Ubisoft Montreal Presents Tom Clancy's SPLINTER CELL CONVICTION

Conviction opens 3 years after the events that brought Splinter Cell: Double Agent to an end. Sam, having been out of the agency's spotlight is tracked down by 'Grim', his former NSA operations manager aka. the voice in his ear, in Valetta, Malta. She seems to have been promoted to a higher rank within Third Echelon, and informs Sam that he's at risk - that a group of hit-men have been hired to take him down and that he must get out of Valetta as soon as possible. Conviction picks up fast, implementing the now-standard first-level in-game tutorial naturally as you progress from your first cover-location to making your first kill. This is quickly despatched as you get to grips with each new skill you learn. What's immediately apparent is the games presentation, diving in and out of cover the colour bleeds from the screen, black and white when you're out of sight and when the colour rushes back your adrenaline does too as you realise you're exposed. This is an extremely fresh and effective gameplay mechanic and works wonders throughout the game. At times the darkness can be somewhat intimidating but it's something to embrace as you become more aware of your surroundings. Alongside this is the new objective text/in-game cut scenes. To keep the gameplay moving you're objectives appear as giant lettering alongside buildings and other structures within the game. This is simply cosmetic, but never having to leave the action to see where you're going next ensures you're constant attention on Fisher's journey. For those not up to date with the story, flashbacks and cut scenes are projected onto the surroundings when you're out of any of the action. These can be quite informative and help you relate to the character, as well as provide basic back-story and motivation for your mission. Luckily, they never feel intrusive and only appear when you'd usually be given a lengthy cut scene to sit through; another thoughtful and effective addition.


Ubisoft Montreal have if not redefined, reinvigorated the stealth genre by implementing these simple yet effective pieces of core gameplay mechanics that make the game so much more than a slow and daunting procession through roomfuls of armed targets. For years you've been able to revel in sneaking up on your enemy but just where is that effective kill that comes hand in hand with being a secret government operative? Instead of slowly choking your target into unconsciousness or hitting him with a well-thought out silent head-shot from the corner of the room after waiting for five minutes, you want to be able to efficiently dispose of a roomful of hostiles like, well, Sam Fisher. The bad news is, there's still an awful lot of sneaking, which isn't actually bad news. Why? Because this is balanced out by the perfectly designed 'mark and execute" feature that gives this Splinter Cell game more edge-of-your-seat energy that any previous instalment. Yes, many games have used this tactic effectively, Clancy's own Rainbow Six Vegas team often use the under-the-door execution trick but in Conviction this becomes a piece of core gameplay; a mechanic integral to the games effectiveness. Being able to suspend yourself above a group of hostiles unnoticed, drop down onto one for an exciting 'Death From Above' kill and then take out all four hostiles in the room in a single exhilarating breath... now that's truly a rewarding experience. Of course, many will complain that his feature has made the game easier. In some ways it has. However, in order to obtain an execution ability you must first take down a target in hand-to-hand combat and only through much hard-work can you obtain the ability to take out more than 2 targets at a time. This is achieved via. the points system, which I'll touch upon later. For those worrying Splinter Cell is going the way of mainstream shooters, fear not. This is still firmly a stealth-oriented game with your ability to plan out an attack or escape effectively being what you're rewarded for most, only it's faster and more intense than ever. There are even a few surprises along the way.


Now, I openly admit that I'm not the biggest fan of Splinter Cell: Double Agent, in large-part due to the gameplay, as I didn't feel the game was very accessible to a newcomer to the series. It was also often slow and confusing, and at points incredibly frustrating due it's trial-and-error approach making it to each checkpoint. Conviction on the other hand seems to invite new players, with a well planned checkpoint system that never leaves you in a compromising position or has you retreading an entire level after dying. As for length, you have here a campaign that (on the standard difficultly setting) will entertain you for anywhere between 6-8 hours based on your familiarity with the genre and your gaming skill in general. Add on the fact that achievement hunters will want to attack the game at the Realistic difficultly setting after their first playthrough, and you're looking at something approaching 20 hours for both playthrough's. Having taking a brief stab at the Realistic difficultly, I can safely say I'm quite pleased with the balance - not nearly as insurmountable-a-task as I'd have believed and yet still tough enough to warrant another go; and the difficulty's not the only reason to play this game twice. Luckily it Splinter Cell Conviction holds a lot of replay value due to it's truly addictive gameplay (getting a 4-person execution just right is beautiful) and the points system that rewards you for your ability in the field. Whether you're adept at taking out a room full of people with a remote explosion or you're fond of using the shadows to take down your enemies hand-to-hand, the challenges are there for you to complete. Points are rewarded for anything from acquiring a simple amount of head shot kills or more particular tasks such as taking an enemy into a human-shield and throwing him through a window. Yes, if you're happy to accept the challenge, this game is going to provide it. On top of this the points are acquirable in all game types so if you're having trouble getting to grips with your EMP grenades you can jump into any of the multiplayer/co-op game modes and complete some challenges with a friend. As an added benefit, any challenges you or your co-op partner completes are shared between you.


