Convicted Splinter Review
By Travis Granger on April 20th, 2010 (19 comments)
Welcome to awesomeness in its most pure form. What I meant to say is, prepare to feel like a complete bad ass. Before I say anything in depth or extraordinary, know this about SC: Conviction... You will feel like Clint Eastwood.
Splinter Cell used to define the stealth genre. In this sequel, Sam Fisher drops the stealth safety net, and attempts to be a stunning, million dollar man, ala Solid Snake.
Is this choice to become a third-person shooter for better or worse?
Splinter Cell: Conviction (PC, 360)
Developer : Ubisoft Montreal
Publisher: Ubisoft
Released: April 13, 2010
Sam Fisher, A serious man, A noble man, A disgruntled man. Sam has had it rough in the past 2-3 years since the events of Double Agent. His daughter is believed to be dead there are men who want Sam dead.
Things are not going so well for our beloved Sam Fisher, but luckily for us, his downfall is our uprising, at least in gameplay.
The previous installments of Splinter Cell present Sam as one stealthy son of a bitch. In most cases, if Sam were to attempt to turn his life into a third person shooter, his life would end fairly quickly. This would normally be due to the amount of enemies in his proximity, their weapons versus yours, and their god damned flashlights. This type of gameplay, while extremely appealing to me, would lack value in the eyes of those who don't have very large testicles. It's understandable though, the older Splinter Cells are definitely harder games due to the emphasis on the stealth aspect.
But to those with no testicles, say hello to Conviction.
The greatest difference between this Splinter Cell and the four others is the ginormous overall lack of traditional stealth.
Traditional stealth, in my mind, would be the ability to go through a whole level without being seen. The ultimate accomplishment, the grand idea behind all stealth games. Going into games such as Thief or the original Splinter Cells, you could feel the constant pressure of silence and shadows. The underworld is yours to control, its a great feeling.
In Conviction, it's a little different. Sure you are stealthy, and you could get by some enemies, but if you are going to try to complete this game without soiling your hands... Well good luck with that.
Conviction introduces a new type of stealth which was last seen, to my extensive knowledge, in MGS4. This stealth revolves around hiding until you can't, then kicking as much ass as possible before retreating back to the shadows.
Now, don't get me wrong, this is an awesome strategy and makes for some pretty heart pounding events. This type of game play is fairly simple and takes out any real hard work, such as planning routes, seeking all options via pipes, ventilation shafts, windows and such (will touch on this further on), and also the lack of creative maneuvers such as being suspended in a hallway using only the walls.
The execution of this style of gameplay is simple. It usually plays out like this: Sam marks two, or three, targets which are at a mid to long distance. After doing so it takes a simple push of the "B" button to take down an unsuspecting guard and gain the appropriate amount of execution points. Press "Y" and you just killed four people in about 1-2 seconds.
Holy shit, that's bad ass. But it is not true to the series.
The story makes up for his lack of stealth. He is a lone wolf, he is angry, he wants to kill some assholes. Understandable, but so uninspired. Give me a stealth sequence in which I have to lure a guard to his buddy by knocking on a wall. Afterwords, in a matter of seconds, I have to plan a route and follow through it, always hoping that it will lead me through the mass of guards safely and quietly. Because I moved one guard out of his path, I have the ability to slide unknown through a portion of the level like a sneaky mother fucker.
Holy shit, that's bad ass. And this IS true to the series.
Ubisoft wanted to make this game more playable for casual gamers. They noted that characters such as James Bond or Jason Bourne are stealthy in a sense that they are quick and lethal. In noticing that, the developers decided that this is the direction Sam should lean towards.
How about we just make another Bond or Bourne game? A good one anyways.
Now on to the level design.
Look closely at what Fisher is doing. He is hanging. He is not involved with any guard. He is the angel of death waiting for an opportunity. Why is he capable of this grapple in previous games rather than Conviction?
Poor level design.
One of the GREATEST things about previous installments is the ability to take multiple paths to reach your goal. Whether it be Sam follow a vent shaft system through most of the level, finding various wires to suspend yourself from and slide down, crawling through pipes, jumping through windows, or just sneaking through the damn level right in front of the guards, there were CHOICES.
In Conviction, it grants you the ability to go forward, forcing you into every guards path at any moment.
There is no option to stealth through levels, there is only the option to take on almost everyone.
And I blame the level design. The new feature of execution is great, but I don't want to use it. They could of easily implemented multiple paths to give me this option, but nay, the only other path option is always pipes. I hate pipes now.
So that's my only beef. The inability to be traditionally stealthy. The great game that is Splinter Cell: Conviction shouldn't be called Splinter Cell due to this stealth style change.
Think about it, if Splinter Cell: Conviction was a traditional stealth game, us fans would be happy. And if they released this very game, but called it James Bond: Conviction...
Holy Shit, I think i just created a god of a game in my mind.
But unfortunately its still Splinter Cell.
So here is my score...
7.5 out of 10
This game is good. It's great even. I refuse to give this game a bad score because Ubisoft didn't create exactly what I wanted.
