Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory

It's the summer of 2007, and tensions are running high between China, North Korea, and Japan, following Japan's formation of an Information Self Defense Force (I-SDF). Considering this to be a violation of the Post-World War Two Constitution, Chinese and North Korean forces establish a blockade in the Yellow Sea against Japanese shipping.

Sam Fisher is on yet another mission to solve this issue on the Eastern Asian Countries. And prevent a WW3 between North Korea, China, and the USA.

Throughout the game you'll experience newer stealth and attack techniques that weren't included in the first 2 installments. Including improved Thermal, Night, and a new EMP Vision. There's also new combats including both lethal and non-lethal attack on an enemy. You're able to use a Combat Knife to negotiate with an enemy instead of your trademark 5.72mm pistol. You're pistol in fact is upgraded with an Optically Channeled Potentiator which disables anything that's electronic for a short time.

The graphic again, are excellent and improved, Strong and great voice overs, the storyline is longer, you're able to save your progress and not start all over at the checkpoint, and it's probably the best Splinter Cell game yet. Highly recommended to the fans of the previous games.

9 out of 10 - The Pinnacle of Stealth Gameplay

Chaos Theory wasn't just another entry in the Splinter Cell franchise - it was a seismic leap forward in nearly every way. Released in 2005, it redefined the standard for stealth action, refining the series' mechanics while adding an edge that felt darker, deeper, and more immersive than its predecessors. It's the entry where Sam Fisher didn't just survive the shadows - he owned them.

Gameplay: Stealth Refined to Perfection

The stealth in Chaos Theory is not just an option - it's a finely-tuned instrument. You're given tools, gadgets, and weapons, but your biggest weapon is choice. Want to go non-lethal? Use the OCP (Optically Channeled Potentiator) to disable lights and electronics, then choke enemies out. Want to go loud? The SC-20K can make noise when it has to, though it always feels like a last resort.

The enemy AI was smarter than ever, reacting to sound, light, and movement with surprising intelligence. This wasn't a game you could run-and-gun your way through - you had to think like a ghost. And every decision had weight.

Tone and Story: Darker, Sharper, More Personal

Unlike the more clinical approach of Pandora Tomorrow, Chaos Theory brought a grittier tone and a sharper edge to Sam Fisher himself. This Sam is more seasoned, more sarcastic, and far more human. The writing - especially Sam's banter with Lambert - hits that perfect balance of dry humor and razor-sharp realism.

The story itself - a geopolitical thriller with Japan, North Korea, and private military corporations - taps into early 2000s post-9/11 paranoia with unnerving accuracy. But it never becomes overwhelming. It's grounded. It's tight. And most importantly - it works.

Multiplayer & Co-op: Way Ahead of Its Time

The co-op mode in Chaos Theory deserves special praise. Two agents, working together to navigate levels built specifically for teamwork - it wasn't just an extra mode, it was a full experience. The communication, the coordination, the tension - it laid the groundwork for what stealth co-op could be.

Versus multiplayer returned with spies vs. Mercs - and for many, this mode alone justified the purchase. It was unique, intense, and demanded skill, patience, and strategy.

What Keeps It from a 10?

Only a few things hold it back from perfection: The story, while tight, doesn't always match the emotional resonance of later entries like Double Agent or Conviction.

Some mechanics, like quick saves, made the challenge feel less intense compared to the hardcore stealth ethos of the earlier games.

A few levels had slightly uneven pacing, especially for players wanting more variety beyond tech-based infiltration.

But these are minor critiques in a game that redefined its genre.

Final Verdict

9 out of 10. Legendary stealth.

Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory is the game where you set the pace. It gives you the sandbox, the tools, and the enemies - then says, "figure it out." It's slick, smart, and serious. A stealth masterpiece that aged better than most of its contemporaries.

If you love tactical thinking, strategic execution, and a cold, calculated protagonist who can crack a joke and your neck - this is the one.

