Like the Metal Gear Solid series, Splinter Cell is a third-person action game focusing on stealth. The player assumes the role of Sam Fisher, an operative for the US government’s secret organization NSA Black Operation. Fisher is a member of a Third Echelon splinter cell division that deals with compassionate missions. His missions are so covert that if he is apprehended, the government will deny the existence of that organization.
Fisher has a variety of moves at his disposal to get around and achieve his goals. He can walk, run, crouch, jump, rappel, shimmy, cross horizontal wires, zip using a zip cord, and perform a split jump. There are various methods for eliminating enemies. He can use weapons, but the noise may alert guards, making it more difficult to complete missions. Opponents can be rendered unconscious, killed, or subdued. Fisher, for example, can leap from the ceiling and knock an opponent unconscious. Some enemies are required to open a door or enter a passcode. As a result, enemies can be held hostage by holding a gun to their head. They can also be questioned or used as human shields.
Other features include the ability to peek through a door before going through it and use an optic cable camera (a “snake” camera) to peer through the underside to see what is ahead. Because the emphasis is on stealth, the number of weapons is limited. There is an FN F2000 assault rifle that can be silenced and modified and a suppressed FN Five-Seven pistol. Ammo is limited, and extra bullets are hard to come by. Players are encouraged to avoid danger by hiding behind objects and sneaking through shadows. Fisher has a light meter to check his visibility and night vision and thermal goggles to see in the dark and view warmer temperatures in color. Ring airfoil projectiles, gas grenades, and sticky shockers are other weapons.
The Xbox version is the original, with a PC version that is closely adapted and separate ports for the PS2 and GameCube. The latter have slight level changes to make it a little easier. Each version also includes some unique features. The Xbox and PC versions include three additional downloadable missions (Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Mission-Pack). The PlayStation 2 version includes an exclusive level, and the GameCube version can be linked with a Game Boy Advance via a link cable to display an overhead map. The PS2 and GameCube versions include extra binoculars and a sticky bomb weapon. The PS2 version also includes an exclusive 5-minute pre-rendered intro cinematic with a total orchestrated score, demonstrating how the two agents you are sent to look for were apprehended at the start of the game.
