Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Double Agent

44%
Game Brain Score Based on 1,743 reviews
  • story
  • stability
  • gameplay
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Double Agent Game Cover
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In Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Double Agent, players control protagonist Sam Fisher, who must infiltrate a terrorist group while also working for the government agency Third Echelon. The game features a moral choice system, where players' decisions affect Fisher's relationship with both factions and ultimately the game's outcome. Gameplay combines stealth, combat, and gadgetry, providing a tense and thrilling experience.

  • PC
  • Windows
  • Xbox One
  • Xbox Series X|S
  • Play​Station
  • Play​station 3
  • Xbox
  • Xbox 360
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

44%
Audience ScoreBased on 1,743 reviews
story186 positive mentions
stability364 negative mentions
  • The story is engaging and features moral choices that affect gameplay.
  • The game introduces new mechanics, such as the trust system and JBA headquarters missions, which add depth to the gameplay.
  • Despite its flaws, the game retains some enjoyable stealth elements and can be fun for dedicated fans of the series.
  • The PC port is riddled with bugs, crashes frequently, and lacks proper optimization, making it nearly unplayable.
  • The removal of the light and sound meters from previous games makes stealth gameplay frustrating and less intuitive.
  • The user interface is clunky and unintuitive, leading to a poor overall experience.
  • story1,089 mentions

    The story of "Splinter Cell: Double Agent" is often praised for its engaging narrative and complex themes, particularly the moral dilemmas faced by protagonist Sam Fisher as he navigates his role as a double agent. However, many players report that the execution is marred by significant technical issues, including frequent crashes and bugs that disrupt gameplay, making it difficult to fully appreciate the storyline. While some find the plot compelling and a highlight of the series, others feel it suffers from disjointed pacing and a lack of depth compared to earlier entries.

    • “The story is really good, the faction trust system is awesome, the characters are interesting, but it suffers from some very major technical issues.”
    • “This is by far the best plot in the Splinter Cell series, it is also the most buggy on PC.”
    • “The story is excellent.”
    • “The missions and the story are underwhelming and mediocre at best.”
    • “The story is weak.”
    • “The bugs in this game make it unacceptable and it is a disappointment given how great the last splinter cell was, only thing that holds it up are the graphics, the story, voice acting and I guess the level design.”
  • stability370 mentions

    The stability of "Splinter Cell: Double Agent" on PC is widely criticized, with users reporting numerous bugs, crashes, and glitches that significantly hinder gameplay. Many recommend using community patches to improve performance, but even with these fixes, the game remains unstable and often unplayable. In contrast, the console versions are noted to be much more stable, making them the preferred choice for players seeking a smoother experience.

    • “The console version of this game is mostly bug-free, and the experience of playing it is far better than the PC version.”
    • “Play Chaos Theory for a bug-free (for the most part) and better experience.”
    • “The gameplay is not buggy as far as I've seen it.”
    • “Game constantly crashed and is very buggy; sometimes you can finesse it to make it work properly, but other times it just crashes without warning.”
    • “The graphical options are bugged, the AI is completely broken, the controls are unresponsively buggy, and there are corrupted save files, random crashes, and graphical glitches that make the game nearly unplayable.”
    • “This game is a buggy piece of garbage. It's filled with game-breaking bugs and glitches that ruin the experience.”
  • gameplay350 mentions

    The gameplay of "Splinter Cell: Double Agent" has received mixed reviews, with many players appreciating the introduction of new mechanics like the trust system and the return of classic stealth elements. However, numerous technical issues, including bugs, poor AI, and the removal of key features from previous titles, have led to frustration and disappointment, particularly in the PC version. Overall, while the game retains some enjoyable aspects of stealth gameplay, it is often hindered by its execution and stability.

