Thanks again to Ridge for sponsoring my channel! Support me by supporting them: www.ridge.com/NOBODY Use Code “NOBODY” for 10% off your order With the PS2 games in my rear view, I think I can safely say that there isn't anything else Splinter Cell related left to cover for the time being. Let's pray that VR thing turns out well! Time stamps: 0:00 - Intro 3:46 - Splinter Cell 11:18 - Pandora Tomorrow 16:16 - Chaos Theory 20:04 - Double Agent V2 If you'd like to see more of my content, here's the Critical Nobody playlist - bit.ly/2M3r65U
"Hey you want a Sam Fisher cameo? How about a mobile game cameo? No, wait. I know what you want: a VR tech demo game, huh?" -Braindead Ubisoft Management
I don't really blame Ubi too much. The last 3 SC games sold way below expectations. And in this new gen, unless your name is Naughty Dog, your linear titles aren't guaranteed to sell half as well as the open world and multiplayer titles around you (Amy Henning even said that in order to get Uncharted 2 and 3 greenlit, they had to include Multiplayer. It's very difficult for any publisher to now greenlit a linear game that's less than 15 hours with no multiplayer). And given the rising standards of gamers, you can't just make a budget main game, it would have to be substantial which wouldn't be worthwhile to Ubi given the historically low sales and how it will pull resources of titles that are guaranteed to sell and would benefit more from the resources. So no wonder Sam is now limited to Mobile games and Cameos. Those are probably the only way he can be included and still make relative bank. The VR title might be able to make a splash given the different expectations though and I hope that encourages more stock in SC.
At this point I don’t really see the point of another Splinter Cell. It would be quite sad to see a senior citizen sneaking into hostile territory to prevent WW3. Perhaps the best way for a potential sequel is to play as someone else while Fisher takes Lambert’s role. Perhaps as a tribute to its past, do a flashback mission or two as Sam.
@@ElTigre12024 Man. Just make him team leader and recast Briggs with the voice actor of Locke from Halo 5 as the playable character and you got yourself a new Splinter cell game.
@@v-trigger6137 At least, Thief fans took the matter at their own hands, and kept making awesome fan missions to this day. Also some of them made The Dark Mod Sadly, SC and MGS never provided mission editors. Which is a real tragedy
As someone who played all versions, I was confused for a moment about this item I simply couldn't remember in Sam's inventory. Legendary indeed very well done!
Awesome video! Being one of the "underpriviliged" PS2 users back then it was absolutely mindblowing when I found out about the XBOX or PC versions of this game. But still, I fell in love with this game and playing Chaos Theory on PS2 were one of the best gaming times in my life. Compared to the PC version of Double Agent, I actually enjoyed the PS2 version more, because to me it felt more like a successor to Chaos Theory and I really enjoyed that game, despite its restricted possibilities. Thank you so much for still bringing some content from Splinter Cell despite Ubisoft letting us down every year.
Ubisoft sucks with making console ports tbh ecpecially PS there are ps2 exclusives like mgs3 and 4 onimusha dawn of dreams that look insanely good so I don’t know why they made ps2 look bad wich sure it’s not as good as Xbox but people underestimate ps2 and splinter cell 2 was the one I grew up with on ps2 and is probably the best splinter cell ps2 port
@@armorwolf7934 Nobody underestimates the PS2. It was an underpowered console when compared to the Xbox. It couldn't handle the games like the other could. Sacrifices had to be made.
@@armorwolf7934 There's a huge difference between the Xbox and PS2's capabilities and it's also worth mentioning that the PS2 was difficult to develop for(which was one of the reasons the Xbox was created in the first place).
I also started with Chaos Theory on PS2, although I never completed it since little me couldn't handle high tension games. Planning to try this Pandora Tomorrow with fixes on PC the video mentioned.
I have been waiting almost 17 years for that guy to finish his orange juice. He still hasn't finished it. I don't know how Pandora Tomorrow ends because my common courtesy got the better of me.
Conspiracy theory: the orange juice guy is the guy that will "kill" Sam's daughter, the orange juice had a tiny robot that controlled the guy and made him "kill" Sara
@@FraserSouris didn't they turn down the stealth gameplay and turned it into a generic TPS. Splinter Cell Conviction was pretty much an Uncharted-clone with shadows. Instead of continuing the niche title, which already had a strong fanbase, it turned them off in a way of "catering to new fans". Same thing happened with Hitman Absolution but now the Hitman series is back on track because IO interactive knew their shit.
@@hiranmaydas4921 Both Double Agent and Blacklist, which were much closer to that original stealth approach, sold way below expectations. SC didn't get that Hitman 2016 style resurgence in 2013.
I remember being like 7 and looking up guides whenever I got stuck for a week. I played the PS2 levels and thought they looked different on the guides; I finally know why.
Huh, this might explain something for me. I remember playing the first four Splinter Cell games on PS2 and considering Double Agent the best one when everyone else seemed to think it was the worst. After watching this I'm now thinking the reason I liked it more than most is because the PS2 version actually held up.
Correct. On the 360 (and PC?), Double Agent was very disappointing. The HQ missions were terrible. I have no idea why it still reviewed well, didn't deserve it at all.
@@mynthon0 both versions have their pros and cons and overall are about equally meh. The undercover missions on PS2 were some of the worst and most nonsensical levels in the franchise (Freely knockout and interrogate everyone?!). On PC/360 they are, at least, unique and some of the most nailbiting in the franchise, as Craig mentioned in his review. Many of the missions on PS2 look very bland and repetitive, while PC's at least look varied. On the other hand, the lack of a HUD on PC/360 is complete bullshit, and the game is flat-out unplayable without heavy tweaking. The plot sucks regardless of version.
Some months ago I bought Double Agent for PC. I was so excited to play it again, then I realized it had nothing to do with the PS2 version I loved as a child. I really tried to like it, played some missions but it was just bad. Guess I’ll need to get my hands on a PS2 if I want to experience it again since my pc isn’t powerful enough to us an emulator unfortunately. (Yeah I know, my computer is a toaster). EDIT: By the way, who thought it was a good idea to replace to visibility meter with that stupid dumb light, no one ever heard of colorblindness?
I remember playing the PS2 version of this game at a friend of mines house during a sleep-over, and that CIA part messed me up, I remember my friends not believing me when I told him that mission was missing a segment.
There was actually a weird idea for the PS2/Gamecube Version's of Ghost Recon 2 (Set during the Korean War in Chaos Theory) that certain levels would actually be played Solo as Sam Fisher but those were cut. As for the New PS2 level, that's actually a cut beta level, the dialogue was reflecting how there was ment to be a whole bunch of levels escaping after the power-plant that also got cut. (Like the streets of a Russian town.)
Something I noticed the PS2 version of Chaos Theory that wasn't in the Xbox or PC version that wasn't mentioned here was interactive water and the ability to hide in the water and drown enemies in it.
Yep, the water was way better. In fact only now I realise that the pools next to patrolling guards in Hokkaido aren’t even in the Xbox/PC version. Can you still pull the guards into the pools in the bathouse though?
they implemented that back in double agent v2 for all consoles. Though if we extract that action script from ps2 and adapt it to the xbox version that might work again in some places
He was too busy complaining, the ps2 and GC were weaker hardware but they did offer a good experience with some improvements, many of which he didn't mention.
@@mcgherkinstudios No. There is no water Vs Ai interactivity in CT on xbox or pc. Even if they were limited by spec in regards to visuals, it was stupid (as a fan), but smart (as a publisher) to fragment the games features across multiple platforms. The first instance of New Game + I think they did the same thing with Double Agent og X and 360 with hiding in the snow.
Focusing on the Nuclear Power Plant level, you should look into the plethora of content that was cut from every port of Splinter Cell 1, namely the 3 other Russia missions that would've coincided with the Power Plant level. It's a rabbit hole that deserves its own video, frankly. The general premise is that Sam would've traced a makeshift, clandestine microwave relay across the Kola Peninsula, operated by Georgian mercenaries, and later Russian soldiers. After Kalinatek, the encryption key would've led you to a level called Shipyard, which ended up being split into Vselka Infiltration and Vselka. The plot is very much intact in those DLC levels, save for obvious references to its original place in the main plot. For instance, when you tap into the submarine, Grim says: "Looks like a video signal. Yeah, there". That video signal was supposed to allude to captured soldiers you'd end up saving in Abattoir. From Shipyard, you'd trace the relay to Nuclear Power Plant, which is essentially entirely preserved in this PS2 version. After Nuclear Power Plant, you would've gone to a level called Mining Town, which was entirely scrapped in all versions of the game, and likely fairly early on in development (I'm talking pre-beta). In this level, you would've been searching a small town for a mystery antenna which Grim says should be MASSIVE in size due to its range, despite no obvious antenna being around. You'd end up discovering that the town's mine holds the secret to the antenna, as all the lengthy tunnels of the mine are lined with the antenna itself. On the other side of this transmitting antenna, you'd find Philip Masse's signature. It would lead you to an abandoned nickel smelting plant called Severonickel. Severonickel ended up becoming Kola Cell for PC/Xbox, though this add-on level is _insanely_ condensed from its original form. We know this based on the loads of Severonickel media that are still out there, as the entire second half of this level was showcased at E3 2002. Long story short, this level would've seen Sam kill Philip Masse while sampling his code. Also, Colonel Alekseevich would've been a Kong Feirong-like antagonist in this level, with him eventually killing himself at the very end, when Sam corners him. Wilkes would've been shot at the end of this level, in a firefight much like the one in Kalinatek. This is why Kalinatek's outro cutscene says "Russian airspace". There are many screenshots and short video clips from these levels, as they were amply shown off in marketing material prior to the game's release. There are also many traces of them in the game files, like textures, static meshes, and the entirety of their dialogue on the Xbox port. I've been trying to piece it all together for years.
