I didn't have much experience with the Splinter Cell series prior (played a bit of Double Agent), and I picked this up to play co-op with a friend, but I really fell for its balance of stealth and shooting gameplay. I'm about halfway through the campaign and really dig the game so far. In fact, hearing Deus Ex: Human Revolution compares to Conviction's gameplay was a big mark in Deus Ex's favor.

Any other latecomers to Conviction?

@jasonlblair: I just rented it for the weekend and I was really pleasantly surprised. For whatever reason I thought this game had bombed and wasn't very good, but me and a mate fancied blasting through some local co-op and it was either this or army of two!

The story is really great, and it has a great sense of style. It's also pretty good value with both the co-op and single player story going on for a bunch of hours.

I had some frustrations with some of the Washington levels toward the end and I HATED the gulf war section, but overall there is some really top-notch level design on display in this game. Before it came out,   I got the demo that had one of the hangar levels in it and played that one section over and over trying every possible combination of play styles it allowed. I felt like playing the full thing through sort of discouraged this and really didn't give you a full appreciation of how many options a few of the environments really gave you. The mark & execute mechanic made a few areas way too easy, but it added an interesting tactical element. I went into a lot of situations trying to set up the most efficient way to earn an execute, taking 4 or 5 guys out in basically one move.

Do not ever compare DE:HR's stealth mechanics to SC:V.

I just could not get over the fact that the game forces you to beat up a girl. I couldn't play it anymore after that. It's just wrong. I'll never look at Sam Fisher the same way again. Maybe you'll think I'm making too big of a deal over this, but... it might have meant the end for me and the Splinter Cell series entirely. I do not approve.

I just could not get over the fact that the game forces you to beat up a girl. I couldn't play it anymore after that. It's just wrong. I'll never look at Sam Fisher the same way again. Maybe you'll think I'm making too big of a deal over this, but... it might have meant the end for me and the Splinter Cell series entirely. I do not approve.

I'm not a fan mostly because of the level design actually. I didn't like the way they'd throw you into cramped areas with maybe a pipe or two, a wall and fifty guards; non interacting style stealth just wasn't viable and I found that unacceptable as that's basically the series trademark. I really wish they'd take a hard look at Chaos Theory and realize how PERFECT the levels were in that game.  Find ways to improve on the formula they found in that game rather than trying to make a new one. 
 
Don't get me wrong, I don't want the series to stagnate... I just don't want it to lose its identity either. 

I don't recall that. I just remember she was withholding information about your daughter, so the game forces you to punch her.

I don't recall that. I just remember she was withholding information about your daughter, so the game forces you to punch her.

 @KingWilly: 
Alright then. Sam Fisher, you are forgiven. Thanks for pointing that out, Sir KingWilly.

@TheGreatGuero said:

I just could not get over the fact that the game forces you to beat up a girl. I couldn't play it anymore after that. It's just wrong. I'll never look at Sam Fisher the same way again. Maybe you'll think I'm making too big of a deal over this, but... it might have meant the end for me and the Splinter Cell series entirely. I do not approve.

That was seriously a problem? Equality works both ways my friend! not to mention it was justified in the story, Sam was reluctant and it was her idea.

I have fond memories of playing the first Splinter Cell on my first actually capable computer, can't say that I appreciated what they did with Conviction. I didn't have a problem with the simplified stealth mechanics but the amount of encounters you have to go through guns blazing... Especially the Iraq bit, even the setup for the flashback was ridiculous. Tom Clancy games tend to be but c'mon.

-And what the hell's going on back there?

-I thought you might recognize the sound. Remind you of anything?

-Yeah. IRAQ. WOOSH

The fact that I played it on a PC doesn't help, it ran sub 30 FPS most of the time no matter what settings I used and the Ubi DRM wasn't exactly my favorite thing. Sam hitting a woman was the least of my gripes.