Splinter Cell: Conviction
Ubisoft Montreal don't lack conviction
The definition of stealth-action gaming, Splinter Cell, is getting a major gameplay overhaul. The last game in the series, designed by Ubisoft's Shanghai office, was relatively received as possibly the worst yet. This time round Sam Fisher is coming back home to Ubisoft Montreal. Drawing inspiration from their recent hit Assassins' Creed, lead producer Mathieu Ferland intends to take things in a new direction.
The ups and downs of this relatively newish genre should, by now, be well known to all gaming enthusiasts. The giddy heights of the early Metal Gear Solid games and the likes of Thief: The Dark Age have been met equally in an opposing-manner by some horrendous fad-like releases which the ever vigilant gaming press quickly recognised as new internments of the gameplay graveyard. Indeed this is a genre which has begun to grate a little in recent years, the novelty of sneaking through shadows and whacking guards on the back of the head (over and over and over again) has worn off, it needs something new.
The protagonist of Splinter Cell: Conviction is Sam Fisher, a likeable character very reminiscent of the likes of Jack Bauer and Jason Bourne - a man "on the edge." He used to work for an unbelievably high-tech and espionage-centred part of the NSA called the "Third Echelon", and now he's on the run.
After enjoying a few years of luxury time, Sam has found himself in the frame for something and his old employers are after him. Now he has to get to the bottom of what the hell is going on before being caught, and this time he's got to do it without all that fancy pantsy government supplied super-technology.
This is a new Sam Fisher. Looking more like a homeless person than a trained special ops professional, Sam must rely upon the black market for whatever little equipment he can obtain. Thus far it seems as if the likes of night vision goggles, light absorbent suits, and micro-cameras are long gone; Sam has been stripped down somewhat.
And to accompany this change in character, the entire game mechanic has been redesigned. The shadowy buildings of old have been replaced by bright out-door urban scenes and lit-up open spaces. Sam must now make use of distraction and diversion to complete his objectives.
A large part of this will involve social stealth by manipulation of the "living crowd" - groups of pedestrians and bystanders who're just waiting to be used in one-way or another to Sam's advantage. For example, by pick-pocketing a mobile phone Sam can cause a ruckus which will attract the attention of near-by police officers, allowing him to pass by a position they were guarding. This concept is something we saw to some extent in Assassins' Creed with the protagonist bowing his head in a huddle of scholars to sneak past city guards.
The control system has had a complete overhaul. Splinter Cell had previously been renown as a game which made use of almost every button and controllable function of the Xbox controller to have Sam use the huge array of equipment available to him. The new incarnation, if we can truly believe this, is only going to use three buttons (not including, we assume, an analogue stick or two).
The buttons represent three types of function - aggression, stealth, and interaction. When these buttons are pressed, according to lead producer Mathieu Ferland, Sam will respond in a context sensitive manner. That is to say, if aggression is pressed behind a guard then in one instance Sam could simply smack him a few times on the back of the head and knock him out, in another situation Sam may grab a near-by chair and smash it over his back. In the same situation if stealth is pressed one can only imagine Sam will try and hide behind the guard in some way.
Ubisoft's argument is that this form of minimalist controls actually gives the player a lot more freedom to do what they want, due to the context sensitive way in which Sam's actions are programmed. Ubisoft have also stated that they are designing this game to be more accessible, which could end up translating as "we're making the game easier." This apparently stems from real-life friends of the production team complaining about the game's difficulty.
One of the major complaints about the previous Splinter Cell games from players was that detection by guards was often far too punishing, and would either end with game over or, after a drawn-out fire-fight, an unrealistically huge pile of dead-bodies covering the corridor floor. Ubisoft have tackled this issue by changing Sam's objective from avoiding detection to avoiding capture. This time around the guards may see you, may chase you, but as long as you don't get busted then the punishment for being seen will be lenient.
Going hand-in-hand with making the context sensitive system possible, Ubisoft have designed what looks like a groundbreaking game engine with exceptionally realistic physics, but which excels especially in adaptive changes of character animations. For example if Sam is running and the player presses a button for Sam to hide under a near-by object, Sam's animation will be a fluid and realistic transition between the two states, rather than him stopping dead and the "hide" animations playing.
