Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Double Agent®

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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.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Local Multi-Player Play with friends in the same physical space using split-screen or multiple screens
2-Players Play with one other player, either online or locally, in a cooperative or competitive game mode
Multi-Player Compete or cooperate with other players online
Co-Op Team up with friends to complete levels or missions together
Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo
Split Screen Play with multiple players on the same screen, often with divided or shared screen real estate

Reviews

31%

Audience ScoreBased on 869 reviews

story93 positive mentions

stability182 negative mentions

The story is engaging and features moral choices that affect gameplay.
The game introduces new mechanics, such as the trust system and undercover missions, adding depth to the gameplay.
Despite its flaws, the game retains the core stealth mechanics that fans of the series enjoy.

The PC port is riddled with bugs, crashes frequently, and lacks proper optimization.
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, making navigation and interaction cumbersome.

story
544 mentions
17 % positive mentions
77 % neutral mentions
6 % negative mentions
The story of "Splinter Cell: Double Agent" is often praised for its engaging narrative and the moral complexities of being a double agent, where players must balance trust between conflicting factions. However, many players report that the experience is marred by significant technical issues, including frequent crashes and bugs that disrupt gameplay, making it difficult to fully appreciate the storyline. While the plot is considered one of the better entries in the series, the numerous glitches and performance problems detract from the overall enjoyment.
- “The story is excellent.”
- “The story is probably one of the reasons why you should put up with the antics of the game and play it.”
- “The story revolves around trust.”
- “The missions and the story are underwhelming and mediocre at best.”
- “The story is rather bland.”
- “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.”
stability
185 mentions
2 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
98 % negative mentions
The stability of "Splinter Cell: Double Agent" on PC is widely criticized, with users reporting a plethora of bugs, crashes, and glitches that significantly hinder gameplay. Many recommend using community patches to improve stability, but even with these fixes, the game remains plagued by issues such as corrupted save files, unresponsive controls, and frequent crashes. Overall, the PC version is deemed nearly unplayable, leading most reviewers to suggest playing on console instead.
- “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 mostly bug-free experience and improved gameplay.”
- “The gameplay is not buggy as far as I've seen.”
- “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 unresponsive, and there are corrupted save files, random crashes, and graphical glitches everywhere.”
- “This game is a buggy piece of garbage; it crashes frequently, has graphical glitches, and requires a lot of tweaking to run smoothly.”
gameplay
174 mentions
22 % positive mentions
64 % neutral mentions
14 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Splinter Cell: Double Agent" has received mixed reviews, with some praising its stealth mechanics and the introduction of a trust system that enhances the narrative experience. However, many players criticize the game for its numerous bugs, clunky controls, and the removal of key features from previous titles, such as the visibility and noise meters, which detract from the overall stealth experience. While the game retains some enjoyable elements from earlier installments, technical issues and design choices have left it feeling like a step backward for the franchise.
- “Nice Splinter Cell game with some new mechanics while still retaining the old ones that really made you feel like an undercover agent, especially with secondary missions that usually asked you not to get alerted.”
- “The gameplay is in the vein of Chaos Theory and it's a blast to play!”
- “The trust mechanic is awesome; you lose or gain trust from the NSA and the JBA depending on how you perform.”
- “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.”
graphics
126 mentions
19 % positive mentions
67 % neutral mentions
13 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many players noting significant bugs and glitches that detract from the overall experience. While some appreciate the graphical fidelity for its time, especially in comparison to earlier titles, others criticize the numerous technical issues, such as missing textures, broken lighting, and inconsistent performance across platforms. Overall, the game's visuals are seen as a downgrade from its predecessor, "Chaos Theory," and require extensive tweaking to achieve satisfactory results.
- “The graphics are amazing considering the year the game was released.”
- “The game has excellent graphics for its age.”
- “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 graphical options are bugged, the AI is messed up beyond belief, 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 aged and it shows, with tons of glitches, broken shadows, and no widescreen support or high-resolution graphics without heavily editing the game's ini files.”
optimization
28 mentions
11 % positive mentions
32 % neutral mentions
57 % negative 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 this poorly optimized title unless they prioritize the storyline over technical performance.
