Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory: The best of the classic Splinter Cells definitely isn't perfect, but it has mostly withstood the test of time and is worthy of yours should you enjoy stealth-action games. This is a "replay" because I played it back when it came out, but barely remembered anything from it.
The biggest issues, first: in 2023, you'll be needing to download the widescreen fix from PCGamingWiki unless you're a rare CRT fanatic, then edit an .ini file to fix the FOV. This fix doesn't help with the cutscenes which are very low resolution and now stretched, though thankfully there aren't many. I ran into a hard crash which are never fun, so be sure to quicksave often, and if you want to alt-tab while playing you have to rapidly mash tab like a dozen times before it gives up its bizarre resistance and lets you. Never seen that one before.
Other than that? You're playing Chaos Theory, baby, the Splinter Cell game. It's easy to see why the game was (and still is) praised: the lighting and sound has received a comically large upgrade from the abysmal and forgotten nightmare of Pandora Tomorrow. Sam feels like Sam again, no longer the bland G.I. Joe from the previous entry but the uniquely bulky, lumbering, iconic ninja. Every level is just ripe with stealthy potential. The plot is still pretty stupid this time around, but at least it's not just following an uncharismatic dick while he makes phone calls. Pandora Tomorrow also had many segments where stealth was impossible and you simply had to murder dozens of guys in your playthrough: in Chaos Theory, you're actually penalized for killing people unnecessarily.
The scoring system after every level is probably the biggest upgrade from Pandora Tomorrow and exactly what this series needed. It's like Sam is being debriefed and told how he could have done better out there. You'll get a knife in Chaos Theory, but if you want that 100% rating, you'll only be using it to cut through tents and pierce generators. What's great is it's entirely your call: if you don't give a shit about a single digit percentage score at the end (it doesn't hinder progress), you're free to choose the 'Assault' loadout and bring a shotgun attachment and frag grenades with you on the operation. Do you want to dodge guards, only leaving a few fellas unconscious in dark corners, or do you want an onslaught with a trail of corpses? You do you.
I played on Hard and found it to be pretty challenging, it lead to my playthrough being a longer one. There's actually a difficulty above it, which sort of sounds insane to me, because on Hard enemies see you unless you're engulfed in shadow. On your meter, it can barely move out of pitch black before they "think they saw something" and come looking. Guards pull out flashlights or flares when this happens, too, adding to the challenge and atmosphere. Unfairly, multiple times they spotted me around a corner, though perhaps this has to do with the FOV stretching and widescreen fix. Remember, kids, ABC: Always Be Cuicksaving.
I enjoyed being a stealthy lad, taking my sweet time to ensure I got the 100% (or as close as my patience would let me). I didn't like how the penultimate level has an ending that's comically difficult to sneak out of, it felt jarring and poorly done. The last level does a better job of changing the pace and still lets you be quiet should you figure out how. You can't make any narrative choices in Chaos Theory outside of doing/avoiding secondary objectives, but I could see wanting to go back and trying out a 'bring the noise' playthrough.
As of a few days ago this game is old enough to smoke and vote, but I think it manages to play like it's somewhat fresh. It looks good, it sounds good, it plays... pretty good. Again, I wasn't crazy about some levels having entire sections that felt like they belonged in a Call of Duty instead of Splinter Cell. It's not perfect, but it's good, and the universal praise this game gets is simply tough to argue with.
I recommend Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory.
The biggest issues, first: in 2023, you'll be needing to download the widescreen fix from PCGamingWiki unless you're a rare CRT fanatic, then edit an .ini file to fix the FOV. This fix doesn't help with the cutscenes which are very low resolution and now stretched, though thankfully there aren't many. I ran into a hard crash which are never fun, so be sure to quicksave often, and if you want to alt-tab while playing you have to rapidly mash tab like a dozen times before it gives up its bizarre resistance and lets you. Never seen that one before.
Other than that? You're playing Chaos Theory, baby, the Splinter Cell game. It's easy to see why the game was (and still is) praised: the lighting and sound has received a comically large upgrade from the abysmal and forgotten nightmare of Pandora Tomorrow. Sam feels like Sam again, no longer the bland G.I. Joe from the previous entry but the uniquely bulky, lumbering, iconic ninja. Every level is just ripe with stealthy potential. The plot is still pretty stupid this time around, but at least it's not just following an uncharismatic dick while he makes phone calls. Pandora Tomorrow also had many segments where stealth was impossible and you simply had to murder dozens of guys in your playthrough: in Chaos Theory, you're actually penalized for killing people unnecessarily.
The scoring system after every level is probably the biggest upgrade from Pandora Tomorrow and exactly what this series needed. It's like Sam is being debriefed and told how he could have done better out there. You'll get a knife in Chaos Theory, but if you want that 100% rating, you'll only be using it to cut through tents and pierce generators. What's great is it's entirely your call: if you don't give a shit about a single digit percentage score at the end (it doesn't hinder progress), you're free to choose the 'Assault' loadout and bring a shotgun attachment and frag grenades with you on the operation. Do you want to dodge guards, only leaving a few fellas unconscious in dark corners, or do you want an onslaught with a trail of corpses? You do you.
I played on Hard and found it to be pretty challenging, it lead to my playthrough being a longer one. There's actually a difficulty above it, which sort of sounds insane to me, because on Hard enemies see you unless you're engulfed in shadow. On your meter, it can barely move out of pitch black before they "think they saw something" and come looking. Guards pull out flashlights or flares when this happens, too, adding to the challenge and atmosphere. Unfairly, multiple times they spotted me around a corner, though perhaps this has to do with the FOV stretching and widescreen fix. Remember, kids, ABC: Always Be Cuicksaving.
I enjoyed being a stealthy lad, taking my sweet time to ensure I got the 100% (or as close as my patience would let me). I didn't like how the penultimate level has an ending that's comically difficult to sneak out of, it felt jarring and poorly done. The last level does a better job of changing the pace and still lets you be quiet should you figure out how. You can't make any narrative choices in Chaos Theory outside of doing/avoiding secondary objectives, but I could see wanting to go back and trying out a 'bring the noise' playthrough.
As of a few days ago this game is old enough to smoke and vote, but I think it manages to play like it's somewhat fresh. It looks good, it sounds good, it plays... pretty good. Again, I wasn't crazy about some levels having entire sections that felt like they belonged in a Call of Duty instead of Splinter Cell. It's not perfect, but it's good, and the universal praise this game gets is simply tough to argue with.
I recommend Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory.