DESIGNpebble

“Justice. Revenge. Conviction”, The tag line says it all. In Splinter Cell: Conviction you reprise the role of Sam Fisher; a rogue agent determined to piece together the circumstances of his daughter’s death.

Following on from Splinter Cell: Double Agent, Sam Fisher (voiced by Hollywood Hardman Michael Ironside) has now left Third Echelon, the government agency he’d formerly been a part of after discovering hints that his daughter’s death may not have been an accident. Before long, Sam becomes wrapped up in a much larger plot involving a potential terrorist attack on Washington DC.

From the start, this game will have you hooked, it is easy to lose a good few hours of your day without even noticing. Unless you die, you will not see any load screens, as slick cut-scenes will silently load content while you watch, this goes a LONG way to maintaining the pace and tension of the game and helps it to feel more akin to an interactive movie than a mindless action game.

The controls are easy to learn and are taught while you play through the first mission, even someone who is new to the Splinter Cell franchise will have no problem adapting at all.

Stealth in this game is key, and using shadows to hide your location is a crucial factor that is exploited to tremendous effect later in the game. This makes for a refreshing change from high-octane adrenaline fuelled games such as the hugely popular Modern Warfare 2. This change of pace really pays off when you find the perfect way to avoid patrols and take down enemies silently one by one. A more tactical approach yields greater personal reward.

Visually, this is one of the best looking games available Pushing the capabilities of the next-gen consoles to their limit. The game is powered by the Unreal Engine which provides seamless integration between cut-scenes and game play.

One of the most impressive additions to the game is the “projector” for visual cues. This dynamic actually projects back story or objective locations directly onto the scenery. This has both positive and negative aspects to it. Your objectives are now, for the most part, unmissable, however this does at times make it feel like you are being hand-held through the game rather than being allowed to explore at your own pace. Hard-core gamers may find this a little too easy.

The game is a LOT of fun to play, being stealthy is key to victory in most circumstances, however this doesn’t mean a case of long dragged out battles. Real success lies in the players ability to exploit the scenery quickly and efficiently. There are multiple ways to deal with a situation, one that I felt particularly proud of was fairly early in the game, I had my target and needed to get to him without being discovered by his guards. While crouched behind cover, I shot a light with my pistol, allowing me some darkness to move into, remaining crouched I moved forward into the darkness and climbed out onto a window ledge, as I hung off the ledge, I swung around the outside of the building towards a window with a guard by it. With one deft movement I had silently pulled the guard out of the window and could safely progress.

Now of course I could have taken a more direct approach and shot the guard outright, but it is this freedom that really rewards the player, and makes you feel like you are in control and whether you succeed or fail, it is by your own choices.

Overall this is a highly enjoyable game, if you like the idea of being sneaky and taking down enemies with patience and skill rather than all out frontal assault, this game is for you. With a gripping story, exceptional visuals and solid game play, Splinter Cell: Conviction will keep you hooked for hours. The game is a little short, but you wont be left feeling disappointed.

My Rating: 90/100