In Splinter Cell: Double Agent Sam Fisher is a terrorist. Sure he’s working undercover for the NSA, but based on how you play Sam will fight for America or the terrorist organization known as John Brown’s Army. With a new graphics engine, a movie quality story, and enhanced Splinter Cell combat, Double Agent is sure to be a 360 hit for both die hard fans and those new to the series.

As you begin the game for the first time you’ll be hurled into a couple missions that basically lay out the back-story and get you primed for the real innovation that lies ahead. Chiming in at 10 missions in total you’ll be out in the field stealthing around for 6 and infiltrating the terrorist HQ for the other four. For the hardcore stealth lovers out there you’ll be glad to hear that the terrorist HQ missions are nothing but sneaking. No killing, no crazy Tom Cruise Mission Impossible moves, just making your way around the building without being detected. What’s also a breath of fresh air is that besides the main goal, you can optionally go after up to two other goals which really enhance the replayability. Not only that but each time you play through you’ll gain new access to new areas and you’ll be able to strike up new conversations with the terrorist cast that allows you to gain or destroy their trust in you.

On the other hand, when you’re playing through the other six missions you’ll be in awe of all the neat situations that the developers have come up with that have never been done before. Whether you’re bouncing down a huge skyscraper, taking aim at an innocent from a far away watch tower, or even blowing up a ship with a nuke you’ll likely be constantly thinking, “Oh my god did I just do that!?”

As far as combat, things are largely the same bar a few new discrepancies. First, there are a huge amount of new weapons and items to be used, which don’t even really have to be used to beat the game. Second, headshots are much harder to do. Third, the AI has a lot of new tricks like group mentality and better hiding. Though like all games you can exploit certain aspects like shadows. If you’re in a shadow you’re invisible essentially and that lets you pull off all kinds of ridiculous tasks while inches away from an enemy.

One of the major new additions to the series that really sets Double Agent apart from the rest is the branching storyline. Not only is the story eons better than the past games in both presentation and writing, but you actually get to change the course of what happens for better or worse. Yes it’s still pretty linear, but that line splits in at least three different directions by the end of the game. Will you kill an innocent just to gain terrorist trust or will you stick to your morals and keep the trust of the NSA? To get through all the twists and turns available you’ll need several playthroughs and thanks to the excellent Splinter Cell gameplay, I can see many fans doing just that.