Well this title sure did sneak up on us, didn’t it’ Pun very much intended. Why open up this fair review in such a way, you may ask’ Well it’s a sad thing to say but that previous line is one of the few interesting things my mind could come up with to say about Splinter Cell: Essentials ‘ which is far from essential, as it happens.
The main premise of the title is excellent, as it tries to set itself apart from the console editions without labelling itself as a spin-off. In Essentials you play a collection of missions in locations you may have seen in some form before if you are a fan of the console games. That may sound nice, but that is exactly where the game begins to fall apart, as almost everything about the title is poorly executed or feels like it was tacked on at the last minute, without any passion or care from the developer.
It should be said that the game does not have one main glaring problem that ruins the gameplay, but it does have many niggling flaws that add together to spoil the title. The feeling of ‘I know this could be better‘ is always in the back of your mind, screaming for your attention. Let me explain what I mean’
Most gamers will have seen most of the levels before in their prettier, jazzed up form in the ‘big’ console versions. Now, we are not expecting the PSP to have the processing power of an Xbox, but we would like to think Ubisoft did everything they could to push the PSP as much as it can. Alas, those hopes are crushed in an instant with just a quick glance at the screen with the game running. The game is also, for some unfathomable reason, pitch black for 80% of the missions, meaning that even if you play the game on the PSPs brightest setting you will struggle to make out what happening on screen – unless you are in a darkened room. This means gamers will be playing the game in night-vision mode a lot of the time, making the below average graphics even worse. Trying to play this game while outside or on a bus to work/college is downright impossible. Of course, we all know graphics don’t make a game, but sadly there are yet more problems to be seen as play continues.
With the shift to handhelds it seems the enemy soldiers’ AI has worsened. We know that some soldiers in the console versions were never likely candidates for MENSA, but their PSP counterparst would be lucky to get a janitor job at their local McDonald’s. The AI is so basic that it is possible to rush through many areas without fear of getting hurt or even getting noticed. Even if you do decide you’re going to take it slow, it is a lottery as to whether some enemies will detect you or not. I would love to say this is because the developers took the time to include some personality system for the soldiers, making each of them different, but in reality the detection system is hopelessly broken. Sometimes, you just wish terrorists would care that little bit more and want to hurt you.
Essentials‘ final death knell rings as you work out the game’s controls, which range from been sloppy to just downright infuriating. Sam does have all of his old actions and attacks, but trying to use them well in high pressure situations is another matter. The analogue nub is used to move Sam and the circle button centres the camera behind him, but a lot of stopping and starting is needed to get the camera in the right position. If you do manage to place it in a favourable spot, then God forbid you ever go around a corner as it will be out of place again. To make matters even worse, once you draw a weapon, the game adopts a second control system which bears no similarity to the first, meaning you have to move all your fingers around again to get set to take down your foe. At times like this, you will welcome the stupidity of the enemies as they just wait around to be shot. Overall, the game seems to be very fiddly with presentation that is almost counter instinctive, resulting in Sam Fisher moving about like he is having some kind of spasm rather than the dark-ops agent we all know he is.
