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Splinter Cell: Double Agent Retrospective | A mediocre game and a terrible PC port
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- čas přidán 15. 08. 2024
- There are two versions of Splinter Cell: Double Agent and neither of them is especially good. Worst of all, the PC version is an absolute mess of a port and should be avoided at all costs.
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Intro: 0:00
Making of: 3:10
Story Overview: 7:48
Conflicting Priorities: 15:04
Level Design: 24:54
Choice: 33:31
Gameplay Changes: 37:59
Performance: 48:47
Multiplayer: 54:27
Conclusion: 55:06
Splinter Cell Retrospective - • Splinter Cell Retrospe...
Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow Retrospective - • The Splinter Cell Game...
Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory Retrospective - • Is Chaos Theory As Goo...
#SplinterCell #DoubleAgent #SamFisher #Ubisoft #BringBackSplinterCell
Timestamps below if you need them. As you'll no doubt notice, some of the footage was captured at resolutions as low as 800 by 600, so it can look a little rough in places. The reasons why are explained in the video, but I thought I'd mention it in case you thought it was just a butchered CZcams upload.
Intro: 0:00
Making of: 3:10
Story Overview: 7:48
Conflicting Priorities: 15:04
Level Design: 24:54
Choice: 33:31
Gameplay Changes: 37:59
Performance: 48:47
Multiplayer: 54:27
Conclusion: 55:06
im on the fence of watching this, after your crazy leftist rant in the last video about racism.
actually.. you know what? i think i wont watch it. because of your crazy leftist rant in the last video about racism.
@Никита Исаев New york right? Gonna play thru the game over the next few days
I should add that the crashes can be fixed by widescreen fix, instead there will be graphical glitches so you can save the game and restart it
@@darknessviking separate the art from the artist... Although in this case artist is definitely a stretch
I remember when I first got it on my PC back then I was always confused to why the game had so little shadows
Having played the PS2 version first and loving it, i remember i tried the PC version (the so called "main" one) and was severaly dissapointed, specially considering that Chaos Theory on PC was alot better than the console contraparts
A little information: the version you refer to as "version 2" and "port" is actually the original. I was a huge Splinter Cell fan and even ran a website at the time and followed the development from the beginning and It was the and the only version they originally promoted, the next-gen version came into the picture later. The next-gen version even has pre-rendered cutscenes from the old-gen version in the first level. The prison opening cutscene is one of them, using the old gen prison outfits, it was clearly made for that and was reused for the new-gen one. Also at the end of the first mission of the next-gen version, you climb a rope to the helicopter, but in the cutscene you see Sam running towards it on the ground in a different outfit. Other cutscenes were simply replaced by low budget renders in the next-gen version, compared to the full cinematic cutscenes of the older gen version.
In no way it can be called a port, it's an entirely different game with a much more detailed plot and more traditional gameplay. They decided to go with the next-gen ending because it was probably the more popular one. I think the old-gen version is a much more interesting game, even if it's limited by tech, especially the non-Xbox versions.
yeah, most people dont know about the word "conversion" it seems. Everything is a port from something else, apparently:)
it was very odd trying both game's back when block buster was still around
The "original" is not considered canon by Ubi. I won't speak for the fanbase, but I really dislike Sam's edginess in that game and find it does not fit or work at all. Especially given the way he ends up going rogue through an off-screen relationship that we never even see.
The early gen DA version was my first experience with the game and my far preferred version. I consider it chaos theory v.2 regardless of the developers. The Xbox 360 version just disappoints me and I can't bring myself to complete it. I think I still have a physical copy of ps2 double agent, but I would have to buy a used ps2 to play it or download an emulator which obviously would be a lesser experience depending on my PC hardware. I would rather play the PC port of the version 2 SC:DA than any version of the new gen version
@@creatorsfreedom6734 It was even more odd when my friend and I compared notes and realised we were playing two different games😂
In the Port version, Fisher actually does lose trust with the JBA if you knock anyone out, get seen and a ton more of you manage to kill any JBA members during the base missions. (Though killing any named ones is an instant game over.) Also killing Police and such will reduce trust.
Fisher can't Game over from trust though in the Port, if you mess up enough to get the meter all the way to one side, Williams/Emille demands a status report so you have to backtrack to the nearest computer under a time limit to interact with it and then the meter resets a little while if the meter maxes out in the end-of-mission results screen, it just resets a little anyway.
Also Fisher goes rogue in the Past-Gen version, he kills a Splinter cell agent for killing Enrica in the final mission then it's made clear the NSA is hunting him as he cuts out his implant.
They probably didn't want to make the last-gen version non canon so that makes sense given they knew what direction they wanted to take the game.
Killing police makes you LOSE trust from John Brown's Army? US police LITERALLY STARTED AS SLAVECATCHERS. Did anybody who was writing this game ever crack open a history book?
@@RobocopnikYou lose trust from the NSA is what I ment by killing Police, Killing JBA Guards/their terrorist allies in another mission is what makes you lose trust with the JBA.
Regardless, the JBA second-in-command is stated to be racist so it's likely the JBA in Splinter cell is just a terrorist group that hates Modern America and uses the name of John Brown to have a name to rally around rather than actually sharing any of his beliefs.
@@Robocopnik no they didn't start as slave-catchers. Common BLM BS myth.
"duller then a Zelda game"
Shots fired
The old-gen version was far superior. I also remember reading something about Ubisoft having trouble with new-gen & developing the game for it - double agent was released pretty soon after the PS3 & 360, and they were still getting used to the new systems. It’s why double agent wasn’t up to scratch, particularly the PS3 version.
Old gen was so lackluster and boring LOL what are you even talking about
@@elfonzospankenheimer8695
Wrong. The old gen version of Double Agent was far superior over the next gen versions at the time.
The old gen versions were based on the Chaos Theory version. The newer gen versions were based on a newer gameplay and mechanical system.
@@elfonzospankenheimer8695 But he is right, the old-gen game was the superior experience as a splinter cell game.
The PS3 version of Rainbow Six Vegas, also an early PS3 title, was crap too running in a very low resolution especially noticable on hdmi flatscreens.
Clearly Ubisoft was pushing out a lot of games trying to cash in on the PS3 launchwave but quality clearly suffered.
Sometimes at the end of a consoles lifecycle some of the best ports appear, on the PS2 Test Drive Unlimited was a pretty amazing port.
@@elfonzospankenheimer8695theres actually 3 versions, and yes the xbox old gen one is better.
The missions which had Sam sneaking around the JBA base were fantastic. It was a wonderful concept and it's a shame no one has elaborated upon it.
Those missions were literally awful
Wtf are you talking about lmao
@@RobertEdwinHouse9 well people like different stuff
I loved all of them except the bomb making part. I hated that part
48:20 You can see them with thermal through the ice.
I disagree that Double Agent is mediocre. I do agree that it was disappointing. Chaos Theory was so good but when we got a lesser Splinter Cell it just felt as I said disappointing. It was still quite good I think. But right now I would absolutely love a Splinter Cell game like this. Not the crap we got now. We don’t have any true Tom Clancy games anymore. Ubisoft has deviated so far from what a Tom Clancy game is and was.
Has Ubi really deviated that much from Tom Clancy Games?
Division and GR has that speculative military fiction that Clancy himself wrote about and the jingoistic focus on America and its soldiers. Their gameplay is also somewhat tactical compared to other shooters.
Rainbow Six Siege has the most tactical gameplay of the series in a long time
Fraser Souris I don’t know if you’ve played older Tom Clancy games but they are like night and day compared to what we are getting now. If you take the new Ghost Recon for instance. It’s setting feels off. To futuristic and a fictional island with robots. No teammate to command. With gameplay and loot similar to Destiny. That’s not Tom Clancy. If you take the Division as well . Its all about getting better loot that you get as you level. Creating your own character. Like Destiny. But the problem is not that it’s too similar to Destiny. The problem is these newer games are delving into unrealistic fiction. I guess to put it simply its not authentic anymore. Its not Tom Clancy. I want realistic tactical warfare. What the games use to be. Hyper realistic detail. Commanding a squad. Authentic to the bone. But I guess you could say Rainbow Six is the most authentic out of all the current Clancy games. And it is. But the problem I have is it’s got no single player. Just multi player. I want the old type of Rainbow Six campaigns. Fighting terrorist. Being part of a special forces team. All three of these games do not have a lead character. This diminishes my enjoyment. When you have character like Sam fisher as your lead. You feel your character is real. But if you have a custom made one that is silent. It feels so holo. Lifeless. To top it off Splinter Cell is absent. Though no matter what our opinions may differ and that’s ok. All I’m saying is the Clancy games are not what they were. The standard was way higher back in the day and in my opinion the quality, settings and gameplay have diminished drastically.
