Splinter Cell Conviction - Preview

Finally the much anticipated Tom Clancy thriller returns! Splinter Cell is one of the most succesful gaming franchises ever with several very succesful titles under it’s belt. The iconic stealth espionage game makes a return with Conviction.

Splinter Cell: Conviction introduces a number of new gameplay features to the series. One of which is the “Mark and Execute” feature, which allows the player to mark specific targets, such as enemies or objects, and shoot them when they burst through a door or window. Sounds great right? You/Sam can then choose to prioritize these targets, so that, for example, he could distract one guard by shooting out a light in his vicinity and then take out another guard. Another new feature is the “Last Known Position”, which occurs when the player breaks the line of sight of an alerted guard. This creates a visual silhouette of where the guard thinks Sam is, allowing you to strategically flank his enemies. Main target subjects can use the player’s abilities against them. The player can be taken hostage by the subject. If this happens in co-op mode, the hostage’s partner can neutralize the subject by any means necessary, possibly even by lethal means.

Other new features include the ability to interrogate characters in real-time and use objects in the surrounding environment against them. A crowd mechanic has been introduced, allowing Sam to vanish within a crowd if under pursuit - think Assassin’s Creed style. The environment is also used to project mission objectives and key plot points onto walls in order to keep the player immersed in the gameplay during the narrative.

Splinter Cell: Conviction takes place roughly two years after the events of Splinter Cell: Double Agent. Sam Fisher has gone rogue from Third Echelon after discovering that the death of his daughter, Sarah, was not an accident. However, Third Echelon, now overly-bureaucratic and bound in red tape, are in pursuit of Sam. Sam must use all the help he can get, including former Third Echelon colleague Anna Grimsdóttír, and Sam’s friend, Victor Coste, in order to discover the truth behind the death of his daughter. Sam begins with going after his daughter’s killer, and discovers that his daughter isn’t killed, but kidnapped by Third Echelon. But he finds himself trying to stop a more serious threat upon Washington DC.

We love the story - it has that real Tom Clancy agent gone rogue feel to it. The visuals also llok to be extremely well polished providing what should be an awesome gaming experience. I can’t wait to get my hands on this one.