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A Game of Surprises

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 16 / 19
Date: March 23, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Picked up the game yesterday at a local Gamestop. Here are some initial impressions after the first hour of play.

Gameplay (7/10)

This is probably the most important department, and SC disappoints. It was clear from the start that developers had trouble mapping all the controls for Fisher onto the PSP due to the absence of a second analog stick, as well as the two fewer shoulder buttons (L2/R2). Movement is severely hampered by this physical limitation. You cannot rotate the camera while moving, which severely limits your ability to get a feel for your surroundings. In order to rotate the camera, you must come to a complete stop, hold the "O" button, and pan using the analog stick. On the positive side, Fisher has all of the classic moves from jumping, rolling, split jump, SWAT move, and more. I haven't tried all the moves but most seem to be there. Knife attack is also included. Another positive is that you can save anywhere; no need to wait till you reach a checkpoint. For some reason, there are no maps for you to follow, which forces you to run around quite a bit especially in dark areas.

Graphics (6/10)

The graphics were also disappointing, seeing how Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror (SC:DM) was able to leverage the PSP so effectively. In the initial levels, the environment is really, really dark, so dark that it forces you to use the night vision goggles, which is fine except this view is extremely grainy (almost PS1 quality!) and does not enhance your vision much at all. Even at the highest brightness setting (PSP setting, not game; game does not provide brightness adjustment), it is STILL very dark. I cannot imagine playing this game in a bright room. I was in a relatively dark room, and had issues seeing most elements without using NV goggles.

There is noticeable tearing of the graphical elements such as walls; if Fisher moves too close to a wall, sometimes you can see right through it. In certain positions, you can even see through the back of Fisher's head and see his eyes! This was quite a surprise. I know a 6 out of 10 is harsh, but this is a Splinter Cell title; we have come to expect more than this!

Story (?)

Story in SC series has never been all that important or logical. This one is a bit different in that it takes place in the past when Fisher was a Navy Seal. I have not completed enough of the game to see the rest of the story line just yet.

Sound (8/10)

There was little music in the levels I have played so far; I expect it will improve. The sound volume seemed to be a bit low. The enemies whistle the same tunes that were heard in SC Chaos Theory or Pandora Tomorrow, which irritated me. I know this is a pseudo port to the PSP, but some new tunes would have been a nice change.

Replayability/Online (6/10)

As far as I am aware, there are no unlockables such as SC:DM offers, which limits replayability. There are 3 "bonus missions" in the main menu, but I have not tried these yet; these may require completion of standard missions first. Multiplayer is limited to ad-hoc only, and I do not expect to find much fun in this mode due to the quirkiness of the controls.

Final Score (7/10)

To sum up, this title failed to meet its potential. The SC series had set a high bar for the gaming industry, but this title failed miserably to meet its own standards. Do not get me wrong; there is much fun to be had here, despite the fact that the game feels rushed to market, is very much unpolished, and includes so many annoyances discussed previously. When compared to other action/shooter PSP titles in the market today, such as SOCOM and Syphon Filter, it simply does not compete. The absence of a playable demo also reinforced my original suspicion that this title was not quite ready for prime time.

Buy or Rent? First time fans should definitely opt for Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror instead. Long-time fans and/or SF:DM owners may consider renting first (if you can find it), or buying/selling after beating it/reaching end of patience with the bugs.

Update from March 27
After 3 or 4 hours, this game surprises you by getting much better. Once you get past the control issue, the game sucks you in with a high production value. I shall upgrade my rating to 8/10. A nice addition to the PSP collection.

Splinter Cell is still Splinter Cell

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: March 04, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Sam Fisher's PSP outing may not be perfect, but for a fan of the series, it's just what the doctor ordered. While it may feel unpolished in some places and ancient in others (it brings back things like the "3 alarms and you're out" rule) it's still fairly solid portable Splinter Cell action and who can complain about that!?

So basically, Sam is being interrogated by the FBI and as they bring up old missions he's done, you play 'em. It basically a BS story, but it works alright and the graphic-novel-esque quality to the cut scenes was the right choice for the PSP.

If you've read other reviews about this game, then I'm sure you're wary of the controls... DON'T BE! They are annoying for the first level or two, but once you get used to them, you'll be sneaking, knifing, and sniping just like in the console versions (albeit a bit slower).

As far as the graphics are concerned, they're up to par. The dynamic light system is here as are the vision modes and all the great animations are present as well. It's generally a good looking game, although others on the PSP have since surpassed it.

The gameplay is almost as good as the console versions as you can sneak, jump, interrogate, hide bodies, knife people, etc. At times, it gets a little tedious, as the game throws at you situations where sneaking is VERY hard to do. Yet there are still enough exciting moments to keep this game fun.

For those of you who are too lazy to really read what I've written above (or those who just want to get the facts), I've put together this handy guide.

