plinter Cell: Double Agent is intended to be somewhat of a rebirth for the franchise, a new beginning that switches up the gameplay to both appease fans and draw in new players. This entry does indeed bring the franchise its most significant change since the addition of multiplayer in Pandora Tomorrow, in the form of undercover missions and dual objectives. But do these new features manage that tricky balance of keeping fans happy and allowing new players to jump onboard? Yes and no.

Ever since the aforementioned second title, the Splinter Cell games have really been two in one: single and multi. For me, single-player has always been the main draw, yet Double Agent’s campaign is alternately brilliant and disappointing. In earlier games, Sam would go from mission to mission until the end of the game, but now these missions are interspersed between visits to the JBA headquarters, home of the terrorist group Sam has infiltrated. Headquarter stages require the player to complete objectives for the JBA and his true bosses at the National Security Agency, and it’s not always possible to accomplish both. These stages deliver some of the most tense, nerve-shattering moments in the series without so much as a gunshot. Snooping on your so-called friends when you’re supposed to be completing the tasks they gave you is incredibly pulse-pounding, especially since being caught means game over. This undercover dual objective gameplay is a fantastic addition to the series, making it the most authentic-feeling spy game yet, and I can’t imagine the franchise ever going back.

On the other hand, the traditional Splinter Cell missions are a bit of a letdown. There are some cool environments (like an African war zone, a sunny cruise ship, and a frozen wasteland), but none offer the great open level design of the series’ last entry, Chaos Theory. Unlike that game, every stage feels like it has only one “right” way to do it. Deviate from the intended path, and you’re dead. Considering how open and free the headquarter levels feel, the mission stages feel frustratingly linear.

Coupled with spotty AI that seems omniscient at times, these stages just didn’t feel as fun as the previous games. The presentation on your missions is more minimal as well. Gone are the shadow and noise meters, replaced with a light on your character that displays whether you’re hidden, at risk, or spotted. It’s a simpler stealth system, but one that does away with much of the previous games’ subtlety.

Then there is the fantastic multiplayer, which has been completely redesigned with new players in mind. The spies versus mercs setup remains the same, but nearly everything else has been reworked to make some of the most uniquely addictive multiplayer around. The ways it has been made more user-friendly are almost too numerous to list, and the level design is stellar. Even players who have been turned off by Splinter Cell’s notoriously hostile online climate owe it to themselves to check it out. I came for the single-player, which I liked rather than loved, and stayed for the multiplayer, which I used to like and now adore. I have a feeling many other fans will feel the same way.