Being a guy who's been in and out of the Splinter Cell series, I found Splinter Cell: Blacklist to be one of the biggest surprises of E3.

Not only does it appear to be bringing back the original style of the first few games, but it's making use of all the major mechanics that have made each title great. Ubisoft Toronto is literally fusing all of these elements into a sort of, ultimate Splinter Cell monstrosity and you need to see it to believe it.

Splinter Cell: Blacklist interview

For a first title, Ubisoft Toronto sure has its hands full. Splinter Cell isn't exactly a under the radar franchise and fans will be expecting nothing but the best coming from Blacklist. I don't think there'll be anything to worry about though, because Blacklist was easily the biggest surprise for me at E3. Not only did its visuals look masterfully done, but the gameplay left me in a state of perpetual shock.

To give the game a premise, two-thirds of the world's countries are occupied by American troops. As you might think, some of these countries have simply had enough. Threatening the USA by bringing the war to their doorstep, these rogue countries have banded together to form the blacklist. Unless the military pulls out in a certain amount of time, the USA could experience high-grade forms of terrorist attacks and it's up to Sam Fisher to stop it.

Guys, there's some trouble somewhere in the world.

Now part of the 4th Echelon, Fisher is the boss and it's represented in the gameplay. With the ability to call in support via artillery strikes, Fisher isn't taking no for an answer from anyone. Grizzled and angry as he may be, Ubisoft Toronto clearly wanted to represent everything Fisher has gone through up until this point. Never hesitating for even a moment, the up close and personal moments where Fisher breaks limbs, smashes heads and gut-punches feel like they hurt. This is how Fisher was built up and it feels incredibly accurate, just... how old does this guy need to be before he slows down?

One of the new features Blacklist touts is an improvement on the mark and execute system from Conviction. Instead of building up a meter of sorts, marking and then letting the bullets fly, Fisher can do all of this while on the move. They're calling it 'killing in motion' and it's absolutely breathtaking to behold. In one fluid movement, Fisher can shoot a target, snap another's neck, jump over a cart, shoot two more dudes at the same time and then finish the last guy off with a stab to the chest; all in ONE MOTION. Capitalization is required for being too awesome.

Where'd everybody go?

I mentioned earlier that Ubisoft Toronto is taking the best elements from all the games. Expect to get your hands dirty with intimate interrogations ala Conviction, make use of nifty gadgets from the first games that'll make you smile, spies versus mercs from Pandora Tomorrow, co-op and a stealth element that isn't being talked about. According to Ubisoft Toronto, they're bringing stealth back in a big way and I'm excited to see just what they mean.

Of course, there's a ton more hardcore fans of the series will automatically notice when playing and that's something else to anticipate. It's great to see Splinter Cell being 'revived' by taking everything that's made the franchise so renowned, augmenting it and packaging it all nice and neat in one retail box. Expect Blacklist to make its way into your system in the Spring of 2013.

Labels: Andrew Whipple III, E3 2012, Interview, PC, PS3, Splinter Cell, Splinter Cell: Blacklist, Xbox 360

Times have changed. Sam has changed. Think back to everything Splinter Cell was and throw that out of the window. No longer are you spending hours working out how to sneak past guards, but instead you are tactically analysing how to burst in and take out as many heads as possible. More guns, more explosions, more action; Conviction is a total rebrand of Splinter Cell, and a rebrand that has done the series some real justice.

But did it need to really change? This is probably a weird question to pose in a climate where reviewers are constantly dismissing sequels for their lack of innovation. You see, Splinter Cell was notoriously hardcore, along with its audience. It was rewarding to those who put the effort in, and it was one of the few stealth games that did the job well. It’s now time for change; no longer can big publishers afford to sell to niche markets. Conviction’s team have been pushing the changes to every Jack Bauer wannabe out there, and that really sums up what the game is: a mix of 24 and Bourne.

Splinter Cell: Conviction isn’t really heavy on the plot, but has enough backstory explained to keep new players right at home in the universe. It’s hard hitting, told through a variety of interrogations, flashbacks, narratives and projector displays. The team has innovated real time story telling in the most simplest of ways by cutting out the need for constant cut-scenes and keeping the pacing strong. Objectives and story advances are projected onto walls. They even offer in-game hints when you are struggling to progress. These are never obtrusive to what is going on around you and are stylish to boot.

The menus, HUD and the armoury screens are all sleek and polished. The game looks amazing, from booting up the title screen to the in-game action. While the lip-sync could do with some fine tuning, Conviction does look fantastic and is a great visual competitor with other 360 titles on the market. Each level is beautifully designed and the animations are sleek, with an atmosphere that sometimes ends up with you holding your breath, so as to not alert any guards on screen.

