Splinter Cell Retrospective - The Rageaholic 

That quote at the beginning from Tom Clancy has new meaning for me. I recently lost my dad and it hit me hard, as he was such a prevailing presence in my life and now he's gone. I am still coming to grips with it and to help, I'm probably going to write a eulogy for his memorial service. I will most likely be a wreck when I am done, but I want to do it.

Chaos Theory is the G.O.A.T.

You left out one of the best thing in Chaos Theory: The interrogations!

Oh, dang... The console releases of Splinter Cell didn't allow you to save whenever you wanted? Dang. Also, I don't know if anyone's pointed this out, but... the glowing green bits on Sam's suit can't actually be seen in-universe. They're only visible to the player to allow for a more accurate sense of space when you're in pitch blackness.

LightningSpartan That isn't factual. The 7th gen version doesn't use binary light and shadow stealth. It has a binary *feedback system*. There's a *major* distinction. The light on the back of Sam's suit is either red, yellow, or green. Green meaning 'perfectly hidden', yellow meaning exposed or somewhere in-between, and red meaning 'shit's going down'. But - unlike in the case of Conviction and Blacklist - that doesn't actually change the nature of the way shadows behave. The game still has the same number of gradations in shadow from Chaos Theory. Green just means 'you're totally hidden'. Yellow can mean 'you're partially hidden', 'you're nearly green, but not quite', or 'you're in danger of being seen'. Shadows work the exact same way. It isn't black or white. Case in point: You can have a yellow light on your suit and still not be spotted by enemies if you're crouching in a corner. The light bulb was just a way to remove the clunky visibility meter from the earlier titles. A questionable design choice, sure. But it didn't actually change the way the shadow-based stealth worked. Conviction and Blacklist's binary system did.

Double Agent and Chaos Theory are still about the best modern stealth games ever made.

Beat'em ups to stealth Devil May Cry=Thief Ninja Gaiden=Splinter Cell God of War=Metal Gear Solid

Yeah MGS3 has dogs. And they work as intended.

I LOVE Amon Tobin, one of the greatest nu jazz/trip hop artists of all time. Oh and I love Splinter Cell as well (including Double Agent).

Glad to see Double Agent get some love. I greatly enjoyed that game too. 👍🏻

I actually liked the PS2/Xbox version of DA better. The storyline made more sense than the 360 version -- that version felt rushed and incomplete. And as much as I love Amon Tobin, the DA soundtrack was pretty amazing and perfectly suited to the game too, definitely worth mentioning. Spot on about games following DA, it was so perversely dumbed down. Also, why the hell is Sam getting younger? I have a strange affection for the original Splinter Cell, there was fantastic ambiance in that game. It's likely to do with the fact that it was the first entry in the series, and therefore completely fresh and innovative.

For me the series ended with Double Agent.

I appreciate the clarification that, while 2 is Razorfist's favorite game in the series, he has no qualms putting his bias aside and admitting Chaos Theory is the best game in the series. I think it's always important to keep that kind of distinction in mind- Final Fantasy 4 remains my favorite game in the series, but I would never try to claim it's the best in the series, for example. Likewise, I have and always will prefer Silent Hill 1 over Silent Hill 2, even though some might regard such a thing as utter heresy. But I think it's important to retain a sense of perspective and be able to to recognize that something doesn't have to be the best in the series to be one's favorite entry.

Eh, Metal Gear Solid 3 does canine enemies pretty well. Mostly just by handling them the same as the human ones with some different behavior characteristics to make them feel more like dogs (curling up for a sleep, always moving to food you throw, etc.)

For some reason double agent is my fav.

“My name is Sam Fisher. I am a Splinter Cell.” Fucking goosebumps of adolescence.

Chaos Theory and some of the later OG Xbox/PS2 era games still impress and hold up to this day imo. I still enjoy revisiting them frequently and can not stress how great some of those games from that time are.

A great video as always, Raz0r. Rewatching it I noticed the weapon used to shot down Sam at the Conviction rating and I appreciate the referrence.

