Sam Fisher is back with a vengeance. This notion underlines the entire story and revamped gameplay (more on that later). Splinter Cell: Conviction’s back-story is portrayed though montages ‘projected’ onto in-game scenery. It works well insofar as revealing Sam Fisher’s memories, but not if you want an uninterrupted view. At several points, players ‘interrogate’ enemies, smashing them into various objects in order to extract important information. These scenarios are but glorified quick-time events, and not for the feint-hearted. They do, nonetheless, give the player a sense of the lengths Sam is willing to go to. Otherwise, the remainder of Splinter Cell: Conviction’s story plays out like any mainstream Tom Clancy thriller, with twists and turns at every angle. The plot will have you interested right up until the credits roll, but sadly, there is one glaring omission. The villain’s motivations just aren’t fleshed out enough, leaving players with a very important question – why? This flaw negates an otherwise excellent narrative.
Conviction’s gameplay marks a radical departure from Splinter Cell’s tried and true stealth gameplay formula. As opposed to sneaking around and generally avoiding the enemy as per previous titles, Ubisoft has recast Sam Fisher as the ‘stalker’. Essentially, taking out baddies and shooting is more pivotal than ever before. Stealth still makes up a large part of the game, but players are constantly shepherded into confrontations with the enemy. Consequently, Splinter Cell: Conviction is more like Gears of War than any previous iteration. Hence, we arrive at a review dilemma. New players will find the game accessible, but die-hard fans may miss what we call the ‘pure’ stealth gameplay. The change is difficult to evaluate, each with arguments for and against. Ubisoft have to walk a fine line in keeping the regulars happy, while ensuring things stay fresh. Ultimately, whether or not you have played Splinter Cell before, our best advice is if you can get rid of any preconceptions before hitting the start button, there is plenty to enjoy in Conviction.
Just a regular guy, taking a walk. With a gun.
The first of many new features in Splinter Cell: Conviction is the cover system, which is unlike any we’ve seen before. By holding down the left trigger, players can slide from cover to cover, with an indicator pinpointing their next position. It’s relatively easy to exit cover or cancel a sliding manoeuvre, simply by releasing the left trigger. The cover system is best suited to moments of stealth gameplay. However, when the shooting starts, it just isn’t fast or fluid enough to meld with the third person gameplay, like Gears of War is. Coupled with the odd button configuration (that cannot be changed), combat-heavy scenarios can be overly clunky.
To assist in his combat-centric role, Sam has some new moves up his sleeve. The most prominent new feature is the ‘Mark and Execute’ mechanic. If Sam takes down an enemy hand-to-hand, he is granted a ‘token’. Players can then paint multiple enemies with an indicator, much like Rainbow Six: Vegas. Once the desired number of enemies have been painted, you can take them all out automatically in a quick barrage of headshots. Thankfully, marking and executing isn’t a cheat for spamming your way though the game. Rather, you have to be tactful in earning and spending tokens, which can prove invaluable in certain predicaments. Granted, some of the situations where you have to mark and execute stick out like a sore thumb, but its enormous fun setting up those that aren’t so obvious. The reward also comes in the fantastic adrenaline rush you get watching Sam take out targets with ease.
When Sam steps out of the dark and reveals himself, a silhouette of his character appears in his ‘last known position’. Enemies will focus all their attention (and bullets) on the silhouette, allowing players to slip away and strike from darkness. The feature works beautifully and strikes a fine balance between the stealth and shooting gameplay. Ubisoft has also overhauled Splinter Cell’s light and dark visibility system. Players no longer have meters or coloured lights to inform them whether or not Sam is shrouded in darkness. Rather, if you are hidden in the shadows, the game turns black and white. If Sam is lit up like a Christmas tree, things go back to colour. It’s a robust system, which helps players focus more on their whereabouts than the state of lighting. New players will have no issue, but returning fans may still find themselves missing the old heads-up display.
Objectives are ‘projected’ onto scenery.
Splinter Cell: Conviction is a linear game. Mission objectives are projected onto the environment, just like Sam’s flashbacks. There is only ever one main path to follow, so you never have to worry about getting lost. The downside is that you always feel as if the developers are directing you along a pre-determined path, thereby negating any sense of immersion. Even so, players can always approach their immediate environment and surrounding enemies differently, whether it be through the front door, up a pipe or through a side window. Ubisoft have made a few other oversights in Conviction. An odd level, set in Iraq, plays like a straight-up third-person shooter. Granted, Conviction is an action game, but the complete lack of stealth – or anything, other than mindless lead-pumping – makes this particular chapter feel totally out of context. In another level, certain actions will result in an instant game over (an issue we thought was put to rest in Chaos Theory). Not only does it break the pacing, but having to restart for the slightest misstep is deeply frustrating. Sam is also strictly limited to his fists and bullets. There’s a decent range guns to choose from, but most are unusable if you want to play silently, as only a few are suppressed. The addition of a knife, as in previous iterations, would have been handy and added another layer of variety to the combat.
Splinter Cell: Conviction’s single-player campaign is very short, with a standard game reaching no more than six hours. Ubisoft nonetheless earn significant points for replayability, as hamming up the difficulty to realistic makes for very a different experience. There are also a number of multiplayer modes to delve into. Conviction features a fully-fledged co-operative campaign, which acts as a prologue to the central story. In addittion, any of the co-operative maps can be played in a variety of alternative modes; Last Stand, a form of wave defence, Hunter and Infiltration, where you have to eliminate all enemies on a map, and Face-off, in which players compete against each other and enemy AI. Being limited to no more than two players is disappointing, but there is still plenty to keep you occupied.
Splinter Cell: Conviction’s co-op story is segmented into four acts, each taking about an hour and a half to complete with a buddy. This portion of the game is almost worth the price of admission alone, owing to the entertainment factor. Players assume the identifies of Archer and Kestrel, American and Russian spies respectfully. The co-operative mode feels more like classic Splinter Cell, as there is more opportunity for stealth-based gameplay. Communication and teamwork is essential to completing objectives. Players can perform certain actions together, such as sharing mark and execute tokens and reviving each other. Some segments feel no different to other co-op shooters such as Army of Two, but if you can persist past these areas and the somewhat confusing plot, Splinter Cell: Conviction’s co-op is one of the best and most rewarding available. Finally, while we won’t spoil if for you, the conclusion to the co-op story will leave you stunned.
Down you go.
From a visual perspective, the Splinter Cell’s second entry on Xbox 360 looks much the same as the last. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as the presentation still stands up today. Set-pieces, objects and characters appear vivid and sharp, and as always, the modelling, textures and animations are top-notch. Conviction looks great, but graphically – it’s hard to describe – the game just doesn’t immerse you in the same way that Double Agent did.
Accompanying Splinter Cell: Conviction’s story is an excellent cast of voice actors. In particular, Michael Ironside delivers another outstanding performance as the rogue Sam Fisher. His trademark voice gives Sam an unmistakable aurora of mystery and lethality. Conviction’s soundtrack is also worthy of mention. Listening to the music is an absolute joy on the ears, with each composition perfectly conveying the theme or atmosphere of a given level.
Just how much you like Splinter Cell: Conviction will depends on how much you can embrace change. First-time players will discover an entertaining action stealth game, but series regulars might find the modifications a little too bitter to swallow. It’s a difficult game to assess, depending on which side of the equation you fall on. Nonetheless, while Conviction seldom reaches the heights of Chaos Theory, there is enough in this well-rounded package to satisfy everyone. Overcoming some minor plot and gameplay flaws, Splinter Cell: Conviction is a well-developed shooter-stealth hybrid worthy of your time and money.
exaggeration much?
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