''Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory'' is a

stealth game A stealth game is a type of video game in which the player primarily uses ''stealth'' to avoid or overcome opponents. Games in the genre typically allow the player to remain undetected by hiding, sneaking, or using disguises. Some games allow th ...

developed by

Ubisoft Montreal Ubisoft Divertissements Inc., doing business as Ubisoft Montreal, is a Canadian video game developer and a studio of Ubisoft based in Montreal. The studio was founded in April 1997 as part of Ubisoft's growth into worldwide markets, with s ...

and

Ubisoft Milan Ubisoft is a French video game publisher headquartered in Montreuil, founded in March 1986 by the Guillemot brothers. Since its establishment, Ubisoft has become one of the largest video game publishers, and it has the largest in-house developme ...

and released in March 2005 for the

Xbox Xbox is a video gaming brand created and owned by Microsoft. The brand consists of five video game consoles, as well as applications (games), streaming services, an online service by the name of Xbox network, and the development arm by th ...

, PlayStation 2 (PS2),

GameCube The is a home video game console developed and released by Nintendo in Japan on September 14, 2001, in North America on November 18, 2001, and in PAL territories in 2002. It is the successor to the Nintendo 64 (1996), and predecessor of the W ...

and Microsoft Windows. Handheld versions for the Nintendo DS,

mobile Mobile may refer to: Places * Mobile, Alabama, a U.S. port city * Mobile County, Alabama * Mobile, Arizona, a small town near Phoenix, U.S. * Mobile, Newfoundland and Labrador Arts, entertainment, and media Music Groups and labels * Mobile ...

, and N-Gage were also released. A

Game Boy Advance The (GBA) is a 32-bit handheld game console developed, manufactured and marketed by Nintendo as the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001, in North America on June 11, 2001, in the PAL region on June 22, 2 ...

port was planned but later cancelled. ''Chaos Theory'' is the third game in the ''

Splinter Cell ''Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell'' is a series of stealth action-adventure video games, the first of which was released in 2002, and their tie-in novels that were endorsed by Tom Clancy. The series follows Sam Fisher, a highly trained agent of a ...

'' series endorsed by novelist

Tom Clancy Thomas Leo Clancy Jr. (April 12, 1947 – October 1, 2013) was an American novelist. He is best known for his technically detailed espionage and military-science storylines set during and after the Cold War. Seventeen of his novels have ...

. As with previous entries in the franchise, ''Chaos Theory'' follows the activities of Sam Fisher, an agent working for a covert-ops branch within the

NSA The National Security Agency (NSA) is a national-level intelligence agency of the United States Department of Defense, under the authority of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI). The NSA is responsible for global monitoring, collectio ...

called "Third Echelon". The game has a significantly darker tone than its predecessors, featuring more combat and the option for Fisher to kill people he interrogates instead of merely knocking them out. As a result, it was the first ''Splinter Cell'' game to receive an M-rating by the

ESRB The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) is a self-regulatory organization that assigns age and content ratings to consumer video games in the United States and Canada. The ESRB was established in 1994 by the Entertainment Software Asso ...

, an assessment which has since been applied to all subsequent releases in the series. Actor

Michael Ironside Frederick Reginald Ironside (born February 12, 1950), known as Michael Ironside, is a Canadian actor, producer, director, and screenwriter. He is known for playing villains and "tough guy" heroes, and has also portrayed sympathetic characters. E ...

reprised his role as Fisher. Don Jordan returned from the original game to voice Third Echelon director Irving Lambert, and Claudia Besso returned as the hacker and analyst Anna Grímsdóttir, having both been replaced by

Dennis Haysbert Dennis Dexter Haysbert (born June 2, 1954) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as baseball player Pedro Cerrano in the '' Major League'' film trilogy, Secret Service agent Tim Collin in the political thriller film '' Absolute Power'' ...

and Adriana Anderson, respectively, in '' Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow''. ''Chaos Theory'' was a commercial success, selling 2.5 million units across all platforms within a month of its release. The Xbox and PC versions of the game received critical acclaim; the GameCube and PlayStation 2 iterations were also released to generally positive reviews. ''

Official Xbox Magazine ''Official Xbox Magazine'' (or OXM for short) was a British monthly video game magazine which started in November 2001 around the launch of the original Xbox. A preview issue was released at E3 2001, with another preview issue in November 2001. ...

