Splinter Cell Chaos Theory Review

So yeah, Chaos Theory is Splinter Cell on the go, but do we want that? It’s slow. You have to play it for a long time to make true progress. You have to read a fair amount of text and put up with some load times. You can’t even save it whenever you want. There are mid-mission save points instead and the distance between them can be fairly substantial. If there’s a definition of how successful handheld games play, Splinter Cell Chaos Theory defies it. I am not saying this is necessarily a bad thing; just don’t plan to play it between classes or on the bus.

Plus, the design is very complex. The control scheme requires the active use of every button on the DS and the touch screen. This makes shooting a slow process because you have to readjust your hands to take them off the buttons and then use the stylus. It’s clumsy and signals instant death in true action situations (this isn’t that big of a deal, however, because there aren’t many of those).

Presentation is also weak. The story, though compelling, is told in text boxes. There is no voice acting and very little by way of flash. More FMV sequences or some catchphrases from Sam Fisher would have gone a long way. How hard could it be to include voice samples from the console games, a simple “Hi there,” or “I’m going to kill you,” etc.? Come on. The DS is capable of more than tiny textboxes and still frames to carry the plot along.

It should also be mentioned that the framerate is no one’s definition of good or up to standards. Super Mario 64 DS this ain’t. The engine really starts to chug during action sequences. Again, though, this is not a very significant issue because the action rarely does heat up. But it’s something that should have been addressed.

But for its problems–most of which stem from the fact that this just wasn’t designed as a handheld game–it’s very fun. On some level, it works. The gameplay is deep and rewarding if you want to invest. And there’s a bunch of it. The sound and music is fantastic and the graphics are great. You will find yourself highly impressed by how well the console design has been transferred to the DS.

Splinter Cell Chaos Theory, if nothing else, is testament to how far handhelds have come since the days of the Game Boy. None of us could even begin to imagine a game like this on a portable system 5 years ago, or indeed when the original Splinter Cell was released. This is not the best game out there. It’s flawed. The controls are imprecise, the framerate isn’t that great, the presentation is weak and it’s just not that flashy as a whole. But despite all that, I found myself having a blast with this game.

This design works. It’s smart and involving and plays a lot like the console games, and that is ultimately more important than any technical issues. It’s a very meaty experience. If you like Splinter Cell, you will like this game. Given the remarkable complexity and technologically taxing design the series is known for, that’s really saying something. It effectively uses the unique features of the DS. And most importantly, it’s fun. This is one of the best games on the DS despite all its problems and I highly recommend it, but with the caveat that you know what you’re getting into.