@@ArkonRiser I think you're being unrealistic and unreasonable in many places
Firstly it doesn't really matter if the setting is futuristic as long as it's relatively believable. Many of Tom Clancy's own works featured tech and settings that were speculative. As an example, Splinter Cell caused a lot of issues as it was considered impossible at the time for goggles to have multiple vision modes at once. So if that was considered acceptable, the settings of GR is still valid.
Secondly, the games being multiplayer or loot driven shouldn't be a knock against them. Their general gameplay is still more tactical than average and as such carry the spirt. Resident Evil 4 for example is still considered the best Resi Game despite dropping the design of its predecessors.
Thirdly, I think you're putting too much stock into characters. Why does it matter if they were defined in past games instead of being custom when even the defined characters were shallow, uninteresting and just as replaceable as placeholder COD characters
Fraser Souris I understand your points but the debate is not whether the game is good or bad. It’s about how Tom Clancy they really are. When referred to Rainbow Six not having single player it’s not a con towards it but just my preference. Nearly every Rainbow Six game has had a single player campaign. I just would have preferred one. Oh and I need to mention that trailer I saw. A character on the moon was not Tom Clancy at all. As for the setting for Ghost Recon I do not think some of is believable. Maybe in 50 years we will have robots. But Tom Clancy has always been about the near future. About 5 to 10 years. And as I said prior. Ghost Recon uses a fictional island. Games in the past have always used real places. Real locations that exist. As for the goggles in Splinter Cell. There is a difference between somewhat futuristic goggles and huge robots fighting like its from the Terminator. As for Terminator. That dlc is not suited for a Tom Clancy game. Yeah I know it’s for fun. But to me it’s off for a game like this. Though not to argue it just a game and no matter what I think we will have different standards for what is a true Tom Clancy games. We need to criticize Ubisoft. When they alter the games to much someone needs to say something. Because sooner or later Tom Clancy games will disappear. We may have games like Apex Legends with a Tom Clancy badge on the box.
@@ArkonRiser And is has to be said that Tom Clancy was very much against the multifunctional googles. I agree with what you write however, Tom Clancy's world always felt like reality+ while the newer games are more turned up to eleven so to speak.
I was around 9 when i first played double agent so it will always have a place in my heart still one of my favorite games of all time.
i feel like its a bit of a fallacy to say Sarah's death is bad specifically because she doesn't get much screen time. You dont have to care about Sarah in that moment, if you care about Sam in that moment, than it should be just as effective.
Exactly. The previous games did not have the time to build Sarah up as a character. They sometimes struggled to convey their own primary plots.
Most people can empathize with the situation Sam is in when she dies. He's a career soldier with little bit his daughter. We would understand any emotional distress and rash responses he would have as a reation to this news
Personally find it extremely underrated and can name my reasons, but probably one of the worst PC ports no doubt
I originally played the Version 2 when it came out and loved it to bits, thought it was awesome. Finally played Version 1 a few year back and was utterly disappointed. I just think Version 2 is the better Splinter Cell game, it feel more authentic
version 2 was developed by the same team who developed chaos theory, that's why it's the superior version
@@jerrythekazzyy watch the video
@@jerrythekazzyy haha ohhh no. Someone didn't watch the video
@@Neotokyovibes-WelcomeHome Xbox 360 double agent is the only good one, old version is lackluster and boring garbage LOL
Pretty sure they never even say what happens to the Shanghai pilot. Did he just have a heart attack unrelated to anything to do with the plot?
In the JBA HQ mission after Shanghai, you leave his body in the oven in order to be cremated, so he died from that hearth attack.
@@leandrociarrapico9256 Ah, that's right. I do recall that bit now that you mention it.
But it still seems weird that it was natural causes and not a poisoning or something like that.
I suppose they just needed a QTE event opener to the Shanghai level and another objective for the following JBA level.
I guess "Objective: Notify pilot's next of kin and gather intel on cholesterol levels." would not have worked either.
@@pjf674 It was an overdose...of his medication...it says that if you hack into Enrica's Computer in the Sickbay
Double agent is actually my favourite splinter cell game. The game felt rich, with a thick tone, and I really loved the whole concept of being undercover. I absolutely agree with all the criticisms of the game though, especially the lack of shadows and poor light meter functionality. But one of the biggest issues I actually had was the lack of an EEV - that thing was so incredibly useful in Chaos Theory. In the end, I see Chaos Theory as Empire, and double agent as ROTS. Though the former is academically and technically a masterpiece, the latter just has a kind of tone that some people fall in love with.
Crazy. Double Agent just plain sucks.
Great video, can’t wait for your Conviction review, it was my personal first game in the series.
He's gone woke?
Transgender Sammy Fisher of color with undisclosed views on politics and religion. Avoiding violence at all cost and trying to be as respectful of others as it's possible. Politically correct no matter the cost.
Also heals with enthusiast coffee and avocado sandwiches.
@@nocultist7050 it's funny that you said avoiding violence at all costs because you are supposed to play the games non lethall
@Jordan Ghill oh is this that kind of channel?
I remember being really disappointed by double agent when it came out.
After seeing every splinter cell game ubisoft made after that, it made me wish we could go back to getting games at least as good as DA...
Why have they destroyed and diluted all the great stealth games?
They are pandering to next gen gamers that like mediocre games that look good.
I guess very few people would actually buy an old school splinter cell, even though the die hard fans know they are better.
I don't think they wanted to make the same game every time. I think their biggest challenge is coming up with a good new story. Try to write a good splinter cell story that's gonna please the majority, it's not easy, and then the gameplay is stealth only. You're gonna have a tough time, it's not easy. Also, I'm sure the devs are looking to appeal a wider audience, and to make a game where you can play action or stealth based on choice would sell more copies just like a lot of games these days, choice between stealth or action. Personally, I love Conviction and Blacklist, I get to play it the way I want, not the way the game wants me to.
by diluted you mean made easier? what's wrong with that?
Yup. I agree. I think they haven't done anything like DA or its predecessors since those games were designed to be good games, not money makers.
It's definitely important to differentiate between the sixth gen version and the seventh gen version of Double Agent.
I remember playing double agent on the playstation 2 and talking to my friend who played it on the Xbox. When we were talking about the game, we were both very very confused by the fact that the introductions to our games were wildly different.
The PS2 and XBOX versions are the same tho? Unless you mean your friend had it on XBOX360?
@@blinkachu5275 I don’t think he had a 360 but I could be wrong. It was like 15 years ago lol
I had the same experience 😂
Amazed by your output.
Finished Witcher saga and went back to SC so quickly!
the ai issues could be related to the framerate. The old hitman games had the same issue, where above 30fps they would become extremly overalert. I thought the games were super hard until someone told me this, I limited the framerate, and suddenly I could walk past guards I assumed I could never come near to
After 6th coffee when your brain goes 240fps you become extremely overalert too.
To be frank, the old hitman games had issues with the detection systems either way. I remember 2 being especially bad with this where most guards can see through your disguise within seconds from tens of meters away. They eventually fixed that with Contracts where it was still bad but not as jarringly bad.
@@Skyfox94 that is indeed true. And this was further amplified by higher fps too. Limiting fps made that greatly more dealable, but you would be right, it still had a lot of issues.
What are you on about DA was a fantastic game, DA brought something new to the series and i really enjoyed how you can approach missions in different ways and actually have an impact on the ending. also i remember the JBA/NSA being one meter with a pointer in the middle moving left and right depending on your actions, and not 2 meters like your gameplay footage
Alright, I think I've got it. On my new version of the exposure light, blue means you're invisible, and yellow means you're completely exposed. Red is still dedicated to engaged, but anything between blue and yellow is completely dynamic to display the spectrum of exposure. Sound is displayed by the light flickering off briefly in time with the sound. The louder the sound, the dimmer it gets, but it always returns to visibility very quickly because all the sounds you make are so short and choppy. The programming of the actual features surrounding this and the mechanical accuracy of the audio mix probably still need a layer of polish, but this at least communicates what the hell is going on with them in a way that keeps the minimal look and could theoretically be simple enough to mod in
I remember looking up a guide to fix the PC version on some obscure youtube video, and he practically wrote the code for the config file or something. I think the shadows and lights are also busted for PC version.
how to fix the pc port?
