Splinter Cell Chaos Theory Review Retrospective - Closer than ever

[@CriticalNobody]

An excellent overview of an excellent game

[@KIRKCOLLECTS]

Thank you so much! I'm really looking forward to your content on the future games!

[@RockingChode]

Fellow splinter cell brotherly love. Been enjoying both of y’all’s reviews on these games. Keep it up 👍

[@danielfinegan6717]

Thanks for the recommendation

[@GuyOnAChair]

We are a Splinter Cell. 😏

[@aquariuskudo]

Fancy seeing you here Critical.

[@BreiiisBreiiis]

Back then, the simple fact that Sam slowly reaches for his knife when enemies got close was blowing my mind. Such a nice immersive detail.

[@xxczerxx]

Still is imo. There's a level of polish to this game that is just unseen nowadays. The fact it still holds up as the best stealth game ever is remarkable. Most 3D games age like milk!

[@uzacki]

​@@xxczerxx im sorry mate, but it's definitely not the best stealth game to day.

[@xxczerxx]

@@uzacki I think so. Hitman for example still has a more simple stealth model.

[@SolorioV1]

@@uzacki stop hating Splinter cell you bum

[@Greenberet.]

i wonder how chaos theory would be with ray tracing today

[@MildlyUpsetMax]

The UAV in Seoul can be destroyed with the sniper-attachment. If you take the shot from the right spot, the guards won't even hear it.

[@ravens52raylewis87]

They can also be destroyed by the shotgun attachment if you’re close enough

[@MrFooFoo14]

Also the apc can be destroyed with a grenade or two into the hatch.

[@micaiahflores1592]

I’m a simple man I see someone doing a in-depth review/analysis of literally the Greatest stealth game ever created thank you No matter how many times the top is covered by so many people it’s still the best

[@k.w.6626]

I'm the same way

[@HyperTensionJohnny]

Welllll.... If you're interested...I have one, as well 🤷

[@vorbo01]

You didn't do the meme correctly

[@ahshahshajsa]

It's not that Sam doesn't care about Shetland's betrayal, it's just that the series is not interested in giving you sad melodramatic cinematics to show you that he cares. He first finds out Shetland's implicated in the Penthouse mission where he's willing to give him the benefit of the doubt despite Lambert suggesting he may be crooked. Then when he finds out Nedich is in charge of the Penthouse protection detail, he suggests that they tell Shetland about it but is shot down by Grimm and then follows up saying that he'll kill Nedich himself, bitter that his friend is apparently being played. He again brings up the idea of alerting Shetland in the Displace mission when he finds out Zherkezhi was relocated to Hokkaido under Nedich's orders. In the prelude to Hokkaido he basically does jeopardize opsec by telling Doug that he's after one of his men. It's not until he catches Doug red-handed that he actually resigns himself to the fact that he's a dangerous criminal who needs to be stopped. The original Splinter Gells were not interested in going down the route of your Metal Gears or even the other Splinter Cell installments post-Chaos Theory when it came to narrative. The Shetland saga is as close and personal as it gets. So I feel like it's a bit harsh to use the same metric that you'd use for those games. If it was any other game, Lambert bringing up how Shetland was a contender for the Splinter Cell program would have been clear foreshadowing that there would be a boss fight between him and Fisher but there isn't because the OG Splinter Cell was not interested in adhering to those rules. Chaos Theory and the previous games definitely could have benefited from better cutscene direction though, I'll give you that.

[@DeltaMike601]

This. Can' stand the 24 hamming the post chaos game's stories go through.

[@jericho1-4]

Truth be told I like the cutscenes and especially how vague they are on the overall games themselves it's in keeping with keeping them in the stealth genre and not going into full on FPS territory who seem to use cutscenes as a data dump about the future of the games story narrative, the way they are in SC it keeps the intrigue and covert nature of Third Echelon and its tension packed game play intact. In Double Agent they started to veer into another lane that end up with Conviction a decidedly non Splinter Cell esque type game. And your completely right about how impersonal most of what fisher does in the first three games really is which is why he is always cool cold and calculating as an overall character.

