Tom Clancy, author of such books as The Hunt for Red October, Patriot Games and The Sum of All Fears, passed away today at the age of 66. Fans will always remember the talented writer not only for his novels, but also the movies and video games bearing his name. That said, we chose to celebrate his life and accomplishments with the 25 highest-ranked Tom Clancy video games according to Metacritic. As expected, Sam Fisher makes more than one appearance.
Note: We took the highest score for multi-platform games with the exception of H.A.W.X. We also eliminated downloadable expansion packs.
Tom Clancy’s H.A.W.X. (PS3- 74)
The Enhanced Reality System is the backbone of the HAWX flight experience: radars and incoming missile detection, anti-crash system, damage control system, tactical map and information relay, and weapons trajectory control. E.R.S. also allows players to issue orders to their squadron, making this system as iconic to HAWX as the Cross-Com system is to Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter. Players can ease into their flight missions and gain a level of comfort with the use of the assistance mode. Once employed, players can take full advantage of their technological support through the E.R.S and gain maximum piloting security. If the situation calls for the player to unleash the full potential of the aircraft, the assistance mode can be switched off and all safety features will be deactivated.
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Shadow Vanguard (iOS- 76)
For the first time on iPhone and iPod touch, enjoy a new FPS experience that allows you to lead a team of elite soldiers! Play 11 thrilling missions to defeat a dangerous and well-organized terrorist group. Play recreated and enriched levels based on the original Rainbow Six game like the Embassy Hostage Crisis, an oil platform assault or the infiltration of a rebel camp in Africa.
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Rogue Spear (GBA- 76)
The action is still there, and, even more surprisingly, so are many of the frills that make the experience feel genuine.
Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars (3DS- 77)
Lead the Ghosts, the most elite special forces unit in the US Army, across multiple tactical missions to prevent a war from breaking out.
Tom Clancy’s EndWar (Xbox 360- 77)
EndWar creates a theatre of war, immersing you in the drama of World War III in a way you never thought possible. Fight For Your Nation: Pick a side US, Europe, Russia – the fate of the world is in your hands. If you don’t step in to save your homeland, who will? Grow your army into the most powerful force on the planet. Your army is completely customizable, and experience breeds strength – your units grow more powerful with every campaign you fight.
Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Future Soldier (Xbox 360- 79)
The Ghosts are an untraceable unit of soldiers who hunt down high value targets in the highest-risk conflict zones around the world. In the near future, four of these elite soldiers form the tip of the spear in a hidden war simmering worldwide. As the Ghosts accomplish their objectives, they discover a far greater threat – one that could permanently alter the international balance of power. Join the Ghosts – Control Sergeant Kozak and his unit through fourteen missions in eight exotic locales, from Africa to the Arctic Circle. Fight using the tech of tomorrow including optical camouflage, augmented reality and drones. Commandeer over 50 Weapons and customize them with Gunsmith Mode- Harness the formidable firepower of an army and optimize every aspect of your arsenal in the Gunsmith mode. Intense Multiplayer- four game modes, ten maps and multiple classes along with Ghost Recon’s classic siege mode.
Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon 2 (Xbox- 80)
The Xbox version of Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon 2 is a sequel to the PS2 version (which is set in 2007), and it features its own storyline, level design, and cinematic sequences. Once again, you must lead a team of Special Forces operatives (the “ghosts”) on a variety of dangerous missions. Equip your team with advanced weapons and gadgets, and then fight alongside them in East Asia. The game also supports online multiplayer matches, in both competitive and cooperative modes.
Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon (PC-80)
Take command of the Ghosts through a series of missions that range from demolitions, to search and rescue, to all-out firefights for survival. Features squad-based tactical combat with next-generation military action in stunning 3D environments and a mission-driven storyline with 15 different single player maps (as big as 400m x 400m), and 6 dedicated multiplayer maps.
Tom Clancy’s H.A.W.X. (iOS- 82)
Elevate your experience of war with the soaring air combat game Tom Clancy’s H.A.W.X, finally coming on your iPhone and iPod Touch! Play as David Crenshaw, an elite pilot working for a powerful private military company. Thirteen missions to put your pilot skills to the test with diverse objectives and gameplay: engage aircraft in dogfights, infiltrate an enemy base, protect your allies, bomb strategic locations, provide support to ground troops and more!
