Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction

Overview

Splinter Cell: Conviction marks the fifth instalment of the Stealth-action Splinter Cell franchise. The game was developed by Ubisoft Montreal Studios and released on the Xbox 360 and for the PC on April 13th 2010. An iOS port of the game developed by Gameloft S.A. was released later the following month on May 27th 2010 and the mobile port eventually say its way to the Android, Windows Phone and Bada mobile operating systems.

The game is renown for both its troubled development cycle (see below) and the drastic alterations made to the stealth gameplay in order to make it more action-oriented than the previous games in the series.

Story

Splinter Cell: Conviction continues the story of former Third Echelon agent, Sam Fisher, who takes leave of the National Security Agency's Splinter Cell program without consent, determined to find who is responsible for the death of his daughter, Sarah Fisher. Instead of receiving assistance from Third Echelon like in previous Splinter Cell titles, Fisher is forced to investigate by himself using any means he sees fit, while trying at all times to stay one step ahead of the government.

It all starts again in a Cafê in Malta

The game opens with Sam Fisher sitting at a cafe in Malta when he receives a cell phone and bluetooth headset, and hears Anna ("Grim") Grimsdottir's voice through them. She informs him that armed men are converging on his position as Fisher has trouble trusting her, but when the shooting starts he finds himself gunning his way through several armed gangsters. Eventually, he reaches their leader and violently interrogates him in a public bathroom until the man tells him that someone named Andre Kobin hired him, and that Kobin was the same person who killed Sam's daughter Sarah.

Upon hearing this information, Sam decides to pay a personal visit to Kobin at his villa. He infiltrates the mansion by himself, using little more than the weapons he picked up and a slightly broken car mirror. Eventually, he manages to reach Kobin and demands to know who ordered the hit on his daughter, but several armed men from Third Echelon break into the villa and hit Fisher with a fast-acting tranquilizer dart.

Sam wakes up in a room at Price Airfield in Washington DC. He finds that he is strapped to a bed while some men are talking about him. After the men leave, one soldier plans to interrogate Sam himself on Reed's orders before Grim shoots the soldier in the head with a silenced pistol and helps Sam break free from his restraints. She informs him that she is secretly working with a small team directly under President Caldwell's control because they suspect that top-level officials in the government are working on a plot to overthrow the President.

Sam is reluctant to jump in, until Grim tells him that his daughter Sarah is actually still alive, and uses this information to convince Sam to get "back in the game" and beat her up to sell the ruse that Sam broke free on his own without her help. Sam punches her in the face a few times out of anger, but then promises that he'll do the job for her on the condition that he gets to hear from his daughter. Sam sneaks around the base, planting C4 on a satellite uplink and a helicopter so that Black Arrow won't be able to track him, and then escapes with Grim's car.

Victor Coste

The story flashes back to Victor Coste (nicknamed "Husky") who Sam calls for help as he leaves the parking lot. Several years ago, during the 1991 Gulf War, Husky was part of a squad that got ambushed in Iraq and left for dead. However, Husky fought his way through several Iraqi soldiers in order to reach his squad leader, who happened to be Sam Fisher, and rescued him.

Back in the present, Sam tries to meet Victor at a fair, taking place on the Mall at Washington, DC. After knocking out a few Black Arrow agents who are tailing him, Sam meets his friend in a booth near the Washington Monument. The man hands him a backpack full of gadgets and weapons along with a little more exposition. Victor tells Sam that his next target is White Box Technologies, but several Black Arrow operatives appear at the fairgrounds to terminate Fisher. Fisher manages to escape and heads over to White Box to find what's going on.

After infiltrating the building, Fisher finds that the scientists at White Box are being forced to design some EMP devices for someone named Lucius Galliard, but Galliard also hired Black Arrow for "security," and Black Arrow operatives are gunning down any scientist who even thinks of questioning the project. Sam manages to forward some of the experimental data to Grim, and then triggers a large EMP to cover his tracks as he escapes by car.

The next day, Sam is then directed to the camera booth just outside the Lincoln Memorial in DC to record a conversation between Galliard and Third Echelon's current director, Tom Reed. He overhears the two of them talking about a "historical event" together that would throw the capital into chaos. With Grim's help, Sam manages to reach Galliard and threatens him for information about a potential attack, but Galliard is shot by a gunman before he can give any useful data. Sam tries to catch the gunman, but the man hops into a getaway car which is promptly blown up by a car bomb. Third Echelon agents swarm the site, trying to take down Sam, but he manages to escape with the help of the US Secret Service.