[@DarthDragon007]

I love the fact Sam "stabilises" Otomo by pulling out the thing that was keeping him from bleeding out. XD

[@iamgrey1989]

I loved the way you could knock people out but hold the knock out button and he would automatically swing the body straight on his shoulder, Quality of life.

[@mag1011]

YOU CAN!? Jesus, I've 100%ed this game and I didn't know that.

[@RainCloudVideos]

I’ve played the game so many times and never knew this

[@mohsinabdulshukur]

If you are from behind only Just like that you can also kill and hold button and dead enemy will be carried by sam

[@Chromeize]

Probably the greatest soundtrack ever put to a game. Never in my life have I heard a soundtrack so fitting and tonally perfect in a game. That is exactly what stealth should sound like. I could talk for days about how much I love Chaos Theory.

[@opetrikg]

I listen to the Chaos Theory OST whenever I play a match of Call of Duty Warzone

[@NachturnalOne]

Amon Tobin!

[@MrAST834]

yup, Amon Tobin really made this game unique

[@NEELZE99]

Nah, Assassins Creed 2 and Hitman 2 Silent Assassin take that Spot.

[@AndrewWoroniecki]

The effort this video took to put together deserves something more than just a comment of praise. Thank you.

[@KIRKCOLLECTS]

Thank you so much Andrew! That is super kind of you. I had a ton of fun making this video and allowing myself to get obsessed (again) with one of my favorite stealth titles. It was rewarding to make but even more rewarding people like yourself enjoyed it so much. Thank you again for the donation and comments! It means a lot.

[@ClickNothing]

Proud to see people still diving deep into this game over 15 years later. Thanks!

[@Loadernator123]

Clint I hope you realise that you made my childhood with this game. I speak for everyone when I say that we need more Splinter Cell in the style of which Chaos Theory was made.

[@norbertsrodka9953]

Hopefully you can provid some top tips and best ideas to people that make the new remake. Please ensure they dont fuck this up! We hope you will help them despite not being on the project! We need SC back in style!!!!

[@kalashnikid47]

Hey Clint, since it’s 20 years splinter cell anniversary, could you do a review of the game too? Would love to see your input on it.

[@007megaoof]

You also designed this game?

[@dat1niceguy304]

I hope one day you return to the Splinter Cell series! We definitely need a new proper one made by the original fantastic developers.

[@Art3Onyx]

A little detail you missed when talking about choice in "Displace", is that if you're quick enough, you can actually hack the Briefcase from the vent above the conference room, so technically you can get the code before you even enter the building.

[@pjf674]

It says a lot about the game that there are so many little interactions like this that can go unnoticed even by players who know the game inside and out. There's an alternate path in the last level where you can climb the big statue in the lobby. I disnt discover it until my jillionth playthrough.

[@InfiniteBeak]

I literally played it today and if you angle it just right you can hack it without even opening the ceiling grate

[@jgalla5549]

I appreciate the actual attention to detail you gave in this. Lot of people don't notice these things, that "Closer Than Ever" section perfectly describes why CT's controls are so good, and how Blacklist's are so awful since it does the absolute opposite of what CT did, and no one seems to ever notice or care about that.

[@hauntedhotdog]

It's incredible how good that first level still looks all these years later. The whole game holds up remarkably well.

[@xxczerxx]

It's one of the best aging 3D games ever. Super Mario 64, Jet Set Radio, THPS 2/3/4 and Chaos Theory will always be timeless.

[@1andOnlyKB]

​@@xxczerxxdoes it play well on the series x bro?

[@xBINARYGODx]

@@1andOnlyKB it doth play well, now make daddy happy and get playing.... naked!

[@TheDarkWizard666]

Of course.

[@tavish4699]

It definitely was made to show off all the new stuff they added You start off on a beach with water coming in and there is a random lamp post throwing an ominous shadow

[@goldblazesk]

As someone who's trying to make a stealth game inspired by Chaos Theory, hearing all the small details like with the camera is just blowing my mind and really makes me realise why the gameplay felt so smooth and satisfying.

[@KIRKCOLLECTS]

Definitely a good game to study!

[@vinysplash3735]

Aye no lie I would most definitely play your stealth game ps you got to add an Easter egg to this review video maybe have like a guard watch it and say :wow dude could you imagine some guy sneaking through here man I would could only imagine and the main character says quietly yeah could only imagine

[@Luca_Talis]

Update?