@@rajablaze1 Can't be fixed you can only make it kinda playable but it will crash sometimes and even corrupt your save
Great video, but Sam didn't commit any crimes to get put into jail. He get's put in by Lambert and the NSA to break Jamie out to get accepted into the JBA. Just wanted to clear it up ;)
Believe it or not this is my second favorite splinter cell game after CT. I have probably replayed it the most out of all the games in the series
What makes you enjoy it?
Probably the two meter system and the multiple choices and non linearity of the game, less on rails than most Splinter Cell games
I'm just commenting this as my blood sacrifice for the algorithm
also love this series and your long vid style in general, they're very enjoyable :)
The algorithm wants our blood now?
The directional microphone has a limited range which is the reason why he buggs the meeting. This also means that lambert has live sound in the process. This is the one splinter cell game that actually made me beyond nervous. Clenching my damn teeth with every cinematic to make sure I stay hidden within the terrorist group. I enjoyed both versions of this SC and loved the other games. I think we should really ask why blacklist is located later in the timeline which means sam is at his oldest point in life but yet looks younger and performs way quicker rather then it's predecessors in the 90s timeline and early 2000s.
Dude, I'm pretty sure you won't even see this and even if you will you wouldn't care but I have to get this across. What do you think of making a retrospective review series on Dragon Age? There are no long form reviews on these games and it's such a missed opportunity. I would love to see you make videos on those games, there's a lot to talk about them
Noah Caldwell Gervais has an amazing series on Dragon Age. His longform content is some of the best on the platform!
@Jordan Ghill lol
@Jordan Ghill no. I was just laughing at your absurd comment. He explained his opinion pretty well in that video. Doesnt mean I agree or disagree with it, but the way you just come to this video and just comment that, is quite absurd and funny. And thats why I said "lol".
@Jordan Ghill incredible. A maximum of 4 people of color. That clearly solves the broader problem of the overwhelming majority of the characters being white and that whiteness being considerd the default. I love you buddie but your argument is invalid.
@Jordan Ghill i have no idea how that paragraph relates to to my argument. Uhm, you got me I guess. Also, some other minor points I like to make: Firstly, you do realise that there are people of color in Europe who have lived there for centuries. Secondly, I like how you accuse me of being a "SJW soy boy" when you unironically use identity politics to make your incoherent rant. Thirdly, what do you mean by bending traditions to my nonsense? What traditions and folklore am I attacking? Fourthly, Are your traditions and folklore so weak that my small criticism of a game can destroy them?
Ps. what does Scottish tradition and folklore have anything to do with anything????
I definitely remember this game being better on 360. I was wowed by all the visual effects that just seem to be missing in this PC version. It's a shame that the PC port was so botched.
Three words that immediately come to mind when i think of this game are uninspired, sluggish and Buuuggy. Which personally i blame on the Shanghai team ethos (never got to play the V2) who seem to be more interested in creating cheesy, hollow, action set pieces/scenes than any kind of nuanced narrative or polished gameplay experience. One of the key elements that brought life to the series (atleast in the previous one) was the hilarious interrogations, Gone. What a mess of actual potential.
Thanks for making these.
I personally think that the DA is the only game where you really are doing espionage, especially in the JBA base.
Good to see people in the comments that actually loved DA. I know it tends to be treated as the red headed stepchild of the franchise by the community, but it's actually my favorite SC (I haven't played Conviction or Blacklist yet, but are on my queue).
I do miss the open-endedness of CT, but this game really did make you feel like a legit spy. I think if it wasn't rushed, it could have been more polished, but I still stand with DA being my favorite despite it's flaws.
@@gilbertgonzalez9668 I'm playing the PS2 version on the emulator, apparently more than 1/3rd done after just one day, so it's definitely very short. I thought CT was decent, but way too easy on normal mode, only the levels from Bathhouse were challenging, not necessarily for the right reasons either, and by modern standards, the level design is not open-ended at all anymore, especially compared to games like MGS 5, Styx: Shards of Darkness or especially Hitman WoA. I'm playing DA on expert mode right away because of that and it seems no better in that regard, you can even do some light shooting unlike CT and just kill up to two people with relative ease. SC: Blacklist is still my favorite.
There are more paths except for a few gimmicky levels and better animations. It gets really hard in perfectionist mode if you use a pure stealth setup (some different armors and gadgets increase/decrease your hp/cloaking efficiency). The story is the worst out of all three, but I don't play stealth games for the story anyway. Since it's the last SC released, it also aged the best, as long as you can deal with the archaic checkpoint system that can be really annoying. CT is my favourite as far as atmosphere goes though, the funny conversations give it the best character and personality out of all three by far.
As a Hitman fan, I was kinda shocked by the difficulty in the old SC games, or lack thereof. I recently played Death to Spies and Death to Spies: Moment of Truth just before starting DA, and it's like a night-and-day difference in difficulty.
Speaking of sequels to well-known franchises becoming "darker" in the 00s, they literally called the sixth Tomb Raider game "Angel of Darkness" lol.
Lol
This one holds a special place in my heart since it's the first Splinter Cell game I've played. I have fond memories of trying to get my brother to play the coop and never making it past the first level lmao
This game came out right when I was really getting into stealth games and I really loved it, I don't want to go back cause I will probably hate it now :')
I'd definitely recommend checking the old-gen version out. Now, there's about a decade between me playing the old-gen version and trying the next-gen a couple years ago, so I may be looking at it with nostalgia goggles, but I was just shocked by what I was looking at (and experiencing) while playing on PC.
*First up is the graphics.* While the next-gen version makes use of fancy shader effects and whatnot, the visual direction just seems empty, sparse and uninspired by comparison. The old one was released while the console generations still had some overlap, as you mentioned - meaning that the devs knew exactly what the old tech was capable of and could make their levels look fantastic, the new one just looks amateur-grade by comparison. Despite having more horsepower to work with on new tech, the old one still looks better in terms of visual design and consistency, even if it can't be displayed in 1080p.
*The gameplay* is a lot closer to Chaos Theory and incorporates the old light and sound meters that were present, while the new one opts to unclutter the HUD and boil it down to Red, Yellow and Green displayed by a device on Sam's back. This isn't a very significant change, because that's what the stealth system boils down to under the hood anyway. However, the sound meter that was lost means that players can't take advantage of ambient noise to conceal their movements and actions anymore, taking away some of the nuance that used to be present in CT. The old-gen version feels like a proper sequel in this regard.
*One thing* that's going to be based on personal preference is the allegiance meter(s). In next-gen, there are two meters - one for NSA and one for JBA and they can change value depending on the player's actions separately. In old-gen there is only one meter with NSA being on the left and the JBA on the right extreme. This means that every story-based choice the player makes will tilt the meter towards one or the other - you can't keep everyone happy and will sometimes have to perform an action you don't agree with in order to not blow your cover. On the flip side, it also means that sometimes the consequence for the taken action doesn't make a lot of sense, if I recall correctly. I like this better, even if it makes into a straightforward, videogamey morality meter. The choices are weaved into regular gameplay and they're not binary button prompts (in both versions IIRC) - the game actually gives you separate objectives depending on who you want to please, or it gives you two different mutually exclusive objectives to accomplish on a single target and it's up to you to do whichever you like through regular gameplay. My memory is a bit foggy on that one.
*The level design* is a lot more linear in old-gen, but the crucial question to ask is what the openness of next-gen actually provides. I found that most of the levels in next-gen (that I could stomach playing) aren't utilized to provide the player with different options, they're just "more open" - like, literally. The old-gen version provides multiple ways of interacting with your environment in its linear design, while the next-gen provides only one interaction, but offers multiple routes to the said interaction. This makes it feel a lot more shallow, IMO.
