Splinter Cell - Chinese Embassy II

After much wailing and gnashing of teeth, I finally got past my previously mentioned roadblock! This was where the terrorists rushed the helpless hostages of Chinese diplomats and American soldiers, tossing grenades like compliments as they swooped in, forcing me to fight back instead of slinking around. This whole frontal assault scene was a bit jarring, as this stealth game turned into more of a shooter than ever before.

The key to my survival was uncovering a small cache of ammunition for my rifle and a medical kit for my battered and bruised body. This gave me barely enough firepower to overcome the 6 to 8 hoodlums who rush us. A couple of frag grenades to take out the first wave opens the party. Then, through crucial positioning, I can take out the mug who tries to outflank me and also bring down the red-bereted leader of the mercenaries.

Following this, just as I tell my 4 year old, is patience, patience, patience, as I await the next wave. One lone gunman finally comes in, a couple of brief exchanges, and he’s down. Now, only Grinko and a crony, hanging out in the outside hallway, are left.

Lob a gas grenade, squeeze off some well placed rounds, and Grinko’s henchman is down and out. Take down Grinko himself as he comes around the corner to investigate and - Yee Haw! - I’m free of this level! Along with the “Mission Succeeded” message comes that feeling you only get after finally finishing that seemingly impossible level in a video game. What is it anyway? Relief? Exultation? Joy? Some strange brew of those emotions and more, certainly, and something you get only from the completion of a tough (maybe especially even an unfair one) level in a video game.

Now it is back to the Chinese Embassy to find some incriminating papers and keep the US and Chinese superpowers from going to war. I’ve played about half this level and am finding it a bit more arbitrary than before. One narrow path to victory; stray from that and it is the “Mission Over” screen, while your enemies gloat over your cooling corpse.

And now I’m in the middle of a section that I’ve been retrying all night. I get a little bit further each play through, but it’s been a long trip since the last checkpoint and, for the first time, I’m truly cursing the checkpoint save system. Up to this point, the checkpoints have seemed to come at very natural and fair intervals. But due to the unforgiving nature of this level and the long stretch between checkpoints, I’ve replayed it much more than any other one. But at least there is progress being made, and hope yet remains in tracking down the über criminal, Kombayn Nikoladze.