I only played my first Splinter Cell game recently – Conviction on the Xbox360 to be precise. I enjoyed it despite the way that I could "win ugly" by blasting my way through far too much of the game if I wanted to, so when I saw a relative had a copy of Chaos Theory I borrowed it, not realising that it was for the original Xbox and not the 360. Anyway, as a result it took me a minute to get used to the game; primarily because of how it looked but also because some of the more specific controls were lost on me since the manual was for the original controller, not the one in my hands. After a short time (and some trial and error) I got to grips with more than the basics and it was then when the game-play came through the previous generation graphics.

The story is on quite a large scale and the cut scenes do help it, but there are limitations on the telling due to the age of the game and one of the things they haven't pulled off is atmosphere. I never really felt the race against time, or the scale of the situation and I did feel like I would have liked a bit more tension in the game. Anyway, playing it without that emotional buy-in was fine though. The game offers you the option of going in guns blazing but, while you might get away with that approach for part of a mission, you will be punished by the staged alarms, which mean guards put on body armour, use more powerful weapons etc. You also have a limited amount of ammo as well, which means that they are worth keeping for when you need them – not just using them from the get-go. So, the focus is very much on stealth and this aspect is really well done. It is hard to play it in a bright room but the shades of darkness are impressive even though it is previous generation. Although the action is mostly the same, there is variety in how you deal with the guards – avoid them, kill them or knock them out, hide their bodies or leave a trail behind you. Generally I found myself knocking out the guards to make missions a bit easier since I didn't have to worry about someone circling round on me when I know they're unconscious behind a desk.

Creeping in the shadows is fun and I appreciated the change of pace from games like Call of Duty etc; I also don't mind that patience is part of the game-play as well because this worked for me but these things do come with a downside. The downside for me was that I found that I had to play Chaos Theory in smaller sessions (like an hour) because I did get a little bored with the game if it was all I did for longer than that. It wasn't that it was boring per se, just that the game-play doesn't vary too much and it does rely on getting things right. As a result it is also a bit broken up and fragmented in terms of a flow (slow saves don't help either). On some levels there was forgiveness and you were able to be patient, get the feel of the room before you make your move. On other levels you learn by trial and error so it sometimes doesn't feel like you're good at the game – just that you know guy someone will come from the left because he got you last time (for example).

Although the game-play carries the fact that it has aged now, there are still some issues with this as a previous generation game. Graphically I had no issues because it still looks good – although it is quite a shock to jump from it back into a modern HD game! Audio wise things are not as good; the music in Conviction blended and built really well but in Chaos Theory it doesn't quite work as well and it is quite digital in how it comes on and goes off. It was the sound effects that bugged me a bit more though. They blend but again the limitations are clear because, although they fade, there is a very noticeable "switch off" stage to them. The best example is city noise on the New York level – on a balcony it is a great background of traffic, take one step inside a doorway and it completely stops, take a step back and there it is again. This is the same with radios and other environmental noises. The directional nature of the noise isn't great either because locating things within your headphones is hard and this aspect was a bit off as well. This aspect annoyed because playing a stealth game and being quiet means supporting noises are important, and in this I found it difficult to locate. It isn't awful though and maybe I am just accustomed to the very impressive sound design one gets with modern games.

Overall Chaos Theory remains a really enjoyable stealth game despite the limitations of its age. It got a little dull for me if I exclusively played it for any significant length of time, but this wasn't a problem. Lack of atmosphere, slow saves and fragmented game-play did hurt it for me but otherwise the stealth aspect and the freedom of opinions kept it fun and engaging. Not quite the classic some would have you believe but a good game and one that stands up well.

I got this game today (3/29/05) and played forever. The only reason that I stopped playing was because of the parents. This game is the best Splinter Cell game. It has kick butt graphics, sound, AI, physics and more. If you are looking for a game to rival any and defeat it, get this one. The fact that there are different paths through and around most obstacles is awesome. In the first two games, which were and still are sweet, you could only go one way through a level and each time you died you had to do the same boring "stuff". Not here. The new moves and different paths are awesome. I especially love the stealthy kills with the knife or choke hold while hanging upside down. Ubisoft and Tom Clancy did a great job at creating a game sequel that is better then the rest.

P.S. "Kick butt" just doesn't do justice but it is prohibited to say what I want to say. But everyone should know what I'm trying to say.

(Title: Splinter Cell Trilogy - remastered in HD)

Setting: Korea, Japan, U.S.