Man.....this makes me sad that I can't buy Pandora Tomorrow on Steam and finding it is a fucking chore these days. Because he is right 2 and 3 are the pinnacle of the series and I rarely played the second one. But yeah Chaos Theory is the peak of the series and also it is the one game in the series beyond the first one that I go back to every so often on the PC....granted the first one is more of a nostalgia trip as it was the first game beyond the first Halo that made me feel getting a Xbox was worth it.

Do you know when you will do a Tenchu Retrospective!. I'll wait.

I think If i were to make a "Splinter cell retrospective" Video it would literally be the exact same video

Double agent the ps3 and 360 is underrated among splinter cell fans

My only problem with PT was that it was pretty short compared to the others. But man, I loved those jungle missions and the LAX level. I also liked the Xbox DA better than the 360 version. Conviction... it was a good stand alone game, but man they took away so much, like the ambient sound meter, light meter, split jump, hacking, I could go on. Felt pretty stripped down.

Michael Ironside had a shit script in conviction

I loved the multiplayer from double agent, it was really fun. ...Too bad nobody was playing it after two weeks.

Ah Sweet! So many good memories. Hitman and Splinter Cell were my favourite stealth games. Now I even started to collect Tom Clancy's novels. love 'em.

I am also a huge fan of Pandora tomorrow. It hit all the right notes for me. But I enjoyed the co-op in Chaos Theory. Still the best game you can play with your boyfriend.

Chaos theory was the freaking best freaking stealth freaking game

Horna \m/ Jesus, I miss old Splintercell. I think Double Agent had to be my favorite, but any of them before are great too.

Pandora Tomorrow also has the best Lambert voice actor

thank you RU-vid for blessing my feed with this 2013 video

I Unironically enjoyed them all. I loved the pvp in double agent and black list.

I actually liked Conviction. It was my first Splinter Cell, but now I look at it as a fun and well executed spin off. The Piristroyka was less of a dumpsterfire than Blacklist.

Nothing will top Chaos Theory.

I’ve never played a “Splinter Cell” game before! And even though I grew up in the 80’s & 90’s, I didn’t get into stealth until the “Dishonored” series, which Razorfist dislikes but opened my eyes to stealth and also immersive sims. And I still love those games, just hate how you are punished for using the cool murder weapons! But because of Razorfist going to check out “Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow” now! Just got it today and going to start playing now!

Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow was my first Splinter Cell game. I love that game!

I cannot wait for your Blacklist review. I'm getting really tired of people saying it's finally returned the series to it's roots when it hasn't. I'd kill for another Double Agent, or Chaos Theory for that matter.

You ask why Conviction sold the least amout of copies but ignore that it was exclusive to 360. That means all the potential Japanese customers wouldn't get it because they didn't buy 360's. Also you have to factor in the Gamecube into those early numbers. That means that Splinter Cell 1 had 4 consoles to play on instead of Conviction's 2.

Fucking Chaos Theory looks better than Conviction.

Thanks for a retrospective on a great series.

Hey!, I sexually Identify as a metal gear.

I still listen to the amon tobin chaos theory album weekly .

Why is it that many stealth games reach their peak in the third game, and then slowly turn into action games? Swat, rainbow six, thief(at least in the stealth mechanics, the story and levels are possibly better in thief 2) metal gear solid, splinter cell, etc...

actually love conviction. Don't always want a duplicate of the classics, I'd rather just replay them if I had the urge. Oh well, just discovered your channel, and love it!

That opening was one of the classiest moves I've seen on this channel.

I'm honestly glad that I'm not the only one hating MGSs half-assed approach to stealth. Thanks razorfist.

The dogs in Mark of the Ninja were workable. They seemed like a bit of a betrayal to the game's strengths but thankfully they were used so sparingly that it never became a problem.

one of the best things about proper stealth games is that if you make the effort, you can completely avoid killing enemies, thus enhancing the stealth. if you have to kill enemies in a stealth game, it's hardly a stealth game

First one is my favorite... probably for the nostalgia.

