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Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Pandora Tomorrow Preview for Xbox
Posted on Saturday, December 20, 2003 @ 03:57:35 am E.S.TThe Fall of 2002 marked the beginning of a new age genre in gaming; it was just another stealth-action game, but the birth of “stealth-action redefined”. Splinter Cell debuted in the Fall of 2002 and simply captured the minds of gamers everywhere. Selling more than four million copies, it had become apparent that Ubisoft had struck oil with their new franchise. Now, it looks as if they’ll do it again with the forthcoming release of Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow.
The single-player gameplay has some major improvements in the latest installment to the series. Among these improvements are a multitude of new weapons features; Sam’s weaponry will now feature a secondary mode of fire. Perhaps the most enjoyable of these improvements will be the elimination of the pesky inventory menu. Sam will be capable of cycling between certain gadgets and weapons as he goes, making for a more fluid experience. In addition to single-player improvements an entirely new online mode is being introduced to the series. The rather unique sounding online mode pits teams of spies and mercenaries against each other should make for some rather interesting gameplay. The two sides play a very different role in the game, and even feature separate techniques.
Sam is a sneaky, sneaky man
Sure, the original Splinter Cell featured numerous ways to get the job done, but to take away from this choice, you had to follow one path through the game. Pandora Tomorrow aims to fix this linear gameplay by giving the gamer more options. In what has been seen of Pandora Tomorrow, you’ll be faced with numerous ways to complete your objective. This non-linear form of gameplay helps deepen the gameplay experience, possibly more than any other aspect of the gameplay.
Pandora Tomorrow certainly looks like a step in the right direction for the young franchise, as it intends to build on small aspects of the gameplay while keeping its overall structure intact. Sam will be able to utilize a plethora of moves, both new and old. Old moves, such as the much neglected split-jump from Sam’s prior adventure, have been totally revamped. You’ll be able to use this technique to reach higher areas now, too. In addition to these revamped techniques, Sam will utilize a handful of new moves that just reek of stealthy-goodness. Among these new moves is the “SWAT”, which involves a crouched spin maneuver.
As always, Ubisoft will be providing some truly amazing AI. Pandora Tomorrow, not unlike its predecessor, will feature enemies nothing short of brilliant. The AI will react to just about everything: laser-sights, bodies, sounds and they’ll even make sure to gear up with armor rather than running into battle ill-prepared.
Sam shows off a new weapon.
Ubisoft promises that the situations featured in Pandora Tomorrow will be much more understandable and easier to follow than those of its predecessor. The original Splinter Cell had many gamers frustrated, not only because of its wacky plot, but because of the intense difficulty of nearly every level of the game. These two improvements, combined with Sam’s new bag of tricks should deepen the gameplay experience, as well as open that experience up to a wider audience of gamers.
Following the track they’re on, Ubisoft plans to release Pandora Tomorrow in March of 2004. The release will be simultaneous for each and every platform, and even the GameCube will be receiving the online love. From what can be seen, Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow is shaping up to be a more than worthy successor to its younger brother. This just could be the first must own title of 2004.
Preview By: Kent Mackowiak - 2318 Reads
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