Great overview you´ve got there! Would love to eventually read all of it in full detail. It´s a shame these levels were never realized as originally intended. Maybe they would´ve slowed down the pace of the campaign (or maybe not, depending on the level design), but it still hurts encountering all that info in post-Kalinatek missions refering to the Kola cell being hit, Masse being dead, Russian/FSB involvement with Nikoladze, and generally that obvious lack of ´something´ linking Kalinatek and Myanmar properly. Not to mention that cutscene which has Wilkes dying in Russian airspace after being shot in Virginia (one of the biggest WTFs I´ve ever experienced when first playing the game). Heck, if they´d at least release the NPP level for PC, I´d be happy enough...
That's why Fisher says in SCCT that he killed Masse near Severomorsk... Because there's no mention of Severomorsk in Kola Cell. I hope you'll end up finishing piecing it all and make it available
@@Rimland23 The levels were cut because the development of the game suffered from difficulties, poor morale and fell behind schedule. Primarily due to infighting among the developers regarding creative differences. One half of the team felt the game would be better with a more open-world level design and experience. While the other half felt the game would be better with a more linear level design and experience. In the end, the pursuit of a primarily linear level design won out, at the loss of 4 levels. The 4 levels cut from the game. Where the very first levels to be developed and took place in the middle of the game's story, between the Kalinatek mission in Virginia USA and the first mission at the Chinese Embassy in Myanmar. The 4 cut levels all took place in Russia and in story order were Shipyard, Powerplant, Mining Town and Severonickel. They were designed as open-world type levels with much more level path choices and options made available to the player. However, the open-world design proved to be problematic. It was found that it made the levels too long, confusing and boring, with too many gaps in character dialogue and action during the levels. Shipyard and Mining Town were found to be especially bad in that regard. There was plenty of dialogue and action in the first half of those levels, but virtually no dialogue or action in their second halves. It wasn't possible to re-engineer those 2 levels and make them satisfactory within the development time available, so they were immediately scrapped. The developers began re-engineering Powerplant and Severonickel, to make them more linear and shorter. The levels in the first opening third of the game's story were also being worked on at the same time and were too also undergoing changes to make them more linear. The game's development began to fall significantly behind schedule and the developers were overworked. Such that the decision was made to cut 2 more levels from the game. The choices to cut were Powerplant and either Oil Rig or Severonickel. Ultimately Severonickel was also cut from the game along with Powerplant. Severonickel was chosen to be cut instead of Oil Rig, because it was determined that cutting Severonickel did less damage via omission to the game's overall narrative than cutting Oil Rig would have done, and also because most of the developers liked Oil Rig better than Severonickel. This meant that all the 4 levels that took place in Russia were cut and resulted in a change in the story, whereby Wilkes was killed at the end of the Kalinatek mission rather than at the end of the Severonickel mission as he was originally supposed to be. Hence why when Wilkes finally dies onboard the osprey helicopter it says the helicopter is flying in Russian airspace on its way to Myanmar, despite the fact that in the gameplay Wilkes had only just been shot at the end off the Kalinatek mission in Virginia USA. A re-engineered version of the Shipyard level later became the second and third levels (Vselka Infiltration and Vselka Submarine) of the additional Kola Cell DLC mission pack released later for the X-Box and PC versions of Splinter Cell. A small sized re-engineer of the Severonickel level became the first level (Kola Cell) of the Kola Cell DLC mission pack. A re-engineered version of the Powerplant level was bodge jobbed into the PS2 version of the game, as explained in the video.
Another thing that can be pulled from the Powerplant → Wilkes death cinematic is that 3E radio chatter says the Osprey can't land nearby due to the Russian army presence at the plant. This is why Sam stows away on the Nuclear waste trains (the same trains providing General Kong Fei Rong with nuclear materiel, if I recall correctly) to get 35km away, so that Wilkes and company can safely bring the Osprey down to extract Sam. But, as cazzhmir clarifies above, the setting for this cinematic ends up with Russian military being present at the LZ and killing Wilkes anyway, that way the normal SC1 PC/XB timeline can be picked up again, with Wilkes being dead by the time you start the mission after the Powerplant.
Attention old school PS2 veterans: We are still playing Spies vs Mercs on PS2 online! You don't even need to own the console. You can also play via PS2 emulator on pc. Join our discord to get setup! discord.gg/2gQgMAg
@@xxxxxNormanSothxxxxx Does it work with PS3 backwards compatibility? (Both hardware and software, as in PS3 Fat using the Hardware, and every other PS3 model using software emulation)
@@mark030a ps2 emulation on ps3 i am not 100% sure on. i would imagine it's doable, but we haven't had anyone play with us that way. people have used fat ps3's that are compatible with ps2 discs though, as well as ps2 emulators on pc. They are able to connect to ps2 users just fine.
Chaos Theory had one big advantage on PS2: 3D water. When wading through water it would create a wake around Sam, and when shooting water it would splash. The devs created better opportunities for Sam to get his feet wet with more areas where water was present, for example the fountain outside the Bank was bigger (I think), there were extra pools in Hokkaido, and the bottom of the lift shaft was flooded in Kokubo Sosho. No real use in game but it was clearly superior to the Xbox implementation and the devs wanted to show it off.
The ridge wallet promo got me good 😂 looking at the screen like “yea that’s weird.” Love your videos 👍 I’ve been hoping for a new splinter cell for years.
I also started SC on PS2, then continued on Xbox from Pandora Tomorrow onward. I can say that the lighting issues you mentioned don't ring any bells for me. Despite any flaws, this game is the one that got me hooked forever in the SC games.
I fell immediately in love with the first episode and since the Gamecube was the only console I had at that time, I played the 3 games on that platform. Then, a couple of years after, I bought an old Xbox with the first Splinter Cell and, I was blown away cause of the différences. So I had to get the 2 others and it was... WOW. Especially Chaos Theory. The physics, the level design, the details, the higher resolution, the frame rate also. Everything felt almost new and better in every way. Even though I miss the series, I'm glad to be an old gamer (who can still enjoy retro games) and that I discovered it back then. Because as much as I love the games, the first two entries did not aged "that well" and can be very frustrating today. I bet that most of the players who have grown with newer consoles can't even play those old games. (I don't know if you get my point. It's a bit hard for me to explain clearly with my limited English :) ) All that to say, my gamer life would have been different without Splinter Cell ^^ (and sooo many other series lol). (Sorry if I made any mistakes. I'm a French passionate gamer who's still learning English :D.)
Definitely play Double Agent on XBOX if you wanted more of Chaos Theory - that version is much different than the 360 one. (more in line with Chaos Theory). PC is definitely the best way to replay the original Splinter Cell though - runs very well, and has better save functions: www.gog.com/game/splinter_cell
@@AssaulteedOne Oh. I did play the V2 Xbox version of Double Agent :). I had to wait the release on Xbox one because the game was running terribly on 360 BC. Even if I like Double Agent V1, the V2 version was more in line with what we used to in the series. Some bugs and not as good as CT (even visually) but, I liked it a lot ^^. I wanted to replay the 3 first games after that. So I took my old PC collection and used the widescreen hack (and DGVoodoo) to repair the game effects (I could not play without the dynamic shadows XD). Also, it was a pain to have the games working with a gamepad, but it was worth it :). I can now play the games in portable, thanks to GPD. A dream came true for me :D.
I'm 13 and my brother played the first trilogy and said it was amazing, so i did play it too, the first game was frustrating but enjoyable but the second and the rhird were very good, i prefer blacklist because i prefer having more personalization and replayability, but the first three games are still very cool
As far as I know, the only difference between PS2 Splinter Cell 1 & Gamecube is that the Nuclear Plant level is missing and Wilkes dies in Kalinatek like the others. I first heard of the Nuclear Plant level due to the GBA version which also had the 2 submarine levels merged into one. I was surprised when I saw the plant was missing on Xbox and the sub levels were bonus CD/DLC only.
