Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Blacklist vs Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Blacklist is an action-adventure FPS game from Ubisoft Toronto (2013) while Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory is an action-adventure strategy game (2005).
Quick answer: Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory rates higher, 7.9 to 6.7 on the GamingPickz Score, and Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory is the cheaper at $9.99.
What each one is
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Blacklist is filed under Action-Adventure and FPS. In contrast, Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory under Action-Adventure and Strategy.
In this stealth-action thriller, a terrorist group known as the Engineers launches the Blacklist, a series of escalating attacks on US interests. Only one man can stop them: legendary covert agent Sam Fisher.
Experience one of the most critically acclaimed stealth-action games of all time. Uncover a conspiracy that hits close to home and stop World War III.
Story, characters and reception
Plot
Characters Blacklist again features Sam Fisher ( Eric Johnson ), a former Third Echelon Splinter Cell who is now the spymaster and commander of the newly installed Fourth Echelon. The game also sees the return of Fisher's old ally, Anna "Grim" Grímsdóttir ( Kate Drummond ), and new characters such as Isaac Briggs (Dwain Murphy) and Charlie Cole ( David Reale ). Several supporting characters from Conviction reappear, including Victor Coste (Howard… (Wikipedia)
Characters
Blacklist again features Sam Fisher ( Eric Johnson ), a former Third Echelon Splinter Cell who is now the spymaster and commander of the newly installed Fourth Echelon. The game also sees the return of Fisher's old ally, Anna "Grim" Grímsdóttir ( Kate Drummond ), and new characters such as Isaac Briggs (Dwain Murphy) and Charlie Cole ( David Reale ). Several supporting characters from Conviction reappear, including Victor Coste (Howard Siegel), Patricia… (Wikipedia)
Reception
Pre-release Although Joystiq's Mike Schramm praised Blacklist s early screenshots and videos for removing Conviction s monochromatic visuals, its new voice actor was not received well by most of fans. Ubisoft responded with a statement that Ironside was not returning as Fisher because an actor "physically capable" of a motion-capture performance was needed, and Johnson was hired for the role. Critical reception Reception Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell:… (Wikipedia)
Plot
In June 2007, tensions are running high between China , North Korea , South Korea , and Japan due to Japan's formation of an Information Self Defense Force (I-SDF). Considering this to be a violation of Article 9 of the post-World War II Constitution and blaming the I-SDF for information warfare attacks against their countries, Chinese and North Korean forces establish a blockade in the Yellow Sea against Japanese shipping. As Japan is an ally of the… (Wikipedia)
Reception
Reception Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory received "universal acclaim" from critics for the Xbox and PC versions, while the PlayStation 2, N-Gage, and GameCube versions received "favorable" reviews, and the 3DS and DS versions received "mixed" reviews, according to review aggregator website Metacritic . A 2013 IGN review described Chaos Theory as a "peak" in the series. Shawn Elliott of 1UP. (Wikipedia)
At a glance
| Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Blacklist | Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory | |
|---|---|---|
| GamingPickz Score | 6.7/10 | 7.9/10 |
| Steam rating | Mostly Positive (79%, 21,615) | Very Positive (93%, 5,797) |
| Critic aggregate | No aggregate | 92/100 |
| Price | $19.99 | $9.99 |
| Install size | — | — |
| Steam Deck | playable | unsupported |
| Released | 2013 | 2005 |
| Developer | Ubisoft Toronto | — |
Prices and Steam ratings are read live and move over time.
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Blacklist vs Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory, point by point
Each facet side by side. A round is marked won only where a figure settles it; feel and "which is better" carry no mark, because no number we hold decides them.
Genre and premise
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: BlacklistAction-adventure FPS gameTom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Chaos TheoryAction-adventure strategy gameWhat each is filed as. Each game describes itself in full above; we do not judge a premise.
How it plays
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: BlacklistStealth, Action, Co-opTom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Chaos TheoryStealth, Action, Third PersonThe tags players apply most, in order of votes. A read on feel, not a verdict.
Reception
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: BlacklistScore 6.7 · 79% on SteamTom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory ✓Score 7.9 · 93% on Steam · 92 criticThe GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment, critics and popularity, computed the same way for every game.
Content and scale
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Blacklist21,615 reviewsTom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory5,797 reviewsReach and footprint, not quality: more reviews or a bigger install is not a better game.
Price
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Blacklist$19.99Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory ✓$9.99Read live from Steam and subject to change.
On a Steam Deck
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Blacklist ✓PlayableTom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Chaos TheoryUnsupportedValve's own Deck compatibility rating.