    • “The things it does to change the gameplay are largely pretty neat!”
    • “Nice Splinter Cell game with some new mechanics and still retains the old ones that really made you feel like an undercover agent, especially with secondary missions that usually ask you to not get alerted.”
    • “A game mechanic in this game is the trust system, which is a very interesting system where you have to do objectives for two opposite teams and you have to balance it out.”
    • “This, without question, has got to be one of the most frustrating stealth gameplay experiences I've ever had the displeasure of playing.”
    • “From the annoying and sometimes buggy AI, unskippable cutscenes disrupting the flow of gameplay, meaningless quick time events, pointless upgrade system, and uninteresting map design making this game more of a chore than a fun time.”
    • “Not only that, some of the core mechanics of this game are a straight-up downgrade when compared to what was available in Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory, which is only amplified by the fact that these 'next generation' gameplay mechanics are completely broken.”
  • graphics253 mentions

    The graphics of "Splinter Cell: Double Agent" are a mixed bag, with many users noting significant bugs, glitches, and performance issues that detract from the overall experience. While some praise the game's visual fidelity for its time, especially in character detail and lighting mechanics, others criticize it for being a downgrade from its predecessor, "Chaos Theory," and for requiring extensive tweaking to achieve acceptable performance. Overall, the graphical presentation is seen as inconsistent, with many recommending the Xbox 360 version for a more stable experience.

    • “The graphics are amazing considering the year the game was released.”
    • “The graphics and animation are certainly a strong point to the game, though, even if I'm not particularly a fan of the art style.”
    • “The game has excellent graphics for its age.”
    • “The graphical options are bugged, the AI is completely broken, the controls are unresponsive and buggy, and there are numerous graphical glitches, sound glitches, missing shadows, and random softlock glitches occurring that are beyond your control.”
    • “The game crashes frequently, has graphical glitches, and requires a lot of tweaking to run smoothly.”
    • “The graphics are worse than the game before it, it crashes constantly, and the safe cracking barely works using a keyboard.”
  • optimization56 mentions

    The optimization of Splinter Cell: Double Agent is widely criticized, with users reporting severe performance issues, frequent crashes, and numerous bugs across all platforms, particularly on PC and PS3. While the Xbox 360 version offers slightly better stability and performance, it still suffers from AI and frame rate problems. Overall, players recommend avoiding the game due to its poor optimization and technical shortcomings.

    • “Great graphics for the time it was released, but unfortunately the optimization wasn't as good.”
    • “If you wish to soldier through this unremarkable and sometimes frustrating experience, you're better off playing the Xbox 360 version instead on modern Xbox consoles (Xbox One, Series X/S) for improved graphical and technical performance.”
    • “The game crashes frequently, has graphical glitches, and requires a lot of tweaking to run smoothly.”
    • “Both the PS3 and PC versions are complete buggy, poorly optimized messes, and Ubisoft ought to be ashamed for releasing this game in this condition.”
    • “There is a serious lack of optimization, as loading the game and then a level is quite long.”
    • “Horrible optimization, don't buy this.”
  • music38 mentions

    The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many praising the soundtrack as great and fitting the game's atmosphere, particularly highlighting Amon Tobin's contributions. However, some users noted issues with sound design, including audio cutouts and a preference for previous game soundtracks, leading to a perception of the music as less memorable. Overall, while the soundtrack is generally well-regarded, technical problems detract from the experience.

    • “The music and sound design is great, though.”
    • “Great soundtrack, Amon Tobin made really good stealth/fight/ambient music that is great to listen to while playing and it doesn't get in your way.”
    • “The only plus I can think of is that the soundtrack is still really amazing.”
    • “Sound is a particular problem; sometimes sounds and music will cut out completely, and some sound effects will double.”
    • “The music is pretty bland and works in the standard heightened crescendo when enemies are near, passable but dull, I suppose.”
    • “Audio does not work right no matter what I tried; it says to install on C drive, which only fixed music in the menus.”
  • replayability32 mentions

    The game's replayability is generally considered low, with many reviewers noting that while there are multiple endings and choices that can influence the story, the overall gameplay experience is not compelling enough to encourage repeated playthroughs. Custom patches may improve playability on modern systems, but technical issues and a lack of engaging content diminish the incentive to replay. Overall, players express a desire for more substantial replay value, especially compared to earlier titles in the series.

    • “To this day, Double Agent would be the only Splinter Cell game with some kind of replayability (other than playing on harder difficulty); there are multiple endings and a bunch of big choices in the story.”
    • “Replayability is also fun to find those computers that you may have missed or forgotten about, with some Splinter Cell lore contained.”
    • “Even then, if you still really want to play this game, I wrote a guide on how to make it more playable on a modern setup.”
    • “Optional objectives instead of fueling replayability are just hollow choices between how much you want to help out the factions, and that is two separate bars you can keep maxed out, instead of the at least sensible style of favor spectrum in the PS2 version.”
    • “The last mission's ending froze right when I completed the task, so no credits. It's okay, but I doubt I'd play it again or work on any of the stealth aspects, so I have no interest in replay value after finishing it the second time.”
    • “The story, however, is actually good and I did enjoy it. What this game does offer that the previous titles did not were the ability to make choices in the game, and making those choices would result in different outcomes which would give the game more replay value if the gameplay wasn't so bad.”
  • humor16 mentions

    The humor in the game is polarizing; while some players find amusement in the numerous glitches and awkward scenarios, others feel the game takes itself too seriously, resulting in cringe-worthy moments. Many reviews highlight the comedic potential of the game's bugs, but overall, the humor does not resonate as strongly as in previous installments, leaving some fans disappointed.

    • “The ability to laugh at some of the hilarious and awkward glitches that can derail some of the scenarios.”
    • “The physics can be hilarious.”
    • “What a fitting, hilarious ending to this glitchy mess of a PC version of a game.”
  • monetization10 mentions

    The monetization aspect of the game has drawn significant criticism, with players feeling misled by advertisements that showcase a superior version while delivering a subpar PC port. Many express frustration over technical issues and the lack of support from Ubisoft, suggesting that the company is prioritizing profit over quality and player satisfaction. Overall, the sentiment reflects disappointment in both the game's execution and the marketing strategy employed.

    • “You would think Ubisoft would go for the cash grab of a simple working PC port, since they know we want Sam back, but they are too lazy to make a new game.”
    • “Good job advertising the better version of the game and then giving me the crappy 360 version.”
    • “This game is great but suffers from being a rushed PC port and is misleading, as non-Steam advertisements also used media from the 5th generation versions.”
  • grinding10 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively tedious and frustrating, often feeling like a cheat that limits exploration and engagement with the environment. The checkpoint system is poorly organized, making it cumbersome to reload progress, while repetitive guard dialogue adds to the overall monotony. Overall, the grinding experience is criticized for lacking challenge and being more of a chore than an enjoyable gameplay element.

    • “It seems like a bit of a cheat as it deprives you of terrific locations to explore and conquer in the best stealth approach; now you only have half of them, and every other level you return to this tedious backdrop.”
    • “When this happens, you'll have to load a previous checkpoint, which is already a tedious process since the checkpoints are not properly in order.”
    • “None of this is even challenging at all; it's just unbelievably tedious.”
  • atmosphere8 mentions

    The atmosphere in the later installments of the series, particularly "Chaos Theory" and "Double Agent," is praised for its immersive quality, enhanced by a visually impressive game engine that effectively captures the intended setting and mood. Reviewers note that the use of shadows and the time constraints for completing objectives contribute significantly to the overall tension and ambiance, marking a notable improvement over the earlier titles.

    • “That game looks good with the correct atmosphere and shadows.”
    • “Time you are given to complete some additional objectives really adds to the Double Agent atmosphere.”
    • “It's a contrast from the first two games (Splinter Cell & Pandora Tomorrow) where I think the 3rd and the 4th installments (Chaos Theory and Double Agent) actually nail the atmosphere and the setting the games are supposed to look like and feel through the use of their beautiful looking game engine.”
    • “At least in terms of story, and the overall atmosphere.”
    • “The time you are given to complete some additional objectives really adds to the Double Agent atmosphere.”
  • emotional6 mentions

    The emotional aspect of the game is described as unexpectedly heartbreaking, with players feeling a strong emotional impact, particularly in the context of the PC port. However, the gameplay mechanics, which require careful navigation to avoid walls and furniture, can detract from the overall experience.

    • “Unexpected and kind of heartbreaking.”
    • “The PC port of this game made me feel that way.”
    • “Unexpected and kind of heartbreaking.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

83% average critic score

Buy Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Double Agent

Play time

10hMedian play time
15hAverage play time
11hMain story
15hCompletionist
5-15hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 20 analyzed playthroughs

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