*The story* - now I can't remember much of the story, but I can remember one crucial moment that stuck with me and illustrates the difference - Lambert's announcement of Sarah's death. In the PC version, it feels very haphazardly thrown together and doesn't have nearly the same impact. I'd have to check it out on video to actually remember how it happened, that's how bad it was.
_[Yeah I just watched them both and it feels like a non-sequitur on PC, like the mission doesn't have anything to with what happens afterwards and Lambert's narration is just ad-libbed on top of FMV footage.]_
In the old-gen it happens over radio. Lambert calls off the mission, he tells Sam to get out of there. Sam says the mission was going fine, there is no reason to call it off. The music changes to a tune I can hear playing inside my head right now as I'm describing this. Sam demands answers, he doesn't want to leave a job half-finished. He prods Lambert for answers. It takes a bit of doing but Lambert finally concedes - he tells Sam that his daughter is dead. The player is left to ponder the implication for a bit before reaching the extraction helicopter. The rest plays out largely the same, but Lambert's monologue and Sam's "arrest" now has a different foundation for its context. It doesn't sound like much, but experiencing it is a whole different ballgame than here. It's knocked out of the park IMO, and this one is just... meh af. _[I wrote this before rewatching as stated above and it's actually spot-on, that's how well they made it stick]_
So yeah. Check it out and don't underestimate it just because it came out on older hardware. The co-op is pretty cool too.
I wholeheartedly agree with you on this. I definitely prefer the older "Version 2" of the game, it works better, seems to flow better, feels more like a splinter cell game then the newer generations. The graphics may be a bit old and cluncky by that times standard, but you get what you want out of it. The story makes so much sense, no stopping a missile, just finding out what the refinery is producing and finding out who wants it, then being told about Sarah, (The bonus mission on the disk should have been worked into the main game where you actually find out Sarah death has been stated and instead she has been kidnapped by one of the enemies in the game and you get to rescue her). The plot works as a series of flashbacks during an unexpected phone call between Fisher and William's. (The Directior of Third Echelon). The game plays well and the missions make sense. It seems like this newer version is more of a mismatch of levels, not an experienced storytelling attempt. Fully agree 💯 percent.
Unpopular opinion, I guess: I quite like Double Agent.
i rank it alongside the others with CT being #1
Disagree with it being mediocre. I loved certain levels. Shanghai is a series high.
PC port is absolute garbage however.
Splinter Cell Double Agent is a lot of "Sam Fisher Operates Before Dark." It let me put my shades on instead of NVGs. It knew what it was doing was wrong, but it kept doing it xD
Gotta disagree with the "bad level design" You enjoyed Blacklist when that game is nothing but bland level design and the way you traverse the levels. This game was the last decent Splinter Cell to release and the furthest away from Chaos Theory that the series should ever had gotten.
Also you missed the point of the missle mission in the headquarters. It's not long to pad out time for the player. But to waste time so the player has less time to go sneak around and do his side missions. I think that stuff is super well done and some of my favorite moments in video games.
Man, you had a baller time with the PC version. It is buggy indeed and clearly vastly under the technical masterpiece that Chaos Theory is, but you had vastly more issues than I ever had in my 15 or so playthroughs of Double Agent.
Never had the sound issues or progression getting stuck at points you mentioned.
Not complaining about the evolution of English ,but you're using "baller" in the opposite way from what was intended. Or you're being sarcastic and my detector is in the shop.
Any chance you’d review the Xbox version (aka version 2) of Double Agent?
It was developed by Ubi Montreal (who made the original and Chaos Theory) and is much more of a sequel to CT than this one. They even streamlined the hacking system!
Did you watch the video? Lol
There is the video you are commenting about.
I love the Xbox/PS2/GameCube version so much more, it feels like Chaos Theory 2.
I remember playing this on xbox 360 and I cant remember seeing very many bugs at all. im my mind double agent had more to offer than chaos theory in some ways. which is why I feel it as being an under rated game. yeah the missions could feel linear if you simply traversed the main paths. but the cruise ship offered much of the mission where you could use the railings around the parameter of the ship as your own secret pathway but many just complained that it was a linear path from the front to the back and I remember thinking. its a ship. where else do you wanna go, davey jones locker? they already did an oil tanker earlier so what do you want? sneaking around the taliban was a fun experience where you could hide under trucks and it still felt like a splinter cell experience. double agent was the last splinter cell that existed because all of the others there after were a gears of war cover based shooter with some verticality. the story continuity lost its charm because all the others established that sam fisher was retired recon navy seal born in 1968. making him a 42 year old man at the release date of conviction. watching him climbing and hucking over things faster than many expert parkour athletes. at that age he was faster than he ever was before? it was a cop out of a development team trying to stay relevant in a gaming culture that they perceived wanted more. but like a child that wanted nothing more than their parents to get back together, mom wanted nothing more than to bring home her gym coach for a fast and dirty time. leaving all the fans to think. what just happened?
"The devs provided exactly what I asked for....and I hate it".
And you tell us you're not a typical gamer! (I kid, I kid)
Honestly, imo the ending of Version 2 is done better than the original. You are ordered to turn on the team as you're found out. So you go around taking them all out. Enrica will help you out. At the end, another Splinter Cell is there and kills her. Sam goes rogue and rips his own implants out and escapes. Feels like it sets up Conviction a bit better than the original endings
Hmm, I disagree about Double Agent on the original XBOX being bad. It's surprisingly good actually, it's basically Chaos Theory 1.5 and since Chaos Theory is the height of Splinter Cell, it's pretty much just as much fun, though the story is somewhat less engaging.
It makes sense too, since the XBOX/PS2 version was made by Ubisoft Montreal, who did Chaos Theory. Whereas the PC/XBOX360/PS3 version was made by Ubisoft Shanghai, the guys that did Pandora Tomorrow.
I feel like you didn't really do your research on this video, a lot of what you're saying is either incorrect, are assumptions or not at all how it works.
I think calling V1 the "premiere" version solely because it's canonical isn't fair. The level design is linear in both, but the encounter design is so much better in V2, and even when it's bad, it's better than V1 which was straight-up unbearable. V2 also handles the story so much better than V1, and the opening mission actually ties directly into the plot with the JBA. Neither are masterpieces, but - for me personally - the "originality" of V1 isn't worth all the bullshit from the inconsistent AI, bad UI, MAJOR AND GAMEBREAKING glitches on all platforms, bad level and encounter design, time-wasting, and miserable graphics. V2 has flaws with its overuse of unremarkable, boxy, urban levels, but its flaws and compromises are much less obtrusive; you at least get a chance to get somewhat invested in the narrative and gameplay, whereas V1 finds some new way to piss you off every ten minutes. To me, V2 is to Chaos Theory what Pandora Tomorrow is in comparison to SC1; V1 feels like an amateur Source engine mod, ripping animations and models from Chaos Theory, that got a C&D half way though.
I dont understand why people are hating on DA. It is a very decent game just with some glitches, but its still very much playable tho.
I agree. It's not the best of the series but it was a good game with good gameplay.
Not on PC
It's the worst of the classic splinter cell games, but still decent. The main problem with Double Agent is the terrible performance on PC, but also on consoles (unless you have an xbox one x and DA to play with backwards compatibility)
Playable doesn't make it good 99% of the game is during daylight a single glance and stealth is failed
Especially the trust system doing jack shit will always lower the bar wich makes no sense
I was 13 when this game was released and it was the first game I got with my PS3. I played the PS2 version extensively but was so jealous of the amazing graphics and cool set pieces (like the parachute bit) of the next gen version. It doesn't hold up and I've grown to love Chaos Theory more than any of the others but this game still holds a special place in my heart.
Good content. Couple of things:
I disagree about Pandora Tomorrow. I loved that game’s levels. Going into the jungle in the base camp was so cool.
The train was also very unique.
I actually liked Double Agent. I agree that it wasn’t as good as the first 3. But I still consider it a Splinter Cell game.
It still has stealth as it’s main approach.
I liked Sam’s rugged look and the fact that there were now levels in broad daylight was a nice change up.
Unfortunately Double Agent diverged from the path Splinter Cell was on and eventually lead to Conviction, which I refuse to play and don’t consider either Conviction nor Blacklist as true Splinter Cell games.
Those are basically action games with elements of stealth.
The automatic kills in Conviction and Blacklist completely ruins the core recipe that makes a true Splinter Cell game.