[@goldblazesk]

@@Luca_Talis Not going to lie, I've been trying to work with it for a while but it's been hard around work. I got the light-based detection system done, just need to tweak a few things with it because of some weird quirks with Unity itself. Things like shadows cast by a certain kind of light now affecting the light meter.

[@YipJason]

I like that unlike other youtubers, you take breaks in between talking about levels instead of stuffing all of them into one long level design section. it makes the audience less bored and makes the video more engaging.

[@Seemlypseudonym]

I love that you highlighted the interplay with Sam’s support team - the tone they found for it was so perfect - they sound like people at work: casually asking for things, making light banter with each other, griping and complaining - it just so happens that their job is international espionage - that’s the level these people work at - where they can work calmly and enjoy their colleagues while navigating tense situations and making life and death decisions - compared to the cartoonish 24-lite stylings of Black List, Chaos Theory had a believable, relatable tone that just so happened to deal with impossible subjects

[@ChickenShackIRL]

"Maria Narcissa." "You're not trying to set me up on another blind date, I hope." "The Maria Narcissa is a boat..." "So was the last girl you set me up with." Undefeated character banter.

[@ElTigre12024]

The dialogue was one of the best aspects of Chaos Theory.

[@harvoc94]

i comeback to CT every year. Its just a special game. True Masterpiece

[@Alcarinqe]

Me too

[@iamgoiamgo9569]

Same

[@k.w.6626]

same

[@Xxandrew01]

Same. It truly is the goat of the entire Splinter Cell series. Let's pray that the Splinter Cell Remake takes from it and NOT games like Conviction or Blacklist.

[@xxczerxx]

​@@Xxandrew01 Absolutely. It's insane that the stealth mechanics and AI are still the best ever put into a third person videogame. To me it shows that modern games development has completely focused on the wrong things. More devs should have focused on what CT did right and improved it.

[@XoriginalXBOXguidesX]

This is the most in depth retrospective of Chaos Theory, which is one of my favorite (if not favorite) games of all time. An absolute masterpiece. Thank you! Quick note: In the Seoul mission, the UAVs can be destroyed by using the sniper attachment, but of course the noise...

[@johncurlesuk]

I've watched through all your Splinter Cell retrospectives an embarrassing amount of times, you did a great job on them!

[@adonisvillain]

7:30 omg. Wtf? How this technical masterpiece possible? Incredible movement system

[@justinascencio832]

I was one of those players that never noticed the camera, but now that it has been pointed out to me, it seems glaringly obvious. Your description of the closer than ever system is the exact reason why I love this game but could never put into words. This is easily the best Chaos Theory Review/Retrospective/Analysis/Video Essay that I have seen to date.

[@pinktastic2shoe191]

After discovering the rest of Amon Tobin's work (albeit after finding a single song of his on spotify... in like 2018...), it somehow led me down a rabbit hole of this game series that I knew minimalistic knowledge of, only to become infatuated with this specific game, solely for the soundtrack, and I wanted to thank you for using the CORRECT song to finish off this wonderful review! TLDR: Thank you for specifically using the objectively best song in the entire OST (Ruthless Reprise) for the end credits

[@MRFLAPPYTREE]

Amon Tobin made one of the coolest soundtracks ever made. It's so perfect for the games atmosphere

[@jessm3728]

Probably the most in-depth overview I've ever had the pleasure of watching on my favorite game. Thank you so much for this! Also so happy you mentioned the soundtrack...Amon Tobin did an excellent job (id say best videogame soundtrack to this date). Earned a very well-deserved sub from me!

[@KIRKCOLLECTS]

Glad you enjoyed it and thank you for the sub! Yeah I wanted to take the time to mention Amon Tobin because I do feel like this is one of the best gaming soundtracks that people don't talk about.

