Sam, I Am- Splinter Cell Conviction Review

In the interest of full disclosure, a declaration needs to be issued: I am a Splinter Cell fanatic. I have purchased every Sam Fisher game on release day, and feverishly played each until the final credits rolled. Embarrassingly, three of the pulpy novels have also been digested; each carefully read to glean any new intelligence on the internal workings of Third Echelon. So, when word got out that Ubisoft was shifting direction, pushing the next Splinter Cell into more action-oriented territory, I was worried. Fisher was developed with a mystique and depth absent from the archetypical Domingo Chavez / Scott Mitchell / Logan Keller variety of protagonist. 

After playing through Splinter Cell Conviction, it is clear that both Ubisoft Montreal’s determination to give the series a reboot was an indisputably sound decision. Previous franchise entries offered players a complex landscape filled with environmental puzzles to traverse. Each title favored gamers who crept clandestinely through each location, as recklessly engaging enemies would often result in quick demise. Although Conviction has sections where foes can be circumvented, the game undeniably favors a confrontational approach, exhibiting a visceral and bloodthirsty new facet of Fisher’s persona.

To complement this new approach, a deviation from the characteristic Splinter Cell narrative was required. While Fisher has always dutifully exercised the ‘fifth freedom’ (the ability to take life based on the defense of the original four freedoms), Third Echelon protocol disapproved of the excessive application of lethal force. At the commencement of Conviction, we learn that Fisher has retired from the covert government agency, tormented by both the death of his daughter and the guilt of killing of his superior and close friend, Col. Irving Lambert.  These elements skillfully allow Fisher to be reframed as both merciless and desperate allowing players to bask in Conviction’s bloodshed. No longer are players required to perform thankless actions such as hacking into terminals or concealing bodies, allowing the title to maintain a sinuous, speedy tempo.

Much of Conviction’s sensation of fluidity comes from the game’s Mark and Execute mechanic. As players skulk each environment, they can designate a number of targets with a press of the right bumper. Once players perform a melee kill, a button tap automatically initiates a slow motion execution sequence, showing Sam faultlessly dropping each marked adversary with a headshot. Gratification arises in situations where gamers drop upon an unsuspecting foe, thereby activating the maneuver and clearing a room full of tangos in a single lethal sweep.

Carelessness in previous Splinter Cell entries often led directly to the ‘game over’ screen. In Conviction, when the player is spotted they leave a translucent marker indicating where enemies think Fisher is lurking, known as the Last Known Position. Flanking a foe heading for this perceived position is consistently satisfying, and conveys a strong sense of how much of a badass Sam is. Deftly, adversaries won’t always succumb to this tactic, as they sporadically hold their ground and toss taunts at their unseen assassin.

With so much carefully cultivated vitality in the game, it’s easy to overlook Conviction’s small setbacks. A flashback sequence has players coming to Fisher’s aid, as players trudge through an Iraqi village. Without the game’s signature shadow sneaking, the stage feels a bit hackneyed, like a sub-standard Modern Warfare 2 clone. Although the game tries to offer a realistic tone, seeing bullets travel though desks and walls during a Mark and Execute move, damages any sense of accuracy.

Once gamers complete the eight hour single-player campaign, there are a multitude of diversions to maintain a player’s interest. Three types of trials challenges players to eliminate foes, vanish from enemies, and sneak around without being detected. A successful completion rewards players with points, which Fisher can use to augment his loadout, or acquire more simultaneous targets for the Mark and Execute command. Players also may traverse four co-operative environments through split-screen, or over Xbox Live, as they work together on stages that precede the events of the game.  Gamers are obliged stay in constant communication as they work together, as the death of one agent triggers an endgame for both parties. 

Splinter Cell Conviction’s graphics are nearly universally proficient, from the lifelike enemy animations to the meticulously rendered weapons. The game wisely forgoes the gauges used to indicate how well Fisher in hidden within the shadows, turning the screen monochromatic to signify when players are concealed. While the effect is unquestionably useful, it also means that successful players will be spending a large amount of time in a black and white world. Although Michael Ironside delivers another constantly solid vocal performance, it’s the goads from foes that will haunt players long after they’ve completed the game. Dropping a chandelier on a provocation-spewing antagonist may be one of the top gratifications in contemporary gaming.

Those apprehensive about Splinter Cell Conviction’s push into the action-oriented realm need not worry; Sam Fisher still keeps to the shadows, preserving the franchise’s celebrated stealthy mechanic. The change really moves Fisher’s role from a passive spy to an calculated assassin, carefully hunting his prey with delicate strategy. Take it from a Splinter Cell enthusiast; Conviction is an assignment that both aficionados and casual admirers won’t want to miss.