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The environments are very realistic. Offices have papers and PCs strewn about, alleys are filled with trash, and a server room is incredibly clean and white like something out of Alias. Additionally, the night vision and thermal goggles are very realistic, each giving a vastly different view of the world and proving to often be integral in gameplay. All of this is wrapped in very detailed and crisp textures, and rarely do they ever repeat. Even when they do, it's usually masked well by shadow or other lighting tricks. The only real problem with the graphics is some clipping, with the bodies of downed soldiers often falling into surrounding walls and doors. It doesn't effect gameplay in any way, but it's a jarring break from the incredible realism the rest of the game portrays. My only other complaint is that Sam's night vision goggles glow a constant bright green, but yet they seem to play no part in determining whether an enemy can spot Sam or not. On occasion I was standing in the dark mere inches from an enemy's face, yet he couldn't spot me despite the three huge green dots on my head. I understand why Ubi Soft did this (as they explained in one of the behind the scene videos, the goggles are Sam's defining characteristic), but it's another case of anti-realism in an otherwise ultra-realistic game.
As a result of the graphic glory sound usually takes a backseat in this game, but it's also of high quality itself and plays an important role in the game. Performed by the Crystal Method, the music is typical of military/stealth/Clancy games, and thus should be pleasing to anyone familiar with those kinds of games. Sound effects are numerous and realistic. Sam's weapons and gadgets all have a unique sound to them, and Sam's steps will sound different and/or louder as he walks over a variety of terrain. The voice acting is also done well, and in particular Sam's voice sounds gruff and enhances the character perfectly. Sam's support team is also voiced competently, as is the enemy as it patrols, talks on cell phones, makes announcements over the intercom, etc. My only complaint with the voice acting is that I wish it were in the native language of that particular soldier instead of in English with an accent stereotypical of that nationality, but no other game (including MGS' Russian soldiers) really does that anyway. There aren't a lot of extras beyond the single-player game, but what's there is done pretty well. A number of different behind the scenes videos are included, interviewing a variety of the team responsible for the game and even Sam Fisher himself. The most promising though is the promise of downloadable content. While none is available as of this writing, we soon expect a number of new levels available for download via Xbox Live. There's no online play, but this really isn't a game conducive to multiplayer gameplay anyway. Highs:
Lows:
Final Verdict: It's hard to say whether this game is better than MGS2: Substance or not, but it's certain that this game uses the Xbox hardware much more. Regardless of which is the better game, every Xbox owner really should own Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell. It's unlike anything you've ever played before, it's perhaps the best looking game of all-time, and arguably it's the best Xbox game yet. We've finally got some competition in the genre for Kojima's masterpiece. It should be interesting to see how much of Splinter Cell's innovation Konami "borrows" for the next MGS. Overall Score: 9.7 Additional Images:
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