Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Essentials

Splinter Cell: Essentials is a standalone entry in the Splinter Cell stealth series, developed specifically for the portable PSP console - hardware that clearly lagged behind the performance of home consoles at the time of release. The game therefore doesn't copy any previous entry one-to-one, but instead assembles its own campaign from missions and memories loosely inspired by agent Sam Fisher's story across the whole series, supplemented with new connecting scenes and rearranged environments adapted to the handheld's smaller display.

Because the PSP didn't offer a second analog stick like home consoles at the time of release, both camera control and aiming had to be completely reworked so that sneaking through shadows, creeping up on guards from behind, and silently eliminating opponents would still work with a single analog control plus buttons. The result is a simplified but functional stealth-action scheme that focuses more on carefully planning your way through individual enclosed levels than on the acrobatic movement combos and free-roaming environments offered by the series' contemporary console entries on PlayStation 2 or Xbox. The graphics were adapted to the smaller display, so they focus on the readability of the shadows and lighting the series' stealth mechanics rely on, even at the cost of less detailed characters and environments compared to contemporary console entries. The shorter, self-contained missions also suit playing on the go in shorter stretches, which was a rather exceptional approach for portable stealth-action games of that era.

Why play it: The game is interesting for PSP owners who wanted to experience the Splinter Cell atmosphere on the go - it offers a taste of the series adapted to the handheld and its control limitations, even though gameplay-wise it doesn't stick to any particular home entry and isn't a direct port of one, but rather its own summary of Fisher's career suited to shorter play sessions on the move.