I love this... I love this so hard.

I think The Double Agent on the OG xbox was way more fun, then the 360 version. Good video!

Splinter cell 3 was perfect. Btw Fuck tenchu...that game is as stealthy as doom 2

I actually enjoyed the first game more than Pandora Tomorrow but my favorite (by a hair's width) is Chaos Theory. As for any game after Chaos Theory, I would honestly like to forget them. I've yet to play Blacklist but I'm really not expecting a whole lot from it.

MGS got me interested in gaming as a whole so i love the series. SC i'm just now getting into and its sad that this is the only retrospective of the franchise i can find. Good video though. BTW it was blacklist that got me interested in the series.... so anything is possible.

3:05 made me guffaw like a gibbon! I love his use of personification there!

loved double agent and chaos theory they need to combine these two in the next game

I'm playing Splinter Cell Blacklist, there are more explosions at the beginning scene than the whole series combined. I think that was was Jade meant when she said Splinter Cell was slow, everybody knows that what a stealth game needs is alot of explosions and scripted sequences. I already saw let's walk in this trench slowly, dramatic scene on a few games already.

dude i dunno if you're reading this but last time i played splinter cell it was a demo and i was like, 13. i wasn't too struck on it then tbh this basically convinced me to give the series another shot

I agree with everything said here EXCEPT the MGS comment, but whatevs I can deal.

Actually Razor, I just decided to test out that wireless hack feature. It works, but the way it works is kinda unexplained. What you have to do to is aim at the computer tower NOT the monitor. You'll know your doing it wrong when you aim at something and all it shows is the circle with arrows going into it. When it's right, you'll have 2 extra icons on either side of the arrow circle. Worked every time, including the suitcase computer you have to hack before the guy gets in the elevator on Displace.

This is the most metal review channel on RU-vid (or just channel in general)

Razorfist, I don't know what version of Pandora Tomorrow you played, but in the version I played you could save at any time.

Dude I got the collection after watching your video and I'm about to play it, my god double agent is fun, it's like a stealth simulator. Once you play it you just can't stop. I mean I've sampled every major mgs installment over the years and although it's got quantity in almost every department (characters,unlockable guns, story, game length and extras) it does not have quality. Something that is dripping from splinter cell, thanks!!!!

Have you played the recent PS3 HD collection of the first 3 Splinter Cell Games? If so, how do they stack up against the other console and PC versions, even though it lacks multiplayer? Should I buy it if I don't plan on playing multiplayer?

Nice video! I'm definitely interested in trying out the series and I wanted to know where to start. But keep up the great work and a Splinter Cell Blacklist review would be awesome.

That's what I love about it. It starts off as a typical spy-movie set-up; you're a badass stealth agent who must help a scientist defect to America fuck yeah. But then, HOLY SHIT WHY ARE THESE PEOPLE WITH LIGHTNING HANDS AND BEES AND TONGUE AND BULGING EYE BALLS IN MY REALISTIC STEALTH GAME? From then, every pre-conceived notion you had about the game was up in flames, right down to the patriotic nature of the mission. It was a nose dive into insanity, and I loved every moment of it.

Easy-for-everyone games do not have the broadest appeal, but the current industry dogma is that they do; so those games get the largest marketing push, thus eliminating much of the risk and reinforcing the dogma. Vicious cycles like these are the primary drivers of the current video game market dissolution.

they can't actually see the fucking light on same it's simply for effect for the player.

I remember reading how Conviction was going to be this awesome social stealth game where you had to hide in newspaper stands and you could use chairs to lock doors behind you. God fucking dammit.

