Splinter Cell: Conviction Early Review

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It’s been going on for a while now, the Splinter Cell saga. The list of trials of undercover, silent ops, part-man part ninja Sam Fisher would make Jake Bauer’s head spin, and this episode is no different. Reeking of double-crossing gritty intrigue, Conviction plays much like previous releases in the franchise, but it looks a lot different.

Using slick projection-style text and video onto the actual environments, the game looks about as good as they come. Graphics are stunning and flawless, and the cut scenes are at least of TV drama quality, though it is very reminiscent of 24 and that constant, tense dialogue can get old pretty quickly.

In terms of gameplay, it’s unfortunately much like what we’ve already seen from Ubisoft in this franchise: it’s a tactical/stealth first person shooter which sees Sam use his special ops training in a host of exotic and grungy settings. The key to the game is to avoid detection through hiding in shadows, silent assassinations and generally creeping around. If you’re the type who loves to go in guns blazing to a fight, this will almost certainly not be your cup of tea.

Things added since the last Splinter cell include takeout manoevres which allow you to mark enemies and then execute them in one swift motion. You can also avail of weapon stashes now which allow yout to upgrade weapons in various ways. Points accrued through performing certain tasks can be spent to add silencers, extra mags or sights to a range of uzis, pistols and machine guns. Apart from a fresh coat of paint and a new storyline, these seem to be the only additions I can find in the first person story.

Online has a few changes, though. You can play co-op online over Xbox Live! In this mode you progress through various stages helping each other out when trouble arrives. It’s fun to an extent, but quite similar to play the main story and the downside is that you have to start all over again if your partner drops out of the co-op, which happens enough to get annoying. There also is little encouragement to work together as a team, which seems a bit of a waste.

Other game modes involve a team death match, and joining up with a friend to combat wave after wave of baddies, but these don’t really fit the games concept which is supposed to be about conflict avoidance. Gears of War and Call of Duty do the multiplayer deathfest job infinitely better.

If this is the first time you’ve stepped into Sam Fisher’s shoes, you’ll love the experience, but for those looking for a brand new adventure, Conviction lacks a little … uh… conviction.

Jonathan McCrea

You can see the storyline trailer here: