You have to hand it to Ubisoft, it’s not easy bringing a much-loved franchise like the Splinter Cell series to a portable medium but it has done so before by shrinking operative Sam Fisher into the Game Boy Advance screen as well as on cell phones. Of course, those attempts were side-scrolling 2D games but it wasn’t long before the Nintendo DS brought us a 3D Splinter Cell game that didn’t play as good as it could have but it was a worthy attempt. Finally, we come to Splinter Cell Essentials, a handheld game that brings Sam Fisher to the PSP. Unfortunately, this isn’t the game we all wished it would be.

Essentials tells a somber yet interesting tale that is closely linked to the upcoming Splinter Cell: Double Agent game heading for all the major consoles. Here we find Third Echelon operative Sam Fisher mourning the death of his daughter Sarah who was struck by a drunk driver a year ago while he was away on a mission. While visiting her grave one late night, Fisher is suddenly arrested by government agents on the charges of betraying his country and conspiring with a network of terrorists. In order to clear his name, Fisher begins to reveal various missions that prove that he would never betray Third Echelon. We follow Fisher as he recounts his exploits and the events that lead to his arrest.
 

With a story that mixes intrigue and double crosses just as good as an episode of 24, the story is told through various cut scenes with flashbacks that recount nine missions (plus three bonus missions for a total of twelve missions in total). While being grilled, he explains how each situation went down as gamers get to play through said mission that has Sam rescuing civilians, defusing critical situations and eliminating … you know, the usual Splinter Cell fare. It’s in reliving these well thought out missions that the game shows us what it could have been if the various flaws didn’t get in the way. In fact, the mission structure is quite brilliant at times and loads of fun.

Before we get to what is wrong with this game (and believe me, there are many things wrong with this game) let’s get into what Essentials did right. All of Sam’s moves are present and accounted for including the tactical side step introduced in Pandora Tomorrow. You can even perform rappel shooting as well as grab enemies and use them as human shields. In fact, all of Sam‘s moves from the console game make it to the PSP game. Even Fisher’s impressive high-tech weapons are available like his SC-20K assault rifle with scope and the sticky camera and sticky shocker attachments. You’ll even have your night vision goggles and in this game you will use it a lot. Even the lock picking mini-game is here as well as a mini-game that revolves around defusing explosives.

Sadly, even with all the right elements in place, the fun of sneaking into compounds and going up against terrorists is soured by a number of flaws and glitches both visual and control-wise. We begin with the camera that is a major annoyance and a pain to pan around. Whether you use the default controls or change the settings, you’ll have to manually swing the camera around often. This becomes even more of a problem when you’re trying to sneak past a camp filled with terrorists unnoticed. Secondly, the controls, while simple to manage, make Sam feel a bit awkward to maneuver around objects. The fact that the framerate can often make the game stutter a little just adds to the frustration. You will die a lot in this game and not because the enemy is smart (they’re a bright enough bunch like in the console games) but because these flaws get in the way of the gameplay. Top that off with long load times and you get an idea of what is wrong with this game.

The single player campaign mode is nice and lengthy, at least that is a good thing and for the most part its various missions are good. What isn’t good is the multiplayer mode fit for up to two players. It’s essentially a spy versus spy deathmatch that doesn’t, in any way, mimic the amazing spies versus mercenary multiplayer mode of the console games. Played through an Ad Hoc connection, the game experiences framerate problems aplenty and is hardly worth the trouble.

The game’s graphics are also something of a sore spot. While the character models, including the bad guys, look really good, the game is plagued by a number of graphical glitches that go beyond the usual clipping issues. You’ll find that oftentimes you’ll be staring right through Sam Fisher’s head and body when you swing the camera around. Because most of the missions take place under the cover of night, you’ll be forced to use the night vision goggles that make the textures look washed out. This is too bad since the game has nice cut scenes and displays some decent visual effects.

The game’s sound, on the other hand, is a completely different thing. For starters, the score is orchestrated beautifully and plays throughout the game adding tension to each situation whether an enemy spotted you or you complete a mission. The voice acting is also top notch, although sometimes Sam’s comments are often drowned away by the detailed sound effects that are handled wonderfully here.

Splinter Cell Essentials could have been a great portable package worthy of the series but, sadly enough, it falls short where it really counts … the gameplay. The game’s story is a good one and the missions and their objectives are actually well done, but when it comes to the camera, controls and other glaring faults, this game just disappoints rather than entertains. Perhaps one day Ubisoft will release a portable Splinter Cell game for the PSP that will make fans happy but this one just isn’t it. 

Gameplay: 6.2
The missions are pure Splinter Cell and add a nice variety of mission objectives true to the series. Sam Fisher, even in portable form, is still a stealthy operative with all the right moves. Unfortunately, thanks to the poor controls and even more horrible camera, you’ll get killed often in this game. Even the framerate plays a role in getting you killed.

Graphics: 6.0
Slightly more attractive than the Nintendo DS Splinter Cell game, Essentials is not a very pretty game. While the character models look and move right and there’s some great effects tossed in throughout the game, the awful washed out textures, various graphical glitches and dimly lit environments that force you to use the hideous looking night vision mode is just an eyesore.

Sound: 7.5
At least the sound is handled well and while the surprisingly well orchestrated soundtrack is a major presence in the game it’s the voice acting and sound effects that will win gamers over. Sam’s comments are a bit muffled at times or are drowned out by the extremely detailed sound effects. Play this game using earphones to get the best audio experience.

Difficulty: Medium
Stealth is a major part of the game again and this makes missions really challenging but the bad part is that you will spend more time wrestling with the awful camera as well as the controls. The enemy AI isn’t bad at all and responds intelligently at times.

Concept: 6.0
If you’re like me, you have been waiting for a portable Splinter Cell game since the Sony PSP was announced. In essence, bringing the series to portable form isn’t a bad idea at all and there are a lot of good concepts introduced in this game. The bonus missions are good as are the main ones but the multiplayer mode is just plain bad.

Multiplayer: 5.0
It’s a two player spies versus spies multiplayer match-up over an Ad Hoc connection but it hardly plays as smoothly as it should nor is it as fun as the spies versus mercenaries multiplayer of the console games. Really, this is hardly worth playing at all.

Overall: 6.0
At times Splinter Cell Essentials shows signs of brilliance, but sadly enough its various flaws just keep this from being a great portable version of a series we have come to love. While its interesting story ties in with the upcoming Splinter Cell: Double Agent for the major consoles, an interesting plot just isn’t enough to distract us from the poor visuals, atrocious controls and long load times. Skip this one, Splinter Cell fans, and wait for Double Agent.