Splinter Cell Chaos Theory - best SC yet???

[photoasylum]

Well, as the game is still in production, I'm not gonna go out on a limb and declare that just yet, but this new preview from Gamespot sounds very encouraging:

http://www.gamespot.com/pc/action/splintercell3/preview_6116458.html

I've always rated SC as one of my favorite PC games, and enjoyed Pandora Tomorrow every bit as much as the first SC, but if we can believe the developers, SCCT may finally hold improvements that will bring many of those that weren't so keen on the series into the fold.

It sounds like the new game will feature a non-linear plot, hopefully something very close to true non-linear in that Fisher's objectives and the story will actually change based on the direction you take him and the actions he performs.

It also looks like they're going to give Fisher some new ways to fight and kill (oh joy!) as well as mission loadout options. The latter sounds intriguing as it means you will have to choose one of three gear configs and be stuck with that throughout the mission. If nothing else, this should certainly give SCCT a lot more replay value than the previous two installments, something that critics of the series always point to.

Ok, so the big question is: will these somewhat dramatic shifts from the winning formula of the first two SC games be acceptable for those of us who are die-hard fans of the game?

At this point, I can't say for sure, but it sounds like it'll be fun finding out!

[DBS]

Could be just what it needs to grow and improve. I liked SC and own Pandora Tomorrow but have yet to install it. I think most of the hard core gamers knock it down a notch for being more of a rail steath game. They want freedom in a game like this with the story. I know it probably is a challenge to incorporate both but Theif does it well. I hope it is a winner as I like Sam better than Hitmans character. I think they actually took what was working well and made Hitman just another fps anymore with the latest installment. The first were frustrating and very challenging and I wish they would work on the A.I. so the guards were smarter not mind readers. Instead they dumbed down the game and made it one you can run and gun just like every other fps game out.

Speaking of fps games I been loving CoDUO online. It is a blast ...anyone else here trying it out? I am Capt. Wolfe and usually play on dm servers. No fav yet though...

[photoasylum]

I think most of the hard core gamers knock it down a notch for being more of a rail steath game. They want freedom in a game like this with the story. I know it probably is a challenge to incorporate both but Theif does it well...

I see both sides to this...

What I find odd are Thief fans putting down SC for being too linear. IMO, the Thief games are extremely linear. Sure, Garrett usually has the option of going over a wall or through a gate or into and through tunnel to get to the same place (and in TDS you can mess about in 'town' whenever you want to), but the game storyline and mission goals are triggered in a very precise and linear fashion. Like SC, you have to play them in the exact order they're presented, and B will not happen until you do A...

Of course, to me it's a moot point, because I don't mind linear gameplay at all. And we shouldn't forget the obvious: both Thief and SC do a great job of disguising the linear aspect of the game. So much so that I don't really think about it much as I play...

Since SC first came out, I have always maintained that it remined me very much of a modern day Thief. Not neccessarily in storyline (although both DO have a dark anti-hero saving the world by seaking around), but in general feel.

Naturally, some Thief fans scoffed at this, but I think Deadly Shadows finally proves my point valid. There is no other game closer to it in look and feel than SC, and now the graphics are very similar and the character models almost identical.

Have Garrett zoom in on a guard off in the distance, and your screen will look and sound almost exactly like Fisher using his night-goggles and zoom. Both go around shooting out lights, knocking out guards, avoiding civilians, finding and stealing stuff, and muttering wise-a$$ remarks to themselves...

BTW, Pandora Tomorrow is almost exactly like the first SC, much in the same way Dark Project and Metal Age are. As I had a great time playing the first SC, this did not bother me in the least...

[Suicides-by-Steve]

Isn't Splinter Cell, technically a console game? Either way, I liked the premise, but it wasn't as focused as Thief IMO.

Your comparisons to Thief and SC in terms of linearity, I think is a little off. Most games are linear when you boil it right down. There's a difference though between in-mission actions and how the objectives are completed though. Sure you have to get into the building, but it doesn't matter to you that you can only crawl into one window of a multi-windowed building facade? It does to me. Why can't I get break-in through another window, and make my way around to the mission objective? I prefer the option to go over the wall, through the front gates, or getting into the building via the second floor using rope arrows and litheness. It adds a new dimension to the game having to think like that.

The first two Thief's had added mission objectives, and loot spawning in different locations at higher difficulty levels, it also lowered your health, took longer to heal, and made the guards tougher. In such a huge environment, Thief invites the player to explore every nook and cranny, with a goal in mind... to steal. That's really hard to do on a map that is only corridors, dummy doors, and scripted events, not too mention pegging the lead character as a soldier... one who doesn't have the luxury of "exploring" or stealing. The small levels really kill me though. That's my problem with console games... the lack of RAM.