[@EdwardMichael3]

Sam’s lethal animation when approaching from behind is driving a knife into the targets back with his knee At least I think it is… you’re right to say it’s super confusing

[@nishikantpanda8211]

23:42 This, this right here was my first ever out of the box AI manipulation in a stealth video game

[@olsmellyknuckles9653]

Thanks for reminding me of Bob and Steve, that was my first introduction to Splinter Cell as a kid

[@Sammy-jt7wp]

Easily amongst my favorite games of all time, I remember being blown away by the animations, music, and how much fun stealthing around was.

[@KillaGandhi]

This game still has the best camera mechanics I've seen to date.

[@SleepyGuardian_]

There were actually a couple really funny glitches you could do in the coop that I discovered. If you're hacking or lock picking have your teammate sticky shocker you and you can literally ghost through the whole level, as in you separate your soul from your body and can now go about haunting all the guards with no consequences. Another glitch that combos hilariously well with the previous is the infamous "piggyback" from spies vs mercs, although you do it a little differently. If you grab a guard and have your coop partner jump on you it'll attach the guard to your body. You can run and perform actions freely as if you weren't holding anyone but the guard will be stuck to you and be stuck in the grab animation. Perform the piggyback, then get sticky shocked while hacking/picking and you can make it look like there's a rogue guard going around telepathically killing/KOing all his comrades. Dunno if anyone else has ever heard of this or not, as far as I know I'm the only one besides the friends I've shown.

[@silentsmokeNIN]

Was the first game I ever played online, spies vs mercs was insanely fun. I used to listen to the soundtrack when I would sneak out of my parents house and run around at night. It was also my burglar music when they kicked me out lol.

[@ROS1101]

I’ve watched this video at least 20 times now and honestly it has to be not only my favourite but one of the best videos on KZbin ever! The way it is edited, the way you’ve put clips together for the music. The way you’ve reviewed the game but showed gameplay and spoke about how it improved on the previous while showing footage of the originals. This video is chefs kiss!

[@AndrewWoroniecki]

What an absolutely fantastic review. It is clear that you spent a lot of time and effort to put this together and I hope that it was worth it because I enjoyed it very much. The credit given to the movement and camera mechanics especially stood out to me as the hidden element in the game that causes the game to endear itself to so many people yet nobody really realizes, and you absolutely nailed explaining why it's so special. Furthermore it's a credit to the level designers that even in the portions where you highlighted clever alternate paths to tackling environment navigation, I was sitting here saying things like, "there are other paths even yet!" - for instance in the Kokubo Sosho level there's a different hidden path that gets you in a completely different way hidden in the far back of the long red tunnel you begin at, letting you bypass the lobby entirely - or another in the Displace level where you don't even have to wirelessly hack the executive's briefcase, but can get that objective from a computer in the gym area, letting you bypass the executive altogether - the brilliance of this game still impresses me all these years and several dozen play-throughs later. A true masterpiece.

[@felisasininus1784]

At the very beginning of the Displace mission, before even dropping down into the presentation room, shoot out the light behind you, then open the ceiling trap door, they will get slightly alarmed (at least on the highest difficulty), but they won't spot you because you shot out the light. And right then and there, you can remote hack the laptop briefcase on the ground, and finish that objective before even properly entering the office building.

[@mohsinabdulshukur]

You dont have to open the vent You can do it through the gaps of vent

[@felisasininus1784]

@@mohsinabdulshukur Huh, thanks for the intel. lol

[@WoodEe-zq6qv]

BOB AND STEVE REFERENCE? subscribed. Unbelievable.

[@kevinsteel7875]

I wish I could experience this game for the first time again, the experience coupled with Amon Tobin's incredible dynamic soundtrack was seamless and near perfect. One of Ubisoft's best, without a doubt. It's been a long time they released a banger like this. Let's pray SC1 remake comes close to this level of detail and passion of developer involvment.

[@Twisted_Logic]

Damn. Over an hour of Kirk talking Splinter Cell? You spoil us

[@negsterarchive7911]

chaos theory is among the gaming goats, the ambassador for the stealth genre

[@MattRandomnumber]

I really like how you structured thus video. Putting short breakdowns of each level between the larger discussion feels like progressing theu the game.

[@matteobrunello8067]

57:50 the drone can be destroyed with sniper attachment from the assault loadout. That specific section got me choosing this loadout for this reason

[@MrAST834]

i must have rewatched the transition at 0:36 a hundred times, so good. Man i love this game so much, it makes me feel a certain way that no other video game has made me feel, over the years since.

