While Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell is arguably more famed for its Sam Fisher-focused single-player stories, the games' many co-op campaigns deserve an equal amount of praise. Many fans will often refer to Splinter Cell's admittedly brilliant, more competitive Spies vs Mercs mode - which pitted the franchise's stealth-based spies against FPS mechanics for the mercenaries tasked with protecting their bases - as the franchise's best multiplayer element. The co-op storylines for Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory, Double Agent, and Conviction shouldn't be overlooked, however, and are some of the best co-op modes in games to date.
Splinter Cell's co-op modes often offered impressive storytelling, expanding upon the threats that Third Echelon spy Sam Fisher was facing in the games' main campaigns. These modes also built upon the action-stealth gameplay that the series was known for, and players soon found that working with another player required high levels of coordination to master and traverse levels undetected - which added another layer of tension to the missions. While not as iconic as the co-op for Gears of War or even arguably fellow Tom Clancy series Rainbow Six, Splinter Cell consistently delivered compelling team-ups for players across multiple entries.
Splinter Cell's Co-Op Modes Mostly Ignored Sam Fisher
For the most part, the Splinter Cell series' co-op missions didn't focus on Sam Fisher, which gave players the opportunity to explore the wider world of espionage and see how Third Echelon handled different threats at the same time. In Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory and the alternative PS2, original Xbox, and GameCube version of its sequel, Splinter Cell: Double Agent, the co-op missions centered around Agent One and Agent Two. These agents were Splinter Cells in training, and were younger and less experienced than Sam Fisher, with their first assignment taking place during Chaos Theory's cyber attacks of 2007. Their second took place in 2008, where they assisted Sam Fisher as he went undercover with the terrorist group, JBA.
Splinter Cell Conviction's co-op focused on different agents: Third Echelon operative Archer and Voron agent Kestrel. Its story followed a joint operation to secure four stolen EMPs and had a shocking twist conclusion that resulted in an intense and devastating A Way Out-esque showdown between players who had just spent hours working together. Blacklist included Splinter Cell series protagonist Sam Fisher in its co-op story for the first time as he teamed up with fellow agent Isaac Briggs. Although it was less unique when compared to previous titles, it expanded upon the joint traversal and takedowns of Conviction by utilizing the new gadgets and approaches Blacklist's gameplay provided, and was an enjoyable stealth experience overall.
Could Ubisoft's Splinter Cell Remake Have A New Co-Op Mode?
The praise for Splinter Cell's co-op modes should encourage its developer, Ubisoft to incorporate this more into the series going forward. The original Splinter Cell didn't have any form of co-op mode, however, meaning that an original story would have to be created if it were to be included in Ubisoft’s upcoming Splinter Cell remake. Splinter Cell's campaign indicates that Third Echelon is a newer division, so there aren't many stories to cover in that initiative prior to Sam Fisher's. However, an alternate opening for the game could be a good starting point for a co-op narrative.
The PS2 and GameCube versions of Splinter Cell had an opening cutscene that showed the final mission of doomed CIA agents Alice Madison and Robert Blaustein as they stealthily infiltrated an enemy base before being captured. Unfortunately, it contradicted some of the discoveries made later in Splinter Cell's story, and therefore remasters such as the PS3's Splinter Cell HD Trilogy decided to use the Xbox's original intro, which was essentially a trailer for the title, with the alternate opening being largely forgotten about. As Ubisoft is making changes to Splinter Cell's story and expanding upon it anyway, it does grant it the opportunity to explore Madison and Blaustein's story further with a prequel co-op campaign.
Unfortunately, the earlier Splinter Cell co-op modes have been largely forgotten about in the games' rereleases, and their official servers are long shut down. However, they remain some of the franchise's best and were a great addition to the stealth genre in general. Hopefully, if the Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell remake is well received and the franchise is given the attention it deserves again, the highs of its co-op stories can return with it.
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