'' named it the Xbox "Game of the Year" (2005) for its strong gameplay and lifelike graphics. It is considered one of the

greatest video games ever made This is a list of video games that multiple reputable video game journalists or magazines have considered to be among the best of all time. The games listed here are included on at least six separate "best/greatest of all time" lists from differ ...

. A remastered HD edition was bundled with the first two games of the series as part of the ''Splinter Cell Trilogy'' for the

PlayStation 3 The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. The successor to the PlayStation 2, it is part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. It was first released on Novemb ...

, released on December 20, 2010. Another port titled ''Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell 3D'' was released for the

Nintendo 3DS The is a handheld game console produced by Nintendo. It was announced in March 2010 and unveiled at E3 2010 as the successor to the Nintendo DS. The system features backward compatibility with Nintendo DS video games. As an eighth-generati ...

on March 25, 2011.

Gameplay

The game features significant changes and improvements to the series' basic gameplay. ''Chaos Theory'' is also the first game in the ''Splinter Cell'' series to use

ragdoll physics Ragdoll physics is a type of procedural animation used by physics engines, which is often used as a replacement for traditional static death animations in video games and animated films. As computers increased in power, it became possible to do ...

. ''Chaos Theory'' features refined stealth mechanics. In addition to the standard light bar, the game also features an aural monitor that measures Sam's noise, along with the ambient noise of the environment. It is important for Sam to make less noise than his surroundings; otherwise, the enemy guards will hear him. The AI detection has been altered as well. After Sam left an area in former titles, the game would sweep the previous area for all unconscious or dead bodies in a well-lit spot. If any were found, an alarm would be triggered. In ''Chaos Theory'', the bodies must be discovered by a patrolling guard or security camera to trigger an alarm. This enables players to leave bodies lying out in the open, and, as long as the player has eliminated all NPCs and disabled all cameras, no alarms will be triggered. Being spotted by enemies will still trigger alarms, and alarms will still cause enemies to become more alert and combat-ready (such as causing them to wear

ballistic vest A bulletproof vest, also known as a ballistic vest or a bullet-resistant vest, is an item of body armor that helps absorb the impact and reduce or stop penetration to the torso from firearm-fired projectiles and fragmentation from explosions. Th ...

s and

helmets A helmet is a form of protective gear worn to protect the head. More specifically, a helmet complements the skull in protecting the human brain. Ceremonial or symbolic helmets (e.g., a policeman's helmet in the United Kingdom) without prote ...

). However, triggering too many alarms will no longer cause the game to end automatically. Even killing civilians or friendly soldiers may not cause Fisher to fail the mission, although doing so will at least cause Fisher to be severely chastised by his superior and cost him significantly his mission score, as well as cancelling some mission objectives, such as tapping phone lines and locating

covert listening device A covert listening device, more commonly known as a bug or a wire, is usually a combination of a miniature radio transmitter with a microphone. The use of bugs, called bugging, or wiretapping is a common technique in surveillance, espionage ...

s. ''Chaos Theory'' adds a

combat knife A combat knife is a fighting knife designed solely for military use and primarily intended for hand-to-hand or close combat fighting.Peterson, Harold L., ''Daggers and Fighting Knives of the Western World'', Courier Dover Publications, , (20 ...

to Sam's

close-quarters combat Close-quarters combat (CQC) or close-quarters battle (CQB) is a tactical situation that involves a physical fight with firearms involved between multiple combatants at short range. It can occur between military units, police/corrections offic ...

