(Warning: Mild spoilers, but not about plot...Only about facets of gameplay)
Just wanted to drop a few quick opinions on Sam Fisher's latest escapade, and hear some other opinions, as well.
I just finished it over the weekend, which sort of surprised me, as I hadn't realized it was going to be so short. I guess I could have found that out before I dropped the sixty bucks, but I really didn't read much in the way of reviews or advance press on this one. Reason being, A) I'm a big fan of the series, so I knew I'd be buying it regardless and B) I didn't want to know too much about it so I could play it with an open mind. Splinter Cell is one of the few franchises I actually buy new, based on a satisfying track record. But the kick in the shins for that was that I didn't go into it expecting such a brief single-player campaign.
Not that I think "length" is necessarily a requirement for a satisfying experience, but it seemed that compared to the other games in the series, this one was awfully...well, "streamlined." In a series that places such an emphasis on patient stealth, I guess I was expecting a bit more in the way of moderately-paced action. Admittedly, I haven't dipped into the multi-player yet (which I'm sure it seriously bolsters the replay value), but even when I do...I'm sure I will have preferred about half again as many imaginative and adventuresome missions in its place.
Anyway...
What I really liked about "SC:C"
1) The new mechanic of graphically "projecting" possible actions and mission objectives on surfaces. This felt like a pretty effective way of conveying what it feels like to be inside the head of a highly-trained disciplinarian. Sort of the same idea as the red-soaked "runner's vision" from "Mirror's Edge." In each case, you're playing a character who sees the environment in a different way than a "normal" person would, and this is a neat way of getting that across.
2) The story definitely adds dimensions to Sam's character.
3) The controls are very fluid, intuitive and responsive.
4) The weaponry is varied and interesting, and the weapons stashes for upgrading/equipping is a neat tactical and strategic aspect.
5) The environments are frankly gorgeous. The attention to detail in nearly every area is stunning. Even during the sequence where you're required to run (and can't exactly slow down and "smell the roses"), the amount of care that went into the environments is mind-blowing. In fact, ALL of the graphics are about the most jaw-dropping I've ever seen. The character-rendering, the lighting, the textures...It's just incredibly vibrant, and real-feeling.
6) The return of handy gadgets like remote mines, the snake-cam and sticky-cams was awesome.
7) The voice acting, needless to say, was universally brilliant.
What I was a little disappointed with:
1) The length. I know Sam has very personal reasons to hurry and be compelled forward this time out, but I remember spending what seemed like hours hiding in shadows in previous games, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
2) Speaking of hiding in shadows, I found I didn't particularly care for the "greying out" effect that indicated Sam's visibility status. I just feel like it had been done better in previous games, with the sliding visibility meter. In "Chaos Theory," I remember thinking how cool it was that when Sam disappeared into inky shadows, *I* couldn't see him, either. I still knew were he was because of the green visor-dots or the small green PDA screen on his back (plus, I could always pop on the visor). But if he was invisible to me, that meant he was also invisible to the NPC's. This was incredibly effective. I understand the need to innovate (and I know he starts the game with minimal equipment, and that the visibility meter on his HUD was implied to be a feature of his OPSAT), but this wasn't boken, and really didn't need fixing.
3) The abbreviated moves set. I miss a lot of the things that made playing as Sam FEEL like playing as Sam. Split jumps. Hang-from-above kills. Body-hiding. Remote hacking. Camera-jamming. Maybe some of these things were unnecessary to complete missions, but they still FELT right, like they'd be the kind of skills and tactics an actual agent would have at his disposal in a real-life situation. Leaving them out feels like a step backward in evolution. I just feel like next-gen games should build and put MORE in, not take stuff out. Again, some of this may be due to Sam's lack of equipment early on, but I kept expecting more of it to eventually show up in the form of upgraded gear...especially once the sonar goggles did. But...nope.