Graphics: Big step up from the first two remastered games. It impressed me almost as much as Deus Ex for the Playstation 2 on my 34 cm colour TV! It often looks terrific…like a PS3 generation game, although some of the character modelling still looks PS2 standard. The bad guys often have a sleepwalker/zombie/Cliff Young shuffle to their walk, although it slightly improves later on in the game. Very impressive visuals. Sam Fisher also looks different in the game, as you play him…he seems bigger on the screen, so there is some adjustment to the new look of the game.

Sound: Didn't notice it too much, but it is annoying how the sound you make in the game alerts the bad guys…in a silly way…e.g. if you creep to fast, e.g. a lighthouse on a stormy, windy day, the guy inside, on the ham radio will hear you! Hmm. Stuff like that.

Good about the game: * I don't usually give credit to Ubisoft, finding their games sucky in one way or another, but big plaudits to them for the way that you gave revisit any mission you've played and try and improve your % score. That gives replayability to the game. I replayed a few missions or parts of missions in order to unlock trophies and it did not affect my score in bad ways. E.g. I had one save for the very end of the game and I went redid an earlier mission to get the trophy for getting at least 80% in every mission. I did that, and when I went back to my end game save, all my later mission successes were not altered, so I got my trophy. Not sure if that cuts both ways…I'd hate to do WORSE in a replayed mission and have that show up on your save for the finale…especially if you did not save that replay.

* I actually had fun early on in the game coming to grips with the new look and feel of the game. I'd laugh if I got into trouble with the bad guys as I was adjusting to the new dynamics of the game.

* Humour is back in the game. There are some 'cute' easter eggs too, I suppose that you would call them…checker boards with 5 black and 5 red squares for each side; TV screens showing promos for the previous Splinter Cell game (the apartment mission, I think). The security firm mission has a newspaper mentioning Ubisoft! Sometimes you get a Vincent Price type voice saying "Darkness" when you endarken an area.

Bad about the game: * Has some bugs like: quickloading a game can quit the game! The game seems to save more than once sometimes when you save…either that or there is delay between you saving and the game acting on it…so that you are surprised when the game stops to save. This could potentially be very bad…as in you saving when you are in good position and the game acting on that when you are bad position…you might find yourself in an impossible spot and need to restart the entire mission again. Fortunately, this never happened to me.

* Stupid trophies! Loads of trophies for just basically playing the mission or the game. I got sucked in to a certain extent (e.g. one for getting at least 80% score for every mission) but some I just can't be bothered chasing.

* There is a new sound meter which shows how much noise you are making…it's unrealistic.

* In the apartment mission, once you reach the helicopter, the noise of that helicopter keeps going, even after you have moved across the road…and inside another building! Just annoying to hear that noise.

* The game has bodies to find. Not sure what the Hell that is all about. If there's a trophy in it, I can't be bothered with it. One body that I found was actually invisible, initially! WTF? All rather silly, really.

* Sam dying when he doesn't auto-grab edges.

Misjudgements in the game: * The BIG one: the horrible hacking mode in the game. It is utterly baffling! When I did manage to hack a computer or whatever, it felt quite random…I had no idea why it worked. You really need to be able to do this in the game. Eventually I consulted the training tutorial for this (I pretty much knew how to do everything else or could work it out myself…which is GOOD about games!) but that wasn't much help. Had to go online for the trick to hacking. It's mind numbingly simple once you know how to do it. It's just a pity that it's so incomprehensible to work it out or have useful advice in the tutorial video to help you. I actually had FUN with the game once I knew the trick to hacking…getting to actually enjoy the gameplay! How about that? For the unitiated, the hacking puzzle just overloads you with information which I found impossible to process…the number of online tips proves that the system is not intuitive…bad, in other words. Some verbal tips in the training video on what buttons to press would have helped…there were a lot of visual clues which weren't obvious…to much information to process. Useless.

General observations:

The best game of the trilogy. You can see the seeds of some of the features I hate in Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed series here. Would have liked to have known why missions didn't get 100% even when I thought I did everything required. 10-20 hours worth of play over 10 missions…10 for replays once you know the drill.