abilities. Sam can use the knife in multiple ways, such as threatening an enemy during an interrogation, killing an enemy in close-quarters combat, or piercing gas tanks on generators to aid in his stealth operations. Also, it no longer matters what direction Sam attacks from when using melee attacks, nor does it matter if enemies are aware of his presence, as opposed to earlier entries in the series where he had to attack from behind or on the side and the enemy could not be alerted to him in order to take them down in one hit. Sam also can use lethal or non-lethal force when ending an interrogation and with his close-range attacks. As an expansion on Sam's ability to shoot while hanging upside down (introduced in ''Pandora Tomorrow''), he can now choke down or break the neck of enemies below him. He can also pull people over railings while hanging off a ledge and throw bodies off cliffs or over railings, even onto other guards. However, the ability to shoot around corners has been removed, but this is balanced by being able to switch the side of Sam's body the gun is on while in a firing position. Fisher can choose from one of three different equipment "kits." There is Redding's recommended kit, an assault kit and a stealth kit. Redding's Recommendation gives Sam an even balance between ammunition and non-lethal weaponry. Assault provides more ammunition at the expense of non-lethal weapons, while the Stealth kit contains more non-lethal weaponry at the expense of brute force, lethal weaponry, and spare magazines. On missions where an objective is to cause no fatalities, the player cannot choose the Assault option. The 5-7 SC Pistol returns, though the laser pointer featured in ''Pandora Tomorrow'' is replaced with a new feature: the OCP (Optically Channeled Potentiator). When fired at certain electronics, the OCP can disable them for a limited time. Fisher can disable lights, security cameras, and more. If the device cannot be disabled, it will temporarily malfunction, such as causing the blue screen of death when attacking computer towers. When Fisher successfully disables the electronic device he aimed at, a green light appears on the pistol; if he misses, a red light appears. In both cases, Fisher must wait for the OCP to recharge and become ready for use again. The SC-20K returns with many new attachments, such as a

foregrip A vertical forward grip or foregrip is a vertical pistol grip mounted on the fore-end of a long-barrel firearm, designed for grasping by the frontal support hand (or "off hand"). Use Forward grips aid in the maneuverability of the firearm, ...

that reduces recoil and increases accuracy, a launcher that fires

non-lethal weaponry Non-lethal weapons, also called nonlethal weapons, less-lethal weapons, less-than-lethal weapons, non-deadly weapons, compliance weapons, or pain-inducing weapons are weapons intended to be less likely to kill a living target than conventiona ...

, an under-barrel

shotgun A shotgun (also known as a scattergun, or historically as a fowling piece) is a long-barreled firearm designed to shoot a straight-walled cartridge known as a shotshell, which usually discharges numerous small pellet-like spherical sub- p ...

attachment for close quarters firing, and a prototype

20mm 20 mm caliber is a specific size of popular autocannon ammunition. It is typically used to distinguish smaller-caliber weapons, commonly called "guns", from larger-caliber "cannons" (e.g. machine gun vs. autocannon). All 20 mm cartridges ha ...

sniper attachment for long-range combat. The SC-20K now uses a

reflex sight A reflector sight or reflex sight is an optical sight that allows the user to look through a partially reflecting glass element and see an illuminated projection of an aiming point or some other image superimposed on the field of view. These sigh ...

that zooms to 1.5x magnification, while the

sniper scope A telescopic sight, commonly called a scope informally, is an optical instrument, optical sight (device), sighting device based on a refracting telescope. It is equipped with some form of a frame of reference, referencing pattern – known as ...

allows from 1.5x to 3.5x magnification. A large variety of non-lethal weaponry can be fired from the SC-20K launcher, such as the Sticky Camera, the Sticky Shocker, the Airfoil Round, and the Gas Grenade. The Sticky Camera will reveal an image of the area in which it was shot. It can also make a clicking sound that will attract enemies and emit a

CS gas The compound 2-chlorobenzalmalononitrile (also called ''o''-chlorobenzylidene malononitrile; chemical formula: C10H5ClN2), a cyanocarbon, is the defining component of tear gas commonly referred to as CS gas, which is used as a riot control agen ...

