Splinter Cell Chaos Theory is currently free to keep
Grab it before November 25th
Three-eyed gantry shuffler Sam Fisher hasn't starred in his own game since 2013's Blacklist, but Ubisoft are currently giving away the third and arguably best game in the series, 2005's Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory. It's free to keep if you download it before November 25th.
Ubisoft are, of course, also currently being heavily criticised by their own staff. Earlier this month, employee group A Better Ubisoft started a petition, open to all, asking for support in pursuing their demands. They want Ubisoft to do more to remove alleged abusers from the company, and to give employees a better "seat at the table" when it comes to changes in policy.
I remember Chaos Theory mostly for its multiplayer, which is a problem because none of its multiplayer modes work anymore. At release, Chaos Theory had an excellent co-operative mode, with levels designed specifically to encourage teamwork between two players, and a brilliant asymmetric Spy vs. Mercenary mode. Mercenaries were like typical military grunts, while Spies had non-lethal weapons and had to use their stealth and maneuverability to win. It was great fun, skulking around in the shadows and choking out your pals.
These modes were part of why Chaos Theory is of remembered as the peak of the series. Later Sam Fisher murdventures are fun, but the co-op never again feels as refined as it does here.
But the campaign was good too, and free is free. To grab the game, head over to this page on the Ubisoft site. You'll need a Ubisoft Connect account to claim it; Ubisoft Connect is what was previously called Uplay. Sign in or sign-up and it will be added to your account. You'll then need to launch or download Ubisoft Connect in order to play.
While not quite free, Steam also has a pretty good discount on Chaos Theory right now, offering it up at 75% off, which is £2.14/€2.50. And if you'd rather get your nostalgia hit without having to wrangle its aging design yourself, I suggest this Let's Play by original creative director Clint Hocking from 2016 (embedded above).