[@andrewa837]

Wow. What an amazing review - the segment on the camera alone was worth a watch. Every single edit and sound piece used was perfect here!

[@mononoke721]

I've played this game several times over the years since it's release as it's one of my favourites to revisit, but I've never noticed some of the subtle little details regarding the stealth mechanics with the controls and camera, but it helps explain why Chaos Theory feels and plays the best of all the Splinter Cells in terms of pure stealth gameplay. Some really sharp analysis here, great work!

[@impetuousharp20]

Fun fact, you can actually destroy the UAV drones with the sniper attachment in Seoul Pt2.

[@totallynotabot6003]

Shotgun too

[@impetuousharp20]

@@totallynotabot6003 true, but it's a little tricky with the shotgun attachment.

[@DarthDragon007]

Actually, you can destroy those UAVs in the Seoul mission. You need to use the Sniper Rifle attachment though.

[@tomsko863]

The difference between your good videos and your great videos is that in your great ones it sounds like you are having a lot more fun. The AXE flamethrower joke, 38:47, and others make the video a joy to watch rather than just another well-researched, in-depth, video essay. I also found you have a knack for using music creatively. Like in the Intro and I swear you had a section with multiple lethal kills and shotgun shots put to music but I can't find it now. Those things break it up and make the video more of a fun experience rather than a video. It as good to watch. Good job

[@Moe_Lester_fromUptwn]

I still catch myself humming that El Cargo guitar theme. Amon Tobin's ost made this game imo.

[@zandernewson9933]

35:00 that’s so funny, because in the U.K., Axe is called Lynx, and so I never knew this was product placement until much later.

[@nanosmiizadjestominanosue6913]

played all of the splinter cell games and since i love blacklist i think chaos theory is just a gem.. you got that feel while playing it that i cant explain. (i dont count conviction as splinter cell game)

[@Bxud]

Thank you for this video, it was me and my brother's childhood favorite and I'm happy to see such an in depth video on it. I actually played it through again a few months back and loved it, but I'm happy to watch a video giving it the praise it deserves.

[@toadkiller6022]

Ah I see you are a man of culture as well. One of my favorite games of all time. Somehow its always fun to see someone cover the classics. Great, now I feel like replaying it AGAIN.

[@theblobconsumes4859]

This is probably my favorite video of yours. Incredibly well-edited and scripted. This game is spectacular, one of the best stealth games ever made. On top of that, the soundtrack is awesome. The bank track is my favorite, by far. Such jazzy perfection. Spies vs. Mercs has always been a great factor of this series to me.

[@TheDarkWizard666]

Great Analysis, great game, I grew up with Chaos Theory man, great intro too, nice edits with the music bro, I digged that.

[@LevisH21]

the sniper rifle is so damn powerful in this game that you can actually destroy UAV drones with a single shot in the Seoul mission. it is simply amazing. and the Seoul mission itself is pretty damn good. you can go full Rambo with it because this is a warzone afterall. kill some NKA soldiers. and destroy the two IFVs with frag grenades.

[@JD-mo9nn]

so much respect to you man, fkn phenominal editing, i think the pay off of Sam saying "medals dont help me sleep at night" really makes the whole situation worth it

[@LtLongle]

I honestly never noticed/gave the camera the appreciation it deserved but holy... now that you mention it. Better than 90% of games released today.

[@LoR0451]

My favorite video you've done so far Kirk. Excellent stuff as always, but this just has that.....something

[@LovevonMelenEkman]

Oh god I’d forgotten this game has an Amon Tobin soundtrack 🫠

[@b33byt3]

greatest stealth game of all time, GREAT video! really well-put together and the breakdown of the "closer than ever" mechanic was actually blowing my mind. this and your double agent one made me sub (only 15 minutes into the double agent one because I immediately decided to set up an xbox emulator so I could play that version lol)!

