Getting through the single-player game will take about eight to 10 hours, but the majority of the replay value can be found in Double Agent's impressive multiplayer gameplay, which builds on the spies-versus-mercenaries mode introduced in earlier Splinter Cell games. Basically, a match can pit three players playing as nimble spies against the other three players who are playing as heavily armed mercenaries. The spies have no weapons but are armed with high-tech espionage gear, and their job is to hack into certain computer terminals to steal their secrets. Meanwhile, the mercenaries have to do everything they can to prevent this from happening. What makes the multiplayer in Double Agent better than its predecessors is the focused nature of the map design and the further differentiation of the spies from Sam Fisher.
Like in the single-player game, spies are played from a third-person perspective. However, the spies in multiplayer are a lot faster and nimbler than Sam. They also have their own moves, like being able to jam the mercenaries' weapons. While unarmed, the spies can still take out mercenaries if they can sneak up behind them and get them in a choke hold or can land on their heads. To play as a spy, you've got to think and move fast because stealth is your major advantage over the mercenaries. However, the moment you try to hack into a terminal, the alarms will go off, which means that the mercenaries will come running your way. The mercenaries, on the other hand, are a bit more mobile than before. You play as the mercenaries from a traditional first-person shooter perspective, but now you can rappel down lines and slam spies to the ground with a head-butt or with your rifle. It makes for a tense, fast-paced cat-and-mouse game. Double Agent's multiplayer is further enhanced by a cooperative mode that lets you play with others as spies against mercenaries controlled by artificial intelligence. Additionally, there are rewards for long-term play, which come in the form of unlockable outfits.
Multiplayer offers up plenty of tense cat-and-mouse gameplay.
Earlier Splinter Cell games in the series tended to look better on the Xbox than the PlayStation 2 since the series was built around the more powerful hardware of the former. Because current-generation consoles are comparable in power, it's not surprising that the PS3 version of Double Agent looks almost as good as the Xbox 360 version, though there are some issues. For instance, the PS3 version lacks some of the complex lighting and shadowing effects that were put to great use in the Xbox 360 version, immersing you in the gloom. Meanwhile, night vision lacks the warm, glowing amplification of lights seen in the Xbox 360 version, and the PS3 version doesn't have some of the 360 version's particle effects, such as smoke plumes. Both versions also suffer from long loading times, as well as a struggling frame rate at times (which struggles a bit harder on the PS3). The good news is that both versions still feature the unmistakable voice of Michael Ironside as Fisher and the voice of Dennis Haysbert as Fisher's NSA boss, Irving Lambert. As you've come to expect from the series, the voice acting is solid, as is the music, which amplifies when things get hairy and retreats once the coast is clear.
Though it's not quite as sharp as the Xbox 360 version, the PS3 version of Double Agent is still a great game. Ubisoft has managed to craft a well-rounded package that features the series' signature stealth action gameplay, along with a rich and enjoyable multiplayer suite and some impressive visuals. And while Sam likes to grumble a lot in the game about how he's getting too old for all of this, Double Agent proves that there's plenty of life left in the franchise.
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