Sam decides to follow his last lead after that incident, infiltrating Third Echelon itself by blowing up the power generators and zipping into the office in the confusion. Sam first meets up with Grim's techie friend in the server room to acquire a set of "sonar goggles" that allow Sam to see enemies and invisible lasers in the dark and through walls. Then he fights through several Third Echelon agents to find Tom Reed, but upon entering Reed's office only finds Kobin again.

After bashing Andriy Kobin's face in enough times, Sam discovers that Reed was working with someone named "Megiddo" to smuggle weaponized EMP technology into the US, use that tech to knock out the DC power grid, and assassinate the President in the confusion so the Vice President (an ally of Megiddo) could assume control and reward Reed after the fact. Kobin also mentions that he was asked to provide a fake Sarah to kill from someone in the office, and mockingly tells Sam to ask Grim about it.

Sam makes his way to Grim's office, tells her what he found out, and Grim decides to play a private diary from his now-dead ex-boss Irving Lambert, talking about how he personally arranged to make it seem as though Sarah was killed by Kobin and lied to Sam about it so he wouldn't have anything holding him back to fight the newest terrorist threat in New York, even though it pained him to do so.

Hearing this enrages Sam and he considers ending his involvement there, but Grim begs him to try and stop one of the three EMP generators anyway before they go off and leave DC in the dark. She says they only have enough time and manpower to stop one, so Sam should head to the generator hidden at the Michigan Avenue Reservoir, stating that Sarah's apartment is within the blast radius of that one. Sam reluctantly decides to go along with that, escaping the offices of Third Echelon before they self-destruct and heading off to Michigan Avenue while asking his friend Victor to get Sarah to safety.

Sam drives over to the reservoir and fights his way through several Black Arrow mercenaries to discover that one of the scientists is being violently forced to finish her work on the EMP weapon. Sam manages to rescue the scientist, but she tells him that the weapon was rigged with power generators in two separate locations that have to be destroyed at the same time or the weapon will go off anyways. Sam doesn't have enough C4, so he simply marks each generator with a tag that allows Victor to fire two missiles at the same time, knocking the weapon out of commission. Having finished that, Sam reunites with his daughter in Victor's chopper, then decides to head to the White House to rescue Grim.

The three of them sit in the chopper as they see the two other EMP weapons go off, leaving a trail of destruction across DC, but someone fires a missile at the chopper and crashes it. Miraculously, Sam, Sarah and Victor all survive. Sarah and Victor take off while Sam reluctantly leaves his daughter to go to the White House on foot. Aside from the panic and the carnage enveloping DC in the wake of the EMP blast, Sam finds that he has to fight his way through a whole battalion of Black Arrow troops who are there to "provide security" for Tom Reed's operation, to make sure no one interrupted Third Echelon as they did their dirty work, or to act as scapegoats if any US forces decided to intervene.

Eventually, Sam makes his way into the White House, shoots the traitorous VP in the leg to keep him secure, and reunites with Grim in the White House Press Room after shooting his way through many Third Echelon forces. Grim comes up with a quick plan to get Reed's attention, by shooting Sam in the shoulder and taking him hostage, then personally delivering him to Reed who happens to be gloating over his victory with the President in handcuffs and a small group of Third Echelon forces behind him. Sam and Grim take advantage of his mistake, kill the Third Echelon forces, and secure the President while Reed jeers at him. The player gets to choose whether to spare him or put a bullet in his head. An alternative ending exists if the player never triggers the event where Sam snatches the gun out of Tom Reed's hand. Tom Reed will continue on with his speech, giving more background and reasons why he is doing exactly what he is doing. Tom Reed then puts the gun to Sam's head, asks if Sam has any last words, and then says "Well, how about Tom Reed just f**king killed me" while proceeding to shoot Sam in the head. Sam falls down dead, the camera pans out, and it eventually leads to a "mission failed' screen.

The scene switches back to the present, where Victor has been telling the whole story to a Black Arrow interrogator. He talks about how Sam decided to spend more time with Sarah, and that the last thing he said to Victor was that he saw him as a brother ("That's like family, right?") when alarms suddenly start going off, inferring that Sam (or someone) broke into the Black Arrow base to rescue him. The scene ends as the interrogators rush out of the room, leaving Victor to wonder what will happen next.