Busting faces open against sinks, walls, bars and even a piano, Sam is more bad-ass than ever before, his character taking a lot more control over the events that unfold. While his last starring role saw him switching teams, Conviction has him joining forces with Grim again. Long-time fans might roll their eyes as they hear the mention of Sarah, Sam’s daughter, is once again central for the developing plot, but it isn’t too long until things are mixed up to make not only Sam, but also the player, very confused about what is really going on.

Like 24 and Bourne, Conviction is a story of trust, which is what makes it intriguing. You find yourself wanting to find out what the hell is going on with Sarah once and for all, wanting to know who killed who, and who Sam can really trust after all. The single player lasts a slightly underwhelming 5-7 hours but then never felt overly repetitive. Each mission feels fresh and interesting, keeping you on your toes at each turn, something a lot more action shooters could learn from.

Conviction is a third-person shooter that plays around with the idea of being a stealth game. I think we can all openly admit that the game has radically changed the core gameplay to something that is more audience friendly, but don’t dismiss it quite yet. The shooting is smooth, confortable and if you are clever you can still play through the whole game without killing a single soul. Not that it would be any fun. There is a huge armoury of weapons and gadgets to play with too, but once you delve deeper into the game you will find the first pistol upgrades is the only real weapon you need if you line up your shots right. It isn’t until large scale, open shootouts where you’ll resort to the assault rifle.

The stealth is still there though, switching the screen from colour to black and white when you hide in the shadows. Sneaking up to guards and taking them out silently is a real thrill and there is plenty of variety to play around with your prey: pull them out of windows, drop down on them from above, call them over to car alarms or gadgets. You can even grab a guard and hold him as a human shield while you get some shots on other guards around.

The real fun to be had is with the inclusion of the mark and execute (M&E) mechanic. Take a guard out with melee and you earn yourself the chance to stylishly execute 2-4 guards of your choice with a single press of a button. While it seems cheap, M&E is a real life-saver for the more crowded areas and makes infiltrating a room a real treat as the camera slows down to watch your last shot blow a guard's head up and blood trickle out.

The M&E is even more interesting when used in the games co-op campaign, letting each player mark guards together and then, when both are in position, perfect a synchronised execution which looks amazing. The campaign, which lasts a good 6 hours, can be played split-screen or on Xbox Live. You play as Archer or Kestrel, both agents working for Third Echelon and the Russian Government, who are put together on a mission. Offering a bit more back story to Conviction’s main plot line, Deniable Ops is a great alternative to the more action focused experience with Sam.

There are also a few modes where you can take out AI as well as your friend online, like deathmatch. There's a hunter mode, which is essentially 'horde', but you need to protect the EMP in the centre, and a ton of unlockable goodies to gain from doing a variety of P.E.C challenges in the game. There is so much in Splinter Cell: Conviction to return to alone or with a friend.

So yes, it was worth the changes. It was worth going against everything fans originally were worried about. Conviction is in no way like the original Splinter Cells, but Conviction is the innovation and revival the series needed.

9/10

Lauren

Labels: Conviction, Lauren Wainwright, Review, Splinter Cell, Tom Clancy, Ubisoft, Xbox 360

You remember Splinter Cell, right? The old-school versions? The hard-as-diamonds, gruff-voiced stealth classics that depended on you sticking to the shadows as Lambert guided you with his soft advice? Those were the days. Since Splinter Cell: Conviction is arriving on the 16th April (For PC users, it's another 2 weeks after that - boo!), we thought we'd invite you on a trip down memory lane in our nostalgia car, remembering those wonderful days when all you needed to feel safe was a cassette of Michael Ironside's voice.


6. Komodo Shipyard, Komodo, Indonesia
Game: Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow


We'll start the journey with the most atmospheric level from the second installment. Komodo Shipyard - or as you probably know it, the 'Submarine' one - is the perfect example of how a stealth game should work. Starting off in the long grass outside a shipyard, you must avoid sniper beams, sneak past the lounging security, hold a technician hostage (a staple of any Sam Fisher outing), bring up a submarine and download some data, before storming off into the sunset in a dingy. Ahh, the life of an operative.


5. Cargo Ship
Game: Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory


Chaos Theory is arguably the best Splinter Cell out there. It added the ability to customise your loadout, and had really, really pretty graphics. The second mission, Cargo Ship, brought those qualities out best, with the new night-vision proving invaluable and little twists like not being able to shoot in the engine room adding tension and variety. The beautiful night-time infiltration reminds us why we love Splinter Cell: the sneaking around and knocking out. And Michael Ironside. Sigh.