That might've been the smoothest segue into a sponsorship I've ever seen on UA-cam. Even Sam Fisher wouldn't catch me as off-guard as that transition did.
I grew up playing them on PS2 and also PS3, I was never aware of this until I got a 360 and noticed how great Double Agent looked there. Discovering again Chaos Theory on PC was incredible.
Splinter Cell Chaos theory on the ps2 was my intro to stealth games and at the time it blew my mind. I went back to play all the games when they were available on ps3 as digital versions and it all held up at the time but, that was a decade in a half ago as well. But they were great.
i get the impression they didn't make much use of the ps2's emotion engine's DMA Controller to page level data into the ram as you moved through the level. That would explain why in the first game, there are frequent loading times and also why they removed so much of the levels to fit into ram. I would say the developers were not as experienced with the ps2's strengths as they could have been. The second game shows some minor visual improvements. The Third actually looks quite nice visually. They are probably making much better use of the memory judging by the animations. By the 4th one, I can see they are really pushing the CPU more fully now.
I suppose optimization is one reason why patches nowadays are a good thing, since you don't have to wait a full generation for the technical problems to solve themselves.
It really sucks to be a Splinter Cell today, especially for PC players. Shittysoft refuses to integrate controller support on the first 3 games (yes, there are those who don't like the mouse wheel bullshit). Edit: Also the reason why they won't release a full fletched Splinter Cell game is because: 1) They can't make it open world and fill it with an empty lifeless world brimmed with useless side quests. 2) They won't be able to monetize it like they do it with Assassin's Creed.
I haven't played the game, nor am I familiar with whatever they did with the mouse wheel, but if you want some semblance of controller support I'd recommend using a program called AntiMicro. No analog movement of course, but it's free unlike XPadder.
@@GenerationZ313 Yes, but that was 99% Kojima's work. None of the Ubisoft talent have 0.2% of Kojima's vision, as Ubisoft has a large number of games with boring, lame and empty big open worlds with a bare bones story.
I had a PS2 and not an Xbox back in the day, and Splinter Cell was one of my favourite games ever. I wish I'd never watched this video because you slightly tainted the experience by pointing out a load of things that are inferior or wrong with it that I never knew existed lol
Your experience can't be tainted, it's in the past. Having more understanding of the media you consume is never a bad thing. This can serve as incentive to replay the inferior ports or give the PC version a shot. You may never get back your old experience, but you may get something better.
PS2 version has features that us xbox SC fans wanted. Its was an excuse to buy the ps2 version and replay the game all over again like the first version of new game +. You had the version we wanted after we finished the version we played, but we all played one of the best games ever made.
Well, Ubisoft were saying that they are making a new mainline game in the series again after years of it being MIA. And they had made Chaos Theory free for everyone.
I played parts of the games back on the PS2 but never went through them that much before getting the Trilogy collection on the PS3. I had no clue the PS3 versions were based off the PC version instead of being an upgrade of the PS2 games!
I originally played the original, PT, and CT on the Nintendo GameCube which are very similar ports to the PS2, but are closer to the Xbox/PC version. It was a shock at how much more content I had when I replayed the games on the Xbox years later. I love the videos and your streams on twitch, Craig. Keep up the excellent work!
I just wanna say, this video motivated me to get Chaos theory on steam, and it’s seriously one of the best games i’ve ever played. Insane to think that the game looks as good as it does, still to this day. After i finish the game i will give rest of the games a chance too. Thanks for the recommendation!
@@TonyMontana-ys5xz well its been a year since i played it, but shortly: one of the best stealth games ive ever played with lots of replayability, highly recommend playing it on the pc 👍
As a privileged piece of shit, back then, with a gamecube and a GBA, I was allowed to play splinter cell with a MAP on the GBA. It was so cool, because I had to stop whatever I was doing, checking the map on the GBA or suffer the consequences of moving Fisher while looking on another device (a nice allegory for texting while driving).
I actually grew up with the PS2 versions cause it was the only console I knew, and they were my first mature game experience as a kid. Granted, I never realized the story inconsistencies with the original game on PS2 back then, but I still prefer the new intro, mainly because of how cringeworthy the intro video and theme for the original version was. I at least felt like the PS2 intro more accurately conveyed the game's tone compared to the intro the original PC and Xbox release had. I still have yet to fully sit down and play through the complete versions of the original trilogy on PC, but someday I plan to when I have the time, as a fan of the series and of your channel thanks to this series, I'm glad you at least gave these versions a shot, and I enjoyed the video greatly due to all the nostalgia I have for these versions. Sidenote: I did actually prefer Double Agent back then like you said, you were pretty spot on throughout the whole video, didn't even notice any emulation errors myself, past the weird body glowing thing(I think), so you played pretty accurate experiences.
Makes me happy the HD Collection on PS3 are ports of the PC versions. I came across a blog post from the devs where they even say they did that for this exact reason, the PS2 versions weren't as good. EDIT: LOL i should've waited until the end of the video. Didn't think you'd mention it yourself.
Very interesting video. I had no idea there was a difference between the versions of games. I also never considered the PS2 a less powerful hardware because of some of the massive games that came on it (MGS 3, God of War 1 and 2, Shadow of the Collosus, GTA San Andreas).
light sources being blurry looking happens in Yakuza 2 emulation when you increase the resolution above the native PS2 resolution, looks similar to that clip of the bright blurry CIA floor.
Well done. You have stomped on the nostalgia of all the gamers who have nostalgia playing the series on the PS2. You must really love your xbox. Really well done. You took the time out of your upload schedule just so you can point out the flaws. That must be really frustrating and not fun at all.
My first outing to Splinter Cell was Pandora and Chaos Theory on PS2. I am that nostalgic person and I say you're 100% on the money. Those games and those botched ports were the reason I built a PC, and the reason I am a PC gamer today.
While I do disagree with a few the views you had on the down grades of the PS2 versions, I respect that you took the time and went through them to compare and contrast against the more readily available versions on XB or PC.
That intro cut deep. I’m still holding on to that hope that Sam will come back, but it’s clear Ubisoft is just teasing the fans at this point for cash. It makes me think of the first Captain America MCU movie when Steve gets paraded around the country and used for selling war bonds.
Great video ! To answer your question, no it wasn't the emulator that makes the goggles work fine in Double Agent V2, the console version was also like that :)
The PS2 versions were my first introductions to Pandora Tomorrow and Chaos Theory. Needless to say, the Xbox versions were revelations when I finally bought them.
@@je4nz Xbox 360? It never came out on X360. A "remastered" version came out on PS3 (I'm using quotation marks because that version is a broken, glitchy, unplayable mess). And prefer how? it's the same version as the PC and XB but objectively worse. As Doug pointed out, the story, cutscenes, and levels are almost identical. The only major difference is the game-shattering amount of loading screens. It sucks.
I really find it interesting. I really enjoyed it on ps2. Since it's all I had. I hear you say its bad in comparison and am shocked cause i LOVED the ps2 versions
Attention old school PS2 veterans: We are still playing Spies vs Mercs on PS2 online! You don't even need to own the console. You can also play via PS2 emulator on pc. Join our discord to get setup! discord.gg/2gQgMAg
I had the first three for gamecube back in the day. I completely forgot about the cut scene with madison and blaustein and that it cut off part of the CIA mission.
I think the gamecube version also had a exclusive sticky bomb gadget or something like that if I remember correctly when I saw a friend play that version
Thank you for information in this video. I'm planning to play Splinter Cell anthology and I thought PS2 versions would be perfect for playing. Now I know I should start with Xbox or PC versions
I've gone through 20 years of loving Splinter Cell to suddenly find out that I played and reminisced over an inferior version. I had no idea that the PS2 wasn't their priority console and it has genuinely shocked me considering I rebought the on the PS2, thinking that's where it made it's first debut. I'm just glad I finally get to experience the alternate version on the PS3 HD collection. Idk if i should hate you for this knowledge or love you. great vid though :)
Hello Mr. Nobody, do you have a lifeline at Ubisoft that you could ask to put Splinter Cell, Pandora Tomorrow, and Double Agent back on the Xbox store? I know “just buy physical” is always the response but I’ve pretty much stopped buying physical games after losing thousands of dollars worth of a physical collection in a move. I try to avoid it now out of some weird ptsd.
I had a PS2 before I switched to Xbox's, so I got PT and CT for it. Needless to say, playing all the games again on PC a couple years ago was a wonderful experience.
