Review of Splinter Cell: Conviction

Splinter Cell has had a long run. When they came up with the idea for Splinter Cell: Conviction, they wanted legendary Sam Fisher to be more urban and practical and less hidden in the shadows. They went through a major overhaul in the early stages of development of the game. Screenshots and video gameplay before the game was released is completely different from what was released. To some it was an improvement ... to others ... well, it took some getting used to. The idea of sneaking around as a super spy given the fifth freedom of taking down threats to America is fun but the time for being a spy does get tiring. Even for Sam Fisher. And it doesn't help when shit goes wrong when you lose your daughter and when the agency you work for makes you go so deep undercover that you have to kill your boss and personal friend. After that … well, the spy game doesn't seem like the same fun and games as before.

But as they say, 'you might be done with the game but the game isn't done with you'! So, in Splinter Cell: Conviction, when legendary spy for America travels cross the ocean to find answers to who killed his daughter, they find him instead and is brought into a conspiracy of domestic power struggle and take over! The story is less complicated and easier to follow than previous Splinter Cell. The learning curve for the control scheme takes a little to get used but once you get the hang of the new mechanics, you feel almost like an ultimate super spy. The game uses a new way to show that you are in the shadows by changing the color scheme of what you see black and white. It makes it easy to tell that you are actually in the shadows because it makes it look like you are in a hard to see spot. However, it does get hard to define certain things in your environment though. It is a creative innovation but with things black and white, it makes it hard to tell important things in your environment. But if lost, with a push of a button, the objective gets displayed like a projection on to the surface you are currently looking at is very cool and keeps you on task constantly. Rather than just running from cover to cover, you can hit a button while in cover to dash from cover to cover with little chance of being spotted. Also, they have created a new move called Mark and Execute. After you do a physical take down, you have the ability to take down a certain number of enemies instantly depending on what weapon you have. So if you have a weapon that can take down 3 enemies in a room of four and you don't want to be caught, you can mark 3 of the enemies and physically take down the first of the 4 and hit the execute button to have time slow down and you automatically take down the remaining enemies with the skill and precision of a true marksman! And let me tell you, it is absolutely fun to do so! The great thing about this game that separates it from the previous games is that you don't HAVE to sneak around. The option to mow down each enemy that you come across is there and very doable. Granted, the tasks get a lot tougher but the game does not punish you for successfully pulling out a assault rifle or shotgun and clearing stage after stage! But if you want to stay in the shadows and take out each bad guy one at a time, you can and it is fun because Bill will freak out when Todd doesn't reply … or if they realize that you have taken out everyone else but one. The AI is very … real ( for lack of a better word ) when fear should set in. Hell, if you are spotted and they realize where you are ( thanks to the Last Known Position mechanic ) you see them actually staying away from you. So they just don't run kamikaze into the shadows. They will hang back and yell at you ( because that will make you run away, right? ). So you can circle around and flank them or take them out one at a time from the back row to the front. The game is challenging and allows you to play any style you really want to play and for you to not just restart the game whenever you get spotted. You just gotta roll with the punches and make the best of the fucked up situation you made. Luckily, you have plenty of guns and gadgets to help you with a variety of situations that will arise. They wanted to emphasis on Electro-Magnetic Pulse ( EMPs ) so if caught off guard, you can throw these puppies down and everything goes screwy for the bad guys for a little while causing the right distraction for you to escape back into the safer shadows. Other gadgets like the sticky camera and the proxy mines also show up to allow you to stalk and spook your enemies the way that fits you! I think the only level that I honestly dreaded was the Afghanistan level which works as a flash back for Sam but not with Sam. You'll see what I mean when/if you play the game. But to me the level seemed out of place, annoying and slightly over challenging. The multiplayer would be fun if anyone really played it anymore. Sadly the lobbies are so vacant that it kind of brings a tear up for veteran online Splinter Cell players. They have a great Co-Op and the multiplayer modes are both very competitive and cooperative! Sadly, unless you specifically have another friend who is bought the game just to play with you, then multiplayer isn't even much of an option anymore. This game, if you are a Splinter Cell fan, is already in your library but if you looked over this … rent it or borrow it. If you get past the learning curve of the controls and if you enjoy the fun of being a brute and a spy at any given situation, then this game is for you. So as much as I love this game, this one is a rent or borrow. Mainly because it isn't traditional Splinter Cell but it is still a fun game.

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