THE GOOD
-Carries pretty much everything over from the console SCs.
-Brings in knifing and knocking out from Chaos Theory.
-Graphically impressive, for the PSP.
-It's SC, but portable!
-3 extra levels from Pandora Tomorrow including the train level and the
Television Station level.
-Sound quality is excellent, with voiceovers carried over as well.

THE BAD
-Controls are a pain for awhile, but they get better.
-Level choices is terrible (the oil rig from SC1, the NY mission from CT)
It could've been better.
-Sometimes feels too much like SC:PT, which is not a good thing.
-Story is stupid (although it works)
-Some pieces feel a bit unpolished
-Tedious at times and too action-y at times (you shouldn't have to pull
out your gun and mow people down.

THE UGLY
-They got the action for killing someone and knocking them out after
grabbing them wrong (how could they miss that?!).
-No Shadows (except in like three parts, which is teasing)
-No real OCP, despite what manual says (really teasing)
-You can only walk too speeds, the slowest of which is not faster than
enemies, so grabbing them is a pain.
-When you knife bad guys from the front, they shoot you as they go down,
harming you or possibly killing you (why, ubi, why?).
-Loading times suck, but if you don't think about them, it's not too noticeable.

Overall, it's a fun, portable, Splinter Cell experience, but it could've probably used a little more time in development to polish it up more. If you're a SC fan, it's worth the 40 bucks. If not, then I'd wait until the price drops 10-15 dollars before considering it and just going for a console version instead.
7.5/10

Not Up to Splinter Cell High Standards

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 4 / 5
Date: July 23, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Essentials brings the fun world of stealth combat to the PSP. I adore the Splinter Cell series and really was looking forward to a PSP version to carry around with me. It just didn't come up to my expectations.

Not that plot really matters in games like these, but what you get in Splinter Cell Essentials is sort of hokey. You've been captured while visiting your daughter's grave, and the people who have caught you go over various missions you've done. As they talk about them, you relive them in your head. This gives the game the ability to leap wildly from situation to situation without any connection at all between them.

I know that PSP controls are going to be more challenging than console controls, but I play a LOT of PSP games. These were just not well designed. Sure, you can get used to them - you can get used to pretty much anything. Still, they could have done a much better job setting up and implementing the PSP controls to provide smooth gameplay.

The graphics are a mixed bag. On one hand, I love the Splinter Cell environment with the various goggles and how the characters animate and react. On the other hand, there's no real shadows, much of the game is dark, and the camera was just AWFUL in several different situations. I've had it go into a super-close zoom while I was trying to navigate in a difficult situation, and I had to play by feel. You're not supposed to be the Blind Sam Fisher.

I like the voice work and the general characters in this series. I also adore this style of gameplay, sneaking along and attempting to infiltrate without being seen. That being said, it seemed like there were a few 'blast away' sections - and not enough set-up to allow you to sneak well.

I think if they'd spent more time in beta-testing, they could easily have worked out some of these control issues and the camera issues. Especially since they were in many cases re-hashing existing situations, so they didn't have to build the characters, environments or moves from scratch. It feels rushed to me. Maybe a sequel release will have more polish.

From a first time PSP gamer.

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: June 16, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I just recently bought Splinter Cell Essentials. Bear in mind that I'm a Splinter Cell fan so my review tends to be pretty favorable of the game. I'm not too far into the game unfortunately, but the game seems to be relatively fun. I'm definitely liking the heat/night vision goggles (better than the console versions). The missions seem to be long, but with plenty of checkpoint as well as a "save anytime" feature. This helps to reduce those moments where you go "Oh crap." when you turn the game off to run to a class. So far my only complaints are the game is very dark so the NVG/Heat becomes almost mandatory for the entire game. Other than that, I love the game. Pick it up if you're a Splinter Cell fan, otherwise just wait around till it goes down in price.

Splinter Cell Essentials is essentialy terrible

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: May 19, 2007
Author: Amazon User

In all the years that I have played games from pc to xbox 360 to ps2 to psp, this is the worst game I have ever had the misfortune to purchase. These guys are lucky that we live in a society that companies don't have to pay back its customers for simply a terrible product (unless it causes damages). The worst part of it is that Tom Clancy put his name on it. I have bought about everything Tom Clancy has ever written or supported. Not anymore. If this is the dribble that he is willing to support, I for one will no longer believe in anything he backs.

The game controls are terrible. To simply shoot someone you must stop, press the button to arm in which case you are frozen in place, try to aim and shoot all while getting shot without any ability at defense. The graphics are so bad it takes one back to pre windows technology. The story line is boring (well from the brief time I spent on this game). I rarely stop playing a game even if its not up to par. However, after about an hour or so I just had to stop it was so bad.

I highly recommend not playing this game and if you bought it and have not yet played it return it.

