Without breaking too much of the mould from which its predecessors were cast, Splinter Cell: Conviction offers up more than enough fresh ideas and innovative gameplay tweaks to give both long standing fans, and newcomers alike, something to look forward to.

The game begins with a jaded Sam Fisher living out his days off the radar in Malta, with no intention of getting back into the spy/assassin/special forces/general badass game he dedicated his life to. The death of his daughter, and the fact that he was forced to kill his best friend Irving Lambert in the last Splinter Cell chapter, has left Fisher a hollow man. However, as it turns out, this is not the end of the road for him, and he is unwittingly forced to re-enter the world he left behind.

Without giving too much away, the plot is as compelling as it is complex. Not often does a game’s story engage the player and motivate them as much as Conviction’s does, and suffice to say that this Splinter Cell game is aptly named.

Read the Writing on the walls

Before long, players are controlling a now greying Sam Fisher as he crouches around corners and creeps quietly through shadows. Bullet points appear emblazoned upon the environment indicating goals and check-points. This is done as if the letters are being projected by a light.

While it sounds a little silly, it comes off well, and is a lot more user friendly than having to pause and revert to a PDA screen just to figure out what exactly you are supposed to be doing. Similarly, occasional flashbacks as well as Sam’s thoughts are projected onto walls in a grainy cinematic style.

Not only is it refreshing and artistic, but it aids the gameplay as players rarely disengage with the environment.

Let’s get physical

Sam Fisher is a deadly weapon. Not only is he proficient with multiple firearms and explosives, but he is also an expert in hand to hand combat. Players will often be given opportunities to get up close and take out enemies in hand to hand combat.

The moves Sam employs are context dependent. From aerial take downs where Sam swoops in from a suspended pipe of ceiling, to pulling enemies out of windows, the various combat manoeuvres never get old.

Sam can also take enemies hostage and use them as a human shield.

While many stealth games have stealth based close combat elements, there is rarely much incentive to use them, as a head shot from 5 metres with a silenced pistol is usually less risky. However, whenever you take out an enemy with close combat in Conviction, you unlock “mark” points, which can be used to mark and execute targets.

Mark and Execute

Mark and Execute is one of the new gameplay mechanics introduced in Conviction. Players earn “Mark Points” whenever they take down an enemy using hand to hand combat. They are then able to mark enemies.

Marking enemies involves literally marking them your cursor. Marked enemies are signified by a symbol above their heads, and players can mark between 2 and 4 enemies at once depending on the weapon equipped. When you are happy that you have marked the desired enemies, you simply tap the Y button and Sam will take out all marked enemies quickly and flawlessly with whatever weapon he has equipped.

Marking is not reserved for enemies, and players can mark objects such as light bulbs or chandeliers. Furthermore, using Sam’s miniature camera that can peek underneath doors, Sam is able to mark enemies and objects in rooms before entering them. This allows for some interesting combinations.
Players can line up their marks before entering a room, starting with the light bulb and and then moving through the enemies in the room.

It’s a great system, and if players can effectively combine stealthy hand to hand take downs with mark and execute manoeuvres, then they are on their way to getting the best out of Sam.

Sam’s new “advanced interrogation technique”

Another new trick that Sam now has up his sleeve is the ability to torture key enemies using the environment to aid him in getting answers out of them. At key points in the game – usually at the end of a mission – Sam will end up cornering an enemy with important information. He throttles them, holding them by the throat, and players are able to move around the room, using different surfaces to inflict grievous harm upon them. Each time you smash his head sufficiently hard against a mirror/door/desk/toilet etc, the enemy will reveal key information which is important for the continuation of the plot.

It’s a fairly simple component of the game, which doesn’t really bring much to the table other than potential sensationalism to feed to the mainstream media, and an increased age restriction. It does however communicate the tone of the new Sam, illustrating just how determined he is this time around.

“No one ever approaches perfection except by stealth, and unknown to themselves” – William Hazlitt.
 While Conviction possesses a number of new features, the gameplay still revolves around manipulating stealth.

Darkness, and more specifically shadows, go hand in hand with the stealth component. Sam will become invisible when in dark areas, and players will know that this is the case when the screen reverts to shades of gray. While on one hand this is a creative way of letting you know when you are invisible, it also means that since the game relies on stealth, you will spend a lot of your time without colour, which can become a bit tiresome.

Unlike previous Splinter Cell games where Sam was all about subtle insertion, and detection avoidance, this time around players can be a lot brusquer.

Sure it pays to avoid detection, but the pace is faster, and there has been a noticeable shift towards a more action orientated experience, so you don’t have to be as careful as you did in previous games.

The “Last known position ghost”

Another nifty new feature is the “Last known Position” ghost. When you are spotted by an enemy and he alerts his buddies, they will begin opening fire on your position. If you manage to disappear from sight again, a ghostly figure will appear where they last saw you, representing your last known position.

Players are encouraged to manipulate this feature. For instance, if you are spotted, you can place a remote mine at your position and slink off into the shadows. Your enemies will fire on, and approach your last know position. When they get close enough, you can detonate the mine. Alternatively, you can simply flank your enemies as they remain focused on your last known position, by silently creeping though the shadows around the room and then taking them out one by one from behind.

Like many aspects of the game, Conviction rewards creativity in such cases, and you are likely to enjoy your experience a lot more if you are constantly on the lookout for sneaky ways to progress, instead of going head on using a straight forward cover-shoot based approach. 
One of the game’s lead developers states in a gameplay video available to view on Xbox Live that if you can’t find a sneaky alternative approach to a certain set-piece, then you are not looking hard enough.

Tech

The sound and visuals in Splinter Cell: Conviction are on par with what we have come to expect from current generation AAA titles. While not being anything incredible, the animation is fluid and enjoyable, and the lighting and effects are solid. Frame rate is solid, and I experienced no glitches, bugs or crashes in my play through.

Value for money

Conviction’s single player campaign has been called short by many, but it took me around 7 hours to complete on medium difficulty. This will depend largely on how good you are at these types of games, and how often you die.

If you find yourself progressing quickly with ease, then you can always increase the difficulty level which should add a few hours to the game.

On top of the single player campaign is an interesting multiplayer mode as well as deniable opps missions which are loads of fun. The game is given increased depth by way of a weapon unlock and upgrade system. By completing challenges and special moves, players will earn points which they can then use to buy and upgrade weapons and items. If you have an obsessive nature, then there are plenty of challenges to complete, and Ubisoft has promised weekly free item releases.

Conclusion

Overall, Splinter Cell Conviction comes highly recommended. Top notch production values, creative, engaging and rewarding gameplay, and a compelling plot make it arguably the best stealth game released in a while.

The Xbox 360 version is currently available locally, and it is scheduled for release on PC later this month.

We have one copy of the PC version as well as a T-Shirt and carbiner lighter up for grabs this month.