My Top 10 Favourite Splinter Cell Levels

L-R: Paris-Nice, Cargo Ship, Third Echelon Headquarters

It sure has been a while since we've had a new Splinter Cell game. Wouldn't it be nice to get a new one for the first time since 2013? Oh well, I guess until then we can reminisce about the past games in this excellent stealth-action series of video games. I recently played through Chaos Theory and Blacklist and while I've already gone through and ranked all the games from worst to best on this blog (in January 2016), this time I thought it'd be fun to look at individual levels from the series that have really stood out to me. These are my picks for the top 10 levels in Splinter Cell games.

Dishonourable mention: Kalinatek (Splinter Cell), Diwaniya, Iraq (Conviction)

Honourable mention: Oil Refinery (Splinter Cell), Shanghai (Double Agent), American Consumption (Blacklist), Hawkins Seafort (Blacklist)

10. Seoul (Chaos Theory)

The eighth level in the series' best entry, Seoul shows us a startling look at what might happen if the Korean War ever broke out into armed conflict again. Sam Fisher is tasked with making his way through communist-occupied Seoul to steal information from South Korea's national data trunk. This involves navigating destroyed buildings and sabotaging KPA communications. Things turn sour as a US spy plane is shot down nearby and before Sam can extract he has to destroy the plane so that its contents aren't discovered by either side. To do this Sam has to wade further into the active warzone complete with firefights, tanks, and deadly UAVs . Danger is everywhere, there are no friends. As William Redding says at the mission's start, “there aren't any alarms to worry about, but anyone you encounter will... already be alert.” As a result it can be tricky to tell if you've been seen or not but I still think of this one as a decent level to mess about in. War: it's fantastic.

9. Cargo Ship (Chaos Theory)

Don't worry, these won't all be levels from Chaos Theory. Cargo Ship might just be the SC level that I've played the most. It's an easy level to figure out but more importantly it's one of those levels that are fully accessible from start to finish: if you're near the end and you realize you've forgotten something there's nothing stopping you from going back to the beginning. I also love the idea of a level set on a ship at sea. There's 36 bad guys (I think) and there's no way out... for them. Sometimes I would go out of my way to see if I could find and kill all of them. Failing to do that I would instead try knocking them out and leaving their unconscious bodies in weird places, such as in a freezer or leaving Hugo Lacerda's dead body in the same cabin where I knocked out the captain. I also liked checking the sticky camera I left in Lacerda's cabin just to see if his bodyguards were still waiting silently for him to get them a drink. All in all, Cargo Ship is a fun level that's basically a playground.

8. Presidential Palace (Splinter Cell)

As the finale to the first game in the series, Presidential Palace doesn't disappoint. There's tons of guards patrolling everywhere, lots of rooms where guards will enter suddenly, and there's even a few dogs you'll have to avoid. You'll get to take President Nikoladze hostage for a few moments before assassinating him later on. In short, it's a tense level that serves as a suitable capstone to a fine classic game... even if I died dozens of times falling off the cliffs at the beginning due to that tricky double-jump.

7. Bathhouse (Chaos Theory)

The longest and most difficult level in Chaos Theory, Bathhouse is an exercise in patience thanks to its many hard sections and sometimes unpredictable lighting. In the lobby room (the one with the scaffolding), the pool room, and the hallway with the two factions fighting eachother it seems like a crapshoot whether the badguys spot you or not. I've since learned to make use of smoke grenades in such tricky sections. My advice: save frequently. Remaining undetected and nonlethal in Bathhouse is certainly not an easy thing to do, especially in the end section when you have to disarm bombs in a boiler room with roaming commandos. But seeing the 100% success rating once it's all over feels so satisfying. In addition to providing some fine challenge, this mission is also quite story-heavy with some shocking twists and a thrilling ending. It's a wonder they didn't save Bathhouse as the final level in the game.

6. Bank (Chaos Theory)

I swear this is the last Chaos Theory level on this list. What can I say, it's an excellent game with some really fun levels. One of them is the MCAS Bank in Panama where Sam Fisher has to break in to discover who's been bankrolling Lacerda's revolutionaries. But in order to cover up these intentions Fisher also has to crack the vault and steal some bearer bonds and make it look like an inside job. It's a clever setup for what's basically a bank heist mission carried out by the NSA. Just like the Cargo Ship mission there's a variety of ways you can approach each objective and you're free to tackle each one in whichever order you want. I've had hours of fun with this level avoiding lasers, hacking every computer, and even flooding the vault with the sprinkler system. Not only is Bank the only level in the series where you get to use the telemetric lock pick, but it's one of only two levels in Chaos Theory were I managed to complete it while leaving all enemies undisturbed (the other one being Displace). That's right: I completed this level without touching anyone. Try it out yourself!

