A Deer in the Headlights: Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Chaos Theory

By Jonathan Berohn

First let me confess something. I went through a Tom Clancy phase way back when he wasn't adding his hare-brained political commentary onto every page. And I have to say, I really liked his first few books, so I've always had a bit of a soft spot for Clancy-inspired games. I also like spy movies and games, so I was really looking forward to Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Chaos Theory. Unfortunately, I'm not quite the audience they had in mind for this game.

Features, Features, Features

Always wished you could zap out a light to sneak past a guard?  Felt like you ought to be able to throw something to make a little noise distraction?  How about climb a cliff?  Switch through different types of low light goggles?  Choose between lethal and non-lethal ammo for your weapon?  OK-I'm sure you're starting to get the picture by now.  If there's something you might remotely like to do in this game, chances are there is some way to do it.  That same strength is also the major flaw I found with the game-there are just too many things to do.

Training

Yes-you read that right.  There are about seven training videos you have to sit through to make sense of what you are supposed to do in Chaos Theory.  And yes-it's as boring as it sounds.  I'll sum it up for you briefly by saying that there are about 9,652 things you need to do to sneak past enemies, dispatch them silently, and go about your spy business.

The Story

I won't ruin the storyline for you here, but suffice it to say that Chaos Theory gives you plenty of opportunity to strut your spy stuff.  Honestly, though, with all my incessant referring back to the manual or pausing to look at the controller layout, I just couldn't get into the flow of the game.  This game certainly has an appeal, but it is an appeal better suited to the generation of Mortal Kombat gamers who like to use every last button on the controller to pull of that amazing move.  Personally, I prefer a loose trigger and lots of ammo in my 1st person shooters.