But I will bitch about it.
This game has superb graphics, an engrossing story, easy to handle gameplay and controls, and a great amount of action.
It just could of been a real Splinter Cell game, so I'm keeping my 2.5 points for the perfect Splinter Cell.
-Travis
P.S. While this review is a little negative, I assure the reader it is a worthy buy. Not only is the single player great, but the multiplayer adds not only a new storyline, but challenging scenarios which can be done via coop. This review is solely for the single player portion of the game.
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7.5? MOAR LIKE 75 BILLION OUT OF 10.
Link / ReplyI think this would have been the perfect Bourne game. The Bourne: Conviction. I wonder if the new Splinter games that are to come out will still follow this formula of game play. I hope the next one gets a better emphasis on stealth.
Link / ReplyGreat review. I agree with you on many points but I understand why they went down the more actiony route. Sam was pretty much out for his own, he no longer cared for Third Ech's name and if it was soiled, but I also agree that the level designs should have added more to avoid guards and added more to the stealth aspect. I understand why other fans are made but they have to just deal with the change. Its one game out of the series that is different, doesnt mean the next one will be the same. True fans stick by a series through the end. Maxime Beland is more of the action stealth guy, as scene with his work on Assassin's Creed I & II but I think he did pretty well adapting to a new series but again I had hoped for a bit more. There is no clue on if the series will continue with Sam or move on to another agent, nor is there any idea of Beland will come back as creative director, meaning it may go back to its original stealth routes. This is something we find out in the future but I'm really happy how Conviction turned out, especially from the lack luster Double Agent was. Though very different, in my opinion from gameplay and story wise, I see it equal if not better than Chaos theory. I can say I'm very excited on where the series and story will lead to next.
Link / ReplyAnd now for a more serious post. I agree with Clone. Also, I don't think the game would have had as much depth if it were a Bond or Bourne game. Sam is someone we've played as for years now, and to have him in a situation we've never really seen him in make the game interesting to me. You're playing as a badass who now has nothing holding him back, so we can expect him to be like, "fuck it, this shit is going to die." As for stealth routes, I sort of disagree because I think that there are still pathways that are more stealthy, but they're a bit more difficult to maneuver through, particularly in certain areas. There are certain times in the game where you're practically forced to take down a guy, and that's fine; there were times like that in the earlier Splinter Cells. However, I still think that those "options" are still, for the most part, available. I could take out that guy and start a firefight, or I could climb up that pipe, shimmy over above him and continue shimmying past the rest of the guards. But I guess it all depends on how you want to play it.
Link / ReplyI was thinking on the third or so paragraph who this review might by written by and then I saw that this was the Splinter Cell installment for those with "nor testicles" XD. Nice review by the way, I think I'll rent this with a friend to finish the co-op overnight.
Link / ReplyExtremely stealthy type games have never been my cup of tea, which is why I've never touched a Splinter Cell game in my life (except for one game which I don't remember which Splinter Cell it is but I only got to the first screen but didn't go any further since I didn't want to bother with it so I don't consider that playing the game). That being said, yes, I have no expectations or ideas about any of these games, although I've seen and heard enough to understand the idea of a couple of the Splinter Cell games and how they work and the storyline somewhat. For the most part, I've always seen Splinter Cell games as a very deep and engrossing experience as stealth is taken very seriously and to the largest degree. So I was surprised to see the direction that Conviction was taking. I believe a slight teaser of this gameplay was somewhat seen in Double Agent as a more rugged, violent, Sam Fisher was present, but I'm not sure. And now it seems that the idea of a super stealthy Fisher wasn't "not" considered but that people expect their games with more shooting, violence, and taking charge directly (of course not to the extreme or it wouldn't be a Sam Fisher game, not that people don't already consider this "not" a Splinter Cell game). The only thing he's missing is a gun with a chainsaw attached to it while tossing sticky grenades. Of course I can accept the idea of trying to reach out to a more general audience but it's kind of sad to see another cherished franchise lose itself for the sake of getting a new audience, and hopefully making more money because of the more "bad ass, violent" approach. Don't get me wrong though, I do enjoy those games a lot. I like games where stealth is an important part, but if I can shoot my way out of a situation as well, I'd much prefer to do that. A game that can give me both options to choose or just a healthy dose of both is a great kind of game for me. I felt that way when playing MGS4, where stealth is necessary at some points but if I wanted to blow everyone away instead of sneaking everywhere than I could do it. I do understand that pure stealth is a requirement at some points so I take it as it is and at times can be very enjoyable to my surprise. But it's not really fair to compare MGS with Splinter Cell since they are two entirely different games, but I can also see why a different approach was taken to this new game, as a very in-depth stealth type game with very little combat or shooting may seem overwhelming or too slow for many gamers. After all I've said so far, I never even tried the demo or played this new game. All of this is just from what I've witnessed during the lifetime that Splinter Cell has been around. I do like the new way that this is going in terms that it makes sense for Sam Fisher to behave in this sort of matter, considering the story's circumstances. I mean if my daughter was killed, I wouldn't want to sneak and assassinate the bad guy, I'd want to shove an American flag through him
Link / ReplyThis was a good game. A shitty Splinter Cell.