5. CIA HQ (Splinter Cell)

You knew this one was coming. In a game about sneaking around places where you're not supposed to be, what could be a more appropriate setting than the headquarters of the CIA? A lot of the levels on the original Splinter Cell are ordinary office buildings which gets kind of old, but CIA HQ mixes things up with ventilation rooms, supply closets, server rooms, and patrolled hallways. It can also be rather difficult (just like all the levels of that first game); you're not allowed to kill anyone, you have to retrieve your SC-2000 rifle, and the level's exit is teeming with enemies. The only downside is that you have to haul some unconscious dude on your back an awfully long way to the end. Also the lighting in this level works a bit wonkily at times. But apart from that CIA HQ is a fine level that epitomizes the first Splinter Cell game.

4. Paris-Nice (Pandora Tomorrow)

There's something about train levels in video games that certainly bring a nice change of pace. Perhaps it's the confinement that makes the action more focused and immediate. That's exactly the effect that the Pairs-Nice level has in Pandora Tomorrow. Not only do you have to avoid detection inside the cramped quarters of a French high-speed train, but you'll also be crossing the train's undercarriage, shimmying along the sides as other trains rocket by just inches away, and running along its roof. This level is easily one of the most unique missions in the whole series. No wonder this is such a popular one.

3. Los Angeles, California (Pandora Tomorrow)

It's a shame that this level doesn't get as much love from the SC community as other levels do because I think Pandora Tomorrow's finale is brilliant. Sam has to sneak through Los Angeles International Airport to intercept Norman Soth and his goons before they have a chance to set off their smallpox bombs. But if just one alarm goes off the terrorists will detonate their bomb and it's all over so there's no room for mistakes. I love the idea of a level set in a public place. Not only do you have to avoid the gaze of a variety of people – terrorists, security guards, airport employees, and random civilians – but the bad guys are all in disguise so you have to seek them out before making your move. You do this through your goggles' thermal vision since the bad guys' smallpox vaccines give them a higher-than-normal body temperature. It's a simple mechanic but I always thought it was cool. And once you complete the pulse-pounding ending the day is saved and LA can rest easy. Pandora Tomorrow isn't a game that I'm terribly fond of but this LAX level goes some way towards redeeming it.

2. Third Echelon Headquarters (Conviction)

As I've mentioned in earlier articles, Conviction may not be as traditionally stealthy as other Splinter Cell games but it can still provide an intense and thrilling gameplay experience. This is why the Third Echelon Headquarters mission stands out to me. From the no-detection-allowed opening to the sneaking through patrolled office areas, to defending yourself from waves of goggled commandos, there's plenty of tense moments to this level that will have you on the edge of your seat. This is also quite possibly the most badass Sam Fisher has ever been. Not only does he have unlimited Mark & Executes at the end, not only does he interrogate (i.e. beat up) Andrei Kobin, but he also delivers the line “I used to work here,” to the receptionist just before detonating some bombs in his former workplace. That's right, Sam has gone rogue. As if that wasn't enough he learns the truth about what happened to his daughter Sarah and that Lambert, his friend that he was forced to kill, lied to him about it. True, the words flashing on the walls during this scene come off as a bit cheesy. Nevertheless, Third Echelon Headquarters is great story-driven level that has some really gripping gameplay to keep me coming back again and again.

1. Special Missions HQ (Blacklist)

This may be a bit of a surprise. I like Blacklist but I find that it doesn't have many standout levels to it apart from this. That may be because, as you've noticed by now, I like Splinter Cell levels that take place in special forces/intelligence headquarters. They make for a great you're-not-supposed-to-be-here vibe that really make you want to play through them flawlessly. Achieving ghost mastery on perfectionist difficulty in this mission is very difficult but extremely satisfying once you pull it off. But what makes Special Missions HQ so special (no pun intended)? Well, Sam Fisher has to infiltrate Quds Force headquarters to manually retrieve data concerning Iran's ties to the Blacklist attacks in order to prevent the US from declaring war. To do this he has to gain entry by extorting a general, taking to the shadows once the general betrays him and the alarms are set off, downloading the data from an airtight server room, and then wading through room after room after room – each one full of bad guys furiously searching for him. You'll deal with all manner of enemies from regular guys to heavy armoured guys, commandos, and even dogs. It'll test your stealth skills to the limit. It's not a perfect level – the UAV part at the end seems a bit gratuitous and it's a roll of the dice whether you'll be detected or not once the alarms go off – but Special Missions HQ is still an exciting level that's well worth your time.