that will render any enemies in the immediate area unconscious. In contrast to former titles, Sam can now use multiple cameras simultaneously. He can switch back to any Sticky Camera that has not been destroyed by using the

attack or due to enemy fire. The Sticky Shocker will shock and incapacitate its target when fired. If shot into a body of water, the shocker will incapacitate all targets in the water. The

Airfoil Round An airfoil (American English) or aerofoil ( British English) is the cross-sectional shape of an object whose motion through a gas is capable of generating significant lift, such as a wing, a sail, or the blades of propeller, rotor, or turb ...

is a hollow metal ring that will knock out the target. It is still possible for an unconscious enemy to die if shot, dropped from a considerable height or dropped into water, no matter how shallow. Fisher also has multiple types of grenades. There is a gas grenade, which emits a cloud of

that knocks enemies unconscious, a

smoke grenade Smoke grenades used at demonstrations in Paris, 2008 upBritish L83A1 Smoke Grenade manufactured in May 2008. This grenade has already been used. A smoke grenade is a canister-type grenade used as a signaling device, target or landing zone mark ...

, which provides Fisher with a cloud of smoke to hide in, the flashbang, which will temporarily blind and deafen any enemy near it, and the

fragmentation grenade A grenade is an explosive weapon typically thrown by hand (also called hand grenade), but can also refer to a shell (explosive projectile) shot from the muzzle of a rifle (as a rifle grenade) or a grenade launcher. A modern hand grenade ge ...

, which will kill any enemy within its blast radius, and send objects flying in all directions.

Multiplayer

''Chaos Theory'' features competitive and cooperative multiplayer. The cooperative mode expands play by allowing two agents to play through a unique seven-mission story mode that parallels the single-player campaign. It is playable via system link or over

Xbox Live The Xbox network, formerly and still sometimes branded as Xbox Live, is an online multiplayer gaming and digital media delivery service created and operated by Microsoft. It was first made available to the Xbox system on November 15, 2002. An u ...

. The cooperative campaign follows the story of two ''Splinter Cells'' in training, merely known as ''Agent One'' and ''Agent Two''. Their training is interrupted when a world crisis occurs that requires the Shadownet division of the NSA to deploy additional resources, even including agents not adequately trained. The missions become a trial by fire for the two new agents. Though players can operate alone, the level design is such that it encourages teamwork. Ubisoft eventually developed two additional levels for download for the PC and Xbox versions. The Nuclear Plant and UN Headquarters missions are meant to end the story for the cooperative component. In Splinter Cell Chaos Theory VS mode, two additional gameplay modes have been added to the game. New game modes include disk hunt, which consists of spies grabbing disks placed throughout the level, then returning the disks to their extraction point. The other game mode is deathmatch, which consists of killing players on the opposite team-spies or mercenaries. The Spy vs. Mercenary game mode returns from ''Pandora Tomorrow'' with many improvements. These include new gadgets for both teams, cooperative moves for the spy team, and improved close-quarters combat for the mercenaries. Spies are armed with non-lethal weaponry and rely on stealth, skill, and gadgets. Spies can only kill mercenaries by breaking their necks, dropping on them, and hanging from a ledge and pulling them down. The spies' gadgets also do not generally affect other spies. Mercenaries are the heavily armed enemies of the SHADOWNET spies.

Plot

In June 2007, tensions are running high between China,

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu (Amnok) and ...

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

, and Japan due to Japan's formation of an

Information Information is an abstract concept that refers to that which has the power to inform. At the most fundamental level information pertains to the interpretation of that which may be sensed. Any natural process that is not completely random, ...

Self Defense Force A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distin ...