My first experience with the series was the first game and Chaos Theory, both on GameCube. As far as I know, the PS2 and GameCube versions are the same. I certainly remember those long loading times
Many of these moments of ports can easily be explained by mentioning who done those ports: SC1, PT and CT ports were done by Ubisoft Shanghai, the one who also did PC/XOriginal version of PT and Next-Gen version of DA DA PS2/GC/XOriginal/Wii however were done by Ubisoft Montreal, the one who did PC/XOriginal versions of SC1 and CT (and yes, it means Shanghai in case of PT ported themselves)
I was considering trying these games out on PS2 seeing how I have access to a Free McBoot card and a DVD Burner. Now that I've seen this, now I know to either fix my OG Xbox or get the Splinter Cell Collection. Thank you for pushing thru and making this video!
Attention old school PS2 veterans: We are still playing SCCT (Splinter Cell Chaos Theory) online! you don't even need to own the console. you can also play via ps2 emulator on pc. join our discord to get setup! discord.gg/dAmbYVA3pj
Lol Mission Impossible Operation Surma actually has an opening scene of Ethan diving without breathing equipment. That game also happens to be a splinter cell clone.
That's the funny thing with me, I never had a consistent Splinter Cell experience. The first game I played on the Xbox, since it was a Christmas gift. PT I played on the Ps2 since my Cousin bought it, didn't like it and knew I enjoyed the first game so he gave it to me. I would later get PT on Xbox, but that would be years after I played it on Ps2. CT I never played until WAY later in my life on the 3DS. I now own the Xbox version, but man was I never able to get it when I was younger. Then I bought Double Agent on the Xbox because I wanted a new Splinter Cell and couldn't find Chaos Theory. Since then I now own all the Splinter Cells on Xbox and Xbox 360, bought the HD collection on Ps3 and still own that copy of Pandora Tomorrow on Ps2. I wanna actually get my hands on the Ps2 versions and see what they are like and as well as collect the handheld games. Splinter Cell has always been a big part of my life and being able to see people talk about it or even discuss the different versions and such. It's something I always wanted to do when I was younger, but no one was into the series. (Cause most people thought it was a lesser Metal Gear Solid, no joke)
My first experience with Splinter Cell was at an XBox demo kiosk in a Virgin Records store. I didn't own an XBOX, so my next best bet for the full version was on the Gamecube. That version is identical to the PS2 version except for two points: the power plant level is absent, and there's a new inventory item that works via a hooked-up Gameboy Advance. Can't comment on the other entries. Also, the blurry glow you were seeing in the CIA server room is as it was originally presented in the Gamecube and PS2 versions. Looks very weird compare to the XBox version.
only 2 mins in, just thought id say, if the emulation makes its own differences too the games, then the video already seems null, you should have just played them on a ps2 too get the authentic thing with its authentic problems,. emulating the ps2 versions isnt playing the ps2 version, nit pick aside i can tell im gona love this video
On the Gamecube version of the first Splinter Cell game, there´s no nuclear power plant level (I know this because I first grew up with the Gamecube before I went over to Xbox consoles). I have never experienced the Double Agent version 2 since I bought Xbox 360 along with some others games compatible and exclusively to the console.
@@n_worder I think the main draw of the Gamecube SC games was that connectivity to the GBA giving you a minimap as well as a bonus exclusive weapon- the Sticky Bomb. As someone coming in from Rainbow Six 1 & 2 I really liked the minimap feature at the time.
My first ever splintercell game was pandora tomorrow on the gamecube. It was 4 dollars and i heard the series was good so i picked it up. I instantly recognized that the seriea was something special, and i played all the ps2 versions next. When i picked up the xbox versions, i saw a vast improvement and loved the games even more! So i feel like that was a good way to experience both versions, by starting with the worse entries
Shame you didn't mention the technical excellence of the ps2 version. It was VERY impressive for a ps2 game. Several bump-mapped surfaces, awesome lighting and reflection effects and also super impressive water effects!
How do the GameCube versions stack up? I’m curious because I want to play the series on PC, but considering that Double Agent’s PC port is hit garbage, and Pandora Tomorrow isn’t sold digitally at a- 25:13 oh shit! Thanks man! Now I’m subbing for real 👍
@@kingdomkey2262 Thank you for letting me know that Double Agent is fine. But might I ask, what kind of bugs are in the Gamecube version of Pandora Tomorrow? Also, do you know if the original SC or Chaos Theory are also buggy or fine?
Nuclear Power Plant ties up some loose ends, so I don't think it's an okay addition as much as I think it was necessary, they needed to rewrite the ending and maybe even put it behind Kalinatek.
It's probably because if the levels were kept in their entire size there would have been even more loading screens per mission. Those bonus missions were most likely meant to be a sort of apology for the hackjobbed main games
I played Pandora Tomorrow on PS2 and it was the reason I got a home audio system. That Jakarta level was awesome. And out me to sleep. Thank you for making this video. Also that sponsor was smooth AF.
Sharks kill less than 20 or so people at most people a year. While we kill tens of thousands of sharks a year. So “dangerous” vacation would not be the word I would have used. Other than that I love the video.
Thanks again to Ridge for sponsoring my channel! Support me by supporting them: www.ridge.com/NOBODY
Use Code “NOBODY” for 10% off your order
With the PS2 games in my rear view, I think I can safely say that there isn't anything else Splinter Cell related left to cover for the time being. Let's pray that VR thing turns out well!
Time stamps:
0:00 - Intro
3:46 - Splinter Cell
11:18 - Pandora Tomorrow
16:16 - Chaos Theory
20:04 - Double Agent V2
If you'd like to see more of my content, here's the Critical Nobody playlist - bit.ly/2M3r65U
You always make quality content :)
I laughed at 7:49. I remembered that code 33575 because that guy you integrate had the wall mines next to him. That and Wilkes dies.
so in conclusion play all sc games on pc, and replay double agent on 360 is that it?
Ridge wallet is great. I hate those bulky leathery wallets that makes your ass look big and makes you sit weird. Why do people use those?
I just bought chaos theory because of your inspiration and IT IS AMAZING
I won’t stop till you do it “Every Metal Gear Solid Game”
Good luck
People have been asking him on stream so much
@@rabidredpanda2888 I’m well aware this is my contribution to annoy him into doing it
That's too much work for an already talked series
I promise I’ll get to it in my lifetime
They do everything with Splinter Cell: except a new Splinter Cell 🙄
"Hey you want a Sam Fisher cameo? How about a mobile game cameo? No, wait. I know what you want: a VR tech demo game, huh?"
-Braindead Ubisoft Management
@@habadasheryjones wowow,calm down dont shame braindead people even they are better than goobisoft
@@filipe_5hdxd372 It's true. Braindead people aren't known for diddling their employees.
@@habadasheryjones The VR idea is genuinely cool though
I don't really blame Ubi too much. The last 3 SC games sold way below expectations. And in this new gen, unless your name is Naughty Dog, your linear titles aren't guaranteed to sell half as well as the open world and multiplayer titles around you (Amy Henning even said that in order to get Uncharted 2 and 3 greenlit, they had to include Multiplayer. It's very difficult for any publisher to now greenlit a linear game that's less than 15 hours with no multiplayer). And given the rising standards of gamers, you can't just make a budget main game, it would have to be substantial which wouldn't be worthwhile to Ubi given the historically low sales and how it will pull resources of titles that are guaranteed to sell and would benefit more from the resources.
So no wonder Sam is now limited to Mobile games and Cameos. Those are probably the only way he can be included and still make relative bank. The VR title might be able to make a splash given the different expectations though and I hope that encourages more stock in SC.
It must really suck to be a Splinter Cell fan nowadays.
It died with MGS and it's fine by me. THose legends should end on a good note.
At this point I don’t really see the point of another Splinter Cell. It would be quite sad to see a senior citizen sneaking into hostile territory to prevent WW3. Perhaps the best way for a potential sequel is to play as someone else while Fisher takes Lambert’s role. Perhaps as a tribute to its past, do a flashback mission or two as Sam.
lmao. then you don't know the pain of Metal Gear and Thief fans
@@ElTigre12024 Man. Just make him team leader and recast Briggs with the voice actor of Locke from Halo 5 as the playable character and you got yourself a new Splinter cell game.
@@v-trigger6137 At least, Thief fans took the matter at their own hands, and kept making awesome fan missions to this day. Also some of them made The Dark Mod
Sadly, SC and MGS never provided mission editors. Which is a real tragedy
My god that transition to the sponsor was legendary.
that version of lying for money was legendary
As someone who played all versions, I was confused for a moment about this item I simply couldn't remember in Sam's inventory. Legendary indeed very well done!
*chief's kiss
@@PlastiGomi love it or hate it guys gotta pay the bills somehow
@@savage4749 get a job
Awesome video!
Being one of the "underpriviliged" PS2 users back then it was absolutely mindblowing when I found out about the XBOX or PC versions of this game.
