Splinter Cell: Conviction

As a long-time fan of the Splinter Cell franchise since its launch on the original Xbox, I've had a love-hate relationship with the series. I remember being awestruck by the groundbreaking lighting mechanics and stealth gameplay, but I also had my share of frustrations with clunky tank controls and lackluster storytelling. After giving up on the series post-Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow, it took me a while to warm up to giving it another shot-especially when Splinter Cell Conviction was released.

Initially, I brushed off Conviction based on early impressions and reviews. It wasn't that it looked terrible; I just found myself hesitant to invest in a game that seemed short, particularly when my budget was tight. However, curiosity got the better of me, and when it dropped in price, I figured, why not? And boy, am I glad I did.

Splinter Cell Conviction might just be the best installment in the entire series. While it is indeed short, it more than makes up for it with a captivating story, tension-filled gameplay, excellent level design, and a much simpler, user-friendly control scheme. The game draws clear inspiration from the pulse-pounding narratives of shows like *24* and the *Bourne* films, effectively immersing players in a world where every decision counts, and stakes are immensely high.

The plot revolves around former agent Sam Fisher, who finds himself entangled in a conspiracy surrounding his daughter's death. This leads him to uncover treachery within his former agency, Third Echelon. As a now-renegade operative, Fisher races against time to stop a looming terrorist threat that puts countless lives at risk. The focus on a personal vendetta elevates the story and keeps players invested in Fisher's journey.

Gameplay is primarily about sneaking through darkened environments and eliminating mercenaries one by one, a method that plays nicely into the game's overall pacing. There are moments when you can accumulate bonus points to make more spectacular moves against multiple enemies, which was quite popular for its time, but the game encourages moderation to maintain your stealthy edge.

Visually, Conviction holds up well, primarily because its dark aesthetic lends itself to the era's graphical capabilities. Animations are smooth, and the streamlined stealth mechanics make it easy to maneuver through the shadows. Notably, Conviction introduces the Center Axis Relock system for weapon handling, which, while flashy and cinematic, feels less relevant in real-life application but works well within the game's context.

The sound design excels, with realistic sound effects that enhance the military stealth experience. Michael Ironside's voice work as Sam Fisher is standout, reinforcing his iconic status, and even years later, it's hard to imagine anyone else taking on that role.

In conclusion, Splinter Cell Conviction is an entertaining experience that can be completed in a couple of days, making it a solid choice for anyone seeking an engaging stealth-action title. It's refreshing to see a franchise reinvent itself while retaining its core elements. I'd rate it an 8/10 - a must-play for franchise veterans and newcomers alike.