(I-SDF). Considering this to be a violation of

Article 9 Article often refers to: * Article (grammar), a grammatical element used to indicate definiteness or indefiniteness * Article (publishing), a piece of nonfictional prose that is an independent part of a publication Article may also refer to: ...

of the post-World War II

Constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed. When these princip ...

and blaming the I-SDF for information warfare attacks against their countries, Chinese and North Korean forces establish a blockade in the

Yellow Sea The Yellow Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean located between mainland China and the Korean Peninsula, and can be considered the northwestern part of the East China Sea. It is one of four seas named after common colour term ...

against Japanese shipping. As Japan is an ally of the United States and, by extension, the

Third Echelon ''Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell'' is a series of stealth action-adventure video games, the first of which was released in 2002, and their tie-in novels that were endorsed by Tom Clancy. The series follows Sam Fisher, a highly trained agent of a ...

, the

US Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

dispatches an advanced warship, the USS ''Clarence E. Walsh'' (CG-80), to the Yellow Sea, with hopes that China and North Korea will back down. Sam Fisher is dispatched to a lighthouse on the Talara, Peru coastline, to locate Bruce Morgenholt, an American computer programmer who has been captured by a Peruvian separatist group led by

Salvadoran Salvadorans ( Spanish: ''Salvadoreños''), also known as Salvadorians (alternate spelling: Salvadoreans), are citizens of El Salvador, a country in Central America. Most Salvadorans live in El Salvador, although there is also a significant Salvad ...

revolutionary Hugo Lacerda. Morgenholt was working on deciphering the "Masse Kernels", highly advanced weaponized

algorithm In mathematics and computer science, an algorithm () is a finite sequence of rigorous instructions, typically used to solve a class of specific problems or to perform a computation. Algorithms are used as specifications for performing ...

s developed by Phillip Masse, whom Fisher had assassinated in 2005. Fisher is tasked with ensuring the Kernels do not fall into the wrong hands. He arrives too late to prevent Morgenholt's death and the release of the Masse Kernels. Fisher boards Lacerda's ship and assassinates him. Unknown parties use the algorithms to blackout Japan and the Eastern Seaboard. Admiral Otomo of the I-SDF warns Third Echelon that North Korea and China are likely responsible. Following a lead discovered in Panama, Fisher travels to New York to investigate Abrahim Zherkezhi, a man who worked with Morgenholt. He finds that Displace International, a US-based private military corporation owned by his old friend Douglas Shetland, is protecting Zherkezhi. Fisher breaks into the Displace offices and learns of Milan Nedich, a Bosnian arms supplier and

war War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...

criminal, who has relocated Zherkezhi to

Hokkaido is Japan, Japan's Japanese archipelago, second largest island and comprises the largest and northernmost Prefectures of Japan, prefecture, making up its own List of regions of Japan, region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; th ...

. There, Fisher meets with Shetland, who claims that Nedich is clean. Fisher infiltrates the hideout that Zherkezhi is being held in, kills Nedich, and witnesses Shetland murdering Zherkezhi. Shetland escapes and goes underground. The US show of force backfires when the ''Clarence E. Walsh'' is sunk by a North Korean

anti-ship missile An anti-ship missile (AShM) is a guided missile that is designed for use against ships and large boats. Most anti-ship missiles are of the sea skimming variety, and many use a combination of inertial guidance and active radar homing. A good ...

on July 4, 2007, bringing North Korea, South Korea, and the United States to the brink of war. Since North Korea claims the missile was launched unintentionally, Fisher is sent to the missile battery that fired it to determine the cause. Fisher discovers that North Korea was telling the truth, but the country suddenly launches a full-scale invasion of South Korea. Fisher heads to

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the Capital city, capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the North Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea ...

and learns that Displace International orchestrated the war. Displace used the Masse Kernels gained from Zherkezhi to hijack North Korea's missile systems and sink the ''Clarence E. Walsh'' to draw the United States into a war from which Shetland could profit. Third Echelon sends Fisher to a bathhouse in

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...

to spy on a meeting between Shetland and his unknown accomplices, who turn out to be the I-SDF. At the meeting, the I-SDF betrays Shetland, and a firefight breaks out between Shetland's soldiers and I-SDF troops; amidst the chaos, Fisher pursues Shetland to the roof. After a standoff in which Shetland tests their friendship against fealty to the US, Fisher kills Shetland. Following Shetland's death, and having acquired a copy of the Masse Kernels from him, Otomo attempts to return Japan to Imperial rule; he blackmails Japanese government officials and senior

