Splinter Cell Pandora Tomorrow.

Afterthoughts:

As we enter the dimly lit room, we survey our surroundings: long water pipes running along the ceiling, tall ledges, and a dark area in the back corner. It's all perfectly set up for us--though that security camera on the wall has us a little on edge. Nothing a well-thrown salt shaker won't take care of.

Newest stealth-action hit? Nope. Just the silly daydreams of EGM editors entering a local restaurant, with a bit too much Splinter Cell Pandora Tomorrow on the brain. The recent Xbox release blew us away--the single-player game is great, but it's the addicting online multiplayer that has taken a firm hold of our minds and free waking hours. We sat down with Pandora Creative Director Gunther Galipot and Brand Manager Xavier Fouilleux to discuss the ins and outs of this masterpiece. And check out how the PS2 and Cube versions are shaping up on pg. 42. --Dan "Shoe" Hsu

EGM: Two-on-two gameplay is great and all, but naturally, we gamers want more. Why no 3-on-3 or more?

Gunther Galipot: We specifically limited the number of players to ensure that Pandora Tomorrow remained a stealth-action game rather than morphing into a free-for-all shooter. Playing with more than three or four members on a team would change the game mechanisms radically and deliver a whole different experience to gamers than the one we originally proposed. …