Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Pandora Tomorrow Preview

Sam Fisher is back, but this time around, instead of using his guns to destroy everything in his path, he has to rely on other weapons.

Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Pandora Tomorrow is the next in the franchise line featuring the NSA agent Sam Fisher. GameZone.com was allowed to preview code on the eve of the game’s release and while we can talk a bit about game features, we are prohibited from discussing the game’s plot line. Ubisoft’s entry for the Xbox has some very good features, but also this preview build had some minor setbacks.

Pandora Tomorrow does focuses more on the athleticism of Sam Fisher, and stealth is one of the primary weapons in this series of adventures.

The game does have online support, and the multiplayer action is integrated into the offline story. However, you can also play as a member of the Shadow Net Spy affiliation in the multiplayer, going head-to-head with NAS agents.

The game begins with a tutorial, which will walk players through the fundamentals of the game. Sam comes equipped with multiple vision modes – including night vision goggles and thermal heat goggles, the latter comes in very handy for spotting mines.

The controls in the preview seemed a touch sluggish. One of the options for distracting guards is to whistle. There were several incidents when the black button for whistling had to be hit several times to trigger the effect. The same held true for crouching.

The game also has some minor clipping problems, and the binoculars and goggles sometimes rendered fuzzy images.

The game also has a stealth meter, and because this game really evolves around the skill, you need to pay attention as you wander through the game. Each move triggers sound, and you will increase your chances of being spotted in lighted areas.

The game takes place in a set time frame, not real time. So if the mission takes place in the early hours of a day or at sunset, you will have to work under that light situation throughout the mission.

But the game does feature dynamic lighting and shadows. You can avoid light pools and environmental elements to avoid detection. The path through the game is somewhat linear. If you fail, you will begin again at the last save point, but everything seems to repeat almost exactly the same. The AI of this game seems a little suspect, and there are only two difficulty settings.

Pandora Tomorrow looks to be a sound action title, one that will challenge players to pay attention to the environment, and actually think about the path through the game. The original Splinter Cell was a solid performer that set some great gameplay ideas. Pandora Tomorrow takes this in another direction. If the control elements are tighter in the final release, then Pandora Tomorrow will be a solid challenge. The game’s use of lighting and shadows, the stealth meter and the tension the game builds makes for a solid experience.