JSDF The Japan Self-Defense Forces ( ja, 自衛隊, Jieitai; abbreviated JSDF), also informally known as the Japanese Armed Forces, are the unified ''de facto''Since Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution outlaws the formation of armed forces, the ...

officers by threatening to use the algorithms to launch a North Korean

nuclear missile Nuclear weapons delivery is the technology and systems used to place a nuclear weapon at the position of detonation, on or near its target. Several methods have been developed to carry out this task. ''Strategic'' nuclear weapons are used primari ...

against a Japanese city. As China would support North Korea, and the United States would support Japan, the incident would likely spark

World War III World War III or the Third World War, often abbreviated as WWIII or WW3, are names given to a hypothetical worldwide large-scale military conflict subsequent to World War I and World War II. The term has been in use since at ...

. Although Otomo's loyalist I-SDF soldiers manage to repel attacking JSDF soldiers, Fisher infiltrates the lowest levels of the I-SDF headquarters and stops Otomo's plans. Otomo attempts to commit

seppuku , sometimes referred to as hara-kiri (, , a native Japanese kun reading), is a form of Japanese ritual suicide by disembowelment. It was originally reserved for samurai in their code of honour but was also practised by other Japanese peop ...

, but Fisher saves his life and captures him. Otomo stands trial at the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmonizi ...

and takes full responsibility for the entire Korean crisis, returning stability to the region.

Development and release

The graphics in ''Chaos Theory'' feature several improvements, including the addition of

normal mapping In 3D computer graphics, normal mapping, or Dot3 bump mapping, is a texture mapping technique used for faking the lighting of bumps and dents – an implementation of bump mapping. It is used to add details without using more polygons. A common ...

, HDR lighting, and

parallax mapping Parallax mapping (also called offset mapping or virtual displacement mapping) is an enhancement of the bump mapping or normal mapping techniques applied to textures in 3D rendering applications such as video games. To the end user, this means t ...

. The game had a development budget of $10 million and a marketing budget of $10 million. Because this game depicts a war between

and

, it was banned in South Korea until 2007.

Limited Collector's Edition

A Limited Collector's Edition was available for PC, PS2, Xbox, and GameCube. Each version is packaged in a collectible tin, and the PC, PS2, and Xbox versions include the following bonus features on an extra disc: *Exclusive G4 "Making of" Video *Music from the official Chaos Theory soundtrack by

Amon Tobin Amon Adonai Santos de Araújo Tobin (born February 7, 1972), known as Amon Tobin (), is a Brazilian electronic musician, composer and producer. He is noted for his unusual methodology in sound design and music production. He has released eight ...

*Development Team video diaries *

Penny Arcade ''Penny Arcade'' is a webcomic focused on video games and video game culture, written by Jerry Holkins and illustrated by Mike Krahulik. The comic debuted in 1998 on the website ''loonygames.com''. Since then, Holkins and Krahulik have estab ...

Spy Training Manual (not included in the Xbox version) *Mega 64 Videos The PC version also contains the version 1.3 patch for the original ''Splinter Cell'' to add the Kola Cell, Vselka Infiltration, and Vselka Submarine missions that were initially only available as downloads on

. The initial release contained a corrupt patch that would not install and had to be requested separately from Ubisoft, after which they would send a CD-R with the patch. The bonus disc can also be obtained with the GameCube version by contacting Ubisoft.com via e-mail. The Xbox version also contains the XBL missions on disc 2, which can be installed on the PC version of the original ''Splinter Cell''.

Soundtrack

''Chaos Theory – The Soundtrack to Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory'' is the fifth album by Brazilian

electronic music Electronic music is a Music genre, genre of music that employs electronic musical instruments, digital instruments, or electronics, circuitry-based music technology in its creation. It includes both music made using electronic and electromech ...

artist

. It was released on January 25, 2005, by

Ninja Tune Ninja Tune is an English independent record label based in London. It has a satellite office in Los Angeles. It was founded by Matt Black and Jonathan More (better known as Coldcut) and managed by Peter Quicke and others. Inspired by a visit ...