Speaking of multiplayer, Conviction provides a hearty choice of gameplay types. The first of course being the co-op campaign. You play as either Archer or Kestrel, American and Russian spies both fully equipped with an enticing array of Splinter Cell gadgets including the excellent new sonar-goggles. Within the co-op feature itself is the ability to upgrade your weapons (3 upgrades per gun, 2 per device) as within the single-player campaign but you're also able to purchase 7 new outfits that each have 9 different upgrades and 6 different camouflage patterns. These are purchased by the aforementioned challenge points and range from pivotal armour and ammunition upgrades to the cosmetics of t-shirt colours and camouflage patterns. Completionist's will want to grab every upgrade and camouflage though as there is an achievement in completing both. All standard equipment is also available from the very beginning of the co-op campaign, unlike the unlock-as-you-progress nature of the single-player story. This four-act prologue spans the hours leading up to the events in Splinter Cell Conviction, starting 17 hours previous to the beginning of the campaign and involves some of the same characters and provides yet more insight into the back-story of Third Echelon and some of the main-stories less-developed areas. It's a good concept and is executed well, but is slightly disappointing in that it lasts anywhere between 3-5 hours. However, it's legitimately fun being able to interact with another human-being and put together just the right approach to infiltrate a structure and clear it of all targets. Again, the replay value is there as the experience is difference with each friend you play with. I'd wager a bet that long after becoming bored with the single-player campaign you'll find new ways to enjoy the co-op campaign with your friends as this brings a new dynamic to the Splinter Cell series.


Aside from the co-operative campaign there are also a range of new multiplayer features to explore over 6 multiplayer maps. Infiltration mode* puts the emphasis firmly on stealth, with you and your co-op partner having to, as the title would suggest, infiltrate a location without being detected. Splinter Cell purists will love this feature as it's most like the previous games in the series with slow, calculated decisions paying rewards. The new black and white cover system is implemented here perfectly. Last Stand mode will feel familiar to anyone who has played Gears Of War 2's Horde multiplayer game-type. You and your co-op partner have to defend an EMP device from 20 waves of attackers who grow in numbers and strength. Although sometimes challenging, it's a fairly standard multiplayer experience that can become frustrating in the latter waves. Face-Off mode expands upon a small part of the co-operative campaign by having you and your online opponent taking down as many AI bad-guys as you can within a set time-limit or up to a certain score-limit. Each AI kill gives you one point, however taking down your opponent nets you five points with your death taking three points from your total. As you can imagine, this is an amalgamation of other multiplayer game-types but I can certainly see this becoming quite popular to those of a competitive nature, and found it to be a lot of fun over a short amount of time. Hunter mode rounds out the mulitplayer game-types and is certainly the stand-out multiplayer experience other than the co-op campaign. You and your partner work together to take out a set amount of enemies per area and advance to the next without dying, with each new area providing a larger number of AI. The fine balance between Conviction's new stealth system and it's incentive on a faster pace pay dividends here the most as at times a split-second decision can save you from retrying from the last checkpoint. It's addictive and rewarding, and I'd certainly expect this to be your favourite of the multiplayer choices.


Having ran down the list of new features I'd be remiss if I didn't at least touch upon the man himself. Fisher looks different, certainly, but Michael Ironside once again provides the gravely tone of our protagonist and delivers as he always has. The rest of the supporting voice-cast return and along with all newcomers provide a good ensemble that are memorable and have varying amounts of depth. Character modelling is good, but not fantastic, with the faces becoming quite pixellated at close-quarters and mouth synchronisation being quite respectable. The graphics in general are very good with dynamic lighting proving to be as integral to the games atmosphere as it's gameplay. Even the AI seems to have been markedly improved, with enemies ducking into cover and emerging in another position, taking flanking positions and converging on your last known location in split-formation. Once in a while you'll find a guard looking right at you unable to see you, but it's a small complaint to file against what is a solid AI system. I think that's the best way to summarise the game also. With enough scrutiny there are flaws or graphical errors, but these are small complaints when the game in question is of Conviction's standards. What this game offers is simple, deep immersion into covert operations that are to be completed in the manner of your choosing. From those of us who prefer to stay in the shadows and progress methodically, finishing our objectives without even being seen to those who prefer to remove the silencers and attempt to break through the enemies defences, this game offers you the chance to do both (at least, most of the time). However, one's far more advisable than the other so before running in guns blazing just ask yourself, what would Sam Fisher do?


With gameplay that is a huge step forward for the series and genre, graphics that are not only superb but useful to the gameplay itself and such smooth implementation of a high-standard cover system and AI, this is one of the best games I've played in recent memory and fully deserves your attention. Minor issues aside, this is stealth gaming for a new generation and fully deserving a 9 out of 10.

*As of writing, I'm unclear as to the availability of Infiltration mode. Those with a Ubisoft account can acquire it for U Play points and I believe it's also available with the limited edition of the game. However, as standard, I don't believe it's available yet - can anyone confirm?

Great review of a great game.

We did have a great laugh playing co-op together!

Great review Fury!

I've been wondering about this game, but as i've not actually played any of the previous Splinter Cell games i wasn't sure wether to try it.
I'm certainly gonna consider it!

Good review mate, I'm really enjoying this at the moment

Are any of you guys members of www.N4G.com?

can you approve this review there- http://www.n4g.com/xbox360/NewsPending-511401.aspx

Excellent review....prompted me to go out and buy it today,i can definitely confirm it is a fantastic game.

Excellent review of a top game ,