Original Conception

Splinter Cell: Conviction has changed quite a bit since it's original design. On May 23, 2007 the first trailer for the game was released. It showed a very different Sam Fisher. In the trailer Sam is not wearing his usual specialized sneaking suits, camouflage, or even his trademark three-lens goggles. Instead he was shown in casual clothes and carrying some kind of duffel-bag. His hair and beard are grown out, with multiple people pointing out a striking resemblance to former GameSpot editor Brian Ekberg, and instead of silently taking out his enemies from the shadows, he is seen fighting them in broad daylight in hand-to-hand combat. Later trailers also show him using objects such as tables and chairs to disable his enemies. The events that were depicted in this trailer take place in Washington DC.

On May 19, 2008, it was announced that Conviction was "officially on hold". Since then, Conviction has gone through radical changes, both in terms of gameplay and visuals. Trailers and gameplay videos released soon afterward confirmed this, showing a much more 'traditional' Sam Fisher, with short hair, a stubble beard and wearing stealth oriented attire.

The New Design

Since the release of both the demo and a gameplay footage, many Splinter Cell fans had asked about the new fast paced approach. For some, the old style was what defined Splinter Cell. In an interview (on industrygamers.com) Creative Director Maxime Béland answered that question and gave a brand new vision of what the Splinter Cell franchise was about:

Creative Director Maxime Béland:
The Splinter cell team found out what people really wanted was a fantasy; a fantasy of being Sam Fisher. A fantasy which gave them a brand new vision and approach that demanded that they would change the way that we were and are thinking, when looking at the stealth genre in general. Because it was taking too long, which often meant that only hardcore gamers were the ones to really complete the game and see it through. And the consequence of that fact, was also to see in the sales numbers. He actually stated that "If you look at the sales of Splinter Cell 1 versus Splinter Cell 4, they go a little bit down."

That is why the Splinter Cell team refocused, and took a different approach on how to make the new franchise more accessible but also trying to make the new title just as innovative as some of the previous titles were. One of the things, that the team changed was the whole visual area that implanted the light, shadows and HUD in-game:

Creative Director Maxime Béland:

So light and shadows, for example, but before it was just a light meter on the screen... or in Double Agent there was a light on the back of the character that was either green, orange or red. So we said, "Let's not have the player play in the HUD; let's have the player play in the world." What we're doing in Conviction is as soon as you enter the shadows, the entire game goes to black and white. It's very on or off - when you're in the shadows you're invisible and the only way they can see you is if you shoot or they bump you or put a flashlight on you. It's a lot less analog.

Another part of the gameplay, that has been criticized for making it too easy for the player to complete the game, is the feature called "Mark and Execute." The feature is enabled by the player performing a hand to hand take-down, where after the player is granted with marks to use in the killing of multiple targets, depending on which weapon Sam Fisher is using, and how upgraded it is. The vision for Mark and Execute was allegedly seen in one movie in particular:

Creative Director Maxime Béland:

There's a great scene in the movie Vantage Point with a bad guy going up a flight of stairs. He's moving super fast, not making any noise, and then some CIA guys pop out and he just kills them all super fast. And that's action, but it's stealth. He's not throwing a grenade and blowing up everything – no one knows he's there. So Mark and Execute was our answer for how to deliver that. The concept is very simple. You can mark enemies and then get in range and press the Y button and Sam shoots them all automatically. ... It's a little thing, but again it's about taking the fantasy and values we always had for Splinter Cell and trying to deliver it in a different way.

One of the more discussed and heated subjects regarding the release of the demo earlier this month has been the difficulty of the game, especially in the demo. That was explained by Ubisoft Montreal developers (in an interview with msxbox-world.com), where they explained the situation:

Creative Director Maxime Béland:

We designed the demo with one main objective in mind: make it exciting and fun to play for as much people as possible; even for gamers who had never played Splinter Cell before but were into action games. With that in mind, we adapted the level design (less enemies, more projected texts, tutorials) as well as the AI for this demo to meet this objective. We also ran a lot of playtests and worked in conjunction with Microsoft's people who have been really resourceful on this matter, and we feel that we found the right balance for a lot of gamers to have fun with this demo and still find it challenging.

The demo doesn't feature the hardest enemies you'll face in the final game. Remember, Sam will come up against more than just Black Arrow mercs (which is all you see in the demo). More capable enemies will have different levels of aggression and tactics. When you face more elite operatives in the realistic difficulty setting you will be challenged. A good example of this is when Sam goes up against other Splinter Cell agents.