. Seminal composer

Jesper Kyd Jesper Kyd Jakobson (; born 3 February 1972) is a Danish composer and sound designer who has worked on various video game, television, and film projects. He has composed soundtracks for the ''Hitman'' series, ''Assassin's Creed'' series, '' Bord ...

was also hired to score the game's cinematics. The album consists of a collection of songs Tobin wrote for the game.

Ubisoft Ubisoft Entertainment SA (; ; formerly Ubi Soft Entertainment SA) is a French video game publisher headquartered in Saint-Mandé with development studios across the world. Its video game franchises include ''Assassin's Creed'', '' Far Cry'', ...

was so pleased with Tobin's work that they decided to release the album several months ahead of the actual game. In-game music sequences are similar but not identical to the official soundtrack, as most in-game music is produced by layering different sequences together. This album showcased the beginning of Tobin's shift from collecting samples from

vinyl Vinyl may refer to: Chemistry * Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a particular vinyl polymer * Vinyl cation, a type of carbocation * Vinyl group, a broad class of organic molecules in chemistry * Vinyl polymer, a group of polymers derived from viny ...

records to recording his samples. For the recording of ''Chaos Theory – Splinter Cell 3 Soundtrack'', Tobin hired a live band whose members ranged from Mexican composer Nacho Mendez to Japanese flutist Eiji Miyake.AllMusic review
/ref> In the CD's

liner notes Liner notes (also sleeve notes or album notes) are the writings found on the record sleeve, sleeves of LP record albums and in booklets that come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or the equivalent packaging for cassettes. Origin Liner n ...

, Tobin noted that "it was a real special session" to have Mendez, Eiji, and the Modugno brothers working on the album. Tobin would more fully explore the use of his samples by using

field recording Field recording is the term used for an audio recording produced outside a recording studio, and the term applies to recordings of both natural and human-produced sounds. It also applies to sound recordings like electromagnetic fields or vibrat ...

s in the following 2007 album, ''

Foley Room ''Foley Room'' is the sixth studio album by Brazilian electronic music producer Amon Tobin, released on March 5, 2007, through Ninja Tune. The album was supported by the "Bloodstone" single, which was released digitally on January 9, 2007, and phy ...

''.

Reception

''Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory'' was a commercial success, selling 2.5 million copies by the end of March 2005. The Xbox and PC versions of ''Chaos Theory'' received "universal acclaim", and the PlayStation 2, N-Gage, and GameCube versions received "favorable" reviews, while the 3DS and DS versions received "mixed" reviews, all according to video game

review aggregator A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...

. A 2013 ''IGN'' review described ''Chaos Theory'' as a "peak" in the series. Shawn Elliott of

1UP.com ''1Up.com'' was an American entertainment website that focused on video games. Launched in 2003, ''1Up.com'' provided its own original features, news stories, game reviews, and video interviews, and also featured comprehensive PC-focused conten ...

gave the Xbox version an A and said that it "isn't the cruel, ball-busting taskmaster of Splinter Cells past—the exacting details don't matter so long as the duties get done, and it's a better game because of it." Rob Semsey of

TeamXbox ''TeamXbox'' was a gaming media web site dedicated to Microsoft's Xbox, Xbox 360 and Xbox One platforms. While the majority of content was Xbox and Xbox 360 related, the site occasionally covered general technology and other video game news. ...

gave the game 9.8 out of 10 and said, "The formula has been tweaked to an almost perfect mix of story and engrossing gameplay that still requires more use of brain over brawn... The presentation is off the charts with mesmerizing visuals and audio production, both of which have a major impact on how you play." ''

Edge Edge or EDGE may refer to: Technology Computing * Edge computing, a network load-balancing system * Edge device, an entry point to a computer network * Adobe Edge, a graphical development application * Microsoft Edge, a web browser developed b ...

