The day we finally got the final boxed, retail version of Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Conviction from publisher/developer Ubisoft Montreal/Entertainment here at our offices for review it was such a surreal moment it took a couple hours for the reality of the situation to wear-off. This Xbox 360 exclusive game has been in development for so long, and gone through so many different looks/changes that the sheer fact that it is being released this year is something to celebrate. Even so we can’t help but feel that the extra development time and exploding budget helped Conviction become one of the best stealth-action games that we have ever had the joy of reviewing. Simply-put this is one of the most-enjoyable experiences you can have on your Xbox 360 right now and takes the Sam Fisher universe into the next-generation, for real. Each and every aspect of the game feels like it was crafted then molded by the most creative and caring of developers, no rock unturned or hiding place unperfected. Even though it is by no means perfect the feeling that you get during game-time surpasses anything else on the market right now, causing Splinter Cell: Conviction to be another must-buy video game in 2010; now let us tell you why.
It’s obvious that the title's team of writers keep-up with today’s current events, as the storyline of Splinter Cell: Conviction is a mix of the television show 24, a current issue of USA Today, and a little of your favorite Tom Clancy spy-novel thrown in for good measure. Sam Fisher is no longer the young in-shape man he was from the previous games in the series, Conviction’s story is going for a something completely different than what fans will be expecting. One thing that is definitive is the older, wiser Sam Fisher is on a mission to find out what happened to his daughter and anyone who gets in the way is fair game for a quick death, blurring the line of good and evil throughout the 8+ hour single-player campaign. Because Sam is no longer working for the “government” his previous restraints are now lifted, leaving the gamer to choose whether or not he kills (or tortures) the computer-controlled characters he comes across. About halfway through the game Sam will regain his "night-vision" goggles, made so famous in previous SC titles, only this time they have some "new and improved" abilities. We have heard some complaints about the length of said campaign but honestly as long as you don’t run straight through on easy there is a solid 7-9 hours of gameplay there, with another 3-6 in the co-op campaign.
One of the most obvious changes to the Splinter Cell series that gamers will see in Conviction comes in the form of new gameplay features. This game is chock-full of completely new design elements for Sam Fisher to use or traverse through, all in the name of saving the world one kill (or five simultaneously) at a time. The completely new Mark and Execute feature is one of the best aspects of Conviction, allowing Sam to mark his targets (first only by sight but later on through walls/floors) and use strategy to pick them off with ease (you can also make use of a number on environment objects). All of this is made easier by the use of the dark; something the entire Splinter Cell series is famous for. This game takes a different take on the option though, using an immersive black-and-white camera system to let the gamer know when he is hidden or visible to the enemy (nearly all of the light sources in the game can be dismantled by force or EMT). If by some miracle the enemy does happen to see Sam a marker will flash up on the screen and everything will turn back to color; as soon as you run and hide the enemy soldiers will begin focusing on what Conviction calls your Last Known Position. Another new strategy gameplay feature that can be used to flank and outsmart your enemies even after you have been spotted. Nearly all of the levels in the single-player campaign feel ridiculously different from each other, with their own challenges and plan of attack (some focus on stealth while others are all-out action). One of the most-unique levels in Conviction takes place in during a war outbreak in Irag and features some awesome straight-action gameplay, a totally different feel from the rest of the game.
This feature review concludes on the next page, please click below to continue and find out our final say on Splinter Cell: Conviction.
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