Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow Downloadable Content Review

Ubi Soft recently released the first downloadable content for Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow. More specifically, two new multiplayer maps: River Mall and the Federal Reserve Bank. The additional news is that the content is not free. It'll cost you 5 dollars. Is it worth it? Let's have a lookЕ

River Mall Ц
A huge map that favors neither mercs nor spies, the River Mall is made up of two tiers, with a massive indoor waterfall (which overlooks an ND133 in the information kiosk) that stretches to the top of the second level and beyond. The spies begin in a large, central vent featuring numerous levels and shafts that allow easy access to both the top and bottom floors. You can climb down the ladders or pipes, or just jump and grab the ledges as you plummet towards the bottom. Good thing there's a health station there.

Once the spies exit the shafts, they'll come out on either one of the tiers. At this point, it's pretty wide open, so mercs have a fairly easy time watching the kiosk from the main stairs, which are centrally located in front of it. However, the other ND133 is on the second floor in the video game store. This features cutouts of the spies in the window (a clever, humorous touch by the developers) and copies of PT on the shelves. The ND133 is protected by lasers, and a chaff grenade will come in handy when you try to take the point. This room can also be accessed by a vent shaft just above the objective, but the smart merc will undoubtedly plant a proximity mine just below the opening.

The final objectives are located behind the open mall in the back. Several ND133s are scattered about the area, which has a staircase leading up to the top floor. In addition, another ND133 is located in the office above this locale, which is accessed by another staircase on your right as you enter the room. Spies also have the ability to hack out the lights of the waterfall, and can also shut off the vent fans, which will then allow access to more shafts, so a good spy can surreptitiously make his way to the points unseen by the mercs.

However, the mercs spawn in a room that features a control panel that illustrates the different rooms. Once a spy is detected, the mercs receive info showing precisely where the spy is. Alarm snares may come in handy considering this feature. Overall this is an excellent map that will insure hours of intense gaming. Like everything else in the Splinter Cell universe, the level features stunning graphics. The River Mall sign casts a blue sheen across the floor, and everything looks beautiful. Simply picture perfect.

Federal Reserve Bank Ц
Spies begin this map on the rooftop, overlooking a glass dome that affords a view into the areas below. Structured much like Warehouse from the original map set, spies must first make their way into the main sections of the bank (offices, as well as a tech room where spies can shut off the magnetic protection). The ND133s are all clustered in a large room with two levels Ц a bottom floor, and catwalks above. This makes it pretty difficult for the spies, since the mercs have a relatively small area to cover. However, resourceful Shadownets will try to gas one merc with a sticky cam, then bum rush the other one in hopes of holding them off long enough to take the point. There are several vent shafts that can be used to access the room, but again, good mercs will have most every entrance covered with a proximity mine (or at least a spy trap).

The second section of the map is the vault, but this won't open until an ND133 from the first area is decontaminated. Once in, the spies and mercs will play cat and mouse throughout the stacks of gold covering the floor. The reflection from the gold is a startling effect that not only looks sweet, but can also confuse you into thinking that someone's moving around in the dark. This area features some cool vent shafts at the top of stacks of crates, which can be useful in trying to evade the mercs. Overall an excellent map with loads of possibilities.

Final Thoughts Ц
Both maps are well made, and feature plenty of eye candy and playability through and through. However, $5.00 may seem steep for only two new levels. In fact, there's much debate raging in the gaming community over the fee. A certain faction expects these maps to be free, while others recognize the hard work that goes into levels like these (both maps are top-notch, and are not sub-par offerings from the reject pile) and have no problem giving Ubi Soft payment for their efforts. In the end, it will be up to you, the consumer, to decide if the price is worth paying. There's a lot of fear that this is only the beginning, and that in the future, developers will hold back content and charge a premium for just about anything they want. But that's for a whole other article. In the humble opinion of this journalist, both maps are well worth the price point.

Click here for screenshots of the new maps