Demo: Splinter Cell Double Agent

Demos are like cakes. With a little love and care, you have something not only tasty, but beautiful as well. Fudge the ingredients just a little and there's no telling what you might get.

This is true for Splinter Cell: DA.

A cup of graphics, two sounds, a cup of interactive enviornments, a tablespoon of A.I., two tablespoons of controls and a pinch of Live and finally a pinch of single player.

When Ubisoft made this demo, they must have gotten some Live smugged on the ingredient card right on the pinch of single player and two tablespoons of controls. There aren't any control button layouts to figure out how to play (aside from the spoken control splash screen during the loading) and the only single player mode available is found by playing a system link game by yourself.

Way to make me feel wanted Ubisoft.

So I initally shot for a couple of Live games, knowing the early adopters would hand me my ass with a couple of bean bag shots. Once the mission lobby loaded, I took a second to read the options and was instantly booted out, followed promptly by a load screen lock-up (what is it with these freezing demos).

This is exactly why I hate online gaming: the other people.

But I know it's a singular event that isn't repeated too often. So I pressed on, finding the system link with no players but me a much better way to feel out the controls. I was excited about the results.

It turns out that they've sort of adopted the Metroid Prime controls scheme. RT pulls up your arm mounted do-all computer screen. Whatever your looking at at the time, beit lights, cameras, door locks, computers, and even enemies), your context sensitive A-button will give you options based on what your locked onto. It's much better than screwy menus of ol'.

The d-pad handles all the visor modes, also just like prime. Left and right change the mode and up and down zoom in and out. It can do first-person as well as third person without any extra buttons. The whole system is much less complicated.

I skipped the last Splinter Cell because I never finished the one before it. This one makes me want to. How can you not love all the sneaking and neck snappery. I hope this one also includes more co-op. It was much more fun when we played together because the Live people are just always too good.