But still, I fell in love with this game and playing Chaos Theory on PS2 were one of the best gaming times in my life.
Compared to the PC version of Double Agent, I actually enjoyed the PS2 version more, because to me it felt more like a successor to Chaos Theory and I really enjoyed that game, despite its restricted possibilities.
Thank you so much for still bringing some content from Splinter Cell despite Ubisoft letting us down every year.
Ubisoft sucks with making console ports tbh ecpecially PS there are ps2 exclusives like mgs3 and 4 onimusha dawn of dreams that look insanely good so I don’t know why they made ps2 look bad wich sure it’s not as good as Xbox but people underestimate ps2 and splinter cell 2 was the one I grew up with on ps2 and is probably the best splinter cell ps2 port
@@armorwolf7934 you could have ended your comment at Ubisoft sucks
@@armorwolf7934 Nobody underestimates the PS2. It was an underpowered console when compared to the Xbox. It couldn't handle the games like the other could. Sacrifices had to be made.
@@armorwolf7934 There's a huge difference between the Xbox and PS2's capabilities and it's also worth mentioning that the PS2 was difficult to develop for(which was one of the reasons the Xbox was created in the first place).
I also started with Chaos Theory on PS2, although I never completed it since little me couldn't handle high tension games.
Planning to try this Pandora Tomorrow with fixes on PC the video mentioned.
I have been waiting almost 17 years for that guy to finish his orange juice. He still hasn't finished it. I don't know how Pandora Tomorrow ends because my common courtesy got the better of me.
"Let me just finish my orange juice!"
I remember that line just not which mission or npc.
Conspiracy theory: the orange juice guy is the guy that will "kill" Sam's daughter, the orange juice had a tiny robot that controlled the guy and made him "kill" Sara
I find it much stranger that a guy in Jerusalem sounds like a guy from LA
That sponsor was so smooth I just had to watch it from beginning to end
Well yes but actually no?
Sounds like a total waste of time.
The day splinter cell makes an appearance in Assassin's creed is the day I lose all faith in a new splinter cell game.
Assassins Creed Odyssey had Sam's goggles located on a shelf at the very start. Not quite a literal appearance, but close enough.
@@Operative15 IM GONNA BOOT UP ASSASINS CREED NOW
The past 3 SCs sold way below Ubi's expectations. They're not going to make a new SC now
@@FraserSouris didn't they turn down the stealth gameplay and turned it into a generic TPS. Splinter Cell Conviction was pretty much an Uncharted-clone with shadows. Instead of continuing the niche title, which already had a strong fanbase, it turned them off in a way of "catering to new fans". Same thing happened with Hitman Absolution but now the Hitman series is back on track because IO interactive knew their shit.
@@hiranmaydas4921 Both Double Agent and Blacklist, which were much closer to that original stealth approach, sold way below expectations. SC didn't get that Hitman 2016 style resurgence in 2013.
I remember being like 7 and looking up guides whenever I got stuck for a week. I played the PS2 levels and thought they looked different on the guides; I finally know why.
Huh, this might explain something for me.
I remember playing the first four Splinter Cell games on PS2 and considering Double Agent the best one when everyone else seemed to think it was the worst.
After watching this I'm now thinking the reason I liked it more than most is because the PS2 version actually held up.
Correct. On the 360 (and PC?), Double Agent was very disappointing. The HQ missions were terrible. I have no idea why it still reviewed well, didn't deserve it at all.
@@mynthon0 both versions have their pros and cons and overall are about equally meh. The undercover missions on PS2 were some of the worst and most nonsensical levels in the franchise (Freely knockout and interrogate everyone?!). On PC/360 they are, at least, unique and some of the most nailbiting in the franchise, as Craig mentioned in his review. Many of the missions on PS2 look very bland and repetitive, while PC's at least look varied. On the other hand, the lack of a HUD on PC/360 is complete bullshit, and the game is flat-out unplayable without heavy tweaking. The plot sucks regardless of version.
Some months ago I bought Double Agent for PC. I was so excited to play it again, then I realized it had nothing to do with the PS2 version I loved as a child. I really tried to like it, played some missions but it was just bad. Guess I’ll need to get my hands on a PS2 if I want to experience it again since my pc isn’t powerful enough to us an emulator unfortunately. (Yeah I know, my computer is a toaster).
EDIT:
By the way, who thought it was a good idea to replace to visibility meter with that stupid dumb light, no one ever heard of colorblindness?
@@RVered Don't forget that Double Agent was also available for PlayStation 3, Xbox, Wii & GameCube
@@RVered There's a better version on the Xbox & it's backwards compatible on all modern Xbox systems.
I remember playing the PS2 version of this game at a friend of mines house during a sleep-over, and that CIA part messed me up, I remember my friends not believing me when I told him that mission was missing a segment.
There was actually a weird idea for the PS2/Gamecube Version's of Ghost Recon 2 (Set during the Korean War in Chaos Theory) that certain levels would actually be played Solo as Sam Fisher but those were cut.
As for the New PS2 level, that's actually a cut beta level, the dialogue was reflecting how there was ment to be a whole bunch of levels escaping after the power-plant that also got cut. (Like the streets of a Russian town.)
That would be awesome !
In ghost recon Wildlands and breakpoint you can customize your character and equipment to be able to play as sam Fisher....
Something I noticed the PS2 version of Chaos Theory that wasn't in the Xbox or PC version that wasn't mentioned here was interactive water and the ability to hide in the water and drown enemies in it.
Yep, the water was way better. In fact only now I realise that the pools next to patrolling guards in Hokkaido aren’t even in the Xbox/PC version. Can you still pull the guards into the pools in the bathouse though?
@@mcgherkinstudios That's actually a good question, i don't remember. I dont believe so.
they implemented that back in double agent v2 for all consoles. Though if we extract that action script from ps2 and adapt it to the xbox version that might work again in some places
He was too busy complaining, the ps2 and GC were weaker hardware but they did offer a good experience with some improvements, many of which he didn't mention.
@@mcgherkinstudios No. There is no water Vs Ai interactivity in CT on xbox or pc. Even if they were limited by spec in regards to visuals, it was stupid (as a fan), but smart (as a publisher) to fragment the games features across multiple platforms. The first instance of New Game +
I think they did the same thing with Double Agent og X and 360 with hiding in the snow.
Focusing on the Nuclear Power Plant level, you should look into the plethora of content that was cut from every port of Splinter Cell 1, namely the 3 other Russia missions that would've coincided with the Power Plant level. It's a rabbit hole that deserves its own video, frankly.
The general premise is that Sam would've traced a makeshift, clandestine microwave relay across the Kola Peninsula, operated by Georgian mercenaries, and later Russian soldiers.
After Kalinatek, the encryption key would've led you to a level called Shipyard, which ended up being split into Vselka Infiltration and Vselka. The plot is very much intact in those DLC levels, save for obvious references to its original place in the main plot. For instance, when you tap into the submarine, Grim says: "Looks like a video signal. Yeah, there". That video signal was supposed to allude to captured soldiers you'd end up saving in Abattoir.
From Shipyard, you'd trace the relay to Nuclear Power Plant, which is essentially entirely preserved in this PS2 version.
After Nuclear Power Plant, you would've gone to a level called Mining Town, which was entirely scrapped in all versions of the game, and likely fairly early on in development (I'm talking pre-beta). In this level, you would've been searching a small town for a mystery antenna which Grim says should be MASSIVE in size due to its range, despite no obvious antenna being around. You'd end up discovering that the town's mine holds the secret to the antenna, as all the lengthy tunnels of the mine are lined with the antenna itself. On the other side of this transmitting antenna, you'd find Philip Masse's signature. It would lead you to an abandoned nickel smelting plant called Severonickel.
Severonickel ended up becoming Kola Cell for PC/Xbox, though this add-on level is _insanely_ condensed from its original form. We know this based on the loads of Severonickel media that are still out there, as the entire second half of this level was showcased at E3 2002. Long story short, this level would've seen Sam kill Philip Masse while sampling his code. Also, Colonel Alekseevich would've been a Kong Feirong-like antagonist in this level, with him eventually killing himself at the very end, when Sam corners him. Wilkes would've been shot at the end of this level, in a firefight much like the one in Kalinatek. This is why Kalinatek's outro cutscene says "Russian airspace".
There are many screenshots and short video clips from these levels, as they were amply shown off in marketing material prior to the game's release. There are also many traces of them in the game files, like textures, static meshes, and the entirety of their dialogue on the Xbox port. I've been trying to piece it all together for years.