[@Stevenssapiens]

31:34 actually the voice team who doubed the game for the Spanish version, did a pretty good job mimicking the Acent from Latinoamerica (in the Peru mission) al though they were from Spain

[@gringobronx7670]

On the series x all the splinter cells are in 4k, they look amazing

[@SbeveAmogus]

Impeccable video. I'm glad I found this channel

[@ciege5109]

Love the video. Glad you and Critical Nobody are showing this series some much needed love (fingers crossed Raycevick throws his hat in the ring as well). I have a different opinion on your "Act of defiance" section, specifically Lambert's response. You say the writing for Lamber wasn't good here and I would disagree. On face value it sounds shitty, for sure as you stated, but looking at it from Lambert's perspective it makes sense. At that point in the game Third Echelon has been on the back foot for this investigation and the world as at the brink of war. "Fisher, if I can't throw the joint chiefs a bone we'll be at war in the next 24." Per the cutscene before the Seoul mission nukes are on the table if the situation escalates. The tension has been rising to this moment. Sam has the data that could exonerate the both South and North Korea and he needs to get out of the area before it is recovered by NKA forces. All that is to say that from Lambert's point of view Fisher is the most important person in field in that moment. Commanding from the safety of an armchair 100's of miles away, Lambert can and always has been detached from the situations he's put Fisher in. He's playing 4D chess and is always looking at the bigger picture, and this situation is basically the Trolley Problem on a larger scale. NKA forces are closing in on the downed plane and its data. It needs to be destroyed yesterday. Fisher taking the time to move men, who might die anyway, is in effect using up valuable time to save billions from nuclear war to save 2 people, is giving Lambert a heart attack. "Fisher, if you compromise this mission for these men..." "You don't even exist Fisher... you can't get a medel for this." This line, for me, isn't so much about the medal. It's more of him attacking Fisher's human instinct to be the hero, when he needs cold rationalization. That line sounds more like it's stemming from smoldering anger, than pure calculation. He knows Sam doesn't give a shit about the medal, but it's a light jab to remind Sam what their purpose is in this fight. Another point is this isn't the first time this kind of interaction is seen in this game. In the Lighthouse mission, when Sam confirms Morganholt is dead the player has the option to cut him down. Again, a moral choice that has no affect on gameplay or the story. "Fisher, I said leave the body... We don't have the means to extract him." "Just because he's dead doesn't mean I have to leave him here, hanging like a piece of meat." "Don't get too connected Fisher. I need you to stay rational." "You can spare thirty seconds for some simple dignity." The rational choice was to airstrike the plane ASAP, with the pilots in the killzone. Sam spared time to move the pilots to safety to spare them the indignity of dying to friendly fire.

[@chank2626]

Best review I've seen on this game. going to pick it up tonight

[@JoshuaTarvin]

I'm not sure any game will ever capture me the way Splinter Cell did when I was a kid. I fell in love with the original, but Chaos Theory will forever be one of my top games ever played. I'd give a kidney to have a completely remastered CT, but honestly, it's amazing how well it still holds up in 2024. Thanks for the deep dive!

[@TheSion40k]

35:09 Ah see I never realised that was product placement as a child because that product is called Lynx over in the UK.

[@richieh2006]

25:50 Bravo editing! 😂👏🏻🤟🏻

[@WaddleDee105]

Beautiful review! Probably the best video about Chaos Theory I've seen. Hoping you cover the later games as well.

[@OG_Gamer_Hoff]

I loved Splinter Cell since I saw the first trailer for it. I have played every entry in the series. Chaos Theory will always be my favorite one. I loved the Bank level the most. I was able to 100% every level and felt like that was my greatest gaming achievement lol. I would watch Extended Play, and later X-Play every day after school. I loved the Bob and Steve skits. I was bummed, because I never had anyone in my friend group that liked Splinter Cell. So, I never got to play Co-Op with anyone. This was a great review and it urges me to go back to play the series again!

[@DAYMAND3R3552]

I know this is one of your older videos but just wanted to say fantastic work. Chaos Theory is my favourite game of all time. Can’t wait for the remake 🙏🏻

[@Brickhouse917]

Great job on this, man. Love these deep dive videos on great games like these!

[@BastiaenAssassin]

Beautiful review. I have to correct you on one small point having just replayed Pandora Tomorrow: while the half split jump was added in Pandora Tomorrow, the full split jump is also present. Which maneuver you perform depends on the width of the alley/ hallway.

