Chaos Theory is a special game because Ubisoft’s Montreal studio literally went in and fixed all of the problems people had with the Splinter Cell series. You are now free to play the game with as much stealth or run-and-gun action as you want. No more frustration. No more trial-and-error. Everything is fun now because you can play the game however you want. Basically, Chaos Theory is the Splinter Cell for people that hate Splinter Cell.
They Fixed The Broken
For many people, the previous Splinter Cell games were like a double-edged sword. They looked amazing and you could do a lot of really, really cool stuff, but if you tripped an alarm or didn’t hide a body in the deepest and darkest shadows it was game over and you had to restart so the game required a lot of trial-and-error and wasn’t as fun as it could have been. Chaos Theory solves all of those problems and the result is a game that is infinitely more playable than its predecessors. Now when you cause an alarm or stumble out in front of a video camera, the game just keeps on moving. There are some penalties for tripping an alarm, but it isn’t a game over screen and that is a heck of an improvement.
Since your success in missions is no longer dependent on your sneaking skills, the gameplay opens up and you have a lot more options to tackle a given situation. You can sneak through the shadows and avoid enemies entirely, you can play Rambo and just shoot everyone, or you can hide in the shadows and rush out and attack enemies with your knife as they approach you. You can even take alternate paths to mission objectives and avoid difficult situations altogether.
The levels in previous games forced you to pass through the traps and cameras and it was your job to figure out how to get through them. The levels in Chaos Theory are much better designed in that there are multiple entries and exits and multiple paths through them so you aren’t constantly being funneled forward towards a possible alarm. Not that alarms matter anymore, but you get what I mean.
Better level designs and no more alarms mean that you are free to sit back and really enjoy everything the game has to offer. The gadgets and weapons and moves Sam Fisher could use have always been a high point in the series, but now you are free to use them however and whenever you want so the whole experience is a lot more interesting and fun. What all of this also means is that the game is much more replayable than the previous Splinter Cell games. Since there are multiple paths through the levels and lots of different ways to get through a given situation, you can play through each level several times and it will always be fresh and fun. Chaos Theory is simply a great game that is an absolute joy to play.
The Story
The story in Chaos Theory is typical of a product with Tom Clancy’s name on it. Lots of high tech jargon, double-crosses, international intrigue, and plenty of macho rough and tumble tough guy antics. The basics of the story is that there is a computer algorithm that can crash the stock markets or hijack nuclear missiles and the one programmer with the key to the algorithm has vanished and it is up to series protagonist Sam Fisher to investigate. Along the way you’ll explore a ship, rob a Panamanian bank, and take to the streets of New York and much more. The story and dialogue in Chaos Theory are surprisingly well written and this game definitely stands ahead of the others in the series as far as storytelling goes.
Co-Op Mode
Not only does Chaos Theory offer an absolutely amazing single-player experience, but there are also a couple of outstanding multiplayer modes as well. I’m a huge fan of co-op modes and Chaos Theory has a great one. You and a buddy can play co-op on splitscreen, system link, and even over Xbox Live. These aren’t just the single player levels, either. The co-op mode features levels that were designed with two spies in mind and they do a great job of putting the focus on teamwork. There are a number of special moves you and a partner can do such as forming human ladders, boosting over walls, or lowering a partner down on a rope. When you reach a point where a co-op move is necessary, one player simply has to press the black button to start it and the other player has to press the black button to complete it. Easy as pie. The beauty of co-op is that, just like the single-player game, it still works incredibly well no matter how you want to play. One person can sneak and the other can play Rambo and you still have a great chance at success.
