In the wake of events in Splinter Cell: Double Agent, Sam Fisher has disavowed himself of his former government employer, the secretive Third Echelon. The veteran operator is instead on the hunt for those who killed his daughter, Sarah Fisher. Sam quickly discovers that his child’s murder is but the tip of the iceberg, with a much deeper conspiracy threatening international peace and security. To confront the new threat, Fisher is lured back into the world of covert operations, with the aid of his former tactical advisor, Anna GrimsdóttÃr. Players will see Anna in the flesh in Splinter Cell: Conviction, in addition to a cast of new and shadowy characters.
Sam is back – with a vengeance.
At its core, Splinter Cell: Conviction is still a stealth game. Veteran players will be glad to know that the emphasis is still on operating in the shadows. However, the gameplay has evolved from previous iterations in the series. Gone are the LEDs, light and sound meters of preceding Splinter Cell titles. Ubisoft has done away with the old interface in favour of a far simpler idea. Whenever players are lurking in the shadows unseen by the enemy, the game environment turns black and white. If you alert the guards to your presence or stray too far into the light, the world turns colour again.
Sam Fisher may not be on the NSA’s payroll, but that doesn’t mean he can’t access the latest and greatest in gadgets and weaponry. Throughout the game, you’ll be able to pick up a multitude of guns and items. Players can pick up firearms from fallen enemies, or choose their own load-outs. But by far, the best gadget is the all-new sonar vision, an upgrade of Sam’s trademark night vision goggles. In addition to lighting up the darkest areas, sonar vision allows players to see the outline of enemies though floors and walls. This is especially useful for choosing paths to your objective and pinning down elusive enemies.
Also at Sam Fisher’s disposal is the new ‘mark and execute’ manoeuvre. As you take down enemies silently and perform stealth moves, a gauge progressively fills up. Once the meter is full, players can mark a number of enemies and then take them all out in rapid succession at the push of a single button. Thankfully, you won’t be able to spam your way through the entire game by marking and executing. Instead, players will have to work on their stealth tactics in order to be rewarded with the new feature.
Meet Kestrel and Archer.
At the heart of Splinter Cell: Conviction is a new co-operative campaign. Players can team up to complete the co-op story mode, a prologue to Sam Fisher’s single-player adventure. Expected to clock in at six hours, the co-op campaign casts players as American Third Echelon agent Archer and Russian Voron spy Kestrel. Respectively sporting distinctive green and red infiltration goggles, the agents are tasked with working together to avert a nuclear threat. Splinter Cell: Conviction’s co-op works much like the single-player mode, but with numerous opportunities for team-based gameplay. For example, one player can mark targets over the top of a wall and allow the other to unleash the execution manoeuvre. While we’ve only had a briefest of glimpses at the co-op action, its definitely one that Splinter Cell aficionados will want to emerge from the shadows for.
After five entries, a game has to evolve to keep things fresh and innovative. Splinter Cell: Conviction is set to do just that, with an explosive story, a serious gameplay overhaul and a promising co-op mode. The latest addition to the Tom Clancy franchise will also include an invitation to the Ghost Recon: Future Soldier multiplayer beta. Splinter Cell: Conviction is scheduled to be released on Xbox 360 and PC on April 15.
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