Splinter Cell: Conviction was originally set to be released on February 23rd, 2010, but was delayed until April 13, 2010 in the US. As a bonus, if you pre-ordered the game from selected retailers, you could, for example, have unlocked an exclusive in-game silenced SPAS-12, SC3000, SR2 and the MP5.

Gameplay

The team from Ubisoft have set out to redefine the Splinter Cell franchise by the use of new mechanics. In addition to the series' staples of stealth, smarts, and gadgets, the gameplay in Conviction takes steps to make the game faster, more fluid, with a focus on cinematic action.

Fisher moves through the environments with greater speed than in previous Splinter Cells, using specific techniques from parkour. He also gains new abilities such as Mark and Execute, which can be earned after taking out an opponent at close quarters. Similar to the gadget in Rainbow Six: Vegas and previous Splinter Cell titles, Fisher can peer under doors with a broken mirror or a snake cam, mark several targets for execution, then burst in through the door and instantly gun them down. Once Fisher has completed the maneuver, it must again be earned. By exploiting his background of extensive military training, Ubisoft hopes to make players feel like they truly are playing the part of this seasoned soldier, billed as "the ultimate predator."

Last Known Position

Upon being spotted, provided the player goes into hiding, the Last Known Position feature leaves a white silhouette of Fisher in the location where the opponents saw him last. This gives the player a reference point where they can assume the enemies will converge while looking for them, giving them time to escape or set up an ambush.

Light meter is replaced with new gameplay mechanism

In previous Splinter Cell games, Fisher had access to a light meter that told him to what degree he was hidden. Not having the gadgets made available by Third Echelon, players will be notified of being hidden from enemies by the screen becoming black and white, except for enemies.

New Sandbox-design

Levels have been built in the style of a 'mini-sandbox,' allowing the player some degree of choice in how the missions are approached. Some environments have specific, dynamic elements, such as chandeliers that can be broken and used to take out enemies.

In addition to redesigning the play style to allow more seamless, flowing combat, Ubisoft have attempted to remove transitions between environment. The gameplay is now linked with fly-through of the next mission, and titles, objectives and plot elements are 'projected' on to the environment around the player. When Sam Fisher is interrogating suspects, the player is in full control of Fisher's brutal interrogation tactics, keeping the player "in the action" throughout the game.

Gameplay Mechanicas

There have been some gameplay mechanics from previous Splinter Cell games that are not present in Splinter Cell Conviction. These include the ability to move and hide bodies, distract enemies by throwing miscellaneous objects, whistling to get the enemies attention, and split jump in hallways.

Multiplayer, Co-Op, and Deniable Ops

In addition to the single player component, there is also a number of cooperative modes, as well as an adversarial multiplayer mode. The traditional Spies versus Mercs multiplayer mode from previous versions of the game does not return in Conviction however. The PEC (Persistent Elite Creation) system, previously seen in the Rainbow Six games, also factors into the multiplayer, allowing players to customize their looks, gadgets, and weapon load outs for their character. Unlocking things in the PEC mode is based on an experience system, where actions you perform in single player and multiplayer help you unlock new items and gadgets. The multiplayer modes included are:

Co-Op Story

A collection of missions that take place before the events in the main single player mode, providing more back story. Players take on the roles of Third Echelon agent Archer and Voron agent Kestrel. The story takes place over the course of four missions, and features unique co-op actions players can utilize to take care of enemies. For example, each player can Execute the other player's Marks, allowing upwards of 8 Mark & Execute opportunities. Players can also be downed by enemies or placed in choke holds, relying on the other play to revive or free them.

Hunter

A pure elimination mode. Players are tasked with removing all 10 enemies of each of 5 zones in the map however they choose. Being detected does not end the level, but it will add 10 more enemies to current zone, and those enemies will be more aggressive in finding the players.

Face Off

A spy versus spy mode for two players. Both players vie for a high score, and are awarded points for eliminating enemies, as well as each other. Players earn one point for each AI enemy they kill, and five points for killing an opposing player. Dying causes a player to lose points.

Last Stand

A survival mode that tasks players with protecting an EMP warhead from enemies. Waves of 20 enemies will spawn with the singular goal of destroying the warhead, and players must take them out before they do so. The EMP will regenerate its health to full at the end of each Wave unless its health has dropped below 50%, at which point it will only regenerate to 50% health for the remaining Waves. Each map has 20 waves of 20 enemies, but the game can be started as late as Wave 15 and still count toward completion of the map.

