Jul 22, 4:03 pm
Whilst Kitt was flaunting her X chromosomes in hotel showers for the sake of Women in Gaming, I was getting down and dirty with men who like to hide in dark alleyways.
Yes - it’s Sam Fisher time!
One of the best things about being a Frag Doll is having the opportunity to play games before anyone else, and last week I had the pleasure of attending a cool little event called Christmas in July. I got to check out titles from various publishers before their release, rant to people from Stuff magazine about the cost of headphones (I can get a Zach Braff look-a-like stripogram for that much!), and showcase Splinter Cell: Double Agent… All under the watchful gaze of inflatable palm trees and ding-dingy steel-drum music. This is quality, people!
Note to self - pack gloves next time
It had been a while since I last laid eyes on Mr Fisher, and it’s great to get the opportunity to see how Ubisoft’s Shanghai team have been progressing with the single-player mode (I got to see the multi-player mode too, and I promise all will be revealed soon!) The level I got to see in detail was ‘Kinshasa’, a turbulent (and extremely sun-drenched!) city in the midst of civil war. Gunfire and chaos is everywhere. People screaming, running through streets littered with dead bodies and the husks of burnt-out vehicles. There is no silence nor darkness here.
Now, it’s already known through previous instalments that the Splinter Cell experience is largely what you make of it. You can approach a level guns-a-blazin’, or creep softly through the shadows until you reach your destination. Double Agent takes that choice even further - it’s down to the player to infiltrate and win over the trust of a terrorist organisation, whilst working undercover for the N.S.A. Balance is everything. What would you do if your superior handed you a loaded gun and asked you to kill an innocent man? Carry out your duties? Turn away in disgust? By pulling the trigger you would be murdering one man, yet hesitatation could blow your cover, and indirectly lead to the deaths of thousands.
Sam finds the man who “borrowed” his Hob Nobs
Some of these choices are big enough to have repercussions throughout the game, and some are smaller. Walk out of a broken-down building in Kinshasa into the scorching heat and already you are faced with a decision. Two men have their guns pointed towards three civilians, begging for mercy. Do you sneak past them and into the shadows, or blow your cover by rescuing them?
Of course, I’m the sort of girl who could be given diamonds for my birthday yet still demand to know where my shetland pony was. So I couldn’t resist checking out what else was being shown off that day. With this in mind I took a sneaky peek at THQ’s Saint’s Row! You can’t say you don’t get your money’s worth with me, folks.
Any game that tries to muscle in on Grand Theft Auto’s territory is worth a look. Destructable scenery, and a multiplayer option - definately the high-point for me - and fully-customisable characters. But WHERE IS MY FEMALE CHARACTER OPTION!? Grr. In protest I created an enormously fat bald crazy Asian man. A lot of people are talking about whether this or GTA4 will reign king of the gangsta sandbox - but with the next GTA over a year away, is it even really an issue? I’ll most certainly be picking up a copy of this come release week. After all, who wouldn’t want to virtually beat their mate with a baseball bat over Xbox Live using ker-raaaaazy street ghetto language!?
Peas out, my homeboys, bring it!
A fat man in Saints Row. Needs more biscuits to reach the same “prowess” as mine.
