Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow PS2 Review

A couple of months ago Splinter Cell Pandora Tomorrow crept from the shadows and knocked Xbox and PC owner’s flat with its unparalleled visuals and deep, engaging gameplay. Now it’s time for PS2 gamers to pick up Sam Fisher’s cause and while the title’s core appeal stays intact, the experience remains a few shells short of a full clip. It simply feels like a port, but this should not deter stealth/action fans from snapping up this title quicker than Sam snaps necks.

For the uninitiated, Pandora Tomorrow refers to the biological nasty a mysterious identify known as the Mortified Penguin (Mmm, sounds tough) is planning to unleash upon the yanks. However, the story plays second fiddle to the gameplay and Sam has a wonderfully diverse number of easily implemented manoeuvres and gadgets.

Besides the very cool night and heat vision, he can repel down walls, wall climb, pick locks, slide along ropes and, most importantly, creep unseen through the shadows towards unsuspecting henchman. The variety is well orchestrated through the level design too, which is constantly asking you to think, interpret and react in a realistic manner.

However, PS2 owner’s do not suffer at the hands of gameplay. It is instead the little things that this port is missing. Small bugs in collision detection, shooting and AI are consistently noticeable, plus, slight changes in the level design take away some of the original’s progression options.

To compound this, the PS2 simply cannot muster the muscle of it competitors, leaving the visuals, while still stunning, slightly deflated and loading times long and frequent. Despite this, SCPT is a very strong title that hasn’t relinquished its choke-hold on the genre and should be played by every wannabe frogman.

Score = 9/10