I know people dislike this version but it's my favorite.. something about it always has me coming back.
As someone that played and speedrun the SC games, Splinter Cell & Chaos theory are still my all time best. I enjoyed PT & DA but the best thing in all 4 is the soundtrack. Even DA had some good sound track like the Shanghai level.
I have only ever played the PlayStation 2 version (the port / Version 2 / old-gen) of Splinter Cell: Double Agent and even years later when I got an Xbox One and purchased the game through backwards compatibility, I wasn't aware that there were two versions of the Double Agent game.
When I purchased the game and the Iceland mission popped up, I later realised that this was the "original" version (version 1).
I immediately didn't like it and couldn't even complete the first mission.
I am hard of hearing and so subtitles were always a vital component for me. Having no subtitles is why I couldn't get pass the first mission of Version 1.
Version 1 didn't have any subtitles for the cutscenes or radio exchanges for me to be able to follow the story or the mission objectives, nor were they any options to turn them on, (numerous games by that time were aware of making subtitles an option and this game was disappointing in that regard) whereas Version 2 stuck with that format from previous games in making subtitles mandatory which helped my experience immensely (I fully support the options to turn them on or off based on the player's preferences).
I later found a way to purchase Version 2 for Xbox (the Xbox version, NOT the Xbox 360 version). The only downside was that the bonus missions ('Mission 1 - Ship' - Fisher's daughter is captured and held in one of the storage rooms and 'Mission 2 - Bunker') were lacking and turned out to only be PS2-exclusives.
So for me, Version 2 is the best, and the only version I have completed, namely because I can follow the story due to the dialogue subtitles and I loved trying to keep the balance of trust between the NSA and JBA. As I saw on other CZcams videos discussing Double Agent, I can also follow the story on Version 2 as to why he becomes a convict on the run leading to Splinter Cell: Conviction. When Fisher kills an NSA agent for killing Erica and cuts out his implant.
But as you stated, this is apparently the version that leads to Fisher becoming a convict due to his role in the JBA.
Though I am confused as I was made aware that Version 2 was the "original" game that was promoted.
I am aware that you talked about the bugs in the PC version but for me, the old-gen version was pretty smooth and I recently completed the whole Splinter Cell series up to Double Agent. I will move onto Conviction and Blacklist with a clean slate (though I have played both games and currently completing other games before I move onto those).
As I also read from many other people on here and elsewhere, the version I played is definitely far more superior than the other version.
You've cleared up a lot of the confusion though, such as why there are two versions in the first place and the employee changes between the two versions (55:34). This is a great breakdown of the game and I've watched your Blacklist breakdown as well.
As I'm aware from your Blacklist video, I wholeheartedly agree that Chaos Theory was the best Splinter Cell game and I was giddy when I got to play with Sam Fisher's cameo appearance in Ghost Recon: Wildlands. With Michael Ironside reprising his voice role.
How timely. Recently I've been playing Double Agent again, and struggled with fixing it, because I love the both versions of this game.
PS2/Xbox version was my first entry to Splinter Cell series, back then I had been a MGS-kid though and knew that how good this franchise is. (and the game was not dubbed so that also was a reason for me to start learning English language anyway)
And yes, the game on pc is so glitchy and crashy though, you can make it not perfect but a bit more stable maybe.
Firstly, steam version of this game isn't patched to the latest for some reasons, you can patch it to 1.02a on your own.
and then apply "splinter cell double agent widescreen fix" which enables you to run the game in the resolution as you want, such as 1920x1080 or something like that.
these would prevent the game from crashing, but you can do some tweaks more within .ini files. here are some notes.
---
open the directory "Splinter Cell Double Agent/SCDA-Offline/System", "SplinterCell4.ini", and need to do some editing.
PC version has wrong light-rendering, you find the lines and change the values to:
[GENERAL]
DisableHDRTonemapping=False
LowResTex=False
SimpleShader=False
SimpleEffect=False
[Graphics]
bEnableHDR=True
bTrilinearFiltering=True
bSpecularLighting=True
bVerticalSync=True
bHighQualityVisualFX=True
[Init]
PermeatingLightCutOff=False
[D3DDrv.D3DRenderDevice]
UseHWShadowMapping=True
ShadowResolutionDegree=0
ShadowTurnOffDegree=0
something like that. I googled up and fixed this some months ago so can't remember which exactly lines cause a lighting fix though these mostly worked for me.
/and as in 52:18, Sounds are missing except Sam's movements, I encountered this one even in another levels and did some tweaks as:
[Engine.GameEngine]
CacheSizeMegs=256
UseSound=True
[Editor.EditorEngine]
UseSound=True
CacheSizeMegs=256
Changed the lines and values much higher did reduce the numbers of encountering this problem, but most effective solution was just restarting the game.
/You can see some tips in www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Tom_Clancy%27s_Splinter_Cell:_Double_Agent too, and as in 55:34, Duplicate door bug, you set "Environment Detail" to "Low" in display options menu will fix this but, I found this may cause another visual lacking glitch in Shanghai level.
---
At any rate, this game is so glitchy as hell, I really like this Sam Fisher's adventure. including PS2/Xbox versions.
I hope this'll work you too and enjoying the game without irritating glitches and crashing.
For God's sake I want more proper fix from developer and Japanese-dub, either. =^_^=
Also if you install dbVoodo2 the shadows and "not being able to see enemies through the ice" is fixed.
John Brown was a violent extremist. But what you think about him is really determined by what side you're on in the American Civil War. If you side with the North, as I do, you view him as a hero who took a stand against violent and twisted people when few others would. His death galvanised anti-slavery opinion in the North. If you're pro-South he murdered people in their beds and helped fuel internecine violence that led to the Civil War. However JBA is misappropriating John Brown's name. Rather than a bunch of heroes, you find mostly a bunch of vicious desperadoes.
Thanks for the video, it was very enjoyable! I think that both the narrative and gameplay greatly suffered on this game, when compared to the sequels, which had something more interesting in either front. I have never played blacklist, and I played Convictions until the mission were you had to protect a computer, but it seems to me that at that point in time (When Ubi actually tried to use this franchise), they were trying to make it work on too many levels: action, stealth and multiplayer.
I think that it would have been far better if they just reboot this franchise and make it full stealth. MGS V (despite its many shortcomings) showed that gameplay-wise, you can have a very engaging stealth game that's also an economic success. While MGS and SC are very different franchises, for SC to come back, it needs to provide something unique that no other franchise has done so far, and I think that modern 3rd person stealth, with not too much action, would be something many of us would take a look at.
Version 2 is very clearly the canon one.
i love the physical size of the character models in the old ubi games. it felt more realistic to me. When convitcion came out the I felt the scaling of the characters got shorter... even with the ghost recon games.
In-game I agree. In the cutscenes though? Chaos Theory has one big issue for me and that is that everybody in the cutscenes looks like they are fucking chonky bastards. Like seriously.
i could imagine Hodges would been used so much better if they never tried to get him killed off in the first place. he could've also been a double agent who was working with JBA but was always acted within Fisher's interests to keep him hooked. this would've effectively shown just how far the JBA's influence was and just how terrifying of a threat they are. you could've also done it the opposite way. have it so Hodges works for the NSA, and just like Fisher, is assigned to work alongside the JBA in order to destabilize their organization from the inside. but unlike Fisher he'd be more of a democratic influence instead of a direct one. working as an advisor for the bad guys and always finding a way to excuse what Fisher was doing when he was out and about doing missions that go against JBA's interests or even managing to convince JBA to keep Fisher in the group, even after his cover gets blown in the story.
Hodges could've also been a vehicle to include co-op into the game. allowing you to play the campaign with an ally at your side. even if you don't have a co-op partner, you could use Hodges to help you perform takedowns on bad guys or solve co-op puzzles together. like changing the pattern of a laser grip so you can sneak past it. or solving a puzzle on the otherside of the area so you can get into a room while under strict time limit.
I remember really enjoying the Double Agent multiplayer on Xbox Live. Especially playing as a mercenary.
Great review.
Though I do disagree with the opinion that Pandora Tomorrow had boring levels.
ikr it actually had some of the best levels in videogame history from creative standpoint. There is nothing more charming, than taking a stealth trip to Jerusalim, on a train to Paris or in L.A airport. Even usual urban levels took places on unexpected locations or with some good gameplay conditions in mind, like constant tunder near TV station. This is also the only game, where nemies can spot you laser, you can even you that as a ghosting tool. Also little gameplay tweaks like better pipeline climbing, hiding an enemy in the corner after hostage knockout and an ability to shoot upside down are pretty neat.
