I think Splinter Cell being released around the same time as MGS2:S hurt it more than anything else. They are similar games if just in their genre and I heavily lean towards SC as being the superior game. If konami had waited until after the holiday into Feb sometime I think they could have released it to much more fanfare.
I picked it up. So far I'm liking it alright but I've been mostly playing the VR Missions. The game never interested me much in the first place but at $20 can't bitch.