Splinter Cell 3D

When I saw two Tom Clancy games as release titles for the Nintendo 3DS I thought ‘great’ and then after reading some reviews about Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars I couldn’t wait to get my teeth into Splinter Cell 3D. I haven’t played any of the previous iterations of Splinter Cell but I knew the concept behind the titles.

There a couple of things that I really liked the idea of with regards to the control system. Essentially the bottom half of your 3DS becomes one wide control panel. A, D, X and Y are used to control your camera, the stick controls movement and the D-pad controls jumping, crouching and putting your back against the wall.

However, the touch screen changes depending on your situation. Generally you can access your map, pull out and put away your weapon, control your goggles, access the map and throw out distractions such as whistles. When finding ammunition, getting to a closed door and walking up behind someone, the screen changes and presents you with new action buttons.

All of this is a great idea but occasionally it can be a bit clunky. It’s very easy to hit the wrong button and when you want to check the map you’ll unintentionally whistle and attract attention. Also, whilst moving around the levels is smooth, it can also feel tight.

During the game I felt really claustrophobic and not just when I was crawling through tunnels. All too often I was wishing that the developers had pulled the camera out a bit to give me more space to see. Not having enough room to swing a dead mouse can lead to many frustrating moments in the game.

One of the features I liked in the game was the save points. There are plenty of them around and you can use them multiple times. I know some people may think this is a cop out but you don’t have to use them as often as I do. I simply like having the choice.

As for the look of the game, some of the areas look great and the use of 3D isn’t overpowering. I have found in few games that the 3D is like a new toy and over used to the extent my eyes cross over but Splinter Cell 3D uses them nicely. The only downside to some of the textures is that they remind me of something we would have seen in the N64’s Goldeneye.

Overall sound in the game is good; I am really enjoying the improved sound of the 3DS and in a game where stealth is key it certainly helps. The surround sound feature made it feel as though you can really tell where voices and footsteps are coming from.

A downside to the game is the lack of gameplay options. If you get fed up with the single player campaign you can either play the single player campaign or the single player campaign. Sure, you can replay chapters…  in the single player campaign. In this generation, no multiplayer or online options leave the game incomplete.