Great overview you´ve got there! Would love to eventually read all of it in full detail. It´s a shame these levels were never realized as originally intended. Maybe they would´ve slowed down the pace of the campaign (or maybe not, depending on the level design), but it still hurts encountering all that info in post-Kalinatek missions refering to the Kola cell being hit, Masse being dead, Russian/FSB involvement with Nikoladze, and generally that obvious lack of ´something´ linking Kalinatek and Myanmar properly. Not to mention that cutscene which has Wilkes dying in Russian airspace after being shot in Virginia (one of the biggest WTFs I´ve ever experienced when first playing the game). Heck, if they´d at least release the NPP level for PC, I´d be happy enough...
That's why Fisher says in SCCT that he killed Masse near Severomorsk... Because there's no mention of Severomorsk in Kola Cell.
I hope you'll end up finishing piecing it all and make it available
It would also explain why there's cut interrogation dialogue from Sam that went "Why is the Russian Military here?"
@@Rimland23 The levels were cut because the development of the game suffered from difficulties, poor morale and fell behind schedule. Primarily due to infighting among the developers regarding creative differences. One half of the team felt the game would be better with a more open-world level design and experience. While the other half felt the game would be better with a more linear level design and experience. In the end, the pursuit of a primarily linear level design won out, at the loss of 4 levels.
The 4 levels cut from the game. Where the very first levels to be developed and took place in the middle of the game's story, between the Kalinatek mission in Virginia USA and the first mission at the Chinese Embassy in Myanmar.
The 4 cut levels all took place in Russia and in story order were Shipyard, Powerplant, Mining Town and Severonickel.
They were designed as open-world type levels with much more level path choices and options made available to the player. However, the open-world design proved to be problematic. It was found that it made the levels too long, confusing and boring, with too many gaps in character dialogue and action during the levels.
Shipyard and Mining Town were found to be especially bad in that regard. There was plenty of dialogue and action in the first half of those levels, but virtually no dialogue or action in their second halves. It wasn't possible to re-engineer those 2 levels and make them satisfactory within the development time available, so they were immediately scrapped.
The developers began re-engineering Powerplant and Severonickel, to make them more linear and shorter. The levels in the first opening third of the game's story were also being worked on at the same time and were too also undergoing changes to make them more linear.
The game's development began to fall significantly behind schedule and the developers were overworked. Such that the decision was made to cut 2 more levels from the game. The choices to cut were Powerplant and either Oil Rig or Severonickel. Ultimately Severonickel was also cut from the game along with Powerplant.
Severonickel was chosen to be cut instead of Oil Rig, because it was determined that cutting Severonickel did less damage via omission to the game's overall narrative than cutting Oil Rig would have done, and also because most of the developers liked Oil Rig better than Severonickel.
This meant that all the 4 levels that took place in Russia were cut and resulted in a change in the story, whereby Wilkes was killed at the end of the Kalinatek mission rather than at the end of the Severonickel mission as he was originally supposed to be. Hence why when Wilkes finally dies onboard the osprey helicopter it says the helicopter is flying in Russian airspace on its way to Myanmar, despite the fact that in the gameplay Wilkes had only just been shot at the end off the Kalinatek mission in Virginia USA.
A re-engineered version of the Shipyard level later became the second and third levels (Vselka Infiltration and Vselka Submarine) of the additional Kola Cell DLC mission pack released later for the X-Box and PC versions of Splinter Cell. A small sized re-engineer of the Severonickel level became the first level (Kola Cell) of the Kola Cell DLC mission pack. A re-engineered version of the Powerplant level was bodge jobbed into the PS2 version of the game, as explained in the video.
Another thing that can be pulled from the Powerplant → Wilkes death cinematic is that 3E radio chatter says the Osprey can't land nearby due to the Russian army presence at the plant. This is why Sam stows away on the Nuclear waste trains (the same trains providing General Kong Fei Rong with nuclear materiel, if I recall correctly) to get 35km away, so that Wilkes and company can safely bring the Osprey down to extract Sam. But, as cazzhmir clarifies above, the setting for this cinematic ends up with Russian military being present at the LZ and killing Wilkes anyway, that way the normal SC1 PC/XB timeline can be picked up again, with Wilkes being dead by the time you start the mission after the Powerplant.
Splinter Cell 1 on GameCube actually has Gameboy Advance connectivity which unlocks a new gadget, and is generally a better port than the PS2 version.
I had the best gaming memories of my life playing Chaos Theory on PS2.
Attention old school PS2 veterans: We are still playing Spies vs Mercs on PS2 online! You don't even need to own the console. You can also play via PS2 emulator on pc. Join our discord to get setup! discord.gg/2gQgMAg
@@xxxxxNormanSothxxxxx Does it work with PS3 backwards compatibility?
(Both hardware and software, as in PS3 Fat using the Hardware, and every other PS3 model using software emulation)
@@mark030a ps2 emulation on ps3 i am not 100% sure on. i would imagine it's doable, but we haven't had anyone play with us that way. people have used fat ps3's that are compatible with ps2 discs though, as well as ps2 emulators on pc. They are able to connect to ps2 users just fine.
link expired
@@xxxxxNormanSothxxxxx Huh, interesting...
Oh yeah, before I forget, can you send another link perhaps?
In the book "Splinter Cell" Sam's daughter is kidnapped. Can't remember if it was on a ship or not.
PS3 basically just said: “The ones we made suck compared to the PC and Xbox versions, let’s just do HD remakes of those!”
Chaos Theory had one big advantage on PS2:
3D water.
When wading through water it would create a wake around Sam, and when shooting water it would splash. The devs created better opportunities for Sam to get his feet wet with more areas where water was present, for example the fountain outside the Bank was bigger (I think), there were extra pools in Hokkaido, and the bottom of the lift shaft was flooded in Kokubo Sosho.
No real use in game but it was clearly superior to the Xbox implementation and the devs wanted to show it off.
I had completely forgotten about the shark swimming.
The ridge wallet promo got me good 😂 looking at the screen like “yea that’s weird.” Love your videos 👍 I’ve been hoping for a new splinter cell for years.
I also started SC on PS2, then continued on Xbox from Pandora Tomorrow onward. I can say that the lighting issues you mentioned don't ring any bells for me. Despite any flaws, this game is the one that got me hooked forever in the SC games.
I fell immediately in love with the first episode and since the Gamecube was the only console I had at that time, I played the 3 games on that platform.
Then, a couple of years after, I bought an old Xbox with the first Splinter Cell and, I was blown away cause of the différences. So I had to get the 2 others and it was... WOW. Especially Chaos Theory.
The physics, the level design, the details, the higher resolution, the frame rate also. Everything felt almost new and better in every way.
Even though I miss the series, I'm glad to be an old gamer (who can still enjoy retro games) and that I discovered it back then. Because as much as I love the games, the first two entries did not aged "that well" and can be very frustrating today. I bet that most of the players who have grown with newer consoles can't even play those old games. (I don't know if you get my point. It's a bit hard for me to explain clearly with my limited English :) )
All that to say, my gamer life would have been different without Splinter Cell ^^ (and sooo many other series lol).
(Sorry if I made any mistakes. I'm a French passionate gamer who's still learning English :D.)
Definitely play Double Agent on XBOX if you wanted more of Chaos Theory - that version is much different than the 360 one. (more in line with Chaos Theory).
PC is definitely the best way to replay the original Splinter Cell though - runs very well, and has better save functions:
www.gog.com/game/splinter_cell
@@AssaulteedOne Oh. I did play the V2 Xbox version of Double Agent :). I had to wait the release on Xbox one because the game was running terribly on 360 BC. Even if I like Double Agent V1, the V2 version was more in line with what we used to in the series.
Some bugs and not as good as CT (even visually) but, I liked it a lot ^^.
I wanted to replay the 3 first games after that. So I took my old PC collection and used the widescreen hack (and DGVoodoo) to repair the game effects (I could not play without the dynamic shadows XD).
Also, it was a pain to have the games working with a gamepad, but it was worth it :).
I can now play the games in portable, thanks to GPD. A dream came true for me :D.
I'm 13 and my brother played the first trilogy and said it was amazing, so i did play it too, the first game was frustrating but enjoyable but the second and the rhird were very good, i prefer blacklist because i prefer having more personalization and replayability, but the first three games are still very cool
Your english was perfect lol.
As far as I know, the only difference between PS2 Splinter Cell 1 & Gamecube is that the Nuclear Plant level is missing and Wilkes dies in Kalinatek like the others. I first heard of the Nuclear Plant level due to the GBA version which also had the 2 submarine levels merged into one. I was surprised when I saw the plant was missing on Xbox and the sub levels were bonus CD/DLC only.
That might've been the smoothest segue into a sponsorship I've ever seen on UA-cam. Even Sam Fisher wouldn't catch me as off-guard as that transition did.
I grew up playing them on PS2 and also PS3, I was never aware of this until I got a 360 and noticed how great Double Agent looked there. Discovering again Chaos Theory on PC was incredible.