Infiltration

A pure stealth mode. Like Hunter, players must eliminate enemies in a set location. However, being spotted will instantly cause the mission to fail. There is also a greater focus on avoiding things like infrared lasers and security cameras, stressing a more cautious approach to succeed. This mode must be "purchased" by use of U-Play points or by pre-ordering from Amazon.com.

Deniable Ops

All modes, except Face Off, are available to play in a single-player version called Deniable Ops.

Maps

The following maps are currently available for play in both Co-Op and Deniable Ops:

More maps have been hinted at by Ubisoft as coming in future DLC release.

Downloadable Content

Free DLC

Ubisoft released free weekly downloadable content for Splinter Cell: Conviction. The first piece of downloadable content was the MP7A1 Machine Pistol it was released on April 14th 2010. The MP7A1 was available early to purchasers of the Collector's Edition. All of the content is downloadable from the Extras - Exclusive Content menu in-game.

Unlocks

"Insurgency Pack" DLC

Ubisoft also released Deniable Ops: Insurgency that originally cost 800 MP ($10). The Insurgency Pack delivers four new maps that can be played in Hunter, Last Stand, Face Off and Infiltration coop game modes. These maps range from the docks in San Francisco, to a New Orleans cemetery, a Portland Prison and a hidden research complex in Salt Lake City. The Insurgency Pack also add 9 new achievements worth 250 GameScore / Points. All maps can of course be played in single-player deniable ops.

New map locations

Weapons, Gadgets & P.E.C.

No longer affiliated with the Third Echelon division of the National Security Agency, Sam Fisher must find and utilize various tools that he comes across throughout his missions. The weapons available in Splinter Cell Conviction range from pistols, to shotguns, to machine guns and assault rifles. All of these weapons can be modified through the P.E.C. (Persistent Elite Creation system), a system where the player can use the earned P.E.C. points which have been earned through completing the different challenges in the game. The P.E.C. points can be used to upgrade the different weapons, gadgets and suits, including the portable EMP backpack and the Sonar goggles. The points can also be used both in single and multiplayer/co-op.

Weapons

Sam Fisher is a former Third Echelon agent, so he had advanced weapons training. Sam is always equipped with his default weapon that is the MK .23 pistol which is equipped with a silencer. If he hasn’t a secondary weapon, he will automatically pick up the first additional side-arm he runs over. If he runs over a weapon of the same type he carries, he then picks up additional ammunition.

Weapon Upgrades

Weapons may be upgraded three times with the addition of larger magazine, scopes, deadlier bullets, and more. Upgrades are purchased with points acquired by completing P.E.C. Challenges.

	Adding a suppressor to a weapon vastly reduces the audible and visual signature of the weapon.
	Adding a reflex sight will provide you with an extra Mark for the Mark and Execute system.
	Adding a laser sight makes aiming the weapon easier. Increases the accuracy of the weapon.
	A 2x scope allows you to see farther while aiming with the weapon. Increases the range of the weapon
	A 4x scope improves your zoom range even farther. Increases the range of the weapon.
	Hollow point ammunition does increased damage.
	Match grade ammunition is accurate out to a greater range, allowing you to Mark and Execute more distant targets.
	An extended magazine increases your ammo count in the weapon, as well as the total amount of ammunition you can carry.
	Adding a customized gun stock improves the stability of your weapon during long bursts. This increases the accuracy of the weapon.

Unlockable Guns

Completing missions in both the single-player story and the co-op story unlocks most weapons. (A few weapons are unlocked via downloadable content or pre-order bonuses.)

Single-player

*Kobin’s gun can be picked up if no other secondary weapon was picked up during the entire map

CO - OP

Pistols

*. PWR= "Power", RAN= "Range", ACC= "Accurcy", CLP= "Clip capacity", Upgr.= "Upgrade"

Machine Pistols

Submachine Guns (SMGs)

*. PWR= "Power", RAN= "Range", ACC= "Accurcy", CLP= "Clip capacity", Upgr.= "Upgrade"

Assault Rifles

*. PWR= "Power", RAN= "Range", ACC= "Accurcy", CLP= "Clip capacity", Upgr.= "Upgrade"

Shotguns

*. PWR= "Power", RAN= "Range", ACC= "Accurcy", CLP= "Clip capacity", Upgr.= "Upgrade"

Gadgets

Sam utilizes gadgets of many types throughout the course of the game, most of which tie into the P.E.C. challenges in some manner.

