Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction Review
If you are like me and loved the original Splinter Cell and Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory, you might be sad to learn that Splinter Cell: Conviction is not the same kind of game. In point of fact, while those games were about avoiding conflict, Conviction is about engaging in conflict almost constantly. It's still a stealth game though, and the mechanics behind it are more Predator or James Bond than Tom Clancy. In short, you move from area to area trying not to be seen, but killing everything in your path. You do this by shooting from the shadows, grabbing men from behind or engaging in all-out warfare if you like, but you are fragile and the last method is not advised. What the moment-to-moment gameplay amounts to is basically moving slowly from cover to cover, shadow to shadow, and killing enemies quickly and silently before they notice you.
The game does a great job of still being stealth-focused, still prizing being unseen, but also being extremely fast-paced and action focused. While I miss the old Splinter Cell style and hope for a return someday to those patient and slow-paced games, this is an intriguing and exciting game that presents gameplay never before seen in my experience. Much like Assassin's Creed is about "crowd stealth" and blending in, Conviction is about "action stealth" or killing everything that moves without being caught. You feel like a hunter, like the enemies are your naive prey, and that's a heavy compliment for a video game when the whole point, for me at least, is feeling immersed in the experience.
The storyline is about 6 hours long and is more action movie than the previous games, focusing on cool set-pieces and cinematic moments rather than political intrigue. I was disappointed by this, as I always liked the real world feeling plots in the previous games, but it makes sense when you make a faster paced game to make a faster paced storyline. In addition to this campaign in single-player there is also Deniable Ops mode, which presents you with 6 long city missions where your goal is to get from one end to the other killing everything in your path. Getting spotted calls in reinforcements in this mode, so you want to make sure you are never seen, but also ruthlessly kill dozens of enemy soldiers. This mode will take you about as long as the campaign to complete and is made up surprisingly of all new maps and locations, which basically doubles the single-player content as it is just as compelling as the campaign. The only difference of course are no cinematics or Sam Fisher dialogue, you play a generic spy you can custom outfit.
In addition to all the single-player content there is also a co-op campaign made up of new maps as well, and the storyline here is decent, while not given the attention of main game. The co-op is exciting but honestly it is hard to find a game on the PC, so you might want to make sure you have someone to play with ahead of time if you are buying the game for this mode. There are some versus modes, but I did not try them as I am not a competitive gamer, and they are not factored into the review score.
Graphics and presentation are really exceptional. At max settings the game looks smooth and polished, and the large budgets these big publisher games receive is really obvious in Conviction as everything looks meticulously created and polished. Video settings for the game include AA and AF, as well as shadow, texture and detail options. There is also ambient occlusion and reflection options, and v-synch. On my GTX 275 I was able to maximize the game settings other than soft shadows, which I put on high rather than ultra high, and I had a playable framerate of about 50fps indoors and 25-30fps in large outdoor areas. Lowering the settings had no real effect on the outdoor areas, which leads me to believe it is a CPU bottleneck (I have a Q9550 at stock speeds). On the audio end you get the standard mixes and gunshots. No music here stands out like in Chaos Theory, but it is serviceable. Voice acting is done well with Michael Ironside as Sam Fisher and the same voice actress returns to play Anna Grimstoddir.
Other PC platform related bits include the mouse control, which on PC is really excellent to the point it makes headshots a little too easy, which is the best way to kill instantly from the shadows. With this in mind you are encouraged to play the game on "realistic" difficulty on PC, as I did. I am not usually a "hard mode" kind of person but I found Conviction on PC to be relatively easy even on the hardest difficulty level, likely due to mouse aim. Also on PC, unfortunately, is Ubisoft's terrible DRM system. In order to play Conviction you must sign-in to Ubisoft's new Uplay online service, and you must constantly keep your connection just like with an MMO game. This offers some benefits, like cloud saves and no disc needed in the drive, but the obvious down-side is not being able to play when your internet is out, and the unsure future of the game should Ubisoft ever collapse. I do not reflect the DRM in the score as different people have different DRM standards, and it deserves mentioning that I have played the game some 20+ hours and never had an issue, but it is important information none-the-less.
Splinter Cell: Conviction is an easy recommendation for people who like stealth games and action shooters both. Conviction combined fast-paced shooter gameplay with classic stealth gameplay and really makes you feel like a predator stalking and then taking down his prey. If that sounds like fun to you, the polish and fun on display here is well worth a purchase.
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction Feature
- A unique co-op mode known as "Prologue" featuring an exclusive story mode full of new characters, settings, four exclusive maps and more. It is only available within Conviction's Co-op mode.
- A full arsenal of cutting-edge technologies like the Last Known Position system, that allows you to outflank foes and set traps, and the Mark and Execute feature that allows you to tag enemies and environments for elimination.