I always played the PS2 versions and I don't recall any glitches or issues with them however I definitely do when I emulate them.
You haven't I did
Splinter Cell Chaos theory on the ps2 was my intro to stealth games and at the time it blew my mind. I went back to play all the games when they were available on ps3 as digital versions and it all held up at the time but, that was a decade in a half ago as well. But they were great.
i get the impression they didn't make much use of the ps2's emotion engine's DMA Controller to page level data into the ram as you moved through the level. That would explain why in the first game, there are frequent loading times and also why they removed so much of the levels to fit into ram. I would say the developers were not as experienced with the ps2's strengths as they could have been. The second game shows some minor visual improvements. The Third actually looks quite nice visually. They are probably making much better use of the memory judging by the animations. By the 4th one, I can see they are really pushing the CPU more fully now.
Time. Time is why.
I suppose optimization is one reason why patches nowadays are a good thing, since you don't have to wait a full generation for the technical problems to solve themselves.
That Ridge lead in was amazing... Genuinely the first time a UA-camr has gotten me 👏👏
Pyrocynical does some really good sponsor lead ins
It really sucks to be a Splinter Cell today, especially for PC players. Shittysoft refuses to integrate controller support on the first 3 games (yes, there are those who don't like the mouse wheel bullshit).
Edit: Also the reason why they won't release a full fletched Splinter Cell game is because: 1) They can't make it open world and fill it with an empty lifeless world brimmed with useless side quests. 2) They won't be able to monetize it like they do it with Assassin's Creed.
Why is the mouse wheel bullshit? Genuinely curious. I found it really intuitive personally.
I haven't played the game, nor am I familiar with whatever they did with the mouse wheel, but if you want some semblance of controller support I'd recommend using a program called AntiMicro. No analog movement of course, but it's free unlike XPadder.
Well Metal Gear Solid V managed the transition to an open world stealth game just fine minus the story.
@@GenerationZ313 Yes, but that was 99% Kojima's work. None of the Ubisoft talent have 0.2% of Kojima's vision, as Ubisoft has a large number of games with boring, lame and empty big open worlds with a bare bones story.
The mission where you save sams daughter from the kidnappers in double agent
That might be a version of the ending of the first splinter cell book
I hate that transition to the advertisement, you got me.
Update: it’s 2024 and we still haven’t got a new game or anything really
I had a PS2 and not an Xbox back in the day, and Splinter Cell was one of my favourite games ever. I wish I'd never watched this video because you slightly tainted the experience by pointing out a load of things that are inferior or wrong with it that I never knew existed lol
Just replay it on xbox and it will be like playing all over again
Your experience can't be tainted, it's in the past. Having more understanding of the media you consume is never a bad thing. This can serve as incentive to replay the inferior ports or give the PC version a shot. You may never get back your old experience, but you may get something better.
I wasn't being too serious but good suggestions chaps, thanks
Same with me - I played all of them on PS2 and have zero memory of any of these loading screens or pacing flaws...until now!
PS2 version has features that us xbox SC fans wanted. Its was an excuse to buy the ps2 version and replay the game all over again like the first version of new game +. You had the version we wanted after we finished the version we played, but we all played one of the best games ever made.
Well, Ubisoft were saying that they are making a new mainline game in the series again after years of it being MIA. And they had made Chaos Theory free for everyone.
I played parts of the games back on the PS2 but never went through them that much before getting the Trilogy collection on the PS3. I had no clue the PS3 versions were based off the PC version instead of being an upgrade of the PS2 games!
Didn't know that either I have the ps3 version too
Splinter Cell Double Agent was one of the few PS2 games that emulated perfectly for me in PCSX2
I originally played the original, PT, and CT on the Nintendo GameCube which are very similar ports to the PS2, but are closer to the Xbox/PC version. It was a shock at how much more content I had when I replayed the games on the Xbox years later. I love the videos and your streams on twitch, Craig. Keep up the excellent work!
I just wanna say, this video motivated me to get Chaos theory on steam, and it’s seriously one of the best games i’ve ever played. Insane to think that the game looks as good as it does, still to this day. After i finish the game i will give rest of the games a chance too. Thanks for the recommendation!
Hah besides i find your youtube name kinda funny since mass effect series is a masterpiece
But i wanna ask now what u think of chaos theory?
@@TonyMontana-ys5xz well its been a year since i played it, but shortly: one of the best stealth games ive ever played with lots of replayability, highly recommend playing it on the pc 👍
@@commandershepard5984 yea i have it on ps3 but i highly recommend splinter cell blacklist and hell even conviction
Great stuff
These games were hard as fuck for 8 year old me.
There is a Splinter Cell anime series coming from the writer of John Wick: Derek Kolstad..........I'm serious.
4:46 Shhhhh. The cinematic is cool.
As a privileged piece of shit, back then, with a gamecube and a GBA, I was allowed to play splinter cell with a MAP on the GBA. It was so cool, because I had to stop whatever I was doing, checking the map on the GBA or suffer the consequences of moving Fisher while looking on another device (a nice allegory for texting while driving).
I actually grew up with the PS2 versions cause it was the only console I knew, and they were my first mature game experience as a kid. Granted, I never realized the story inconsistencies with the original game on PS2 back then, but I still prefer the new intro, mainly because of how cringeworthy the intro video and theme for the original version was. I at least felt like the PS2 intro more accurately conveyed the game's tone compared to the intro the original PC and Xbox release had. I still have yet to fully sit down and play through the complete versions of the original trilogy on PC, but someday I plan to when I have the time, as a fan of the series and of your channel thanks to this series, I'm glad you at least gave these versions a shot, and I enjoyed the video greatly due to all the nostalgia I have for these versions.
Sidenote: I did actually prefer Double Agent back then like you said, you were pretty spot on throughout the whole video, didn't even notice any emulation errors myself, past the weird body glowing thing(I think), so you played pretty accurate experiences.
Makes me happy the HD Collection on PS3 are ports of the PC versions.
I came across a blog post from the devs where they even say they did that for this exact reason, the PS2 versions weren't as good.
EDIT: LOL i should've waited until the end of the video. Didn't think you'd mention it yourself.
Very interesting video. I had no idea there was a difference between the versions of games. I also never considered the PS2 a less powerful hardware because of some of the massive games that came on it (MGS 3, God of War 1 and 2, Shadow of the Collosus, GTA San Andreas).
2:55
dude thats amazing nice idea
light sources being blurry looking happens in Yakuza 2 emulation when you increase the resolution above the native PS2 resolution, looks similar to that clip of the bright blurry CIA floor.
Well done. You have stomped on the nostalgia of all the gamers who have nostalgia playing the series on the PS2. You must really love your xbox. Really well done. You took the time out of your upload schedule just so you can point out the flaws. That must be really frustrating and not fun at all.
Yeah, it is kinda frusturating to play worse versions of games you know really well...which were objectively better in every way on Xbox
My first outing to Splinter Cell was Pandora and Chaos Theory on PS2. I am that nostalgic person and I say you're 100% on the money.
Those games and those botched ports were the reason I built a PC, and the reason I am a PC gamer today.
While I do disagree with a few the views you had on the down grades of the PS2 versions, I respect that you took the time and went through them to compare and contrast against the more readily available versions on XB or PC.
That intro cut deep. I’m still holding on to that hope that Sam will come back, but it’s clear Ubisoft is just teasing the fans at this point for cash. It makes me think of the first Captain America MCU movie when Steve gets paraded around the country and used for selling war bonds.
The thing I remember about CT and DA on ps2 was the SC20K not having any detail, just a black blank texture.
Great video ! To answer your question, no it wasn't the emulator that makes the goggles work fine in Double Agent V2, the console version was also like that :)
This is the version I played in my childhood
The PS2 versions were my first introductions to Pandora Tomorrow and Chaos Theory.
Needless to say, the Xbox versions were revelations when I finally bought them.
Bruh I was just playing Pandora Tomorrow on PS2 lol
I prefer that version to Xbox 360
@@je4nz pandora tomorrow is not on 360 it’s a og Xbox game and ps2 and pc
@@je4nz Xbox 360? It never came out on X360. A "remastered" version came out on PS3 (I'm using quotation marks because that version is a broken, glitchy, unplayable mess). And prefer how? it's the same version as the PC and XB but objectively worse. As Doug pointed out, the story, cutscenes, and levels are almost identical. The only major difference is the game-shattering amount of loading screens. It sucks.
I really find it interesting. I really enjoyed it on ps2. Since it's all I had. I hear you say its bad in comparison and am shocked cause i LOVED the ps2 versions
Attention old school PS2 veterans: We are still playing Spies vs Mercs on PS2 online! You don't even need to own the console. You can also play via PS2 emulator on pc. Join our discord to get setup! discord.gg/2gQgMAg
I had the first three for gamecube back in the day. I completely forgot about the cut scene with madison and blaustein and that it cut off part of the CIA mission.