- “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.”
- “Great graphics for the time it was released, but unfortunately the optimization wasn't as good.”
- “The game crashes frequently, has graphical glitches, and requires a lot of tweaking to run smoothly.”
- “Splinter Cell: Double Agent's PC port is a badly optimized, poorly programmed, buggy piece of software that I absolutely recommend you steer far, far away from.”
- “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.”
- “However, the PC version of Splinter Cell: Double Agent is also a buggy mess that suffers from technical issues and poor optimization.”
music
19 mentions
58 % positive mentions
26 % neutral mentions
16 % negative 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 the work of Amon Tobin. However, some users have noted issues with sound design, including audio cutouts and a lack of memorable tracks compared to previous titles like "Chaos Theory." Overall, while the soundtrack is generally appreciated, technical problems have detracted from the experience for some players.
- “The music and sound design is great, though.”
- “The soundtrack is wonderful, really fits the mood.”
- “Great soundtrack, Amon Tobin made really good stealth/fight/ambient music that is great to listen to while playing and doesn't get in your way.”
- “Sound is a particular problem; sometimes sounds and music will cut out completely, and some sound effects will double.”
- “The soundtrack is okay, although, in my opinion, not as exciting and memorable as the OST in Chaos Theory, which is composed by Amon Tobin.”
- “The music is pretty bland and works in the standard heightened crescendo when enemies are near fashion; passable but dull, I suppose.”
replayability
16 mentions
13 % positive mentions
69 % neutral mentions
19 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's replayability is rated quite low, with many players expressing disappointment in the lack of meaningful choices and engaging gameplay mechanics. While there are some optional objectives and multiple endings that could encourage a second playthrough, the overall experience is marred by technical issues and a lack of compelling content, leading to a consensus that replay value is minimal.
- “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.”
- “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 the 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 no interest in replay value after the second time finishing it.”
- “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.”
humor
8 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is a mixed bag, with some players finding amusement in the awkward glitches and bugs, while others feel the game takes itself too seriously, resulting in cringe-worthy moments. While some appreciate the unintentional comedy from technical issues, others express frustration over the lack of intentional humor compared to previous titles in the series. Overall, the humor seems to stem more from the game's flaws than from its writing or design.
- “Hilariously, I had to disable odd-numbered processor cores in order to load a soft-locked level intro correctly.”
- “The ability to laugh at some of the hilarious and awkward glitches that can derail some of the scenarios.”
- “The physics are hilarious.”
monetization
5 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative 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 users express frustration over technical issues and a perceived lack of effort from Ubisoft to provide a quality experience, leading to accusations of prioritizing profit over player satisfaction. Overall, the monetization strategy is seen as exploitative, capitalizing on nostalgia without delivering a product that meets expectations.
- “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 suffers from being misleading (non-Steam advertisements also used media from the 5th gen versions).”
grinding
5 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively tedious and frustrating, as it limits exploration and forces repetitive backtracking through uninspired environments. The checkpoint system is poorly organized, adding to the overall annoyance, while the lack of challenge makes the experience feel more like a chore than engaging gameplay.
- “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.”
- “I really am not sure if this is as bad as or worse than Conviction, but it's so tedious, ugly, and trashy.”
- “None of this is even challenging at all; it's just unbelievably tedious.”
atmosphere
4 mentions
75 % positive mentions
-50 % neutral mentions
75 % negative 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 appealing game engine and effective use of shadows. Reviewers note that the setting and story contribute significantly to the overall ambiance, with additional objectives further enriching the experience.
- “It's a contrast from the first two games (Splinter Cell & Pandora Tomorrow) where I think the 3rd and 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 beautifully designed game engine.”
- “That game looks good with the correct atmosphere and shadows.”
- “At least in terms of story and the overall 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.”
emotional
3 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is characterized by its unexpected and heartbreaking moments, which resonate deeply with players. However, the PC port's challenging navigation mechanics can detract from the overall experience, as players must carefully avoid walls and furniture.
- “Unexpected and kind of heartbreaking.”
- “The PC port of this game made me feel that way.”