Splinter Cell: Conviction is a game being designed on the premise of rewarding player improvisation - using the context sensitive control system and fluid character interaction as a means of accomplishing this. The change in scenery, location, style, and Sam Fisher's tool-set should offer an interesting new direction for the gameplay, and coupled with the other innovations Ubisoft are hoping to present us with, the next instalment in the Splinter Cell series is looking like a game worth taking note of. Due for release in Q2 this year.
Comments
since when was this coming to the PS3?
Ah, yeees. That might be my fault. Fixed now.
it sounds really good but i dont like the pre programed actions i want to be able to oh lets say pick up a cup from acros the level walk up to some one on the other side the the level go onto the top of a buildin and throw the cop at them knocing them out or killing them (that be kool killing someone with a coffe cup) that kind of thing
This game's play sounds a lot like Assassin's Creed but with guns.
It's Thief: The Dark Project, not The Dark Age.
I could almost swear the copy I had was called Thief: The Dark Age... Wiki reveals I'm wrong.
But interestingly enough google gets over 1000 hits for "Thief The Dark Age" - a popular error!
Also its er...Sam Fisher
"For example, by pick-pocketing a mobile phone Sam can cause a ruckus which will attract the attention of near-by police officers, allowing him to pass by a position they were guarding. This concept is something we saw to some extent in Assassins' Creed with the protagonist bowing his head in a huddle of scholars to sneak past city guards."
As someone who played Assassins Creed, I wonder if you did, because there's no comparision between pick-pocket actions and diversions. ;)
I played it to completion - dissapointing ending I thought.
Curent signs indicate that Sam Fisher (no excuses!) will use the living groups of people much like Altair did in Assassin's Creed. We're not just talking about stealing mobile phones, we're talking about diving into groups of people, causing a rukus, and bailing out the other side of the crowd.
Maybe "diving through merchant's stalls" would have been a better example though.
i don't see why people are thinking this game is going to suck. i think honestly that its going to kick ass. yea ur not in the dark but being able to control how you act, like aggressive or stealthy, is pretty cool
gxbxbbb6322212
does anyone know when this is coming out
this game rocks
All the people I know laugh at me when I say this, but this game is the reason I plan to purchase a 360.
It looks awesome and I love the 'Splinter Cell' series to death. Even loved 'Double Agent.' It's my favorite game in the series and thought it added a great story mechanic that frees up the ensuing plotline a lot.
Can't wait!
P.S.
Is the release date really Q2? Everywhere I've looked doesn't have it coming until October.
Release conviction for PS3 PLEASE!
Hi all. Firstly I disagree that the previous games were difficult. By vast comparison, Double Agent was simple to the T. Even my cousins in Grade 7 were able to clear it. Chaos Theory was a bit more challenging, but clearing it wasn't impossible. I can testify to that. Okay, the first two were a bit on the hectic side, but to call them impossible is an exgaggaration. Nevertheless, the game sounds exciting, but why they are not releasing for the ps3 is beyond comprehension of any person with a brain...
is ther gonna b new info at ubidays?
i hope so this game looks ACE!
@BillyBoy - In Assassins Creed you could stealth kill someone, and guards would leave their post to go check out the body.
I must say I am excited for the new Splinter Cell!
ny1 gotta due date 4 the 360 release in UK?
I hope Ubi goes to lots of trouble with the CB radio element in the game, so in a Jason Bourne manner, the player will be able to stay one step ahead of the enemy.
The fight mechanics look cool, I've always wanted to know what Sam would be like out of the shadows... he was a NAVY SEAL after all.
Other than that it sounds awsome and I can't wait to play it!
I hope the specs earn't to high, I had enough trouble getting Double Agent to run smoothly.
I hope the specs earn't to high, I had enough trouble getting Double Agent to run smoothly.
A last note... I heard that Sam was going agains team Rainbow--if this is true I hope he doesn't kill any of'em, but it could make for a tense boss fight.
P.S. If anyone can find out if this is true It'll be sweet... thanks
Iam a big Splinter Cell and Sam Fisher fan. Iam really sad that this title won't come to PS3. That's so wrong.
i think that the xbx version is better than pc
don't know why, i think there are more choises in the xbox version, i am not a pc gamer, but a playstation player, i hope the game is realy good