I think the similarities in Thief III to SC was an unfortunate by-product though- the third-person view, the crackle to the scopes... Garrett's equivilent to night vision now- of the concurrently developed game trend. Us PC gamers know this, and put our noses up a bit I think at the idea... I don't want to speak for him, but that's probably why people like Renzatic are working on a "proper" Thief editor, rather than the one that created Thief III.

The editor for Thief III is either too simple for the average PC map maker, or it's a behemoth that can make the maps on the XBox look like a joke... I'm sure MS doesn't want that getting out too early. Anyway, here's my view on SC... It's a fun blast through stealthly levels, but not as deep or as complex as the first two Thief's. If I had to choose though between a new SC or Thief IV game, I would pick Ghost Recon ;) LOL I would pick Splinter Cell. Like the tune "Video Killed The Radio Star", consoles are killing the PC gaming market... maybe not, but they are definitely crowding it...

PS- Personally Renzatic, I don't unterstand why you guys aren't remaking the original Doom instead... :)

[photoasylum]

On the other hand, it's probably not really fair to compare ANY other game to Thief, now is it?. Thief will always be my favorite, so of course, others will always fall a bit short. ;)

I guess what I was trying to say is that there was a vibe to SC and an atmosphere that simply reminded me of Thief more than any other game I've played. I still feel the similarities are greater than the differences.

And to be honest, while I realize SC is much more "railed" than Thief, there was part of me that liked that. I had fun knowing that there was only one vent to get into a building or room, and it was Fisher's job to find it. Or one open window, or unlocked door, or ledge or pipe to climb (or repel), or a single elevator that went to the floor he needed to be on.

Some really great games are like that (Max Payne is another one that comes to mind),

I'm going to go against the grain here and confess to you that sometimes having a lot of gameplay options drives me nuts. No matter what path I take, it makes me feel like I missed something along the way I didn't go. In a sense, I find comfort in a game where you're either going the one right way, or your not. And so, that aspect didn't bother me with SC.

Besides, the story and atmosphere and characters were so immersive and the gameplay so much fun that, like I said, I didn't really notice it that much. I was much more focused on what Fisher had to do, and not getting caught...

As for being a console game, I suppose you're right. That's the same problem T3 has, but after a while I just got used to it. I guess because I've never played console games, I didn't automatically think of them when I exerienced the "loading zones" in SC and T3.

In fact, I didn't give them much thought when I was playing, and only learned that SC was a console title after I had finished the game the first time...

I guess sometimes ignorance really is bliss.. :D

[Renzatic Gear]

PS- Personally Renzatic, I don't unterstand why you guys aren't remaking the original Doom instead... :)
lol, cuz there's already like 10 other Doom remakes floating around out there right now. ;)

I think you'll be pretty interested in seeing what Doom 3 can do with Thief. You could do alot of cool things with Dromed, but D3 with it's map scripting and plethora of neat effects and commands...lol, I'll just say you can do alot more.

[Aku]

On the other hand, it's probably not really fair to compare ANY other game to Thief, now is it?. Thief will always be my favorite, so of course, others will always fall a bit short. ;)

Thief is my favorite topic now. I've been going through a Thief revival the last few months. Replayed Thief 2, played some Thief 2 fan missions, got Thief: Ds and played through that, reinstalled Thief Gold and am playing some Thief 1 fan missions now. Sill waiting for the game that takes what Thief did and raises the bar. Thief: DS could have been that game but doesn't quite make it. Still a good game, though, and if they release a decent editor a lot of things can be done with that game to make it great. I'd really like to see what modders would do with the city sections of the game. There's a lot of potential there.

[Hieremias]

I personally don't understand how a Thief fan can really like Splinter Cell. SC gives you absolutely no options, the game is entirely on rails. Photoasylum, you're not understanding what linearity is. Yes, every Thief game has one mission after another, and this order doesn't change (except a bit in Thief 3). But within each mission you have wide-open options. Garret is basically allowed to explore the entire level, and accomplish each objective as he sees fit. Sam Fisher can only go from point A to B to C, there is never any exploration. You don't need a map at all.

This just kills the game for me. I have the first SC but haven't bothered with Pandora Tomorrow, and I doubt I'll bother with Chaos Theory. The on-rails design might work for a straightforward shooter, but not a stealth game. It's a pale Thief immitation.