Even though Sam had dropped off the grid, Grim finds him and he discovers that he doesn't know the truth about his daughter's death. He is soon thrust into the middle of a conspiracy, making things considerably less "personal". And yeah, you're still following someone else's orders, using gadgets(if less than usual) and communicating with back-up over an earpiece. This isn't very like the others. The gradual expansion of features in the first three left little, if any, room to change(Chaos Theory almost got to be too easy), the fourth then made you, like the title of it implies, a double agent to keep things interesting. And I don't think they really had any ideas after that point. I don't blame them, I couldn't think of where to go from there. And yet they kept moving, changing the direction they took a bit. I'm not really against something like this, I merely don't think Splinter Cell is a fitting franchise for it. The things left over from the others seem out of place here(you barely look under doors or use the sticky cam in this), there isn't a satisfying explanation why you sneak so little, and while it sets up a revenge kind of thing, it doesn't particularly go through with it. Story has been a key aspect to this series from the get-go, and this one is paperthin, the twist is obvious right off the bat and the political intrigue that we've grown addicted to is essentially gone, replaced with cliché. The game-play is action-driven, with you taking out the enemy without them getting you(one thing that they do keep to is the challenge, you'll die from just a few shots). Don't worry about being seen, in fact, it can be an advantage, as long as you hide right away. I like that you can use this to trick the NPC's into focusing on one spot even after you leave, but they push it too far, with the AI leading others to point blank attacks on *nothing*. You move from one cover to another constantly, and this does have an excellent system for that, one of the best I've seen. Use the cursor to indicate where you want to go next, press Space, and you'll hurry there, making yourself as small a target in the process, and *everything* can be used(in the few instances where it can't, it won't let you move to like that). Get close to someone and press C(hold it to use that person as a human shield) and you'll dispatch them instantly(unless they block you, if they spot you first… then just do it again… yeah). Yup, just like that, no skill to it(that's a theme in this one). Doing so will get you the right to use Execute(once, until the next time you do so), letting you instantly knock off anyone you've Marked(there's a very limited number of these, and yes, each time you can only do in this small amount… if they remain within range, and it'll let you know if they aren't). If you can see someone, even if it's through a wall using the new Sonar Goggles, you can do this, so you can, indeed, bust into a room and clear it. Not only does the single player portion of this not produce any truly memorable situations(other than perhaps when you have to move directional microphones into position to keep up with a conversation… and then beat up a black guy right in front of the statue of Lincoln at the memorial… I have a feeling he's turning in his grave), it's exceedingly short. You can complete this in a single day, if you really apply yourself. One and a half, at the most. The end credits last longer than that! The three difficulty settings certainly don't provide replayability(note that this, like the others, has no freedom of movement, and it doesn't have choices that shape it like DA did), so afterwards, there's only MP. It is fun, I'll give them that, if the co-op thing limits it. Yup, you can only ever play with one other person. Some of the earlier entries allowed for teams to go up against one another, y'know. There's a prequel to the main campaign, Hunter(about the same as SP), Last Stand(defend an object), Face-Off(vs., with opposition) and Infiltration. This finds its own server(you can determine the rules, unlike BioShock 2), and I think you can find people you know to play with. And yes, you do need a permanent internet connection to even play this. It stores your savegames online, not sure for what purpose(backup copy?), and if you force shutdown it, those won't be up to date. This is quite streamlined, taking away much of the potential risk(the guns, bullets(as in "running out of", and "dodging") and aiming ensure that it isn't all gone, same as BS2 and Kane & Lynch: Dead Men, and unlike the Assassin's Creed games), and, well, taking away your choices. You interrogate, for example, only it's nothing other than "activating" it, you don't control the flow of it(remember The Punisher, from '04? That one, you have four options for it at any time, and then there are specific ones, locked to locations!). Well, you can upgrade your arsenal(three times per piece, it seems), with PEC points, gotten for doing exact tasks over the course of playing. You can still only carry two, a pistol and something heavier(that you can replace with any that you find on bodies and the like), and you can exchange them at boxes you find throughout. This shows memories and such on walls sometimes, I guess for the psychological touch and to dispense with menus of text. You'll either like it or you won't. Why does this put EMP in so much? There is bloody violence, disturbing content and strong language in this. I recommend this to fans of the Bourne trilogy(this is about the closest thing to a proper one we've gotten so far). 7/10

The voice acting in this game especially sam's is trash

Having made the decision to get off the conveyor belt (for a while!) and not buy Call of Duty: Black Ops, I used my gaming habit to catch up on some really great games that I had missed thanks to borrowing from friends and buying used. Unlike many here this game represented my first Splinter Cell game so, in a way, I am free from the trap of criticising it of not being what I expected in regards the previous games (a common complaint here). Starting the game as a COD player was difficult. In COD multiplayer I learnt that you just keep rushing and shooting and respawning as a tactic whereas early on I realised that a fire-fight is really the last thing I wanted since the NPC characters were not awful and could kill me if there was 3 of them versus me. So the first challenge for me was to get into the swing of trying to stealth everyone first – which I'm told is generally the point of the SC games.

I got into this OK and quickly moved through the game on the normal setting. I quite enjoyed it as a game and liked the way it played even if it is rather irritating in some ways and not as good as it could have been in others. The story is maybe secondary to most gamers but matters to me. Here it is no more than "ok". It builds too quickly into something too big and personally I find the "flashback telling" device to be a bit lazy. As a basic structure though, it does the job and perhaps if I had played previous games it would have hooked me more. Anyway, to the gameplay.