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas 2 (Xbox 360- 82)
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas 2 is your last chance to rescue America’s sexiest city from an escalating terrorist siege that will force you into heart-pounding action from beginning to end. Sin City is back and bigger than before. Explore all new Vegas hot spots as the environment changes from dusk to bright daylight to dawn, creating a visual experience that is as challenging as it is breathtaking. The multiplayer mode in Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas has been upgraded to include 11 new, smaller maps that force more intense face-offs, 2 new adversarial modes, more rewards, and easier access to matches using the improved and intuitive matchmaking system. Create your own identity that stays the same in both single player and multiplayer modes and progresses as you do. Reap the benefits of your single player rewards in multiplayer and vice versa. Turn single player mode into co-op mode at any time, just by jumping into the game. Now your friend can jump into your single player game and help you without any change to the story.
Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Island Thunder (PC- 82)
Cuba, 2009: Castro is dead, and the first free Cuban elections in decades are thrown into turmoil by a drug-funded warlord. The Ghosts, an elite team of U.S. Army Green Berets, are sent to Cuba as part of a UN peacekeeping force to destroy the rebel forces and their mercenary leaders and secure the elections for a free Cuba.
Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Desert Siege (PC- 82)
East Africa, 2009. A 60-year conflict boils over as Ethiopia invades its smaller neighbor Eritrea, threatening the world’s most vital shipping lanes in the Red Sea. An elite team of U.S. Army Green Berets, known as the Ghosts, moves in to safeguard the seas and free Eritrea. As the war rages on, the Ghosts are drawn from Eritrea’s shores to the heart of Ethiopia in their deadliest battles yet.
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six 3: Raven Shield (PC- 83)
Command an elite, multinational squad of special operatives against a hidden terrorist foe. In Raven Shield, the third installment to the wildly popular Rainbow Six series, RAINBOW races against time to stop terror and unravel a mystery. In locations around the world, from London to the Caribbean to Rio de Janeiro, lead team RAINBOW in a desperate effort to battle a madman and foil his doomsday plot. Features 15 all-new single-player missions, 6 dedicated multiplayer maps. Built on next-generation Unreal technology for unequaled visual effects. 57 weapons with real-world accessories for endless customization. Real-world tactics and methods from Mike Grasso, Senior Instructor for LAPD SWAT and LAPD Medal of Valor winner.
Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Blacklist (PS3- 84)
The United States maintains a military presence in two thirds of countries around the world. This doesn’t sit well with a syndicate of rogue nations, which initiates a terror protocol designated as the Blacklist – a deadly countdown of escalating terrorist attacks on American interests. Sam Fisher is the leader of the newly formed 4th Echelon unit: a clandestine unit that answers directly to the President of the United States. Sam and his team have to hunt down these terrorists by any means necessary, and put a stop to the Blacklist countdown before it reaches zero.
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six 3: Black Arrow (Xbox- 84)
A series of attempts to kidnap telemetry and rocket scientists pulls Team Rainbow into a spider web of international intrigue. Team Rainbow must stop terrorists from developing weapons of mass destruction and prevent them from starting a devastating war. Guide Team Rainbow through a new campaign set in Mediterranean and Eastern European level environments, while gathering new weapons and other equipment. Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six 3: Black Arrow also features new multiplayer game modes for both online and offline play.
Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Conviction (Xbox 360- 85)
Improvise. Adapt. Overcome. You are a fugitive, ruthlessly hunted by the very government you used to serve. Your only choice is to improvise to survive. Experience original gameplay based on improvisation in which your environment is your top weapon. Always on your toes, you need to react on the fly to any changing situations and use the environment and the crowds around you to create diversions and deter your enemies. As a fugitive, quick thinking and adaptation are essential to turn the situation to your advantage. A gameplay experience delivering 100% adrenaline includes close combat and shooting sequences. To survive, build an underground network of allies who will help you obtain high-tech gadgets and stay one step ahead of your pursuers as you struggle to unmask the forces that frame you.
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six (PC- 85)
The most revolutionary action/strategy game of its kind. Nothing comes closer to offering an exciting combination of strategy, team building, realistic three-dimensional graphics and true-to-life special forces action. The ultimate goal is to save yourself and the world from deadly terrorists. You must successfully complete 17 unique missions. If you die, the game isn’t over. The World is.
Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 (Xbox 360- 86)
Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 builds off of the events in the first game and places gamers in control of the U.S. military’s elite fighting unit, the Ghosts. In the year 2014, the rising conflict between Mexican loyalists and insurgent rebel forces has thrown Mexico into full-scale civil war. Under the command of Captain Scott Mitchell, the Ghosts are called upon to face an imminent threat to the United States. The fate of two countries now lies in the hands of the Ghosts as they fend off an attack on U.S. soil. Equipped with the most cutting-edge weaponry and technology, the Ghosts must battle on both sides of the border to neutralize the escalating rebel threat.
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six 3 (Xbox- 86)
As terrorist attacks against the United States and Venezuela escalate, you are in charge of leading the last line of defense: Rainbow. In Rainbow Six 3, you will lead this top-secret task force dedicated to combating terrorism in all its forms. Your team consists of the best field operatives–equipped with an arsenal of no fewer than 30 weapons that the United Nations has to offer. Tackle all 14 worldwide missions in single-player or match wits and words against 15 other players online, with full headset support. You may be the last hope in the war against terror.
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas (Xbox 360- 88)
The stakes are high when the world’s most elite counter-terrorism unit enters Las Vegas, where over 36.7 million men, women and children visit each year. “Sin City,” the home of the famous Las Vegas Strip, flashy hotels, high-rolling casinos and world-famous celebrities, becomes the setting for a terrorist threat of global proportions. What happens when one of the world’s most famous cities is held hostage by terrorists?
Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Double Agent (Xbox- 89)
Veteran agent Sam Fisher is back. But he’s never faced an enemy like this before. To stop a devastating terrorist attack, he must infiltrate a vicious terrorist group and destroy it from within. For the first time ever, experience the relentless tension and gut-wrenching dilemmas of life as a double agent. As you infiltrate a terrorist organization in its American headquarters, you must carefully weigh the consequences of your actions. Kill too many criminals and you’ll blow your cover. Hesitate too long and millions will die. Do whatever it takes to complete your mission, but get out alive.
Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter (Xbox 360- 90)
Following an insurgence in the heart of Mexico City, the U.S. Army’s most elite Special Forces team is deployed to the center of the conflict to regain control of the city. Greatly outnumbered but fully equipped with the IWS, this elite team is the first and last line of defense on the battlefield. They are the “Quiet” professionals. They are the Ghosts. Gain access to the future of military technology. Using a fully integrated combat system with cutting-edge weapons and revolutionary communication systems, gamers embody the soldier of the future. Based on actual U.S. Army research, the Ghosts give gamers a realistic view of how war will be fought in the next decade.
Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Pandora Tomorrow (Xbox- 93)
Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow, the sequel to the stealth-action game Splinter Cell, once again casts you in the role of Sam Fisher, who is sent in to destroy top-secret documentation held in the embassy of militia leader Suhadi Sadono. Use all-new moves and prototype gear to infiltrate buildings and spare the hostages. This time, you can take your games of espionage against three other players in online multiplayer mode, in which you choose to play as either a mercenary or spy. You’ve got the moves and the gear, now put them to use.
Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell (Xbox- 93)
Infiltrate terrorists’ positions, acquire critical intelligence by any means necessary, execute with extreme prejudice, and exit without a trace. In Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell, you are Sam Fisher, a highly trained secret operative of the NSA’s secret arm: Third Echelon. Suit up with the latest classified field operative gear and weapons as you travel through diverse mission objectives. The world’s future is in your hands, as cyber terrorism and international tensions are about to explode into WWIII.
Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Chaos Theory (Xbox- 94)
As Sam Fisher, Third Echelon’s most skilled Splinter Cell operative, you are assigned to execute a hazardous series of operations to investigate and eliminate a new source of information attacks originating in North Korea. At your disposal is a lethal array of tactics ranging from Combat Knife techniques to experimental prototype weapons skills and more-radical hand-to-hand techniques such as the Inverted Chokehold. Experience the intensity of acting as a lone operative fighting tomorrow’s threats in the field and of cooperating online with a partner to accomplish crucial missions.