I think the gamecube version also had a exclusive sticky bomb gadget or something like that if I remember correctly when I saw a friend play that version
this is my jam
I can listen to you talk about Splinter Cell every day.
Thank you for information in this video. I'm planning to play Splinter Cell anthology and I thought PS2 versions would be perfect for playing. Now I know I should start with Xbox or PC versions
I can listen to you talk about splinter cell for hours
I've gone through 20 years of loving Splinter Cell to suddenly find out that I played and reminisced over an inferior version. I had no idea that the PS2 wasn't their priority console and it has genuinely shocked me considering I rebought the on the PS2, thinking that's where it made it's first debut. I'm just glad I finally get to experience the alternate version on the PS3 HD collection. Idk if i should hate you for this knowledge or love you. great vid though :)
In my opinion the PS2 versions are fine, you weren't missing out all that much, especially with Chaos Theory.
Hello Mr. Nobody, do you have a lifeline at Ubisoft that you could ask to put Splinter Cell, Pandora Tomorrow, and Double Agent back on the Xbox store?
I know “just buy physical” is always the response but I’ve pretty much stopped buying physical games after losing thousands of dollars worth of a physical collection in a move. I try to avoid it now out of some weird ptsd.
I had a PS2 before I switched to Xbox's, so I got PT and CT for it. Needless to say, playing all the games again on PC a couple years ago was a wonderful experience.
i played all the versions of double agent. i dont know why but i loved the ps2 version most
My first experience with the series was the first game and Chaos Theory, both on GameCube. As far as I know, the PS2 and GameCube versions are the same. I certainly remember those long loading times
Many of these moments of ports can easily be explained by mentioning who done those ports:
SC1, PT and CT ports were done by Ubisoft Shanghai, the one who also did PC/XOriginal version of PT and Next-Gen version of DA
DA PS2/GC/XOriginal/Wii however were done by Ubisoft Montreal, the one who did PC/XOriginal versions of SC1 and CT
(and yes, it means Shanghai in case of PT ported themselves)
This is the Splinter Cell content I’ve always been looking for! Thanks. You make my car rides 10 x better
I was considering trying these games out on PS2 seeing how I have access to a Free McBoot card and a DVD Burner. Now that I've seen this, now I know to either fix my OG Xbox or get the Splinter Cell Collection. Thank you for pushing thru and making this video!
Watching this makes me wonder how much I missed out on the Gamecube versions
The ladder glitch at 12:47 also appears in the gamecube version. Played it on my wii last year, not sure about the other glitch after.
You should really go back and revisit Splinter Cell: Blacklist Spies vs Mercs! It’s still active on Xbox and PC!
10/10
@mabbohabb theres only a handful of players on pc :/ its takes forever to find a match
Attention old school PS2 veterans: We are still playing SCCT (Splinter Cell Chaos Theory) online! you don't even need to own the console. you can also play via ps2 emulator on pc. join our discord to get setup! discord.gg/dAmbYVA3pj
Lol Mission Impossible Operation Surma actually has an opening scene of Ethan diving without breathing equipment. That game also happens to be a splinter cell clone.
That's the funny thing with me, I never had a consistent Splinter Cell experience.
The first game I played on the Xbox, since it was a Christmas gift. PT I played on the Ps2 since my Cousin bought it, didn't like it and knew I enjoyed the first game so he gave it to me. I would later get PT on Xbox, but that would be years after I played it on Ps2. CT I never played until WAY later in my life on the 3DS. I now own the Xbox version, but man was I never able to get it when I was younger. Then I bought Double Agent on the Xbox because I wanted a new Splinter Cell and couldn't find Chaos Theory. Since then I now own all the Splinter Cells on Xbox and Xbox 360, bought the HD collection on Ps3 and still own that copy of Pandora Tomorrow on Ps2. I wanna actually get my hands on the Ps2 versions and see what they are like and as well as collect the handheld games.
Splinter Cell has always been a big part of my life and being able to see people talk about it or even discuss the different versions and such. It's something I always wanted to do when I was younger, but no one was into the series. (Cause most people thought it was a lesser Metal Gear Solid, no joke)
My first experience with Splinter Cell was at an XBox demo kiosk in a Virgin Records store. I didn't own an XBOX, so my next best bet for the full version was on the Gamecube.
That version is identical to the PS2 version except for two points: the power plant level is absent, and there's a new inventory item that works via a hooked-up Gameboy Advance. Can't comment on the other entries.
Also, the blurry glow you were seeing in the CIA server room is as it was originally presented in the Gamecube and PS2 versions. Looks very weird compare to the XBox version.
only 2 mins in, just thought id say, if the emulation makes its own differences too the games, then the video already seems null, you should have just played them on a ps2 too get the authentic thing with its authentic problems,. emulating the ps2 versions isnt playing the ps2 version, nit pick aside i can tell im gona love this video
On the Gamecube version of the first Splinter Cell game, there´s no nuclear power plant level (I know this because I first grew up with the Gamecube before I went over to Xbox consoles). I have never experienced the Double Agent version 2 since I bought Xbox 360 along with some others games compatible and exclusively to the console.
The Gamecube Ports, are also interesting🤔
They're basically the same as PS2, sometimes look better, but nothing outstanding
@@n_worder Thanks man :)
@@n_worder I think the main draw of the Gamecube SC games was that connectivity to the GBA giving you a minimap as well as a bonus exclusive weapon- the Sticky Bomb. As someone coming in from Rainbow Six 1 & 2 I really liked the minimap feature at the time.
@@n_worder chaos theory on gamecube has some level design differences and a lot of pointless switches
21:59
Hold up, is this version of the game running at an uncapped frame rate? That's clearly 60fps footage
Looking good Ive never been this early 6 seconds and no likes nore comments love your videos.
My first ever splintercell game was pandora tomorrow on the gamecube. It was 4 dollars and i heard the series was good so i picked it up. I instantly recognized that the seriea was something special, and i played all the ps2 versions next. When i picked up the xbox versions, i saw a vast improvement and loved the games even more! So i feel like that was a good way to experience both versions, by starting with the worse entries
Shame you didn't mention the technical excellence of the ps2 version. It was VERY impressive for a ps2 game. Several bump-mapped surfaces, awesome lighting and reflection effects and also super impressive water effects!
Did they add a new mechanic or something? Cause I don't remember that extra slot 2:54
/S
How do the GameCube versions stack up? I’m curious because I want to play the series on PC, but considering that Double Agent’s PC port is hit garbage, and Pandora Tomorrow isn’t sold digitally at a-
25:13 oh shit! Thanks man! Now I’m subbing for real 👍
Double agent on gamecube is fine, avoid pandora on gamecube like the plague, it is so buggy its not even funny
@@kingdomkey2262 Thank you for letting me know that Double Agent is fine.
But might I ask, what kind of bugs are in the Gamecube version of Pandora Tomorrow? Also, do you know if the original SC or Chaos Theory are also buggy or fine?
Nuclear Power Plant ties up some loose ends, so I don't think it's an okay addition as much as I think it was necessary, they needed to rewrite the ending and maybe even put it behind Kalinatek.
I don’t get it. The PS2 version of SC has to cut some areas down but can add a new level in?
It's probably because if the levels were kept in their entire size there would have been even more loading screens per mission. Those bonus missions were most likely meant to be a sort of apology for the hackjobbed main games
Have you tried the gamecube versions? Multiple discs were needed for some of the games.
3:47 to skip sponsor
I played Pandora Tomorrow on PS2 and it was the reason I got a home audio system. That Jakarta level was awesome. And out me to sleep. Thank you for making this video. Also that sponsor was smooth AF.
Can we get someday a "Reviewing Every 007 Game" video? (BTW R.I.P Sean Connery)
Splinter cell?
UBI: Tom Clancy's XDefiant
Me: You're dead to me.
Sharks kill less than 20 or so people at most people a year. While we kill tens of thousands of sharks a year. So “dangerous” vacation would not be the word I would have used. Other than that I love the video.
My first experience with the series was the first two entries on PS2. They were undeniably hard but also undeniably cool.
Now, hear me out:...Every DOOM Game?
No
@@peacefulbeet8574 why not?
@@eropandasennin13 I just dooms been done enough. There’s more exciting games to do.
@@eropandasennin13 just my opinion
@@peacefulbeet8574 yet I'd like to hear HIS opinion on them.
Ironically, the ps2 version of double agent v2 is the only version i got to play as emulating the xbox version on pc is almost non existent
you need to compile a modified canary version of xemu
That sponsorship was really lame and not funny at all. Stopped watching right there.
You could've skipped it but that would've made too much sense