[@noodles9345]

One thing I always liked about the theme of Splinter Cell is the idea that if you are identified/captured (lore wise) the U.S./Third Echelon will NOT come for you. They deny your existence. If you mess up, its up to you to find a way out or die. The mission is more important than you are. I feel like many stealth games these days don't have that type of atmosphere in it. It also presents an opportunity for storytelling with ideas over individual lives, the goals of a government, and the will of the people. I wish more games explored ideas like this.

[@salem2772]

Man have I been waiting for this and you certainly delivered. The first retrospective made me subscribe and I am glad I did. Stupendous work on your end.

[@Owen1699]

These are the type of YT videos that I love! I hope you get a ton of recognition for this video, you deserve it. A great look back at a classic Splinter Cell game. I played through each one last year from start to finish and Chaos Theory is definitely one of the standouts of the whole series. So nostalgic!

[@gencegemen]

Chaos Theory is one of the best games I have ever played 👍Thanks for the review .Have a great day

[@lionocyborg6030]

I know about the Manhattan level from Essentials. Dvorak in that game is a little different, being in an earlier part of the level, the room is differently designed, there’s regular guards inside instead of the caretaker and you hack into a regular terminal of sorts the usual way instead of playing with punch cards. Sam & Grimsdotter have slightly different initial dialog when you find it.

[@SlySxr]

Bro, my dude at 11:32 was already sleeping, why did he need a head bonk? 😂 that had me laughing more than it should’ve.

[@ChrisWTube]

I have a few things I really want to see regarding controls for the remake of one. These examples are designed to be provide deep, intuitive and immersive control that avoids conflicting actions when you need precision (using xbox buttons)- Y=interact, pick lock or stealth open door, push Y again or double tap a closed door=fully open it or break the lock, back up while peeking=stealth close. Hold Y=carry body. B=crouch, hold B enters a crawl space. X=check ammo in mag. XX=switch mag. HoldX=check enemy for ammo/intel. A=climb,vault,split jump,rappelling jump. While rappel jumping- RT=smash through window, LT=aim. Hold down=use snake cam. Down=toggle sticky cam view. LS=wall hug/cover, invert sam while rappelling, raise legs while pipe hanging. RS=swap aiming shoulder, swat turn. toggle lethal/non-lethal cqc in radial menu, like Blacklist. RT=fire while aiming, cqc & drop attack. Hold RT briefly=grab enemy, RT again to ko/kill (can combo into a body carry with Hold Y a bit like Dishonored). RT=bash door,break window. While carrying a body- Y=interact HoldY=place body RT=drop or hide body LB=gadget/grenade use. LB,LB=drop grenade at feet like Blacklist multiplayer. VIEW=interrogate a grabbed enemy. Hold VIEW=whistle.

[@Peylix]

Loved this video essay review. CT was an always will remain my favorite in the franchise. I remember being so excited for it to release, and the demo disc from March 2005 edition of Xbox Mag. I played that Lighthouse mission over & over & over for months until I saved up enough to buy my copy of the full game. To the point where I could 100% it speedrunning. Lighthouse also is my favorite out of the entire game. Apart from everything you covered here. The other shining aspect of CT that I hold dear is the co-op. I played co-op with my best friend almost as much as the single player replays. We had so much fun going about those missions in every angle you can think of. From trying to go full stealth, to just running around trying to find the funniest ways to dispatch the enemies and even ourselves. So many fun nights playing co-op. I hope the next title brings the franchise back to it's roots. Blacklist took a step in the right direction at least. We can only hope that the remaster/remake serves well enough to show Ubi that this franchise still has pull from fans. But I just don't trust modern day Ubi. So I'm keeping my expectations tempered immensely.

[@Aceimus1066]

I felt compelled to subscribe. Awesome SC reviews.

[@HELLO1110able]

I’m a little late here but something to point out the missions have information to collect like door codes from interrogations. The levels are made for trial and error and if you learn something from the last run you can bypass a hurtle to reach 100%. Always thought it was neat to treat it like a rouge like to find something fisher would never know on your current run to feel like a speed runner

[@DJordydj]

I'm SOOOO into Amon Tobin's soundtrack. It was somrthing I had never heard before in my life and since then I've ben a huuuuge fan of his music. Definetely that was a before and after. Also, the totally next gen graphics, the ambience, the mechanics... it's a masterpiece that still holds on till this date. I wish the remake has nothing of the games that came after Chaos Theory.

