TOM CLANCY'S SPLINTER CELL CHAOS THEORY

GAME DETAILS :-

Developer : Ubisoft Montreal And Ubisoft Annecy

Publisher : Ubisoft

Engine : Modified Unreal Engine 2.5

Genre : Modern Action Adventure

Release Date : March 28 , 2005

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS :-

Operating System : Windows 2000 / Windows XP

CPU : AMD Athlon 3200+ / Intel Pentium 4 Processor

Memory (RAM) : 512 MB

Graphics Hardware : DirectX 9.0b Compatible Video Card with Memory 64 MB

[NVIDIA : GeForce 4 Series
ATI : Radeon X850 Series]

Hard Disk Space : 3 GB

GAME FEATURES :-

The plot of Chaos Theory sees a return to the original Splinter Cell's theme of information warfare, with Sam Fisher on the trail of the Masse Kernels used by former Georgian President Kombayn Nikoladze to attack America's infrastructure. The game takes place in East Asia, during the Summer of 2007. Tensions are running high between China, South Korea, North Korea, and Japan, due to Japan's formation of an Information Self Defense Force. Considering this to be a violation of Article 9 the Post-World War II Constitution, Chinese and North Korean forces establish a blockade in the Yellow Sea against Japanese shipping. Because Japan and the I-SDF are allies of the United States and Third Echelon, the United States Navy dispatches its most advanced warship, the USS Clarence E. Walsh, to the Yellow Sea. The U.S. hopes this show of strength will get China and North Korea to back down. Meanwhile, in a seemingly unrelated incident, Sam Fisher is dispatched to locate Bruce Morgenholt, a computer programmer who worked on deciphering Phillip Masse's algorithms, and was captured by a Peruvian separatist group called "The People's Voice", led by Hugo Lacerda. Masse, whom Sam assassinated in the original Splinter Cell, was a genius far ahead of his time, and the algorithms he used to launch his attacks on America have been extensively studied by the United Nations. The resulting Masse Kernels are being touted as the superweapon of the 21st century. Sam is tasked with making sure they do not fall into the wrong hands. Meanwhile, following a lead discovered in Panama, Sam travels to New York to investigate Abrahim Zherkhezi, a man who worked with Morgenholt on Project Watson. He finds that Displace International, a private military corporation owned by Douglas Shetland, is protecting him. He breaks into the Displace offices and learns of Milan Nedich, later identified as "Milos Nowak", a Bosnian war criminal. Fisher finds that Nowak secretly relocated him to Hokkaido. Sam travels to Hokkaido and meets with Shetland, who claims that Nedich is clean. Regardless, Fisher infiltrates the hideout that Zherkezi is being held in. There, Sam kills Nedich, and witnesses Shetland murdering Zherkezi with either a pistol or katana. Shetland escapes and goes underground. Meanwhile, the American show of force backfires when the USS Walsh is sunk by a North Korean anti-ship missile on July 4, initiating a war between North Korea and South Korea/United States. Since North Korea claims the missile was launched unintentionally, Sam is sent to the Korean Peninsula, including the South Korean capital city of Seoul, to determine if North Korea is truly responsible for sinking the USS Walsh, or if the Masse Kernels are involved. At the meeting, the I-SDF betray Shetland, and a firefight subsequently breaks out between Shetland's soldiers and I-SDF assault troops. Amidst the chaos, Sam pursues Shetland to the roof, where, after a tense Mexican standoff, Sam kills Shetland. Even after Shetland's death, one loose end remains. Admiral Otomo of the I-SDF has acquired a copy of the Masse Kernels from Shetland, and attempts to return Japan to Imperial rule by blackmailing the Japanese government officials and senior JSDF officers. He threatens to use the algorithms to launch a North Korean missile against a Japanese city. Because North Korea would be supported by China, and Japan would be backed by the U.S, the incident would spark World War III. Although Otomo's loyalist I-SDF soldiers manage to fight off the JGSDF commandos sent to stop him, Sam infiltrates the I-SDF's lowest levels and manages to put an end to Otomo's plans. Otomo attempts to commit seppuku, but Sam saves his life and captures him. Otomo stands trial at the United Nations and takes full responsibility for the entire Korean crisis, returning stability to the Far East.

Though Fisher and his foes look a bit too much like plastic action figures, the game's incredible animations, meticulously detailed environments, and gorgeous lighting effects more than compensate. The slew of new moves and animations help make the experience feel like more than just a rehash of the previous Splinter Cells. However, the graphical enhancements made to the campaign mode make for a starker contrast with the multiplayer mode, which doesn't look quite as sharp. In all, Chaos Theory holds onto the Splinter Cell mantle of being one of the best-looking games out there. Ultimately, the game's multiplayer mode is an acquired taste, and for better or worse, it caters to the hardcore. Many of the maps feel very big with the maximum of four players in them, and if you haven't learned every inch of the map, much less come to grips with the idiosyncrasies of the spy and mercenary sides, then you're potentially a huge liability to your teammate. This isn't necessarily a fun multiplayer game to play with strangers, and even if you play it with friends, expect to spend a lot more time searching for each other instead of fighting. It's also a great-sounding game, though at times you'll wish that the audio was implemented better. An original soundtrack by electronica artist Amon Tobin punctuates the campaign and the game's menus, lending a superspy feel to the proceedings whenever it chimes in. As in previous Splinter Cell games, the soundtrack's cues are actually a little haphazard. On the PC, you can also optionally hear your foes speaking in their native languages, though this option isn't implemented well. The foreign dialogue isn't subtitled, and if you interrogate one of the foes, he'll break into English, which ensures your understanding of the situation but comes across as even less believable than the default setting. Controls are ultimately a bit better on the Xbox, partly because the PC version includes some irritating inconsistencies between the default key bindings for the solo and co-op modes as well as for the versus mode. Both versions include a few too many unskippable splash screens, in-game advertisements, and undesirable loading times for comfort. It's got to be the most fully featured stealth action game to date, so if you like the idea of high-tech espionage, it's certainly going to have plenty to offer you.

GAME REVIEW :-

8.5/10

Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Chaos Theory Trailer :-