Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #6172 in Computer & Video Games
• Brand: UBI Soft
• Released on: 2006-04-07
• Rating: To Be Announced
• Platform: Sony PSP

Manufacturer's Description
Immediately following the events of Splinter Cell Double Agent, Sam Fisher is placed under arrest and brought to the NSA Headquarters. As a government interrogator pressures him to confess his involvement in terrorist activities, whatever the truth is, Sam discovers that fraudulent mission files depict him as an unstable, violent and insubordinate agent.

Concealment, fraud, manipulation, lies&Sam Fisher is now trapped in a huge conspiracy: he will have to search into his past to find out who is hiding behind all this, and ultimately begin the arduous quest to clear his name.

The highest-rated and top-selling spy franchise hits the PSP for the first time, pushing the boundaries of yet another platform. Developed specifically for the PSP, the unique gameplay sequences designed specifically for the on-the-go nature of handheld gaming and a new adapted interface.

Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Essentials starts where Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Double Agent ends, and takes players to the years before Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell when Sam was still a Navy Seal.

A game of gadgets for your gadget; it features all the weapons and gadgets from the Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell franchise, in addition to some new ones exclusive to the PSP version.

Customer Reviews

Perhaps not an Essential for SC fans
I have been an Splinter Cell fan since the days when he was trying to stop good old Georgian dictator Nikoladze. I have played all three games several times and still love them all. I wanted Essentials probably for the same reaons that you do.
1. It's the latest Splinter Cell.
2. Is Sam really evil? I've just got to know.
3. It's Splinter Cell in your pocket!
I got the game as soon as I could and started immediatly. The graphics are certainly very good, just missing some of the finer detail. The sound is fairly good, but it's behind. When Fisher or Lambert talk, the text box is up long before the audio starts. The guards now don't say anything like "What was that," or "I think I hear something." At least they don't for me. The controls were always going to be an issue, but in fact it was handled quite well. You have two configurations. In one, you hold down Circle to move the camera, and in the other you switch the functions of the "Shape" buttons from camera moving to actions. The thing is that neither are perfect, and a cross between the two would have been better. Using the analogue stick to move Sam at the right speed takes some getting used to. Also, unless you move extremely slowly, Sam makes an annoying clunk sound as he walks. The lack of new levels will also annoy old fans who will have played a lot of this game on a console. I am sounding far too negative though, and I apologise. That's the bad stuff out of the way, now to the goodies. Well, it's Splinter Cell, just like the others, perfectly converted to the PSP. It's fun and it's stealthy and everything from all the Splinter Cell's are there. The Swat turn which was only ever in Pandora Tomorrow is back in. We get to explore Sam's past and basically play a real Splinter Cell on a handheld. The bottom line is that it's a really fun game, with a few annoying problems. SC fans will take some adjusting but will come to like it. People new to the series will experience the franchise at it's best.

The Best of...
This plays like a 'best of' compilation, taking many levels from previous games. But since the originals were so great to begin with, thats OK. However, if youv'e played all the originals to death already you may feel a bit cheated. But its still great. Only niggle is for those who know, this forces you to upgrade to 2.6 firmware before you can play and as of yet theres no concievable way around it. So if thats a problem for any reason, be warned. Otherwise Great.

Good game, but be wary....
First of all I must say that the Splinter Cell franchise is excellent. I used to own a PS2, always got the latest version of Splinter Cell and was never disapointed.

The same however cannot be said of Splinter Cell: Essentials. The game is great, the storyline engaging and the graphics are awesome, especially for the PSP.

My gripe however is twofold...
1) If you've played the other Splinter Cell games on another console, you have already played about 80% of Splinter Cell Essentials as all they've done is modified old missions for the PSP.

2) The game is way too short. I bought this 10 days ago and completed it this morning - and I am by no means an 'expert gamer' (also I probably only spent a total of 6 hours gametime).

So, if you've never played a Splinter Cell game before, go get this and enjoy - otherwise wait for something like Tomb Raider.