I finished Splinter Cell Double Agent for the Xbox 360 just before my 360 died. This weekend I played and finished Splinter Cell Double Agent for the (original) Xbox. I really enjoyed both games. The 360 version has very nice graphics and the gameplay is fun. The original Xbox version has graphics that are good, but pretty much identical to the previous games. In my opinion, if you are going after every single objective, the 360 version is considerably harder than the Xbox version. What really amazed me was the fact the two games, while both having the Splinter Cell Double Agent title, are completely different. Control is similar, but, the gameplay is completely different, the graphics (obviously) are very different, the level design is completely different (although some of the locations are similar). The plots have similarities, but are essentially different. I was amazed that at least key key character died in the 360 version who didn’t (or at least doesn’t have to) in the Xbox version – does this suggest the end of the Splinter Cell games?
Anyway, I really enjoyed both versions and am glad I played both of them. It never occurred to me that they would be so vastly different and still carry the same title. They should have named them differently, in my opinion. If you are a huge fan of the previous games, you will probably like the original Xbox version better – it feels far more like a Splinter Cell game than the 360 version. The 360 version has much more daytime, full light action where the original Xbox version so almost completely in the dark, like the previous games. Also, the JBA missions in the 360 version were mostly “honeydew lists” with very little stealth – a feature that didn’t exist in the original Xbox version. While it was an interesting change up, they got a touch tedious, IMO.
On a bright note, my Xbox 360 has been repaired and I now have a tracking number (as of the 12th) for its return. With any luck I will have my 360 back before the end of the week and hopefully it will be good as new (or better!).