Link / ReplyThe game definitely shouldn't have been called Splinter Cell. But nowadays they are just tacking on a title to everything they can get their hands on. I mean Project Origin wasn't technically FEAR until they got back the rights and tacked on the name again. But I suppose that is an unfair comparison, since this has been SC from the beginning. I think the breakaway from traditional Splinter Cell ideas is because of a different sort of mood, a different plot. Before it was like 'sneak around and do this and this and if anyone catches you then your SOL, cos you aren't supposed to be there anyway.' But now its just 'I'm pissed, lets go kill some people.' So you can't really expect them to have the regular gameplay elements. I mean, would it be dumb if the game was similar to the other games but had the same story and missions? I just don't think it would fit with the game. However, on the other hand, it seems like they had the story all fleshed out and had to make up new gameplay elements to match it, more action-y and such. But on the other OTHER hand, maybe they had the gameplay fleshed out and needed a plot that matched the new direction. Orrrr, maybe I'm worng on both accounts. But either way, the game is good on its own, and I can't begin to describe how much I like co-op. Honestly though, as a long time fan of the franchise (I've beat every game since Splinter Cell came out), I don't like the direction they took. It's like the bright-ass African war level on Double Agent, except it runs through the whole game and it's not as cool. At least on that level I still got to be stealthy even though the environment was completely against that type of thing. The game IS good on its own, though.
Link / ReplyThis review just reminded me that I really want to play the old Splinter Cell games more than I want to play this one..
Link / ReplyGood but not traditional... Like Silent Hill: Homecoming Or Resident Evil 5 ...Either case what's happening with all the games going 'casual' today ?
Link / ReplyEverything about this game is good, its fun, nice to look at and solid. The game is worthy of a 9... if it was a new game. I love it but think of all the gadgets that you would use in the previous installmants, and the ways you could progress in them but now you don't take part in this. Don't get me wrong I am glad that the story scenarios have changed up, its just that sense of 'Holy ****' from quickly hacking into something ducking out under the desk and taking out an enemy, is gone. Also when I see a group of people in this game its not daunting, I don't feel like I am in danger and that I need to plan a way around this, no now I just mark then EMP then press Y. Please do not get me wrong, I think this is a great game, fantastic even, but skill and intensity have been lost in the remaking of this game and that doesn't feel splinter cell, it feels like a tom clancy game just not a splinter cell. But if you do like splinter cell or have a machine that can run it, it is a must buy.
Link / ReplyI won't disagree with the review. Granted it is extremely different compared to past titles. But nevertheless, it is SO damn good.
Link / ReplyGood review Travis, but I'm going to have to disagree with you on the "not being able to go through levels stealthily". If you look at the PEC or whatever they're called, there are in fact two Splinter Cell Challenges that state that you need to go through a level without getting caught once, and one where you can't fire a weapon once. Both of these has to be done WITHOUT restarting the game. So yeah, the game HAVE been casualized and I do agree with you that it's very different from the old Splinter Cells (nonetheless extremely good), but there are possibilities to play the game in complete stealth. You should definitely try out the infiltration mode, and the other multiplayer modes with Nick or someone else, because I feel that the multiplayer is where the various path choices through a level and the TRUE stealth is at.
Link / ReplyNice review. Poor level design was pretty much the main gripe I had with this game. Most of the time I felt like I was being funneled into room after rooms of waist-high boxes and walls. It’s very disappointing when compared to the more varied and exploratory level designs from previous installments. Complaints aside, Conviction is still a good game.
Link / ReplyI never really played the past Splinter Cells, so I never noticed what the differences were like. But hey, at least this game is probably the closest to a great Bourne game.
Link / ReplyI didn't think it was that good of a game... Felt like an easier uncharted clone with less intuitive climbing; being so short it almost felt like an expansion. Basically, I just went in guns blazing most of the time. Only stealth was the required part at the endgame... Game can be boiled down to this: melee charge, shoot out lights, mark as many as you can, kill one guy by yourself, execute, rinse and repeat. Gets old fast. I don't think I used a single gadget, mine, explosive, or grenade. Story although short was ok. Interrogating was clunky and pretty lame. Shooting didn't feel that precise. Battle cover system was good though.... 7 is pretty generous. 6.5-6.9 would have been mine.
Link / ReplyConviction is a great game, but it's a terrible Splinter Cell game. It's stealth is too stripped down to be called a stealth game, and it's action isn't quite good enough to call it an action game either.
Link / ReplyGreat review, i kinda wish they would of went with the character design in the photo you posted, makes him look more broke down and reckless, like some kinda crazy ex spy hobo
Link / Replywish i read this before i bought this game i like the heavy stealth sides to the splinter cell games its what made the series for me. I spent hours going through levels without being detected it was something different. I have not played this game yet so i wont be harsh on the game but WTF.
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