Easily one of the best stealth games of all time in terms of gameplay mechanics. Story is typical Tom Clancy fare, which I don't think many people feel too strongly about i.e. easy to like hard to love, but it is presented really well in this game. The same definitely cant be said about the previous two SC games where plot points tend to get rushed over and presented in ways that feel a bit clunky.
Back to the gameplay though because that really is the reason to play this game. Sam Fisher's moveset is expanded upon greatly in this game, giving the player even more infiltration methods to implement. The maps are also far more open ended than in the previous two games which is a very welcome change. In SC 1 and 2 it often felt like there was only one very specific way to progress through a evel. Much of the gameplay loop in those titles ended up being using trial and error to figure out exactly what the game wanted you to do. The gameplay in Chaos Theory is far more creative and gives the player room to react and adapt to changing situations on the fly. Detection in this game also feels much more balanced. I didn't experience any instances where I was spotted in a way that didn't make sense or that felt like a mistake on the game's part. This happened quite a lot in SC 1 and 2.My only major criticism of this game is sections where combat is heavily incentivized over stealth. While the gunplay in this game is serviceable it really pales in comparison to the stealth mechanics. There are parts where the game seemingly requires the player to engage in open combat, which can be a bit frustrating at times. These moments, however, are few and far between and don't do much to bring down an otherwise excellent game.
The concept for the Splinter Cell games is honestly pretty genius - down to earth and slow paced stealth games where the player feels capable but always vulnerable. This whole concept does such a good job at creating tension and making progression feel truly earned. There really aren't any stealth games quite like it. The first two Splinter Cell games are weighed down quite a lot by jank and various design choices that don't lend themselves to this overall concept. Playing them could sometimes be a frustrating experience because it really felt like they weren't living up to their potential. Chaos Theory does live up to that potential. It's a a near perfect execution of the Splinter Cell concept and stands as a testament to how brilliant that concept has always been.
Back to the gameplay though because that really is the reason to play this game. Sam Fisher's moveset is expanded upon greatly in this game, giving the player even more infiltration methods to implement. The maps are also far more open ended than in the previous two games which is a very welcome change. In SC 1 and 2 it often felt like there was only one very specific way to progress through a evel. Much of the gameplay loop in those titles ended up being using trial and error to figure out exactly what the game wanted you to do. The gameplay in Chaos Theory is far more creative and gives the player room to react and adapt to changing situations on the fly. Detection in this game also feels much more balanced. I didn't experience any instances where I was spotted in a way that didn't make sense or that felt like a mistake on the game's part. This happened quite a lot in SC 1 and 2.My only major criticism of this game is sections where combat is heavily incentivized over stealth. While the gunplay in this game is serviceable it really pales in comparison to the stealth mechanics. There are parts where the game seemingly requires the player to engage in open combat, which can be a bit frustrating at times. These moments, however, are few and far between and don't do much to bring down an otherwise excellent game.
The concept for the Splinter Cell games is honestly pretty genius - down to earth and slow paced stealth games where the player feels capable but always vulnerable. This whole concept does such a good job at creating tension and making progression feel truly earned. There really aren't any stealth games quite like it. The first two Splinter Cell games are weighed down quite a lot by jank and various design choices that don't lend themselves to this overall concept. Playing them could sometimes be a frustrating experience because it really felt like they weren't living up to their potential. Chaos Theory does live up to that potential. It's a a near perfect execution of the Splinter Cell concept and stands as a testament to how brilliant that concept has always been.