Really awesome retrospective man. Kinda in depth, entertaining as shit. Earned the sub

Long live the C Man. Tho the series went from Black OP stealth, to terrorist cell destruction to global terrorist network wet-work groups... B This series is worth it. It may not be monetizeable as an open world without being like MGSV... Chaos Theory and Pandora Tomorrow are NY favorites. I'd like to see a new Splinter Cell that's like Jason Bourne / John Wick (when I heard about Conviction, I loved the idea of getting Burned and being hunted on American soil. But utterly disappointed in execution and exactly what came out). More grounded and less global scale and less high tier high grid action.

Although I like Conviction, all the points you make make so much sense. Gonna add Double Agent and Chaos Theory to my Steam wishlist ASAP.

the lights on fishers gear are only so we can see him

Same goes for me as well. Pandora tomorrow is my personal favourite.

Oh god. You are actually playing Blacklist, Razor? God have mercy on your sanity.

One more thing to add, actually. The Green Glow from Sam's Goggles and suit are there purely for cinematic aesthetic. It serves to help the player indicate what direction Sam is facing, also just Splinter Cells trademark, frankly. The glow doesn't appear in terms of roleplay, It's strictly a function of user interface. You can confirm that on the wiki, it's also apparent in Spies VS Mercs PvP. Mercs can't see the glow on spie's goggles.

I'd say splinter cell and alpha protocol are the only games I own on both 360 and PC, oh and Darkness II, and some Assassins Creed titles. Really awesome!

"There is no punchline - it's just shit." I literally laughed out loud.

Mark Of the Ninja does a great job with stealth, you might like it.

Sorry Razor, the algorithm brought me here far too late. There was a Game Informer article back when Conviction was announced where they basically admitted some of the developers felt hamstrung by the previous games and wanted to bring a cinematic (hand-holding) feel to the experience so they stripped away all the actual stealth mechanics to make it Taken. Their reasoning was Liam Neeson is old and so is Sam, so he would fight the same way

someone want to explain why I can find Splinter Cell and Chaos Theory and the rest of the games on digital distribution but NOT Pandora Tomorrow?

What's the name of the song that plays when you transition from one SC title to another?

Don't hold back, man! Tell us how you really feel.

I enjoyed conviction. Surprised it's been so hammered.

I'm not talking about difficulty or AI behaviour. I'm talking about a silly close up overhead camera angle. I'm talking about genetically enhanced guys that can't see more than 15ft in front of them, of not being able to look around properly while moving, of knocking out a guy and hiding his body then walking through a door and back again to find the guard has respawned and the hidden body has despawned. I'm talking about killing a guy and having an item appear like a fucking Mario Bros powerup.

Razor: There's no punchline, it's just shit. Me: That alone is a punchline.

Ah Razorfist you shoulda put more emphasis on the hd collection. The original trilogy are more readily available that way today and they all have the quick save system. Also would have liked a mention given to Lambert as the later games lost something special without his and Fisher's back-and-forth banter!

I loved splinter cell.

fun thing - real nightvision goggles aren't lighting up in neon green when you look at them from the front.

confirmed for never having played it. Blacklist learned from its conviction mistakes and its almost as good as chaos theory.

I do believe that Chaos Theory and Double Agent are my two favorites that I've played in the series. I didn't like Conviction that much, and I haven't played Blacklist (Probably never will because this is another series that has changed it's role and for the worse, imo).

For Tom Clancys memory I want to do an art project of all of his characters paying respects to his grave on the anniversary of his death later this year.

i love splinter cell, but you gotta admit that mgs 3 is hell of a game

welcome back childhood. I missed you!

I liked splinter cell blacklist and I like the entire series as well

I like conviction and blacklist but I only think of those games as being part of an alternate time line to the original 4 games

I recall the HD version of Double Agent simplifying some of the stealth mechanics such as visibility and sound? I have not played either version, should this be considered a problem?

Slow and procedural is a niche but it's a niche with an audience. Hate to see cod envy ruin another franchise.

I know you won't believe me, but Blacklist is actually good, yes you can gun down everyone if you want, but if you choose to do the Ghost way meaning stealth is amazing, it's a shame that ubisoft marketed the game as a full action thing.

Best of luck with Blacklist.. You're going to need it...