. An enemy who has detected a strange movement will first search the area and if he finds nothing, he will return to his patrol route, which means that if Sam Fisher stops moving and hides, he won't trigger the alarm. The bad part is that although Sam Fisher can remain hidden for a longer period of time, once spotted by the enemy, he won't have many chances for survival.
The player can choose the way he plans to approach a mission, especially since the previous games from the series had confusing weapon options.
Although the game accounted for the player's ability to remain unseen by his enemies, Sam Fisher's arsenal could have rendered him extremely aggressive. In Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory, at the beginning of each mission, the player can choose what type of weapons he is willing to take with him.
Therefore, according to his personality, the player will choose between Stealth and Assault. Redding's Recommendation is the third option and is a sort of compromise between the first two.
But the biggest change Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory proposes is related to the arsenal.
Returning to the basics
If Sam Fisher accustomed us with the image of a high tech spy, having access to numerous gadgets, Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory allows him to arm with a knife. This was not just an esthetic change, because the knife gives him new ways of killing his enemies, from stabbing to cutting their throats (although all these killing techniques will cause no bloodshed). Moreover, Fisher can clear his path through paper or plastic walls and threat the prisoners during questioning.
Aside from this improvement, the killing strategy is similar to the one from previous versions: Fisher will shoot the lights, and then switch to night vision or thermal vision to get behind his enemies who wander in the dark.
Fisher didn't give up on complex weapons. His SC-20K has now a telescopic sight and can also be used as a shotgun, and the SC pistol has an alternate mode that damages the electric circuits.
The way in which Fisher moves through the scenery has always been realistic and natural, but in Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory is even better. For example, when Fisher approaches an enemy from behind, he shifts his weight from one leg to another, trying to keep a safe distance from the target.
This is only a subtle change brought by Ubisoft to induce the player the feeling that he is indeed a dangerous spy behind enemy lines.
The way in which Fisher opens the doors has also been modified. There are now four options to open a door: open door, open door stealth, bash door and optic cable.
How does the silence look and sound like?
Sam Fisher could always compete for the best globe-trotter award and the reason why Ubisoft sends him all across the planet is not necessary related to conspiracies but more likely to the desire of the creators to show us new, amazingly drawn, locations.
Streets from Korea, teahouse from Japan, Panama cave, and many others have incredible details which are adapted to the scenery. Even if most of the time your attention is focused on Fisher and his enemies, it is impossible not to notice the spectacular light effects or the carefully drawn details.
Another important aspect is the sound. Amon Tobin's excellent soundtrack accompanies the campaign's steps, the breathtaking moments and the menus of the game. The voices of the characters and the sound of gunfire are well implemented and add to the atmosphere of the game. The new sound meter has become an important element of the game, because as usual, Sam Fisher's most important virtue is the silence.
Lately there have been lot discussions about the convergence between games and movies. Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory is the best example, the combination between graphics and sound giving the feeling of a well directed movie. And since a good movie should never end: Welcome to the Chaos Theory Multiplayer!
Let's become spies!
Since the single player can be finished in 10 hours, the main attraction of Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory is multiplayer.
The multiplayer mode from Splinter Cell beginning with Pandora Tomorrow started a new genre, but Chaos Theory takes things even further. The most awaited innovation is the cooperative mode which can be played both online and offline and is not just a replay of the single player campaign or an adaptation of the Spies versus Mercenaries mode.
Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory offers 4 levels specifically designed for the cooperative mode where the players can work as a team and have access to combinations of movements. There are no new control methods for the cooperative mode; the two players have to identify the areas of the level where a team is necessary and activate the co-op option.
Now, the collaboration between the two players becomes the key element; they can form human stairs to pass over walls or to get to areas inaccessible only to one player. Another interesting aspect is the torpedo move in which one of the players is transformed into a human rocket which can be used to take out targets or to get to certain areas. Unfortunately, the 4 levels end pretty quickly and we can only hope that Ubisoft will create new ones.
The Versus mode is also available in Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory multiplayer mode, but Ubisoft made some developments in this area too. The fans of the series will have no problem in adapting to the new requirements while the new players will need some time before adventuring online. Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory "forces" you to take an exam before granting online access. For the Spies versus Mercenaries mode Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory proposes 11 levels which are bigger and more complex, some completely new and some new versions of the ones from Pandora Tomorrow.
The main difference between the multiplayer mode from Chaos Theory and Pandora Tomorrow is the story mode where the spies have to achieve a series of objectives and the mercenaries have to defend them. Both the mercenaries and the spies have unique tricks, different weapons and completely different perspective (spies are controlled third person and the mercenaries first person).
Aside from the Story mode, two more modes are available: deathmatch and disk hunt. In the latter, the spies have to collect a series of hard disks randomly spread through the level. This is an easier way than the Story mode and doesn't require a thorough knowledge of the level.
Good bye, Sam Fisher! See you in Splinter Cell 4!
Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory is, as expected, superior to the previous title from the series both from graphics and gameplay but also from multiplayer point of view. Giving up on the linearity of the missions, introducing bigger levels, redesigning the multiplayer mode are all major improvements that recommend this game to anyone who wishes to experiment how it feels like to be a modern spy.
For those who appreciate the stealth-action genre, Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory is the best game available at the moment.
Therefore, until Splinter Cell 4 it is hard to believe that there will be another game that will dethrone Chaos Theory.
OFFICIAL SITE
Minimum requirements:
System: 1,4 GHz Pentium 4 sau Athlon RAM: 256 MB RAM Video memory: 64 MB VRAM HDD: 4000 MB DVD-ROM: 8X DVD-ROM
DOWNLOADS
Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory 1.01 Patch
Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory Demo
SCREENSHOTS
