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Review by Halon
November 26, 2008
Fisher’s basic moves/gadgets are pretty much the same as in Splinter Cell, but there are a few neat additions. First of all there is a completely revamped alarm system. Now whenever you’re spotted the alarm level increases by one, and if you pull three you lose (assuming this isn’t a mission in which you’re not allowed to pull any alarms). After every checkpoint the alarm level goes back to zero, which makes them much more forgiving than the original. Fisher also has quite a few new moves and gadgets at his disposal, including the ability to reach a higher platform by split-jumping, a S.W.A.T turn that’s used to pass by doorways without being seen, the ability to hang by his legs and shoot, a pair of binoculars so that you don’t have to use your rifle’s scope whenever you want to look ahead, and more. There are some helpful features added, such as a body stealth meter, which tells you if it’s safe to hide a body in a certain area and the ability to whistle in order to “lure” guards over to you so you can dispose them easier.
If you thought the levels in Splinter Cell were dull you won’t feel the same about Pandora Tomorrow. Instead of mostly taking place inside dull, giant buildings like the original game, you’ll be taken to all sorts of awesome locations, including Indonesia, France, Israel, East Timor, and even the United States. Instead of sneaking from room to room and doing the same stuff over and over again the environments will play a bigger factor than ever. In Indonesia you’ll have to use tall grass to hide from enemies, while in Jerusalem making use of the various ledges to avoid the deadly streets is vital. There are even several interesting obstacles to overcome, such as hiding from enemies during a lightning storm that will light up everything and sneaking through passenger carts on a train full of people who will have no problem squealing if they see you. In the matter of fact some of these levels, especially the train one are better than anything seen in the original Splinter Cell.
Perhaps one of the coolest new features is the multiplayer via XBox Live. Although it is now obsolete thanks to Chaos Theory, the third installment in the series, if you can find a game online (I’m not sure how many people still play it, it has been a while since I’ve had Live) it is definitely worth trying out. You are allowed to play as either the spies or the mercenaries in order to fulfill some sort of objective, and teamwork is vital. Both sides are fun to use; the mercenaries have some great weapons, but on the other hand the spies aren’t armed with any sort of lethal weapons. They rely on stealth and some cool gadgets, such as sticky cameras, flash bangs (a giant FLASH that blinds everyone in the room), and chaff and smoke grenades. I don’t want to talk about the missions since they do tie in with the single player story, but missions are usually something along the line of steal or defend something in a certain time limit. Teamwork is necessary to win, which makes it so awesome. Each mission also has multiple ways of accomplishing it, and most of the levels are great. It’s a blast.
But besides the multiplayer Pandora Tomorrow doesn’t break any new ground and offers more of the same. Although Fisher’s second outing is overall better than his first, I just wasn’t blown away the same way I was when I played Splinter Cell. Even with the multiplayer, new (and superior) levels, and new features it still feels like an expansion to the original and it seemed like I did everything before. The basic premise is the same, the controls are only slightly altered (I actually think I liked the controls in the first game better), and everything is still based on trial and error, even if the game is now more forgiving. I might have done everything before, but with something this awesome that’s certainly not a bad thing.
Rating: 9/10
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Most recent video game reviews written by Halon
Poker Night at the Inventory (PC) [March 13, 2011]
Ikaruga (GameCube) [February 27, 2011]
Halo Zero (PC) [February 27, 2011]
VVVVVV (PC) [January 08, 2011]
New Super Mario Bros. (DS) [January 04, 2010]
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