44:56 You plainly missed your shots here. The rifle is just as accurate, but the red dot center is slightly off the side of the head every time.
57:00
Alright. Here we go.
Twinkle twinkle little star ⭐
How I wonder what you are 🤔
Up above the world so high 🌍
Like a diamond in the sky 💎
Twinkle twinkle little star 🌟
How I wonder what you are 😌
I actually like the PS2 version quite a bit. Always found it to be fun, thought it was just the nostalgia but when I cracked my ole PS2 out a bit ago it not only took me back but I genuinely enjoyed it. I cant stand the PS3 version on the other hand.
Lighting system is the worst part of Double Agent. Evrything is so damn bright it's stupid. My theory is that devs didn't like that you had to play with NV goggles 80% of the time before, so they made them redundant. But together with binary detection system, it completely destroys immersion, with guards being totally blind once you step out of spotlight. It almost makes really hard to tell which areas are "dark", and it seems like the game chooses it completely arbitrary. PS2 version, despite running on older hardware, has aged much better. It sucks that every game CS game after that opted for the same arcadey version of "shadows", and now goggles are just an "iconic accesory" instead of a useful tool.
Love your Splinter Cell videos. Hope you're keeping well during these trying times, Chris.
My biggest issue with later splinter cell games is as you mentioned, they introduced stuff to make the action-crowd happy. SPLINTER CELL ISNT AN ACTION GAME. Action is when you mess up, to get away from your mistakes. Fisher is a silent figure when he isn't speaking to his team, and if he is loud then he dies and it should always be that way. It would be like making a game like Call of Duty but 90% of the game you now suddenly have to play platforming. Is in innovative? Yes. Would it bring platform players? yes. Would some call of duty players like it? probably. Should they do that? NO, it's a splinter cell game, if they wanted to add elements from other games, they should've looked at soccom or ghost recon, anything but the Fast-Paced-Action games with instant kill buttons.
They made such a cool idea in Chaos theory to have more use in the environment, i would've loved to see him go to vietnam/cambodia, to Alaska, to South America. Maybe have longer missions, survival elements(IE: Freeze in cold water), and do more of what chaos theory was doing, but at this point if they want to make Chaos Theory players happy again, we need to have a light reboot with michael ironside and bring back the original team or a team that at least knows what they're doing if any of them still work at Ubisoft.
Damn those first three games were so good
I just finished beating Version 2 on the original Xbox. In retrospect, I like it better than Version 1 that I used to play on the Xbox 360 from December 2007 (sometime after I beaten Chaos Theory for the first time) to Mid-2008.
oh well, Double Agent version 2 is Chaos Theory 2.0
same gameplay mechanics and vibe.
I wish I was able to play version 2 of Double Agent on my PC.
buying a Xbox console isn't really on my radar. I'm mostly a PC gamer when I have time to play games.
11:50 you are describing the plot from Goldeneye
I loved Double Agent. I played it multiple times on both GameCube and Xbox. Because of the story, I thought it was better than Chaos Theory.. Good setting for Sam Fisher.
just thought id say that yes playing the game on xbox through backwards compatibility does fix the frame rate issues
the only things i like about DA version 1 is the music and how Sam doesn't look like an 8 year old's clay art project that's cross-eyed, like he looked in CT. I thought there were like 2 good levels but I replayed it for the first time in a decade and just hated every bit of it.
I wish they'd just reboot the series. I honestly don't think you need high-tech gadgets. I think the core of splinter cell is making a big level to sneak around in and avoid or take out enemies and gather information. I think it'd be amazing to have splinter cell like start in the late 80s with a bit of a younger Sam and throughout the course of it he gains abilities from experience and by the end of the first game he's kitted similarly to the original game. And then from the second game could be like Chaos Theory but in the 90's and try to stick to more realistic tech. Keep all the humor and cool goggles. But make sure every gadget has a true use for every level after it's introduced. I also don't think the story has to be some crazy political backstab thing. Keep it more grounded like the bank robbery level. Grimmsdottir is your tech expert and Lambert's your boss. No crazy bullshit like faking deaths etc. I'm not playing it for dumb shit like that.
One of the missions where you sneak around the JBA compound (the one before the cruiseship iirc) can end abruptly if you go in Enrica's bedroom, she will walk in as you're about to exit her bedroom through the main door and instead of raising the alert, Sam will play it cool and they will hook up which totally surprised me a lot on my playthrough because it's frankly strange to see Sam do some romance shit.
Makes the sabotage of the bombing and framing her afterwards even more ice-cold from Sam.
There's this weird animation where if you interrogate her in the last mission, you hold her at knifepoint as you're looking into each other's eyes and you will always kill her afterwards even if right click for non lethal although Sam told her to stay put while he deals with Emile (???)
Im playing through it right now after playing the original trilogy, all i can say its a downgrade in term of gameplay
And oh boy that pc port:crashes galore,bugs like items disappearing from the inventory,enemies bursting steam when dying/incapacited,getting stuck in the environment
Graphical glitches and missing graphical features compared to the xbox 360 and ps3 version,huge loading time even installed on a modern ssd did not help...but the worst offender is the save system,saves might get corrupted for no reasons requiring you to restart whole missions.
Im playing it because the ps3 version is a slideshow(i own a ps3 but no 360)and im already halfway through but damn im suffering feel like im playing a game in alpha
How awesome would it be if Ubi released a remastered and functional PC collection of all SC games?
I really like the OG Xbox version, I still play it every now and then. To me it always felt like an expansion pack for Chaos Theory, never quite reaching *that* level of quality, but still miles ahead of almost everything else. And honestly, I've come to realise that's all I could ever really want from a Splinter Cell game.
The 360 version on the other hand... The whole game felt like a forced stealth section (that wasn't even forced) in a game made by devs with no knowledge of, or interest in stealth games. The AI just wasn't compatible with that kind of gameplay, it reminded me of Hitman 2 (the 1st one), and how about 50% of that game was figuring out how to properly manipulate the NPCs, getting the AI to fk up in specific ways to allow you to progress, cos that game was *way* too ambitious for the tech of the day to properly handle. But at least it was still a fkn good game.
The level design in the 360 version wasn't just bland either, it had the same problem of not being conducive to slow-paced stealth gameplay... But they probably *would* have worked better as say, map packs for the Rainbow Six games that were coming out at the time, and I always wondered if there were actually any Rainbow Six assets or staff directly transferred to the project to save money or time or whatnot.
the execution of the game was superb my friend idk what you mean
Shooting enemies in Double Agent is simply way too easy compared to the original SC games where you had to be really up close and personal to land a successful headshot, otherwise you would miss and all hell break loose. in Double Agent you can simply shoot at the torso from a considerable distance and take down enemies like shooting fish in a barrel.
You can kill Jamie? Whenever I tried, he killed me and I restarted at the checkpoint to kill lambert
Double agent is one of the first games i've played on ps 2 which got me into gaming. It was so weird playing the pc port and seeing videos of the ps2 port. Back then i was a very young kid and didn't understand ANYTHING lol. Really weird move that ubisoft did. I don't know why.
My very first Splinter Cell game. I remember how I liked the visuals, but I couldn't understand how to play it. It was quiet hard to play after MGS1 and 2. Same thing happened to me with my second game in the series: Blacklist for Wii U. After trying first SC as my third game I understand how to play this series and thought to give Double Agent a second go. Got to second mission and pretty much lost any interest with some glitches in first mission made some bad impressions, but mostly I've enjoyed playing original and Blacklist a lot more and even after beating them I still didn't bother to give it third run. Maybe I will play it someday, but not with all these glitches.
It’s quite devastating how horrible the PS3 port is.
this game will put me in an early grave. I'm on the snowstorm mission and i'm pissed. If an enemy spots you EVERYONE KNOWS! I thought they got rid of this shit in 2003. I refuse, REFUSE to play any other splinter cell games ever again until Ubisoft nerfs the AI. If i am spotted, i want the AI to let me pass.
