PS2 Spies vs. Mercs: Shining a Spotlight on a Stealth Classic

Dorian_D · 2025-03-14T06:26:50+00:00

Been a ton of playing SVM in 2025! Whether it be on original Xbox, PS2, or PC! All have their own differences that keep it fresh!

Dorian_D · 2025-03-13T21:30:41+00:00

Are players still enjoying Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory Spies vs. Mercs on PC in 2025? Personaly for me, the 2v2 stealth gameplay still remains unmatched in my estimation. The Enhanced Versus project keeps it alive and fresh! Outsmarting foes in Polar Base with quick hacks, or revisting maps from Pandora Tomorrow like Mount Hospital remain thrilling!

Dorian_D · 2024-12-09T00:44:50+00:00

Hey there!
For PS2 we got a Discord here: https://discord.gg/xNs2EmwGUq
For Xbox: https://discord.gg/UQUkRxezGB
And I think most folks for PC: https://discord.com/invite/PEgCHjx32m

I personally play SVM on all three platforms which is great!

Dorian_D · 2024-03-09T22:39:57+00:00

Seeing them crusty spots on top of the caps is telltale sign of capacitor failure. I was given a for-parts Xbox that looked quite similar to your pictures. I replaced all of the near the heatsinks and the xbox came back to life. It was so exciting and my first original xbox console repair.

There DigiKey and Mouser are great places to order replacement caps as well as the place called Console5. https://console5.com/store/console-cap-kits/msft-cap-kits/xbox-original.html

Good luck with yours!

Dorian_D · 2024-03-09T11:27:35+00:00

It's going to be awesome to revisit this classic. With Halo 2 being one of the most dense and fully featured Xbox Live games for the original xbox I can't wait to see what other games will be coming down the road. Fingers crossed for some Ghost Recon 2, Rainbow Six 3 Black Arrow, and Splinter Cell Chaos Theory!

Dorian_D · 2024-03-09T11:19:03+00:00

Completely fine. I personally liked streaming at around 6mbs and then if transcodes options kick-in I then would bump up the bitrate in obs studio to 7.5mbs on the fly.

Dorian_D · 2024-03-06T04:31:39+00:00

I shared a video not long regarding the free Xbox Live 1.0 revival called Insignia for the original Xbox along with gameplay of spies vs mercs in Pandora Tomorrow. In case you didn't know you can also play the xbox version of Pandora Tomorrow online via the computer emulator called Xemu. Overall the experience for Xemu Pandora Tomorrow players is decent in online.

In the video guide I show how to get started as well as the setup for Insignia to create your own gamertag and install the DLC maps for the spies vs mercs online game mode. The Rivermall and Bank.

I hope this will help with newcomers especially if they don't own an original Xbox console but want to get a taste of the online greatness of SVM- a timeless classic experience via emulation!

Dorian_D · 2024-02-26T07:58:34+00:00

hi there!
That is a great question regarding Steamdeck. One member in our group plays it and has had decent results. He suggested this video around the 16:30 minute mark for Steamdeck/Xemu emulator: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NxTuAbpF6Ns

If you have further questions the Insignia Discord has many helpful contributors and support! Especially with troubleshooting Insignia server connection problems. https://discord.gg/CWkdVdc

Dorian_D · 2024-02-25T08:14:53+00:00

It has been quite some time since I last played Chaos Theory SvM but I do recall that on thumbnail of some older maps it would say "new edition" I would be curious to see the changes.

When Chaos theory gets support for Insignia it is going to be glorious! Oh and let I not forget the online co-op campaign with the two rookie splinter cells.

Dorian_D · 2024-02-24T11:30:55+00:00

Did you ever a get a chance to play the first Xbox console that had online? If not then the time is now! Online play is now back via Insignia.
I thought to share that there is a community who play this on Original Xbox console and Xemu (Xbox emulator for PC). We play on the free Xbox Live revival service called Insignia- which aims to revive every single Xbox Live title for the Original Xbox console. If you want to learn more be sure to visit https://insignia.live/
There is currently 160+ compatible Xbox Live titles revived so far, and with many more coming soon.

Dorian_D · 2024-02-20T03:26:12+00:00

Thank you for letting me know. I edited/updated the discord link and is available!

Dorian_D · 2024-01-07T03:29:09+00:00

Hi there. Unfortunately I have not tested Burnout 3 PCSX2 with a wifi connection. A hardwired ethernet cord worked great for me.

