Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell GameCube

It was once thought that Splinter Cell was going to be exclusive to Microsoft's Xbox. Things change, however - as of this month, the game is now available on every current generation gaming platform. This means that nobody should miss out on the opportunity to experience Ubi Soft's stealth-em-up masterpiece and it also means that the game must therefore have finally come to the GameCube. Taking control of one Sam Fisher - the best field-operative of the secretive black-ops NSA sub-agency Third Echelon - players are sent to execute desperate missions as the government's last resort. Missions such as infiltrating CIA headquarters, seizing critical intelligence and destroying threatening data and equipment are pretty much run-of-the-mill to this guy, so players really have their work cut out. The main objectives are to remain undetected, neutralise every enemy, and exit without a trace. The emphasis is most definitely on the stealth side of things here, with the main character having access to a massive array of nimble moves and abilities. Diving somersaults, hanging off ledges, peeking around corners, and even shinnying up drainpipes are all required if one is to remain undetected. The environments throughout Splinter Cell are all highly interactive, with players able to make use of any objects lying around, shoot out any lights, and take advantage of shadows. As is often the case with ports such as this, the question on everybody's lips is always: How does it differ from the original? Well, it's commonly known that the GameCube doesn't quite match the Xbox in terms of raw power, so visually the game falls slightly short with regards to lighting and textures. That is not to say that it doesn't still look pretty darn mindblowing. On the plus side, it seems that Ubi have also used the game's development time to address a number of technical issues and thus bring a number of improvements to the Cube version. Little things like improved button configuration and a neater looking cross-hair can b