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  The videogame market is currently flooded with first and third person shooters. So much so that you could fill an entire Macdonald's ball pit and go to town. The genre is becoming stale, the life being sucked out of it with each mediocre release. In the past month I felt like I was let down by various games like Frontlines: Fuel of War, The Club, and Army of Two: which was by far the biggest letdown. With the recent popularity of the genre it seemed that developers were coming out of the woodworks with their rendition of the greatest shooter of all time. But most of these titles fall short of my high expectations and are placed neatly on a shelf never to be opened again.

 This is why on this weeks Throwback Thursday will be about a solid espionage shooter for the original Xbox system. My hopes weren't very high when I first picked up the title. I didn't know what to from a game made by an author who writes books about military operations. But after playing for about three minutes I was totally blown away. The gameplay was solid and the story was so deep that I couldn't stop playing.

 Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell follows a NSA agent named Sam Fisher as he navigates through different missions. As usual with most shooters the plot was filled with terrorist and evildoers who threaten the safety of the United States. For all of you who are unaware the NSA or National Security Administration is one of the three letter club of secret government organizations, paid for by shady off shore fund money. The organization does exist and is predominately known for being able to tap any phone conversation in the world. And I'm guessing that you have to be one super-secret bad ass to gain employment by them.

 This is one of the most original and well thought out spy shooters ever made. The crisp and simply beautiful graphics accent the game in every way possible. The weaponry is phenomenal looking and the characters looked almost next gen even on the now inferior Xbox console. Character cell shading and the special attention paid to the lighting can be seen throughout the game, not just in the cinematic scenes. This was Ubisoft's first great attempt at real world lighting and texture mapping that left us all gaggling over it like we were looking at some half naked chick. But Splinter Cell isn't just another pretty boy in the videogame industry, it has a deep storyline that that draws the user in.

 Along with the graphic quality that Ubisoft is now known for, the game mechanics are tight as well. The camera is perfect and can be manipulated with an easy push of the left analog stick. Character movements are believable and help convey that real-world experience we all yearn for when purchasing a third person shooter. You can move with ease when navigating through the levels. You won't find yourself stuck in a corner or behind some box somewhere in this game. This is accredited once again to the fact that Ubisoft made on of the most innovative camera systems known to man. Awkward camera angles and feeling totally disoriented when playing isn't an issue when you pop this game into the console.

  Beside the killer graphics and gameplay Splinter Cell also slams down some impressive weapons on the table. Various sneaky non-lethal ammo is a must have when in the covert spy game. And this game has a butt-load of it. From darts that'll zap the hell out of you to rings that are shot out of your weapon to knock out an enemy out, Splinter Cell gives you all you'll ever need to take care of any obstacle in your path. The one other piece of impressive technology that this game offers is the sticky cam. This small camera can be shot from your weapon and will stick on most surfaces presented in the game. Once the camera is affixed to a surface you can control it and view enemies from afar. Or if you're a chicken you can simply press a button and the camera will make a whistling sound. Soon after you lure your alerted enemy to the camera you can gas him, knock him out, and drag his body off.

 In the end Splinter Cell is a complete package. It offers you a great in depth look at a world surrounded by secret deals and government funded hits. If you love shooters this game should be right up your alley. Take it from me: a total shooter junkie.

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