DGC Ep 472: Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory (part one)

DGC Ep 472: Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory (part one)

Author: Brett Douville and Tim Longo May 20, 2026 Duration: 1:05:56

Welcome to Dev Game Club, where this week we start a new series on 2005's Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory. We set it in its time, talk about the Clancy of it all, and then get into the play and presentation. Dev Game Club looks at classic video games and plays through them over several episodes, providing commentary.

Sections played:
The first level or two

Issues covered: missing a week, games from 2005 and UbiSoft, stealth games and how we feel about them, what it borrows from its forebears, Tim's history and love of military themes, grounding the series in real places, hard milspec, the spectrum of more or less video-gamey, Brett's history with Clancy, offputting tone and writing, the weird nationalistic lens, the military melodrama, when you can mess up the formula, black and white and the icks, systems thinking in the game vs not the narrative, finding ways to maintain the black and white, the tutorial videos, seeing the mechanics against the real missions, controlling Sam's movement speed, other interface choices, alt-fire modes, shooting everyone in the head, having multiple kill moves, having mission objectives that get canceled, whether there's an alternate version, a number associated with your performance, the weirdness of speaking to your handler directly behind a target, your advisors, informing the choice of loadout, how different games reinforce the loadout, a review, Tim's Twitch drop.

Games, people, and influences mentioned or discussed: Star Wars (series), God of War, Shadow of the Colossus, Resident Evil 4, Psychonauts, Guild Wars, Civ IV, FEAR, The Undying, AC: Wild World, Guitar Hero, Mercenaries, Battlefront II, KotOR II, Lego Star Wars, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, Peter Molyneux, Clint Hocking, Far Cry 2, Thief, Metal Gear Solid (series), Looking Glass, Dishonored (series), Hideo Kojima, The Division (series), Rainbow Six (novel), No One Lives Forever, Harrison Ford, Alec Baldwin, Sean Connery, Doubleday (book publisher), Day of the Jackal, Tolkien, Project: Hail Mary, Ghost Recon (series), Rainbow Six (series), John Krasinski, Ben Affleck, Jack Reacher (series), Lee Child, Tom Cruise, Mark Greaney, The Gray Man, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Rambo (series), Jon Bernthal, Call of Duty (series), Hitman (series), Shadowlord-72, Kirk Hamilton, Aaron Evers, Mark Garcia. 

Next time:
more TC's SC:CT!

Errata:
It was The Cardinal of the Kremlin. We regret the error. 

Twitch: timlongojr and twinsunscorp
YouTube
Discord
DevGameClub@gmail.com 


Dev Game Club is a conversation between two working game developers who have been there. Each week, hosts Brett Douville and Tim Longo pick a classic video game from the past-often a title that shaped design thinking or introduced a new technical standard-and break it down from their professional perspective. Their discussions go beyond nostalgia, examining how these older titles functioned, why certain creative decisions were made, and what lasting impact they left on the industry. You’ll hear specific analysis of game mechanics, narrative structure, and technical achievements, all filtered through decades of hands-on development experience. The goal isn’t just to reminisce but to extract tangible lessons that are still relevant for creators and deeply interesting for passionate players today. They invite you to play the game in question alongside them, then settle in for a detailed, insider’s post-mortem. This podcast offers a unique blend of critical appreciation and practical insight, treating video game history as a living textbook. It’s for anyone who loves games and wants to understand the craft behind them on a deeper level. New episodes release regularly, diving into a different influential game from the archives.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Dev Game Club
Podcast Episodes
DGC Ep 403: Heroes of Might and Magic (part three) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:16:33
Welcome to Dev Game Club, where this week we conclude our series on Heroes of Might and Magic. We confess that we should have learned more about this game before we tried it, and then turn to takeaways and email. Dev Gam…
DGC Ep 402: Heroes of Might and Magic (part two) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:13:09
Welcome to Dev Game Club, where this week we start a new series on Heroes of Might and Magic. We talk about the boardgame of it all and where the vibes are with this one, among other topics. Dev Game Club looks at classi…
Discord Game Club Episode 5 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:23:15
Friends from the Discord discussing their recent parallel play of Final Fantasy XV! We return to Heroes of Might and Magic next week. Next time: Another Discord Game Club Twitch: timlongojr Discord DevGameClub@gmail.com
Discord Game Club Episode 4 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:08:58
Friends from the Discord provide some audio from back in December, and we've been dropping it in here from time to time when our schedules get tight. (Tim is traveling this week and next and time is short!) We'll return…
DGC Ep 401: Heroes of Might and Magic (part one) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:16:44
Welcome to Dev Game Club, where this week we start a new series on Heroes of Might and Magic. We set the game a little in its time, talk about the way the game creates a divergent path from other tactical turn-based comb…
DGC Ep 400: Bonus Interview with Tony Rowe [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:24:43
Welcome to Dev Game Club, where this week we revisit our series on Trespasser: The Lost World with an interview with Tony Rowe, who did QA on the title. Dev Game Club looks at classic video games and plays through them o…
DGC Ep 399: Interview with Jordan Mechner [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:13:17
Welcome to Dev Game Club, where this week we revisit our series on rotoscoping with a fun chat with Jordan Mechner, of Karateka, Prince of Persia, and The Last Express fame. We also talk about his new graphic memoir: Rep…
Discord Game Club Episode 3 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:13:39
Taking another tricky scheduling week as an opportunity to run this second interview by BioStats and CalamityNolan, this time of KyleAndError13. See you next week. Next time: An interview, we hope! Twitch: timlongojr, Tw…
DGC Ep 398: The Sims (part four) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:08:25
Welcome to Dev Game Club, where this week we complete our series on 2000's The Sims. We give some anecdotes, Tim builds his own from the ground up, and of course, we turn to our takeaways. Dev Game Club looks at classic…
DGC Ep 397: The Sims (part three) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:24:23
Welcome to Dev Game Club, where this week we continue our series on The Sims. We talk about a dark spiral, read some poetry, the problem of having enough time, and other topics. Dev Game Club looks at classic video games…