The best psp game ever

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 16
Date: March 27, 2006
Author: Amazon User

This game is the best. The story line expands from all the splinter cell games. The graphics are the best. In this game you are revisting Sam's past to clear his name. There are all new exclsivley designed levels only on the psp. This game plays like all of the splinter games, but it will be on the psp. If you want to play splinter cell on a portable video game system you should get splinter cell essentials.

Very disappointing game

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: September 05, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I have never played any games in the SC series, which I think might be part of my problem. If you have some familiarity with the series (I had read that some missions in this game were taken directly from the console versions), then you probably have some idea of what is going on. I found myself struggling with the awkward character movement and unclear objectives. Also, (and this might be my fault for not reading the instructions) I could not save in the middle of a level and return to that point later. When I saved and turned the game off, it always started me at the beginning of the level instead of where I left off.

I found the game controls to be very clumsy, particularly when trying to manuever Sam near the edge of a cliff or dropoff. It is really easy to send him falling.

As some other reviewers had pointed out, the settings in this game are very dark. You will need to use the night vision goggles most of the time, which gets annoying.

I played Syphon Filter before this one and found that game to be much betterr. If you are looking for a shooter, I would stay away from Splinter Cell and go with something else. If you're a Splinter Cell fan, you might enjoy this game, if you can get past the annoyances.

One of the best games available for PSP

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: August 27, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Splinter Cell: Essentials is exactly what the title says. Splinter Cell veterans (such as myself) will be dissapointed if they expect this game to be Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory all over again. However, if you think of this game as Splinter Cell 1 for the PSP, you will be pleasantly suprised. And, of course, this game is 100% Splinter Cell, so rookies looking for a fun game will also be happy with this.

Gameplay- 9/10
The gameplay isn't perfect, but it isn't in any of the splinter cell games. The lack of an extra analog stick makes your reaction time in tight situations a little slower than in the Xbox or PS2 versions. Some of the 'flashback' missions are almost exact duplicates of SC1 missions, but with added CT features (like knife attack, upside down shooting, etc). SC:E definintly has the feel of Splinter Cell 1, with many of the things that were improved on in the later games (for example, there is the noise meter, which is even better than in chaos theory- the noise you make is more realistic. Also, the way you use a medkit is more realistic as well.)

Controls- 6/10
This is where SC:E dissapoints most. Although the controls are tolerable once you get used to them, they could have obviously been more cleverly designed. The analog stick on the PSP is much less precise than on the Xbox or PS2, and the game doesn't compensate for that. Shooting is much harder to do, because of the less accurate analog stick. Nevertheless, once you get used to it, the controls are definintly tolerable.

Graphics- 7/10
Although not the best I've seen in PSP games, the graphics are definintly good. The lighting is beautiful, and although night and thermal vision are less accurate than on the console versions (night vision doesn't glare in lit up areas), the graphics get the job dones.

Sound- 6/10
I'vce never cared about sound much in Splinter Cell games. The music (like when in a battle) is good, especially when you attack someone, and the music breifly plays. The guards all whistle the same tune, though, which gets annoying. And gone is the 'What was that?' and 'I think I heard something' that was so well done in Chaos theory.

Overall, Splinter Cell: Essentials, although it has some flaws, is a game definintly worth owning for PSP.

Note: After beating the game, and playing other PSP games like SF:DM, I realized that this game's flaws really do affect the overall game experience. I am changing my review from 5 stars in each catagory, to 4.

Disapointing veterans but ok for newbies on SC

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: July 20, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I must disagree with the other reviewers. The game isn't designed for the PSP, the gameplay and story aren't bad at all, but there are very important features Ubisoft dev team didn't had in their mind and they should. The PSP isn't a game console with a good "outdoors" screen and this game should came to players with "Game Brightness Level" as option, and there isn't nothing, that makes very hard (impossible) to play outside (unless at night) only if you use Sam's night vision (but not always avaiable during the game). Joining this with the dificult game camera movement, makes the gameplay dificult. We know Splinter Cell relays on Sam's missions "on the shadow" but the brightness are essencial on the PSP and this game don't make the PSP fun to use. For that big mistake I give only 2 stars and I advice to try the game before you buy it.

FUUUUUUUUUNNNNNNNN!!!!!!!!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 4
Date: June 01, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I got this game assuming that the graphics and the language would be bad. But when I start to play the game I was proved wrong. The graphics are better than all of the PS2 splinter cells combined! The language is almost nonexistant! I just don't get why the heck ubisoft rated this game for strong language! The missions are pretty hard if you haven't ever played splinter cell before.
MY RATING
1 fun:5 stars
2 educational:5 stars
3 violence: 5 stars
4 language: 0 stars
5 strategy use: 5 stars
6 weapons: 5 stars
7 ammo use: 3 stars
I hope my review has helped you! Thank- You for reading my review!!!

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