Splinter Cell - Pandora Tomorrow Announced

Tim Grube writes "Ubi Soft have put out a press release revealing the next Splinter Cell title in development. It's called Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow (here's more screenshots at Gaminghorizon), and will be released on all next-gen consoles in early 2004." Prominently mentioned is multiplayer co-operative online play, a definite plus for the new iteration of this stealth action franchise.

Comments

Dues Ex Rant...

[apoc.famine]

I wasn't all that impressed with Splinter Cell, to tell the truth. The graphics were great, the feel of the game wonderful, and the lock-picking one of the most creative and realistic representations that I've seen, but the idiocy of the game-play pretty much ruined it for me. That and piss-poor attention to detail, such as repeatedly showing stock tickers with red up arrows. I honestly don't have a lot of hope they will put out a game worth buying, as the current one really isn't, IMHO, of course.

A major part of my problem stems from playing Dues Ex a few times. It is still the most amazing, creative, and flexible FPS I have ever played. In Dues Ex you had the CHOICE of stealth VS tank, and you could pick the mood that suited you. In a game where you were allowed to shoot just about everyone, they were nice enough to give you, pretty much from the start:
a baton/crowbar to knock people out, a crossbow with tranquilizer darts, gas grenades, and a taser/stun gun

Now, in Splinter Cell, where you aren't allowed to kill ANYONE in large portions of the game, they are nice enough to supply you with a sniper rifle and a pistol, leaving you stealth and fists to knock people out for the most part. Um, hello? A little help here? How damn hard would it be to give me a taser, or even a hunk of polished cherry?

Another of my gripes is the object interaction. For instance, if you can shoot out light bulbs, why can you not unscrew them? For a game that focuses on stealth, that seems a little more intelligent than forcing you to waste ammo on all of them.

At the same time, there are people that you have to sneak up on, grab, and force to use optical scanners. I have absolutely NO clue why you can't knock them out first. An unconscious eye scans the same as a conscious one...just another pointless limitation built into the game.

In Dues Ex you coveted and searched out the LAMs, baiting people into hallways where you had placed them, or shooting them as guards walked past. They were one of those things you tried to keep in stock at all times, as a good explosive should be.

In Splinter Cell, you meet Wall Mines in one level. You can only carry 3, and you never see them again once you leave that level. Aparently you aren't allowed to keep any useful equipment you pick up.

While I appreciate the SC-20K and the various attachments and add-ons you get for it, (albeit in pitiful enough quantities that you hardly ever want to use them) I'd take the variety of Dues Ex weapons any day. In no particular order, I can remember: baton, crowbar, knife, stun gun, pepper spray, sword, crossbow, pistol, shotgun, machine gun, sniper, anti-tank rifle, plasma gun, flame thrower, throwaway anti-tank rifle...not to mention other pickups like armors, explosives/grenades, medkits, ammo, weapon mods, lock picks...hell, the GEP gun still gives me a hardon when I think about it. Compare all this to Splinter Cell's 2 weapons and um, 3? 4? other pickups...

Yes, I know that Splinter Cell is all about stealth, but in comparison to Dues Ex it feels like "Stealth in a car, and we're driving". Fuck the "5th freedom" - throughout most of the game you have 2 freedoms: forward and backward, and even then they are limited.

For the next release, they need to understand two things they apparently missed with this one:

1. Someone set a bar 3 years ago.
2. You need to meet or exceed that bar with your game.

At this point, given the choice to play Splinter Cell over, or play Dues Ex for the 3rd or 4th time, I'd have take Dues Ex. It's just that much better.