4. GFO Oil Rig
Game: Splinter Cell


The original PS2 classic, released in 2002, would you believe. OK, the helicopter is really misshapen, and the sunset looks more like someone accidentally put the orange filter too high, but if you're put off by that, you're missing the point. This was when you first felt like Sam Fisher. Knee high in crude oil, stalking an encryption key in a suitcase handcuffed to an unfortunate technician, who we always killed. Hey, espionage is dirty. This was the moment you realised that as long as you stuck to the dark places, you were a God.


3. Shanghai
Game: Splinter Cell: Double Agent


Yep, we'd be the first to admit; Double Agent was pretty bad. Not utterly unplayable, but... painful to play. However, as dreadful as the framerate was, it didn't distract from the Shanghai view - a stunning vista of the largest city in China, complete with reflecting rivers, moving cars and - when you rappel the building - fireworks. Shame the rest of the level was a bit rubbish, but still; that view...


2. LAX International Airport
Game: Splinter Cell: Pandora


Airports and terrorism never mix well in this post-9/11 world, so it's amazing that Pandora Tomorrow managed to slip in an awfully good final mission involving an outbreak of smallpox and LAX. After hitching a ride in the back of a lorry (THAT's hardcore, man), you do the usual of sniping terrorists and hiding bodies until a final showdown with Soth (bad dude) in which to stalk the catwalks above the airport, cracking his goons' necks until you finally cut his life short and save the day. The best bit has to go to the heartbreaking scene where an office worker, staying late to man the phones, gets a bullet to the face from a terrorist if you say hidden. Even if it cost us a chunk of our health bar, we'd always rush in, stab the killer, and save that poor man.


1. Hesperia Railways, Paris to Nice, France
Game: Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow


Not just the greatest Splinter Cell mission, but one of the best missions in gaming, this fantastic level sees Sam work his way along a night-train to Nice in order to speak to Norman Soth (at this point, still a good guy). Having spent a lot of our childhood on similar trains, Ubisoft absolutely nailed the look and feel of a French night-train, and such brilliant parts as narrowly avoiding an oncoming train while clinging on to the side of the locomotive, or turning off the lights and legging it through a sleeping carriage, made it truly exciting. The bright glow of the authentic rooms, and the deafening noise of the rails as you crawl on the underbelly of the Paris to Nice, inches from the track, make this the best Splinter Cell mission ever.


Special Mention: Nuclear Plant
Game: Splinter Cell

This PS2 exclusive mission saw Sam Fisher rocking the white latex as he hid in the snow in order to infiltrate a Nuclear Power Plant.


So, those are our favorite missions. We're sad to see the back of retro-Splinter Cell, with Lambert and Spies vs Mercs, but we also can't wait to see in which new directions the game will take us when Splinter Cell: Conviction hits 360 on April 16th, and April 27th for PC. If you've got a favourite mission, add it to the comments!

Chris

Labels: Chris Hawke, Feature, List, Splinter Cell

Microsoft just held a snazzy, press-only Xbox 360 event in San Francisco and there were plenty of exciting announcements that anyone with an Xbox 360 should be looking forward to. I'm here to bring you all the massive announcements from the show, straight after the jump.

Halo: Reach beta starts May 3rd

The next installment in the insanely popular Halo series may not be due for release until the holiday season, but Bungie have fulfilled a promise by granting all current Halo 3: ODST owners access to the multiplayer beta of Halo: Reach when it starts on May 3rd. It's already being billed by Bungie as 'the definitive Halo title', and gamers will be able to see what all the fuss is about come May.


Alan Wakes up on May 21st

Sorry for the god-awful pun, but I'm sure you can forgive me after I give you the news that the long-awaited Alan Wake from Remedy is due for release in Europe on May 21st. It's also been confirmed for a May 18th release in the US, and has been given a surprising 'T for Teen' rating over there. Nice to see a horror game relying on genuine scares rather than cheap blood and gore.


Dead Rising 2 hits September 3rd with exclusive Xbox DLC

Dead Rising was a rather awesome game so colour me excited for the sequel. Capcom confirmed at X10 that Dead Rising 2 is due out on September 3rd for us Europeans. Xbox 360 players get an extra special treat in the form of an exclusive piece of DLC prior to the game's launch which links together the story from the original game and the sequel


Find Lost Planet 2 on May 18th

Capcom's other big sequel for 2010 will be in stores very soon, as the Japanese company has confirmed a worldwide May 18th release for Lost Planet 2. They also announced that Xbox 360 owners would get exclusive playable characters in the form of Albert Wesker from Resident Evil 5 and Marcus Fenix and Dom Santiago from Gears of War. Expect more huge bosses, incredible graphics and 4 player co-op goodness.