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory takes 2 of the marked rounds to 1. That is only what a number can decide, not which you will enjoy more.
The two on the grid
Compare the whole catalogueTom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Blacklist and Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory on the axes the GamingPickz Score is built from, on the full 0 to 100 scale so each dot is its real position. Change either axis to compare them on any measure.
2 games have both
Players. The share of Steam reviews marked positive, pulled toward the catalogue average in proportion to how few reviews stand behind it. A game with 200 reviews moves a long way toward the average; one with 200,000 barely moves at all. Without this a title sitting at 100 percent on nine reviews outranks Half-Life 2 at 98 percent on 278,000.
Popularity. A blend of two things that are not the same. Audience is how many people wrote a Steam review, which is a floor on how many played it. Reach is how many language editions of Wikipedia document the game, which is cultural footprint rather than sales. A game can score high on one and low on the other: a huge free-to-play title has audience without reach, and a landmark console exclusive has reach without a Steam audience at all. Where both exist they are averaged; where only one does, that one carries it.
- Multi-platform
- Nintendo
Every point links to that game's entry. The value map and the reception map are fixed views of the same data.
How positions are decided
No paid placement, no favouritism, live third-party data
- Placed by the published method, not by us. Every coordinate is computed from the axis definitions and weights printed on this site. Nobody moves a point. See the axes.
- Nothing here is paid for. No sponsored placements, no promoted slots, no arrangement of any kind affects a position. If that ever changes it will be labelled and sit outside the ranking.
- No favouritism, including our own. The 16 games we have written full reviews of are scored by exactly the same formula as the other 1,510, from the same third-party inputs, and they land where it puts them. Our own opinion of a game does not enter its coordinates.
- A position is not an endorsement. It says how a game was received and what it costs, not that we recommend it. Where we do recommend something, it carries a written review with a name on it.
- Fetched from live third-party data. Player sentiment from Steam, critic aggregates as published on store pages, prices checked hourly, attention from Wikipedia. Each figure carries its source and the date it was read, and we do not adjust any of them.
Which to pick, by what you want
- The higher-rated of the two: Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory (GamingPickz Score 7.9)
- The cheaper right now: Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory ($9.99)
- Better on a Steam Deck: Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Blacklist (playable)
- The safer bet by weight of reviews: Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Blacklist (21,615 reviews)
What they have in common
Both are tagged by Steam players with:
StealthActionCo-opThird PersonSingleplayerMultiplayerShooterAdventure
Where they differ
Online Co-OpParkourFPSFirst-PersonRPGMature
ClassicGreat SoundtrackImmersiveLocal Co-Op
Tags players apply to one game and not the other.
Difficulty and who each is for
By the tags players apply, Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Blacklist is middle-of-the-road on difficulty. Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory is middle-of-the-road on difficulty.
System requirements, side by side
| Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Blacklist | Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum GPU | 512 MB | — |
| Minimum CPU | 2.53 GHz Intel® Core™2 Duo E6400 | — |
| Minimum RAM | 2 GB | — |
| Install size | — | — |
Can your PC run them? Check each against your own kit: Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Blacklist · Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory.
Accessibility features
Steam store pages declare 0 accessibility features for Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Blacklist and 0 for Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory. A declaration is a floor, not a review.
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Common questions
How different are Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Blacklist and Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory in scope?
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Blacklist has drawn 21,615 Steam reviews. Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory has drawn 5,797 Steam reviews.
Is Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Blacklist or Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory better?
By the GamingPickz Score, Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory rates higher (7.9 to 6.7). That is a composite of player sentiment, the critic aggregate and popularity, not our taste. "Better" also depends on price, length and platform, which the table above lays out.
Which is cheaper, Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Blacklist or Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory?
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory is cheaper right now at $9.99, against $19.99. Prices move, so this is read live from Steam and can change.
Should I get Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Blacklist or Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory?
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory rates higher, 7.9 to 6.7 on the GamingPickz Score, and Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory is the cheaper at $9.99. It also depends on what you want: the "which to pick" section above calls out which is cheaper, lighter on storage, better on a Steam Deck and the safer bet by weight of reviews.
Do you rank one above the other for a fee?
No. Neither game, nor anyone else, pays for placement or a verdict here. The order and every figure come out of the same public data the rest of the site uses.
Related comparisons
All comparisonsHow we compare, and what we will not do
The GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment (adjusted for sample size), the critic aggregate and popularity, computed by the same code every ranked list on this site uses. The Steam rating label is Valve's own, reconstructed from the positive percentage and review count. Prices are read live. We do not write an opinion of which game is "better": we report the numbers and say which wins each measurable question above.