While you may or may not agree with the above statement, you can't deny the fact that the next-gen sequel, Splinter Cell Double Agent, is going to be one of the holiday season's most eagerly awaited Xbox 360 titles. We had a chance to sit down with the Xbox 360 version of the game yesterday, and while it was the same demo level that we saw at E3, it was nice not having a sweaty nerd breathing down our neck as he was awaiting his turn. We were able to take our time as we made our way across the Kinshasa level, hunting another agent that Sam is tasked with assassinating.
Players of the previous Splinter Cell games will probably be able to pick up the controller and dive right into the action, since little has changed when it comes to the controls. Double Agent is still a stealth game, so we spent most of our time crouching in the shadows, waiting for our enemies to turn their backs, even just for a moment. When they did, we were able to take them out in a number of different manners, including shooting them from afar or getting up close and personal to slash their throats. Although we didn't actually see them in action, we're assuming that Sam will again have quite a collection of handy spy gadgets.
The Kinshasa level takes place in an urban environment that's literally being torn apart by gunfire, so it's imperative that Sam figure out the best way to progress without being seen. Double Agent is even more wide-open than its predecessor, and we were able to play the level a bunch of times without taking the same route twice. Of course, this also led to few moments in which we got slightly disoriented, ending up exactly where we started. Still, if you're smart enough to frequently use your map, you should be just fine. With all of the action going on around us, it's no surprise that we were killed plenty of times, often by an enemy that we couldn't even see.
Since we only got to see one level, it's tough to say how the finished product will actually look. All of the textures look very nice (on both the character models and the environment), but nothing really jumped out and grabbed us. We're hopeful that the stuff we saw during Ubisoft's pre-E3 event, including the HALO jump sequence and the snowstorm, are more indicative of what we'll see when the game comes out. Double Agent does use some pretty nifty lighting techniques, as evidenced by the moment we were temporarily blinded by the midday sun after stepping out of the shadows (good thing Sam's got those sweet aviator sunglasses).
So, will Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Double Agent make you throw your copy of Chaos Theory in the trash? Well, it's tough to say. The single-player game improves upon its predecessor in many ways, especially when it comes to the whole "double agent" aspect. We've yet to really see it in action yet, but it sounds like it could be cool. Our big question is about the game's multiplayer mode. Will it still feature the same Spy vs. Merc action that got us hooked on Chaos Theory? Will we get anymore awesome co-op action? Only time will tell, but the game seem to be shaping up nicely.