Become king in Fable III this Christmas

The third entry in one of my favourite game series' will hit stores in time for Christmas, according to Lionhead chief Peter Molyneux. Fable III was arguably the star of X10 in terms of gameplay and features. The game is all about power as you attempt to gain followers, overthrow the king and then take the throne for yourself. Prepare for plenty of tough moral choices, a new touch mechanic and possible Natal support - Molyneux didn't rule it out. Colour me excited.


Splinter Cell Conviction emerges from the shadows on April 16th

The much-delayed Splinter Cell Conviction has finally been given a solid release date, and we UK gamers will be able to get our hands on Sam Fisher's latest adventure on April 16th. I've been very excited about this since its E3 2009 showcase at the Microsoft press conference, so I'll be looking out for this when it hits stores.


Perfect Dark comes to Xbox LIVE Arcade in March

Rare's much loved N64 classic shooter, Perfect Dark, will be coming to Xbox LIVE Arcade this March as part of the Xbox LIVE House Party. The game features brand new graphics with 1080p support, and runs at a blazing 60fps. Most excitingly, it also features Xbox LIVE for both co-op and competitive play.


Never send a man to do a toy's job in Toy Soldiers on March 3rd

This ambitious RTS/Tower-Defense/Third Person Shooter hybrid, in which you command armies of little toy soldiers, will be hitting Xbox LIVE Arcade on March 3rd to kick off the Xbox LIVE House Party. It's like a cute version of Call of Duty and Company of Heroes rolled into one.


Go back to the arcades this March with Xbox LIVE Game Room

Microsoft also announced a March release date for Xbox LIVE Game Room. This new downloadable application will allow gamers to build their own virtual arcade and set it up with hundreds of classic arcade games from the likes of Konami and Atari. Games can be bought to own, or hired out for a single play. The feature - which is slightly akin to PlayStation Home - will support Xbox 360 Achievements, Xbox 360 Avatars and LIVE Leaderboards.

Keep an eye on Gamer's Guide to Life.com for all the latest from Microsoft's X10 event.

Tom

Labels: 360, Alan Wake, Dead Rising 2, Fable 3, Game Room, Halo Reach, Lost Planet 2, News, Perfect Dark, Splinter Cell, Tom Acres, Toy Soldiers, X10, XBLA, Xbox 360, Xbox LIVE

I've never really been much of a fan of the Splinter Cell series, spending barely any time with the previous installments. However, the E3 trailer and demos of the upcoming Ubisoft title, Conviction, have me squirming with anticipation. The changes made to the character and gameplay appear to have changed for the better, and the in-game presentation of information sprawled across the games world is aesthetically pleasing as well as innovative.

This week at Comic Con, Ubisoft has released another trailer for the game. Not much new information is shown in the teaser, but it succeeds in continuing to build hype for the games release in October. Take a look at the video at the top of this post.

Tyson

Labels: Splinter Cell, Tyson, Tyson Breen, Ubisoft

1) Great Storylines
At the end of each of the three Splinter Cell games I have played (Original, Pandora Tomorrow, Chaos Theory), I had felt satisfied in the way that the storyline was handled. Despite most of the “good guys” (especially Sam Fischer's back-up agents) being a little thin in terms of depth, the bad guys and their evil plots, which normally involved releasing something into the US’ atmosphere, were a great basis to build the game around, as you always thought, damn, if I don’t do this right, loads of people are gonna die. An example of this being when you have a time limit to stop a nuke from launching at the USA; thrilling stuff.

2) Stealth Gameplay
Ubisoft got the stealth elements spot-on for the first three games of the series. Whether hiding in darkness or trying to get information out of a low level grunt, the game really encouraged you to use your head in manoeuvring around levels without being detected. The gadgets given to you at the start of each level were also fantastic. One example of this is one of the “sticky” traps; the idea being that you fired a trap with a camera onto a wall, and then when a guard comes near to it, gas him.

3) The sound it makes when Sam turns on his N/V
I know it seems like something trivial, but its just amazing that today if I were to hear that noise then my thoughts immediately go back to turning on my night vision all of those years ago. Great sound design and one of the most iconic noises in gaming.

Matthew

Labels: 3 reasons why, Matthew, Matthew Meadows, Splinter Cell