The playing of the game is a bit clumsy. The stealth aspect is rewarding and challenging but the action/FPS style aspects don't really work. They feel tacked on and unnatural while at the same also being useful. In too many levels I alerted the enemy (because of not being that good!) but way was able to blast my way out using a silenced SMG with a scope; it didn't feel skillful to me and it felt a little bit like I had cheaply completed a level – but yet the game more than allows me to do it. I came to understand those who had an issue with the gun-fighting aspect of the game because it did feel too easy to just blast and grenade my way out of a room or to mark everyone having gotten one decent hand-to-hand kill. I liked it, but I would have liked it better if the kills had not come as easy as it did.

This also made the game way too easy. Normal didn't take me too long but once I finished it I started it again on "realistic" and found that I ripped through it – the only difference seeming to be that it took fewer shots to kill me. Changing the subject, I liked the controls despite not liking the lack of control over character speed (no sprint button?). The cut scenes were lazy in their structure but mostly they were good aside from the surprisingly poor lip-synching in some of them. The voice acting helps it as well, Ironside particularly being a welcome and impacting presence in the lead. The music is also great – not only what it is but how it is used (like a movie, it increases in intensity during action sequences or when you have alerted guards and they hunt for you).

The game itself is expanded by the Deniable Ops, multiplayer and co-op. Of these I only did the Deniable Ops. I found the Hunter missions to be great fun as the focus was on stealth, but the ones where you defend the bomb seemed to just be a matter of hiding near the EMP and shooting repeatedly from cover with a silenced weapon (speaking of which, why are their guns without silencers? What is the point of them – surely nobody uses them unless they want constant action?).

Anyway, SP:C is a solid game. It has a solid story, good missions and provided more of a challenge that just the usual run and gun action that I have become used to with other franchises. However it is also a bit lazy in the telling and the mix of stealth and action doesn't really work as well as it should. I enjoyed when it worked but I felt that it cheapened itself by often letting me just blunder my way though when I didn't deserve it – even on the hardest setting. Good game – but not a great game.

Its all over the internet any gaming forum or anything you have heard of this title is flooded with comments saying 'splinter cell same no more'. Well as a fan i too will agree to this but fans must accept reality and this is the final package that is available in our hands. You want to play splinter cell this is your only option. Starting off with my review i would not give away any spoilers. I will just leave it at the story is interesting. However i can tell you this the entire story is played like one giant mission. It takes place in a 3 day period and it is narrated beautifully just as how Morgan freeman narrates "The Shaw shank redemption", intense and kept alive to know what the hell is actually going on. In terms of game play a lot has changed. No more meters for sound and light. Yup you just hope for the screen to turn into a black and white sketch to know if you are visible or not. The minute any light is shined upon you the screen reverts to color. An amazing and trippy concept to be placed in games kudos to the person who gave in this idea but here lies the frustrating bit. for one its hard to know if the far off enemies are in a well lit spot or not. Also the color change is not perfect. Sudden color changes do happen and to me this was extremely frustrating. The mark and execute system is interesting and as self explanatory as it is it lets you take down enemies in a quick sharp style without even letting the enemies around knowing. Major game play disappointing features are the inability to lift bodies and hide them and the lack of a sensitivity option. Also Rambo fans will be disappointed trying to run and gun just wont work, at least until the fix the sensitivity issue. Next up the sound department. Ill just tell you this. I wish i could personally handshake everyone in this department and the music department as this is the first game i have enjoyed the concept of sound in my almost 11 years of gaming. Its simply amazing and top notch. You actually tend to feel you are in charge of the music. The only way i can explain this without telling you to play the game is by imagining a nice slow ballad which is played when you are in the shadows safely hidden. The minute an NPC (non playable character) appears close to you the same ballad gets added layers of music which results in a super high octane tune which again goes away when Sam is hidden in the shadows. phew!!!...Sam fisher voiced by Michael Ironside still rocks but i got so lost in the music i forgot he even talks during the game. Lol. Closing comments would probably be do get this game as this is the only package of Sam Fisher you will ever get. The multilayer is amazing although I haven played much of it I can tell you it does have its own story. So there you have my review of conviction. The change well not perfect is still something i have embraced and enjoyed. If only ubisoft had though of putting in some of the old missions from previous Splinter cells again as a bonus i would have loved it. And those of you who say the game is lost its stealth values do try to finish a mission without being alerted even once. That is surely a challenge. Please return with a sequel soon and not another 5 years.