4) No incentive to explore. This bothered me a LOT. In previous games, there was stuff to find. Clipboards. Computers. Goody stashes. Some were necessary to advance, others just fleshed out the story a little. But this game has none of that. Having gorgeously-rendered environments but zero reason to actually scour every corner of them for useful items seems literally like being all dressed up with no place to go.
5) Yappy guards. Oy. Annoying, annoying, annoying. If your biggest incentive to kill these schmucks is to get them to SHUT THE HELL UP ALREADY, then maybe this should be re-thought. Not to mention that it's a little unrealistic to assume that a bunch of armed guards looking for a highly-trained hidden killer, one whose tactics they've been briefed on and whom they have reason to believe is coming, would announce their position at the top of their lungs every eleven seconds.
6) Unlimited ammo and regenerating health. Possibly the most disappointing aspect of the entire game. In previous Splinter Cells there was TENSION. If you were down to three rounds and only a faint sliver of life, every door you opened could have mission failure on the other side. You had to be CAREFUL, to rely on your wits and your skills, and find a way through even if it seemed like suicide. Now, your default pistol has a bottomless clip, and you're back to full health if you hide in a corner for 15 seconds. MAN, this is irritating. The lower the risk, the less the reward. Finesse becomes an option instead of a requirement, as it is now technically possible to just run-and-gun with brute strength and firepower, smashing through levels like a hammer instead of a scalpel. And besides...What feels better than being on the brink of death with an empty gun, and then suddenly finding a strategically-placed, oasis-like storeroom with a handful of first aid-kits and a few boxes of ammo RIGHT when you need it most? Care and conservation no longer matter, now. This just seemed like a complete betrayal of the central theme of the series to me.
Gripes aside, I really enjoyed this game overall, and would recommend it to others (especially fans of the series). It just seems like Ubisoft tried to make an evolutionary stylistic and gameplay leap as large as the one Capcom did with Resident Evil 4, but fell a little short due to a number of regrettable and preventable missteps. What they got right they got REALLY right, but there were still a lot of little disappointments that really added up over time, and wound up detracting pretty heavily from the whole of the experience.
Thoughts?
Just wanted to drop a few quick opinions on Sam Fisher's latest escapade, and hear some other opinions, as well.
I just finished it over the weekend, which sort of surprised me, as I hadn't realized it was going to be so short. I guess I could have found that out before I dropped the sixty bucks, but I really didn't read much in the way of reviews or advance press on this one. Reason being, A) I'm a big fan of the series, so I knew I'd be buying it regardless and B) I didn't want to know too much about it so I could play it with an open mind. Splinter Cell is one of the few franchises I actually buy new, based on a satisfying track record. But the kick in the shins for that was that I didn't go into it expecting such a brief single-player campaign.
Not that I think "length" is necessarily a requirement for a satisfying experience, but it seemed that compared to the other games in the series, this one was awfully...well, "streamlined." In a series that places such an emphasis on patient stealth, I guess I was expecting a bit more in the way of moderately-paced action. Admittedly, I haven't dipped into the multi-player yet (which I'm sure it seriously bolsters the replay value), but even when I do...I'm sure I will have preferred about half again as many imaginative and adventuresome missions in its place.
Anyway...
What I really liked about "SC:C"
1) The new mechanic of graphically "projecting" possible actions and mission objectives on surfaces. This felt like a pretty effective way of conveying what it feels like to be inside the head of a highly-trained disciplinarian. Sort of the same idea as the red-soaked "runner's vision" from "Mirror's Edge." In each case, you're playing a character who sees the environment in a different way than a "normal" person would, and this is a neat way of getting that across.
2) The story definitely adds dimensions to Sam's character.
3) The controls are very fluid, intuitive and responsive.
4) The weaponry is varied and interesting, and the weapons stashes for upgrading/equipping is a neat tactical and strategic aspect.
5) The environments are frankly gorgeous. The attention to detail in nearly every area is stunning. Even during the sequence where you're required to run (and can't exactly slow down and "smell the roses"), the amount of care that went into the environments is mind-blowing. In fact, ALL of the graphics are about the most jaw-dropping I've ever seen. The character-rendering, the lighting, the textures...It's just incredibly vibrant, and real-feeling.
