Stealth

Some things were not meant to be. Time machines, Republican administrations that care about the welfare of the country, and fat-free donuts that actually taste like donuts are all things that people wish for but can't really ever exist. Another thing to add to this list of impossibles? A respectable version of Splinter Cell on the PSP. Although this third-person espionage franchise has only gotten better on consoles, some objectives are simply beyond the capability of sneaky superspy Sam Fisher; going portable is one of them.

Sly has evolved from his platforming roots. There are still plenty of props to smash which bestow the destruction-minded gamer with coins to collect, but it hardly seems worthwhile when careful pickpocketing is more viable. The various thief moves make a return (including my favorite, Paraglider) and navigating the levels as Sly is as joyous as ever.

According to the ESRB, this game contains: Violence, Comic Mischief

Game Description: In Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves you'll become a master thief and a master of disguise, as you preapre for an impossible robbery. Sly may be the best thief around, but even he can't pull this one off alone. Recruit five returning as well as new members of the thieving gang to take down the maniacal Dr. M. With the pursuant Carmelita Fox and the mad professor on his tail, Sly learns of his family's thieving heritage and the one great secret his father kept from him for years. It'll take all of his team's abilities to take on this last great heist!

Splinter Cell was a very good game. It provided solid and oftentimes revolutionary gameplay, all wrapped in high-gloss presentation. This overall quality led to it being something of a hit, and it was followed by two sequels in three years, an exceptionally quick turnaround for such high-profile games.

According to ESRB, this game contains: Language, Tobacco Reference, Violence

Game Description: Cold War follows the story of Matt Carter, a freelance journalist, who finds himself in the midst of an international conspiracy that aims to control the U.S.S.R. Twelve hours after arriving in Moscow for a routine story, Carter has been stripped of all his possessions, beaten unconscious and thrown into the KGB’s political prison. Using only recovered weapons and improvised gadgets, he must now evade or overcome elite Soviet forces and defeat the conspiracy before he is sent to a Siberian prison camp or killed.

Derogatory racial portrayals notwithstanding, Splinter Cell Chaos Theory is the most complete next-generation experience on a console yet. It has next-generation presentation, mature appeal, a hip and recognizable character, an ingenious multiplayer game, and smooth online play.

Game Description: Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory takes you back into the shadowy world of Sam Fisher, a special agent on the front lines of the information war. It's 2008 when we return to the intrigues of the new warfare; The Japanese economy has collapsed and evidence indicates that it was due to a virus originating from South Korea. The Japanese request American assistance—and Sam Fsher is sent deep into hostile territory, to collect critical intelligence just inches from his worst enemies.