'' gave the game a score of eight out of ten and said it was "the game that the original ''Splinter Cell'' was meant to deliver: a tight play experience within a trusty framework, one more of enjoyment than irritation, and a game that's no longer exclusively for fans of repeated reloading." In Japan, ''

Famitsu formerly ''Famicom Tsūshin'', is a line of Japanese video game magazines published by Kadokawa Game Linkage (previously known as Gzbrain), a subsidiary of Kadokawa. ''Famitsu'' is published in both weekly and monthly formats as well as in the ...

'' gave the Xbox version a score of three eights and one seven, bringing it to a total of 31 out of 40; for the PS2 version, the same magazine gave it two eights, one seven, and one six, bringing it to a total of 29 out of 40. Avery Score of

GameSpot ''GameSpot'' is an American video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information on video games. The site was launched on May 1, 1996, created by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. In addition ...

gave the mobile version a score of 8.6 out of 10 and called it "a terrific game in its own right, even if it doesn't stray far from the established formula." Likewise, Levi Buchanan of

IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa dist ...

gave the same version a score of 8.8 out of 10 and said it was "definitely not a one-touch game. It's complex, but Gameloft's control scheme and pacing compensate for the limited input of a handset. Gameloft rarely stumbles with their offerings, and Chaos Theory is no exception. When it pops up on your deck, download it. Your may get that familiar feeling, but that's certainly oodles better than that rot-gut anger you feel after downloading a stinker." Non-video-game publications gave the game some favourable reviews. ''

Maxim Maxim or Maksim may refer to: Entertainment *Maxim (magazine), ''Maxim'' (magazine), an international men's magazine ** Maxim (Australia), ''Maxim'' (Australia), the Australian edition ** Maxim (India), ''Maxim'' (India), the Indian edition *Maxim ...

'' gave the game a perfect ten and stated: "No longer is there just one way to solve a treacherous night mission before the enemy picks up your audio signature: stealth will pay off just as well as good old-fashioned ultraviolence." ''

The Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper ...

'' gave the Xbox, PC and PS2 versions all five stars and called it "Visually spectacular and hugely rewarding." However, the same newspaper also gave the DS version half of that score (two-and-a-half stars) and said that the frustration "is compounded by the choppy, stuttering frame rate of the 3D visuals, making the already convoluted controls feel twice as sluggish. Even the menu screens seem slow to respond - a sure sign that the DS is being pushed beyond its capabilities." ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' gave the game a favourable review and stated that "Perhaps Sam is just getting older, perfecting his skills while losing some feistiness. His games are following the same path, with increasingly sophisticated, deep gameplay but a little less flair." Jim Schaefer of ''

Detroit Free Press The ''Detroit Free Press'' is the largest daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, US. The Sunday edition is titled the ''Sunday Free Press''. It is sometimes referred to as the Freep (reflected in the paper's web address, www.freep.com). It primari ...

'' gave the Xbox version three stars out of four, stating, "I'll reserve a four-star rating for the next time this series takes big leaps. In this latest edition, there's nothing so new that you'll stop and say, 'Whoa.' But ''Chaos Theory'' is true to the things that make ''Splinter Cell'' games so good." ''Chaos Theory'' was a finalist for ''

PC Gamer US ''PC Gamer'' is a magazine and website founded in the United Kingdom in 1993 devoted to PC gaming and published monthly by Future plc. The magazine has several regional editions, with the UK and US editions becoming the best selling PC games mag ...

''s "Best Action Game 2005" and "Best Multiplayer Game 2005" awards, which ultimately went to '' F.E.A.R.'' and ''

Battlefield 2 ''Battlefield 2'' is a first-person shooter video game, developed by DICE and published by Electronic Arts for Microsoft Windows in June 2005 as the third game in the ''Battlefield'' franchise. Players fight in a modern battlefield, using mode ...

'', respectively.

Notes

References

External links

Official website
via

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music ...