Why does no one ever address the fact that most of this game's missions only last for like 15 minutes? It's mind boggling. Anyway, great video. This is probably the most thorough anaylsis of DA I've ever seen.
Yeah, the 1st 2 missions are very short when compared to V2, I think I saw some pictures on a reddit post of someone no clipping in the Iceland level and there are entire rooms fully made but you never get to see, hinting that the level was super to be way bigger than what we got
I'm 37 minutes in and I have to drop a few lines for you.
Those lines are more subjective than factual and represent my experiences.
I recently watched both your " In defense of Blacklist" and "Conviction" videos and enjoyed them quite a bit. After watching some CZcamsrs discussing stealth action games (which is definitely my favorite genre), I want to speak a piece of my mind. I played the Double Agent "port" on my trusty PS2 back in 2008 as I was around 13 to 14 years old. I'm a native German, so the change of Lambert's voice actor was unfortunate (they used Mr. Krabs' voice actor from SpongeBob in Chaos Theory which is hilarious).
An unconventional opinion, but I loved the way they delivered the death of Fisher's daughter. The choice of Michael McCann's Soundtrack was spot on and devastating (I get goosebumps even thinking about it now). For those of you who don't know what I am talking about, check out "Splinter Cell Double Agent Soundtrack Iceland Extract Theme Part 2 and 3" here on CZcams or search for Michael McCann's OST on Soundcloud. Lambert interrupted the mission and demanded both Hisham and Fisher be extracted immediately. The abruptness and thus resulting emotions work, although it came off a little weird, explaining the extraction with the words: "Your daughter..." But it worked for me and brought a tear to my eye. The game was grittier and grim compared to the last installments, which I disliked. I missed Fisher's sense of humor plus colleagues via radio. The Double Agent "port" felt like a shaved-down, more linear, version of Chaos Theory. All in all, I was quite happy with what I was playing. Enrica dying at the end of the game, because another Splinter Cell unit assassinated her, hurt and left me empty after finishing the game. The cycle of loved ones' deaths repeats and left Fisher devastated again. Tragic, but working well enough from a storytelling perspective, if not somewhat disappointing. In the PS2 German version, Fisher referred to Enrica as a girl which reminds him of his daughter. That significantly increased my attention. I was constantly concerned about her wellbeing. It also rose the stakes because of the parental relationship and kept me engaged even more.
Later, when I was 15, I tried playing it on a crappy laptop. At first, I thought, the laptop was too weak to render the game smoothly. Turns out everyone had problems running it whatsoever. I had many glitches, crashes, hardware failures, etc. The quicksave function was not even working right. I gave up and didn't touch the game for years.
2014, I played the game again on a robust desktop machine and installed a patch that prevented it from breaking, but also caused another bug, which broke the unlockables. I was shocked that Fisher's love interest is Enrica which also turned out to be the only humorous encounter in the game I can remember. A whole world collapsed because up until then I had been thinking that Fisher'd rather protected her and kept her safe as, you already referred to, in The Last of Us. Even more confusing, the player is given the option to kill Enrica at the end of the game. In which case, you'll see an alternative animation to grab her and stab her in the chest. Fisher cannot knock her out or release her. Furthermore, you are able to talk to her one last time which reveals that Fisher can and will kill her without squinting. So, the whole relationship felt like a farce from the getgo. My emotions from 2008 were betrayed.
I've always wanted to write this down somewhere because I had this special relationship with Splinter Cell 3 and 4. I'm so glad that CZcamsrs nowadays point out the distinction between the two Double Agent games and how poorly the game has been executed. Today I am 25 and enjoy the many perspectives and opinions so many people share on the web. Thanks for the great videos Chris Davis, they are indeed a blast and fun to watch. :)
To be specific with _Pandora,_ the game isn't being sold anymore due to an issue with the shadow mapping system. The first two games were straight ports from the Xbox, complete with the Nvidia-specific "shadow buffer" tech. While SC1 did have a fallback mode for ATI cards, PT didn't. It only took a fan-made fix to mitigate the issue at least.
i think the think i dislike the most is the lack of shadows you mentioned, i was replaying the other day and it was annoying as hell. That is also one of the main reasons i dont like blacklist
I find it odd that you say you haven't found any evidence to support Double Agent on Xbox One and One X having better framerates compared to the 360 games. For one... I don't know of ANY game that doesn't see a performance improvement from being on One or One X. For two, if you type 'SC Double Agent Xbox One frame rate" into YT, it gives you not just one, but *two* videos (one testing the framerates before it was X-enhanced, and the other after it was X-enhanced) from VG Tech directly comparing the framerates with each version on screen simultaneously. The 360 version's framerate is so consistently fucky, I'd consider it borderline unplayable. On Xbox One, it's playable, and how I first properly experienced the game. On One X, it's a solid 30 FPS nearly 100% of the time, even at 4K.
Pre-Enhanced: czcams.com/video/aSxK_IXKHyU/video.html&t
Post-Enhanced: czcams.com/video/vOKwE3-IG7I/video.html&t
That you "haven't found any evidence to support" the idea that the better hardware improved framerates with this game strikes me primarily as, "I didn't really bother to look into it." If you'd said that, I guess I wouldn't mind, but the information is so easily found that it baffles me that you would make it seem otherwise. Furthermore, I admit, I take issue with you playing the PC version of the game for this video to begin with. Every single place you look, without exception, says the port is abysmal and pretty much totally fuckin' borked, busted, and broken, that you shouldn't play it. The game has its share of problems on a core level, there's no disputing that, we see eye-to-eye on most of the design complaints, but I do think it's unfair to play the worst version of the game when doing a retrospective on the title. Even the base Xbox One version would've been preferable, despite the 720p resolution that non-X versions of Xbox One play the game at.
It's just unfair to the game. It's like judging Bayonetta as a game while playing the PS3 version or Pac-Man while playing the Atari 2600 version. Even if you recognised each and every one of the platform-specific problems as being just platform-specific, that general frustration is going to colour your thoughts on the game as a whole. And that being said, some of your complaints sounded like you thought they were game-wide, like there not being much in the way of darkness, but that's a PC (and PS3) problem, not a problem with the original 360 version. I don't mind you talking about how the PC version is shit, because as many people as possible need to be warned of it, but I think there's no enough familiarity with the proper game itself for your video to do a good job of making the distinction between problems with the original version and ones that cropped up as a result of EXTREMELY shoddy, quickly-made ports.
Alright, that rant's over. Personally, I enjoy both versions of Double Agent, and I consider both versions above-average stealth titles, even good ones most of the time, but it's impossible to play either Version 1 or Version 2 and not be disappointed by the obviously misguided or even unfinished elements that prevent both versions from standing up well in comparison to Chaos Theory. Especially in regards to the plot. The things Version 1 does better, Version 2 flubs, and vice versa. It feels like a more focused development with a bit more time could've created something quite grand, but that's ultimately just not how it turned out.
well said O.o
Doing 100% in Chaos Theory and no alarm in Splinter Cell 1 is the best in gaming of all time. Period
Must‘ve played through DA on PS2 a dozen times. I liked it a lot. The mechanics of CT with some new stuff. It wasn’t revolutionary, just more of the same done well. The PS3 one was weird, though. I remember preferring the PS2 game.
When I played Double agent when I upgraded to Windows 11 from Windows 10 it just crashed in the middle of the level and when I Kinshasa, it’s sound stopped working
I always loved the water/ice takedown at the time really well done
I was more upset at DA than Conviction, after God-like Chaos Theory.
1. CT
2. Blacklist
3. PT
4. SC1
5. DA
6. Conviction
Conviction is a good, solid game. Pretty good stealth-action title and mediocre,disappointing SC game.
I don't get why people who think that Chaos Theory is the best put Blacklist in second spot when it plays nothing like Splinter Cell and is a massive downgrade over the first four
@@TGP482 Blacklist plays nothing like Splinter Cell? I'm not sure if you're trolling or that was a joke. What parts of gameplay from Chaos Theory, peak of SC, are missing there? Except for Michael Ironside, Amon Tobin and split jump move?