6) The return of handy gadgets like remote mines, the snake-cam and sticky-cams was awesome.
7) The voice acting, needless to say, was universally brilliant.
What I was a little disappointed with:
1) The length. I know Sam has very personal reasons to hurry and be compelled forward this time out, but I remember spending what seemed like hours hiding in shadows in previous games, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
2) Speaking of hiding in shadows, I found I didn't particularly care for the "greying out" effect that indicated Sam's visibility status. I just feel like it had been done better in previous games, with the sliding visibility meter. In "Chaos Theory," I remember thinking how cool it was that when Sam disappeared into inky shadows, *I* couldn't see him, either. I still knew were he was because of the green visor-dots or the small green PDA screen on his back (plus, I could always pop on the visor). But if he was invisible to me, that meant he was also invisible to the NPC's. This was incredibly effective. I understand the need to innovate (and I know he starts the game with minimal equipment, and that the visibility meter on his HUD was implied to be a feature of his OPSAT), but this wasn't boken, and really didn't need fixing.
3) The abbreviated moves set. I miss a lot of the things that made playing as Sam FEEL like playing as Sam. Split jumps. Hang-from-above kills. Body-hiding. Remote hacking. Camera-jamming. Maybe some of these things were unnecessary to complete missions, but they still FELT right, like they'd be the kind of skills and tactics an actual agent would have at his disposal in a real-life situation. Leaving them out feels like a step backward in evolution. I just feel like next-gen games should build and put MORE in, not take stuff out. Again, some of this may be due to Sam's lack of equipment early on, but I kept expecting more of it to eventually show up in the form of upgraded gear...especially once the sonar goggles did. But...nope.
4) No incentive to explore. This bothered me a LOT. In previous games, there was stuff to find. Clipboards. Computers. Goody stashes. Some were necessary to advance, others just fleshed out the story a little. But this game has none of that. Having gorgeously-rendered environments but zero reason to actually scour every corner of them for useful items seems literally like being all dressed up with no place to go.
5) Yappy guards. Oy. Annoying, annoying, annoying. If your biggest incentive to kill these schmucks is to get them to SHUT THE HELL UP ALREADY, then maybe this should be re-thought. Not to mention that it's a little unrealistic to assume that a bunch of armed guards looking for a highly-trained hidden killer, one whose tactics they've been briefed on and whom they have reason to believe is coming, would announce their position at the top of their lungs every eleven seconds.
6) Unlimited ammo and regenerating health. Possibly the most disappointing aspect of the entire game. In previous Splinter Cells there was TENSION. If you were down to three rounds and only a faint sliver of life, every door you opened could have mission failure on the other side. You had to be CAREFUL, to rely on your wits and your skills, and find a way through even if it seemed like suicide. Now, your default pistol has a bottomless clip, and you're back to full health if you hide in a corner for 15 seconds. MAN, this is irritating. The lower the risk, the less the reward. Finesse becomes an option instead of a requirement, as it is now technically possible to just run-and-gun with brute strength and firepower, smashing through levels like a hammer instead of a scalpel. And besides...What feels better than being on the brink of death with an empty gun, and then suddenly finding a strategically-placed, oasis-like storeroom with a handful of first aid-kits and a few boxes of ammo RIGHT when you need it most? Care and conservation no longer matter, now. This just seemed like a complete betrayal of the central theme of the series to me.
Gripes aside, I really enjoyed this game overall, and would recommend it to others (especially fans of the series). It just seems like Ubisoft tried to make an evolutionary stylistic and gameplay leap as large as the one Capcom did with Resident Evil 4, but fell a little short due to a number of regrettable and preventable missteps. What they got right they got REALLY right, but there were still a lot of little disappointments that really added up over time, and wound up detracting pretty heavily from the whole of the experience.
Thoughts?
