Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Double Agent

Content review for this game:
Pertaining to the ESRB rating.


Full content re-review coming soon...

Content sum up: This game does have an overall more intense storyline, with some tough moral decisions throughout. So, I recommend it for ages 14+.


Blood: There is no bloodshed when you shoot or stab enemies in gameplay. However, one scene shows the main character slash an enemy's throat, which causes moderate blood splatter (although this enemy is wearing a full wet suit with a mask, concealing the details) and another brief scene shows an interrogation room with blood stains on the floor and walls. There is no option to turn blood off.


Language: There are under a dozen uses of hell and d*mn, three uses of bastard and a**, and one use of bullsh*t and God. Other than the main script, enemies will spout, "Sh*t! what was that!?" when they begin to suspect you're there; "D**n it! Man down!" when they discover a body; "Put the God d*mn gun down!" when you are holding one of their cohorts; and if they discover you, they will shout out "Die in h**l!!" in a panic-ed tone while they shoot. There is no option to turn language off.


Violence: The story is more personal and intense than previous games, and after the main character's daughter is killed, in his grief, he takes the most dangerous mission available: going undercover as a criminal to infiltrate a domestic terrorist ring, gather intel and eventually put a stop to their plans. Throughout the game, there are several key moral choices, where you're given the option to make good or bad choice. If you do the bad, your trust meter fills up for the enemy, if you do good, visa-versa.

Gameplay revolves around stealth, meaning the idea's to not get caught. In fact many missions do not let you kill anyone; if you do, it is an automatic fail, which results in you having to restart from the last checkpoint, meaning other than key moments, the majority of your missions encourage you to knock the enemy out, not kill them. This is further encouraged by you being given little lethal ammo, and instead, especially in later missions, given non-lethal ammo. Weapons are also very touchy and will usually get you killed if you try to run n' gun your way through. You are also equipped with a combat knife, giving you the choice to choke/knock enemies unconscious or kill them, which will have your character stab or slash them in the stomach, throat, back, snap their necks, or in some instances, throw them over ledges and pull them through ice; but in most instances, you almost always have the choice not to perform these lethal actions. On a similar note, the game's moral choices can get quite tough, the majority of which are listed below to give you a better idea on what you'll be doing:


Moral choices:

  • In the first level you're posing undercover as a prisoner. One of your cell mates wants you to kill another inmate who has been giving him a hard time. You can kill him, or let him live—which will let the NSA use him as a witness later on.
  • You find out that your "fellow" terrorist is trying to take the place of the current terrorist boss. You can either tell the boss, resulting in him immediately killing the offender or letting the good guys extract him for valuable information.
  • One level's objective is to steal money from a train. The terrorists want you to kill everyone you come across, your secret NSA allies want the exact opposite.
  • Later in the same level, you are given the choice to either kill the station chief after obtaining the code, or let him live. And once you're on the train, you have the option to detatch passenger cars, so no onboard civilians will be harmed.
  • The terrorists give you the objective to plant a bomb on a cruise ship. If you let the bomb detonate, thousands of innocent people on the ship will die. If you do not, the terrorist boss will rough you and your female partner up a little bit.
  • The terrorists want you to kill a fellow agent by planting a bomb in his car. The NSA want you to extract him to safety. When you come across him in a locker room, you can either save and escort him to an exit—result in him giving you a special healing item, and more trust from the NSA—or you can shoot him when you first meet him there; saving him is quite a bit more challenging.

Content review posted: 04/08/2008


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