Splinter Cell

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Image:Splintercell3.JPG Splinter Cell is a series of video games and novels created by American author Tom Clancy. The main character, Sam Fisher is a highly trained agent of a black-ops division of the NSA, named "Third Echelon".

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Splinter Cell

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A "Splinter Cell" is an agent of Third Echelon of the National Security Agency (NSA) that is sent out into the world to exercise the use of the "Fifth Freedom": the freedom to do whatever is necessary to preserve national security and peace for the United States. They are elite intelligence-gathering forces consisting of a lone field operative supported by a remote team. The driving concept behind the development of this type of force is complete deniability: if the field operative is captured or killed, the United States government will deny knowledge of his actions or existence. The solo operative is invisible and razor sharp, like a sliver of glass.

The first Splinter Cell was Sam Fisher.

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Video games

The series of video games are third-person stealth shooters developed and published by Ubisoft and are a vital part of a large wave of stealth-based third-person video games that became popular in the late 1990s. The originators of the genre, the acclaimed Metal Gear games and the Thief series, have much in common with the Splinter Cell titles in terms of gameplay. Splinter Cell has ascended to the top of the video gaming heap in terms of realistic stealth-based adventures, essentially sharing the distinction for high quality stealth action with the Metal Gear series.

The Splinter Cell series currently includes:

Title Year Released for
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell 2002 Xbox, PS2, GameCube, PC, Macintosh, Game Boy Advance
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Team Stealth Action 2003 N-Gage
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow 2004 Xbox, PS2, GameCube, PC, Game Boy Advance
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory 2005 Xbox, PS2, GameCube, Nintendo DS, PC, N-Gage
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Double Agent 2006 Xbox, Xbox 360, PlayStation 2, GameCube, PC
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Essentials 2006 PSP

The storyline is similar in each of the games. Terrorists are planning an attack by weapons of mass destruction, usually by use of information warfare, and Sam Fisher needs to prevent that. The missions range from gathering intelligence to capturing or eliminating terrorist operatives.

Stealth is a critical aspect of gameplay; shooting and killing any civilians or enemy units may result in mission failure or increased difficulty (as guards may arm themselves to better prepare for an attack). An alarm usually occurs if a non-player character spots a casualty, an unconscious person, or Sam Fisher himself. In the first two games, the mission is aborted after a set number of alarms have been triggered; sometimes only one will end a mission prematurely, depending on the mission. The third game features a new system, in which enemies move up to a new level of awareness for every alarm triggered. For example, after the fourth alarm is set off, enemies will fortify positions around the map and wait for you.

The smoothest way forward is to remain invisible, select non-obvious routes, and use diversion to pass guards. The game is a combination of problem solving and quick action. Attacks must be swift and silent to ensure success. What truly sets Splinter Cell apart from other games of its kind are its innovative multiplayer modes. Pandora Tomorrow introduced a two-on-two multiplayer mode, pitting two very differently equipped teams against each other. Chaos Theory further evolved that mode and introduced a co-operative mode. This mode plays out very much like the single player mode, yet features a myriad of moves that can only be performed by both players acting as a team.

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Novels

The novels are written by author under the pseudonym David Michaels. The first two novels were written by American author Raymond Benson also known for being the author of several official James Bond novels and short stories. In 2006 Raymond Benson stepped down from writing further novels saying the next novel would be written by another author under the same pseudonym.

  1. Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell (2004)
  2. Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Operation Barracuda (2005)
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Film

The existence of a movie in pre-production has been confirmed both by news sources and by the inclusion of a teaser trailer in Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory. Paramount Pictures has acquired the rights for the film and has purportedly hired Peter Berg, director of 2004's Friday Night Lights, for the project.

The screenplay is believed to be in the hands of J.T. Petty, the writer for the three Splinter Cell games, and John J. McLaughlin, the screenwriter for the 2005 film Man of the House.

Others known to be involved with the movie are executive producers Michael Ovitz, Tom Clancy, and Yves Guillemot.

  • The film is rumoured to be set for release in 2007.
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Trivia

  • Originally, Tom Clancy rejected the idea of Sam Fisher having trifocal goggles, stating that goggles with both thermal vision and night vision are impossible to make. The creators argued that having two separate sets of goggles would make for awkward gameplay and convinced Clancy to allow it.
  • Unlike most present-day video games, Splinter Cell does not use motion capture technology. All of Sam Fisher's moves are animated. The creators felt this would give Sam a more "fluid" range of motion.
  • Games bearing the Tom Clancy name, including Splinter Cell, must receive approval from Clancy himself to earn his endorsement. Some of the aspects of games that he looks for include realistic weapons, military tactics, and health systems for the game's characters.
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Characters

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External links

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