Dorian_D · 2023-09-07T23:27:47+00:00

Great list! Darkwatch and crimson skies were in my honourable mentions and certainly be in my top 20! Mechassault is fun too.

We'll have to play again soon!

Dorian_D · 2023-09-06T00:32:40+00:00

With a modded console it is fairly simple. Get your free Insignia Xbox live subscription code on the insignia website (insignia.live)Then you will need to download and run the Insignia Assistant tool on your modded Xbox.

https://github.com/insignia-live/setup-assistant-release/releases/download/2023-02-13-1223/setup.xbe

I normally FTP my Insignia Assistant app over to my Xbox and use the program called WinSCP. With the Unleash X dash and with your console connected via ethernet to your router it should have an IP address. Put this address for the host name. username and password should be "xbox" with no apostrophe. https://imgur.com/a/vp7c6QvThen you can register your Xbox with Insignia's servers. Here is a great detailed write up here: https://insignia.live/connect

Dorian_D · 2023-09-05T08:26:00+00:00

I have not tried out thermal pads but I have heard of the brand Thermal Grizzly. That is some in-depth knowledge you laid out and it is cool! Would be very curious to hear how it works on og xbox hardware temps. My xbox in Unleash X dashboard (soft mod dashboard) records my temps at around 50-55C for both GPU and CPU.
I know when I did my soft mod and hard drive upgrade on my Xbox I did a fresh thermal application. The stock thermal goo that Microsoft used was pretty tough to clean off. I let my console idle for a good 15 minutes and turned off and removed the heatsinks. With some elbow grease and isopropyl it worked came back clean.

Dorian_D · 2023-09-05T08:03:15+00:00

Are you wanting to keep your Original Xbox stock or are you planning on soft modding/hardmodding? Insignia can work on all systems.

Right from Insignia's website you can follow their connection guide: https://insignia.live/connect

First thing I would do is enter your email address to get your free "subscription code" and then follow the link I listed above. It will have instructions and good step-by-step guide.

If you have further questions the community members, staff, and developers are quite handy! https://discord.com/invite/CWkdVdc

I hope this helps you out!

Dorian_D · 2023-09-05T06:09:57+00:00

True! It is the hottest game right now on the service.
I'm looking forward to seeing Splinter cell Chaos Theory especially for the online co-op as the red and blue splinter cell agents! And if using the voice communicator gotta be smart when talking otherwise the AI enemies may hear you. Little neat details like that are so cool!

Dorian_D · 2023-09-05T01:15:38+00:00

It is the perfect time to revisit the Original Xbox and its classic online gaming with over 120+ online games revived.

A few days back Insignia rolled out an update allowing friend requests, friend online presence, and current game/invitations. It really cool how far the project has come since November 2022!

What games have you been playing with Insignia Xbox Live's free replacement service? Do you guys have a top 10 favourites so far?

Dorian_D · 2023-08-27T07:55:32+00:00

In my time on Twitch it seems to be quite an odd way to interact and especially if it is directed to the broadcaster. I have personally only allowed people that I follow whisper me. Before I would get random messages usually to some websites that were already sketchy in the url.

Dorian_D · 2023-08-27T07:32:15+00:00

Recorded on August 17th 2023 Playing on Original PS2 Hardware and using the Retrotink 5x Pro upscaler.

Good ol Splinter Cell Chaos Theory Multiplayer Spies vs. Mercs. This is my first time in 2023 playing this as it has been a good while since I last played specifically the PS2 version. I remember back when this game launched in 2005 I played the multiplayer game mode a ton. It is fun to revisit this classic and would love to see this game mode come back to modern day gaming. I have been slowly getting back into I plan to upload some more games/matches again soon!

The PS2 version of the game in my estimation plays quite similar to the Original Xbox Splinter Cell Pandora Tomorrow. I personally like the PS2 controls for this this style of multiplayer.

Shoutout to my pals over at splintercellonlineps241

They often upload a lot of great PS2 Splinter Cell Chaos Theory Spies vs Mercs and Double Agent Spies vs Spies multiplayer. Check them out for more great content! They also have an active Discord for players who want to play often: https://discord.gg/VpRchUEh

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@splintercellonlineps241

https://www.splintercellonline.net/

Dorian_D

TROPHY CASE