- A unique storytelling style that keeps you on the edge of your seat as you navigate the explosive world of a renegade agent where trust is impossible and justice requires you to go above the law.
- A revolutionary new graphic direction delivering an utterly seamless gameplay experience that?ll keep you totally engrossed in the story of Sam Fisher.
- Xbox LIVE support made up of addictive multiplayer modes, content downloads, messaging and voice support and more designed to amp up the dramatic intensity like never before.
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction is the fifth installment in the wildly popular Splinter Cell series. A stealth-action combat game centered around the continuing adventures of black ops agent Sam Fisher, Splinter Cell: Conviction continues where the storyline of the earlier Splinter Cell: Double Agent left off. Packed with a mix of an engaging story, classic Splinter Cell stealth action, unique co-op gameplay and new gameplay mechanisms that are applicable to both single player and multiplayer modes, it is a worthy addition Splinter Cell catalog of games.
A few years have passed since the cliff hanger conclusion of Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Double Agent, in which Agent Sam Fisher undertook a particularly dirty mission, full of questionable actions, in the shadow of the inexplicable and unmourned death of his daughter. Fisher is now a renegade operative digging into the events of the past and he doesn't like what he has found. His personal investigation into his daughter's death reveals that he's been betrayed by his former agency, the Third Echelon. The agency responds by pursuing him, but as he works to elude them he becomes aware of a deadly terrorist plot that threatens millions. He is uniquely positioned and prepared to act against this, but success is doubtful without the help of former friends from the Third Echelon team, resulting in a series of life and death situations for himself and the country where trust can by no means be assumed. Gameplay Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction, as with all games in the Splinter Cell series, is a tactical stealth-action game. In single player modes players take on the role of Sam Fisher and engage in a series of missions utilizing high-tech weaponry, gadgets, lethal hand-to-hand combat and interrogation skills. Overall objectives and the necessary steps to achieve them are challenging, yet always clear via dual verbal and visual expression that seamlessly alerts players as they progress through missions. In addition, Conviction enhances the world of stealth combat that has made the Splinter Cell franchise a runaway hit for years through a series of revolutionary new gameplay features. These include:
Prologue, the co-op story mode included in Splinter Cell: Conviction is available either in split-screen local play or via Xbox LIVE. Prologue offers an exclusive prequel campaign to that found in single player mode and features new characters and settings, three difficulty settings, three sub game modes and four maps. Designed to stand apart from, as well as supplement the single player campaign, gameplay mechanics available within it include shareable Mark and Execute target points and Last Known Position, as well as teammate revival functionality via a portable defibrillator, the ability to work with a teammate to eliminate enemies who have captured you, and more. Key Game Features
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Experience original game play based on improvisation where your environment becomes your weapon. You need to react to changing situations and use the environment and the crowds around you to create diversions and deter your enemies. Splinter Cell Conviction will deliver an adrenaline rush of game play with blood-pumping chase sequences, close combat and intense gun battles. To survive, build an underground network of allies who will help you obtain hi-tech gadgets and stay one step ahead of your pursuers as you struggle to unmask the forces that want you dead.
Main Features
All new improvisation-based game play:
Enemies will actively search for you:
Use the living crowd:
Black Market:
Crowd in Multiplayer:
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Customer Reviews
Way to ruin the franchise! - S. Mapus - Youngstown, OH USA
I have had ups and downs with the Splinter Cell series, but all-in-all I love it and couldn't wait for Conviction to finally release. The story is pretty cool and the graphics are fairly nice. Campaign's a little short. I think it took 4 or 5 hours. Multiplayer is probably good to some. Not really my cup of tea. It's like Chaos Theory's co-op only multiplay, which is fun but loses it's replay value incredibly fast. Personally, Double Agent and Pandora Tomorrow's versus multiplay was the best! (Foremost, Pandora Tomorrow)
Where I feel they killed the franchise (and this is not a story-spoiler alert)is in the game play. They made the game idiot-proof. While the game scenarios can be very challenging the controls are ridiculous. Sit in the shadows and "mark" multiple targets on your HUD and then at the push of one button you stand up and kill all of them. :(
Everything is prompted. Meaning: when you approach something a prompt will appear on screen that you can jump onto it. If there's no prompt, you can't jump onto it, you can't even jump period like stand in the open and jump up for absolutely no reason. When hanging on a pipe or railing or something, you are prompted to drop down onto an enemy, you no longer need to time it.
If these new game attributes (or lack of them) don't bother you, then you will like the game.
In old SCs you could climb on virtually anything. The world in Conviction is far too controlled in my opinion.
Jun 25, 2010 01:31:06
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