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A watered down Splinter Cell
posted by lordkor (MANAHAWKIN, NJ) May 2, 2009
Member since Mar 2008
87 out of 98 gamers (89%) found this review helpful
If you ever played Splinter Cell, you'll hate this game. This is a "stealth"
game that makes being stealthy more difficult that it should be. The game is very linear with hardly any choice on how to accomplish a mission. First off, you can't shoot out any of the lights in the game, which is plain stupid. In SC you can shoot the lights out to make the area dark. Not in VA. Second, you carry only a pistol with seven rounds and a knife. Bullets are extremely limited you only find them in lockers which are rare in itself. All the enemies carry guns, but you can't pick them up. I should be able to choose whether I want to shoot it out or sneak around, but it's practically impossible due to the weapon limitations and lack of item pickups. You get a pistol, flare gun, shotgun, or luger. Not a wide selection and again, very limited ammo. You also can't climb up anything unless it's a hotspot. So unless a crate the height of your kneecaps is a hotspot, you can't get over it. Another painful limitation. You also can't jump at all, let alone jump over a railing or jump onto something. Another limitation. Enemies also seem to have radar installed in their heads. More than once if I shot someone with a silenced pistol, even if NOBODY was in the area, the music would change and guards from halfway across the screen would come running right to the spot where I am. The limitations of choice (i.e. not being able to move/climb/jump/destroy) make it one of those games that you just want to hurry through and finish because it's so boring. They do try to add an RPG element by allowing you to upgrade your abilities by finding collectibles, but this fails to make up for the games shorcomings which are many.
THE GOOD
BGM
Character upgrades
THE BAD
Graphics aren't up to snuff.
Limited weapons/bullets
THE UGLY
No free interaction with objects.
No jumping/climbing
Terribly linear paths.
game that makes being stealthy more difficult that it should be. The game is very linear with hardly any choice on how to accomplish a mission. First off, you can't shoot out any of the lights in the game, which is plain stupid. In SC you can shoot the lights out to make the area dark. Not in VA. Second, you carry only a pistol with seven rounds and a knife. Bullets are extremely limited you only find them in lockers which are rare in itself. All the enemies carry guns, but you can't pick them up. I should be able to choose whether I want to shoot it out or sneak around, but it's practically impossible due to the weapon limitations and lack of item pickups. You get a pistol, flare gun, shotgun, or luger. Not a wide selection and again, very limited ammo. You also can't climb up anything unless it's a hotspot. So unless a crate the height of your kneecaps is a hotspot, you can't get over it. Another painful limitation. You also can't jump at all, let alone jump over a railing or jump onto something. Another limitation. Enemies also seem to have radar installed in their heads. More than once if I shot someone with a silenced pistol, even if NOBODY was in the area, the music would change and guards from halfway across the screen would come running right to the spot where I am. The limitations of choice (i.e. not being able to move/climb/jump/destroy) make it one of those games that you just want to hurry through and finish because it's so boring. They do try to add an RPG element by allowing you to upgrade your abilities by finding collectibles, but this fails to make up for the games shorcomings which are many.
THE GOOD
BGM
Character upgrades
THE BAD
Graphics aren't up to snuff.
Limited weapons/bullets
THE UGLY
No free interaction with objects.
No jumping/climbing
Terribly linear paths.