@@jjforcebreaker Removing hacking and EEV/Binoculars/Laser mic, removing thermal vision, removing the iconic split jump, removing lock picking or lock breaking, removing alarms, removing quick saves, removing vents that lead you to a new area instead of the other side of the door, removing variable speeds (Blacklist only has two speeds, fast and slow. This is a problem because if you're fast, you're gonna be very loud and the guards are gonna turn around and see you but if you're slow you won't have time to move into cover and the guard is gonna turn around and see you, that's why having variable speeds is important because you can balance the speed and noise you create), removing the OCP, removing keypad locked doors and retinal scanners, removing throwable objects, removing emails that give you information and help you complete the level, removing the sound meter and surfaces that are quieter than others, removing the ability to hide bodies in the shadows (you can only hide them in containers now), removing the jump button meaning you can't jump only if you're standing next to a climbable wall also means that jumping onto an enemies head doesn't require skill now (you just tap the melee button) automatically makes Blacklist worse than the first four games. The entertaining dialogue that Sam had with his team in the first four games is completely gone and so are the interrogations that Sam had with guards. No new information is learned in the new dialogue from Blacklist. It mostly consists of stating the obvious. The lack of secondary and opportunity objectives makes every level play the same (go from point A to point B hiding behind cover, with nothing but guards in between. High value targets/dead drops/laptops don't count as secondary objectives because they can only be done once.) The broken detection where the game tells you you're hidden but the enemies still see you makes sneaking around a chore and the game only two visibility modes (hidden or not hidden). Even Conviction allowed you to hide in shadows better. The ability to blast your way through a level killing everyone in the so called "stealth" game is a massive downgrade. Splinter Cell is supposed to be a stealth game, not an action game. The easy combat in Blacklist is another reason why stealth is pointless and it also makes no fucking sense why Sam would run around killing everyone as that's clearly not his character. Sam is supposed to be a secret STEALTH agent who sneaks into restricted areas, steals information and leaving minimal trace but if the game wants to abandon that then what's the point? And if Sam were to get caught the government would have to deny ever being associated with him so why would Sam go guns blazing and risk getting caught?
Allowing the 'Freedom' of combat in Blacklist totally negates the need for stealth, which is the core underpinning of this franchise. By reducing it to a mere option, it's no longer a gameplay necessity and Sam might as well be a generic, gunslinging commando without regard for discretion or the geopolitical ramifications of his actions. Whatever happened to being a "ghost" and using your gun as a last resort?
Most of the game mechanics make it feel like you're playing a watered down Third Person Shooter. For example, the Over-the-shoulder camera that doesn't adapt depending on the players position like in Chaos Theory and Double Agent, being able to easily gun down everyone from cover with your assault rifle using blind fire like a shooter (in the previous four games you were limited to only being able to shoot around the corner of a wall with you PISTOL to prevent combat from being easy), the sprint button, aiming with the Left Trigger or Right Mouse button like any other Third Person Shooter, the ability to pick up enemies weapons and ammo like a shooter, pressing the A button or Spacebar to vault over obstacles like a Shooter, the overly accurate assault rifles and pistols (for a stealth game), red screen to indicate that you're low on health, the strong aim assist, your gun always being out and the corsshair always being on screen too as you were clearly intended to engage with the enemy by gunning them down, Mark and Execute (yes it is disabled on perfectionist but it is a big feature in the game and also no longer requires melee kills to activate), the abundance of LOUD weapons and gadgets that can be bought (they should've added much less assault gadgets and much more stealth gadgets), forced action sequences (the first two games DID have forced action sequences but that's only because they didn't perfect the gameplay formula until Chaos Theory, they also released in 2002 and 2004, almost a decade before Backlist meaning that they had more than enough time to not get rid of them completely), hip fire, regenerative health (yes Double Agent had regenerative health but you almost never notice it because you die in one shot a lot of the time if you get caught when playing on hard) and just the movement in general feels like a shooter. The stiff movement when trying to move slowly to the Gears of War styled switch between covers makes this game play absolutely NOTHING like Splinter Cell.
This game is a downgrade in every way to prior games in the series and is only slightly better than Conviction because it has Spy versus Mercs
Just because game kinda allows you to sneak in the dark (I say kinda because even that doesn't work properly, the guards can see you from a great distance even in complete darkness) does NOT automatically make Blacklist play like Splinter Cell
@TGP482 Good comment, although did Blacklist not have thermal vision? Well at least some sort with the sonar googles (colourized imaging and ambient sonar I think it was called) that allowed you to see enemies heat signatures. Had the purple like vision and enemies showed up orange. Maybe it wasn't thermal vision, I dunno, sure looked pretty similar though.
I remember when I first played double agent on my dad Xbox original 😢 the good days bro 🤧
You messed up everything, first of all fans always called two versions old gen and next gen, same as ubi promo materials referenced them. I don't get where you get this version one and two numbering, that's new. Also fans always considered old gen version as primary one as it actually was, and next gen version was not a port at all but was alternate version that loosely followed main old gen version plot. Judging by everything in next gen version - everything besides graphics was rushed and barely hold together and was stripped down remake of what was done in old gen version. In no means next gen version was main one. Many people don't know that but Double Agent next was earliest game released based on Unreal Engine 3, but there was a catch it was mix of unreal engine 2.5 based lead engine and brand new unreal 3, basically they ported rendering part from UE 3 to UE 2.5 based lead engine from Chaos Theory, and i think this was the main reason of all problems - they wanted to create super next gen graphics port but porting unreal 3 and sorting out all troubles slowed down development and porting team didn't catch up main team that worked with same tech on old gen right from chaos theory, and i suppose somewhere in a middle of this mess some idiot ubi manager decided - screw it, let's them do everything from scratch and gave them little time and Shanghai rushed like hell whatever they can, and Milan did totally stand alone multi player game which didn't even felt like splinter cell and was too futuristic. But despite old gen version was main one, marketing team decided to focus lights on troubled next gen version since next gen consoles was a hot new thing, and we pc gamers received this secondary version only because we always was hungry for a graphics and the decided to give us version with best graphics on consoles that was cheaper than upgrading old gen version to a pc graphics standards like chaos theory compared to consoles, and in the end we got even more rushed version of already rushed version.
Funny thing is that psp version of Splinter Cell actually was a tie in of Old gen double agent and sort of its epilogue before game even came out, and it seems like during this point next gen double agent was non existing or was in very early stages of engine preparation and failed attempts of simply port and upgrade old gen version, until someone decided it would be faster to start from scratch.
And yeah this video has huge mistake - actually old gen double agents was done by Montreal and they didn't yet started conviction when DA started development, it was started somewhere at final stages of development. Conviction was direct follow up of Double Agent and it couldn't be started until main double agent story was finalised nearly end of development. Also it seems Conviction was heavily inspired by success of Hitman Blood Money... which was in 2006 and made ubi think they can totally change gameplay and make it a Hitman competitor... but this is another story, my point is that dating of Blood Money release should give a clue when concept of Conviction could have been shaped.
Haven't seen the video but I really hope he also talks about the PS2/XBOX version of the game, because it was miles better than the "next gen" ones.
Everyone seems to dislike this game. Probably because it was my first ever Splinter Cell, I absolutely LOVED it. People also hate on the multiplayer game. Again I LOVED it. So much. It's the only multiplayer game I've ever been actually good at. Like as in I was better at it than most people I played against online lol Like games like COD and Battlefield etc. I'm pretty poor at compared to most of the people I play against, I'm below average, my win ratio is poor my k/d ratio is ever poorer! but in this game I was really good and would win all the time and sort of carry the team.
Not to brag as like I said this is the only time I've ever been better than average on any multiplayer game lol I loved it. I knew the maps inside out etc. and just loved the gameplay. Specially as Spy. It just felt so satisfying. So recently when I've been seeing reviews from others I was shocked to find most people don't like it and think the multiplayer was one of the worst of the series.
I remember getting the game because I downloaded the demo on Xbox Live (I remember at the time how cool I thought it was that you could do that lol after years of playing Amiga/PS/PS2 demos from disks that came with magazines, the jump to Xbox 360 that heralded the new internet console integration was just awesome, by far the biggest leap in console generations was PS2 to Xbox 360/PS3.) and I played the shit out of the demo just sneaking around and kidnapping the guards and shit and just thinking this is so fucking cool.
I also loved the setting in Africa. I think Africa is under used in gaming. Africa is such an awesome setting for games. There's always wars there, there's always some kind of rebel army doing all kinds of war crimes, it's a scary ass place. Far Cry 2 did it well.