Splinter Cell: Double Agent -- Down to a Cutscene.

I have completed the offline single-player game of Splinter Cell: Double Agent. I earned all of the available achievements that are possible in the offline mode.  There are six-hundred set aside for the offline game, and four-hundred for the online multiplayer. I played the game on the hard difficulty setting, killed or saved all the right people, and earned the best ending, as well as collected all the right intelligence. Now Ubisoft sold Double Agent as there being the real possibility of Sam Fisher being a double agent. They set it up by having Fisher seemingly becoming more disenfranchised with the NSA which is then furthered by the death of his daughter. This is done by a set-piece in the first level, and a thirty seconds or so cutscene in between level one and level two. A cutscene narrated by Lambert that explains Sam Fisher's downward spiral and their strained relationship, and Lambert's hope that Fisher's taking on the mission to infiltrate a terrorist group will be what it takes to turn him around. The game then moves on to the premise that Fisher has been put in prison for the last six months so he can establish a relationship with one of the terrorists also imprisoned. The second level is their escape from prison. Which moves us to the terrorist group. The rest of the game plays out pretty much just like every other Splinter Cell title as Sam tries to walk the line between the needs of both groups. The game's concept pretty much remains a concept as far as practical application goes. For me anyway. I mean, the path is clear. It wasn't any level of shades of gray. It was black and white. It was obvious in the choices they presented me. I can imagine myself playing through the game again to see the outcome of the other paths, but I'd have to force those choices, as they're not something that would come natually. The game has three endings. The best ending sets up a direct sequel and literally teases that there are loose ends to tie up. The next Splinter Cell game is rumored to be subtitled Conviction. For me it's rather clear where it's going. The choice aspect of the double agent gimmick didn't really deliver as promised by Ubisoft. But for me, this is a good thing. I was worried about Sam Fisher essentially becoming a pussy. That hasn't happened, and should be clear from the ending that it isn't going to happen. The other side of the story, the actual story itself, I really liked. All of the Splinter Cell stories have been very tight and smartly told. This one is no exception. I was pleasantly surprised by a particular twist that's based on your actions as far as the actual story goes. They say it's a good thing to always leave them wanting more. I find myself wanting to know how this next one ends up. I'm sure I'll get around to checking out the online aspect of the game sometime soon... maybe...