Nintendo fans got used to seeing oftentimes inferior ports on their console of choice during the GameCube’s life. One of the biggest offenders in this regard during the Cube’s run was Ubisoft, and one of the most ported and least impressive game series on Nintendo’s last-gen platform was probably Splinter Cell. The publisher dazzled and impressed with its Xbox versions of Splinter Cell, and yet when it came to Nintendo’s console, it was all sloppy seconds.

With the birth of a new Nintendo system – one that brings to the table controls that open doors of new controls and possibilities – some might hope and expect that those days of disappointing ports are over.

Unfortunately, the latest in Ubisoft’s espionage franchise doesn’t kill the notion that Nintendo’s console is secondary when it comes to Splinter Cell. Splinter Cell: Double Agent is the first Tom Clancy game from Ubisoft on the Big N’s new-generation console, and while it features controls that are a departure from the series norm, the familiar feeling of another second-rate Splinter Cell game is still here.

Let’s get the complicated stuff out of the way first. There are two different versions of Splinter Cell: Double Agent. The first and original is the Xbox 360 (and PC) version of the game. We’ll call these games the next-gen version of Double Agent – not because of the console they’re on, but because they offer a totally different experience than the second version of the title. The second version is essentially the last-gen one, as it was built on PlayStation 2 and GameCube, primarily. This is the version Wii owners get with Double Agent.

What’s different, exactly? A lot. For starters, the single-player mode in the Wii game is completely different than, say, the Xbox 360 title. You’ll explore a couple of the same areas in both games, but even so, the Wii version features smaller adaptations of these places as well as completely different layouts, overall.

The storylines running through both games feature different elements, too. However, the main plot is the same in both. Double Agent, as its name implies, puts Sam Fisher in enemy territory as a double agent, forcing him to earn the trust of a terrorist organization and eventually take it out. We played both the Xbox 360 and Wii versions of Double Agent, and both feature their own storyline developments and means of pushing forth their storylines. Surprisingly, in many ways, we prefer the storyline in the Wii version of Double Agent over the one found in the 360 game. It just seems to be more expanded, whereas the 360 version doesn’t tell as much of a story. The downside, though, is the Wii story is told through more storyboard-like cut-scenes rather than full-blown FMVs as seen in the 360 title.

The biggest difference between the Wii version of Double Agent and the Xbox 360 one is controls, obviously. Fisher’s latest mission employs a totally new kind of control scheme on Wii, and while its novelty is nice, we can’t help but feel it’s more complicated and less intuitive than the traditional Splinter Cell configuration. The game uses both the nunchuck and Wii-mote. You control Sam with the analog stick on the nunchuck and use a variety of buttons to crouch, roll, sneak up and grab characters from behind, and interact with objects in the world. So far, we haven’t discussed anything too radical or even different, for that matter. But Double Agent does offer “different” – especially in regards to control. For example, by motioning the nunchuck upwards, Sam will jump into the air. Easy enough, although it takes some time to adjust to the new method if you’re used to the old-school controls. Better use of the Wii-mote comes into play when picklocking. You simply tilt the remote back and forth, as you would if you were to picklock a lock in real life. We know because we do that all the time… nevermind.




Fisher’s picklock tool in particular is bettered best by the new motion controls. However, other areas of Splinter Cell aren’t revolutionized nearly as well. For instance, perhaps the most integral piece of Double Agent – or Splinter Cell, overall – is aiming and shooting with Sam’s many weapons. It’s too bad that this is one of the biggest control shortcomings when it comes to Double Agent on Wii. You point at your TV screen to aim the game’s on-screen reticule, but while it sounds ideal, it just isn’t, thanks to some clunky design choices. Imagine the same bounding box found in other Wii first-person shooters – only smaller. That’s what the reticule in Double Agent looks like, but within it, there’s yet another on-screen dot you must move. So, essentially, you must move a set of arrows within a reticule before the reticule itself ever begins to move. The setup is slow and even difficult to use at times – we never got used to it.

Motion controls are a great thing when used appropriately and sparingly, but Splinter Cell: Double Agent is a game that knows no bounds when it comes to either of these things, unfortunately. In previous Splinter Cells, taking cover against a wall or object was as easy as pie, but that’s not the case here. You must tilt the nunchuck either left or right to take cover. Making this motion with the nunchuck proves to be uncomfortable and over-the-top. It just isn’t intuitive. In fact, it’s a huge step backwards from a control option that worked perfectly. Less is more, Ubisoft.