[@Moe_Lester_fromUptwn]

Yep. Talented composer.

[@Relentless1307]

57:30 the drones can be destroyed with one bullet from the sniper rifle 😁

[@drunkemonke1995]

The VA who delivered Grim’s “uh, dude, what does that even mean?” line deserves a medal. That was so unexpected 😂

[@originalKashman-pg1kz]

I play every splinter cell as a ghost no knock outs unless it’s absolutely necessary. Leave no trace and not being perceived. Makes the game more fun and challenging.

[@Jetmech145]

The UAV's can be taken down with the 20mm sniper attachment. It's loud but saves a lot of headaches.

[@waywardlaser]

Still insane to me this is from 2005. Easily one of the best games of its era and a top tier stealth title. Got it for sale on Series X and it was like the best $10 I ever spent.

[@cartmanofsp]

this game is incredible, music, atmosphere, graphics, all a perfect package. It's coming up on two decades old next year and it hasn't aged in my opinion

[@Synthetic_Strigiforme]

For anyone who didn't know, you actually can destroy the UAVs with the sniper attachment. And since they don't count as kills, as long as no one's around to hear the gunshot and subsequent explosion, you can still maintain a 100% mission rating, if you're going for that. Edit: You can also destroy the tanks by lobbing a frag grenade down into the top hatch. That'll count against you though, since it kills the guy inside. It might be possible to knock out the soldier, drag him away from the tank, and then destroy it, but at that point, it's probably more trouble than it's worth. Destroying all the tanks in the Seoul mission does fulfill a bonus objective, though.

[@Rimland23]

I might be wrong (been a while since I played the mission), but I think killing the soldier in the APC using the grenade method actually doesn´t count against 100% (as long as he dies specifically during the APC explosion)

[@dillonsnyder1172]

The best stealth game to this day. I have owned the game in one form or another since it came out, I have no idea how many hours I've played, but it's a significant number. The game has huge replay value. It takes a consummate professional to ace Kokubo Sosho on Expert difficulty.

[@matthewwilliams3827]

These games were so cool. The actual stealth ones, that is

[@middleagedmutantninjaturtle18]

one of the best games ever. its flawless. Ubisoft will not come even close to this level again

[@MatheusCostaaCosta]

I've always interpreted Lambert's medal remark to mean "you're doing this even though you know you can't get a medal... you're something else".

[@vanilla3464]

You made my week dude, thank you for this.

[@KIRKCOLLECTS]

Of course! Thank you for watching!

[@sarajevo_]

I think this is gonna be a good video. Thanks for uploading man.

[@BigB70]

Im envious of the timeline where this team got to tackle the tenchu IP. Good show 💪

[@jayceneal5273]

great review! this game is easily one of the contenders for my top 3 favorite games of all time. I hope you can get to the other games in the series as well

[@telophasemusic]

This game. Goddamn, lol. Hand on heart one of my favorite singleplayer games I've ever played. Everything about it is just so well done. The overall atmosphere, the story, ost (especially the song Battery) the gameplay, voice acting---bro even the game's color palette. I could go on all day about Chaos Theory lmao. While Double Agent and Conviction were ok, they're nowhere near this one. Im a bit worried about the new one in the works, as all recent Ubisoft games sorta just bleed into each other. I don't think ive loved one of their mainline releases since Assassin's Creed Brotherhood. Seeing Sam pop up in the last two Ghost Recon releases was nice, but when he got announced as a Siege operator i was like "oh...oh nooo, that's not good." Who's to say how it'll go. Will it simply be a re-skin of Watch Dogs Legion? God, i hope not. But with ubi prioritizing big open maps with a ton of collectables and towers to climb as the mainstay, im a lil worried

[@brentbarrus9754]

For all the reasons you mentioned, this game became a mainstay in the game rotation throughout my childhood. And now, more than a decade later, the mere mention of this game makes me smile ear to ear. Damn.