Icon	Gadget	Description
	Broken Mirror	In the beginning of the game Sam uses a mirror taken from a car, which allows him to peek under doors and mark up targets on the other side.
	Snake-Cam	Fisher doesn't have access to the Snake-Cam from the beginning of the game. Once Sam acquires the Snake-Cam he will be able to see everything clearly.
	Sticky-Cam	A camera that can be thrown and adhere to an object, allowing Fisher to monitor areas that are not within his line of sight. When near the device, guards are able to hear the sound of the camera, revealing its location. Fisher may also use the remote to make the camera play a tune, which will attract the attention of nearby guards. He can also detonate it.
	Sonar Goggles	Goggles that send out a pulse that passes through the environment, allowing Fisher to discover the location of his enemies and laser tripwires. It also allows the player to mark targets for the Mark and Execute maneuver.
	EMP Grenade	This grenade disables electronics for a short period of time in a small radius around where the grenade goes off. This both distracts enemies and creates darkness to enable Fisher to maneuver to a better tactical position.
	EMP Device	This gadget works similarly to the EMP grenade and gives the same sort of tactical advantage to Fisher, except that this EMP radiates a short distance around Fisher himself and is instantaneous instead of waiting for the grenade to detonate.
	Flashbang	This grenade will temporarily disorient a group of enemies, allowing Fisher to slip past them or take them out at his leisure.
	Frag Grenade	This grenade will explode killing or hurting anyone in its blast radius. This is good for taking out a group of enemies in a small area, but it will alert other nearby enemies of Fisher's presence.
Proximity Mine	This mine latches itself to any surface it touches, if an enemy gets too close it will automatically detonate. (Exclusive Content – Exclusive to the Limited Collector's Edition and Gamestop pre-orders; Obtainable by going to Menu - Extras - Exclusive Content section of the main menu as of April 14th, 2010)
	Remote Mine	This mine is controlled directly by Fisher, he can plant it on any surface and wait until the maximum amount of enemies are within range before manually detonating it.

Gadget upgrades

All gadget upgrades cost 250 P.E.C. points. All gadgets have a single type of upgrade that can be purchased twice.

P.E.C. Challenges

Prepare and Execute Challenges

Each action must be performed a certain number of times to reach each level, noted below. The rewards for reaching Level 1, 2, and 3 are 400, 450, and 550 points respectively.

Vanish Challenges

Like the Prepare and Execute challenges, each action must be performed a certain number of times to reach each level, noted below. The rewards for reaching Level 1, 2, and 3 are also 400, 450, and 550 points respectively.

Splinter Cell Challenges

Splinter Cell challenges only need to be completed once. Point values rewarded vary, as noted below.

Uplay service and its benefits in game

Uplay is a service where you earn points by doing special things in the game and use them to unlock bonus items. The Uplay points are not tied to a game so you can for example earn points in Assassin's Creed and use them in Splinter Cell Conviction. Here is a list of Actions (achievements) and Rewards for this game.

Actions

Rewards

Ghost Recon: Future Soldier Beta Access

In addition to everything else, the 360 version of the game will also give players access to the Ghost Recon: Future Soldier multiplayer "beta". Much like how the game Crackdown came with an invite for the Halo 3 beta, or how Halo 3: ODST grants players access to the Halo Reach beta, the public "beta" for Ghost Recon: Future Soldier will be accessible via the game disc at a later date.

Special Editions

Collector's Edition

The collector's edition will be available in the US on the Xbox 360 and will be released the same day as the standard edition. It was originally priced at $79.99, but was reduced to $69.99 due to faulty USB drives. The following items are Included in this edition:

• Two in-game multiplayer items
• MP5-SD3 submachine gun
• Third Echelon player skin
• A custom USB drive compatible with the Xbox 360, containing videos, wallpaper, concept art, storyboards, and several other types of media.(Note: Due to random sampling, many of the USB drives were found to be defective.)
• Two Xbox 360 decal stickers
• "Digging in the Ashes" - A comic book explaining the events preceding the game.
• Steelbook case
• Early access to the MP7A1 machine pistol
• "Fifth Freedom: The Art of Splinter Cell" - An artbook based on the Splinter Cell series with commentary from the developers.

Limited Collector's Edition

The limited collector's edition will be released only in European, Middle Eastern, Asian and Pacific territories, for the Xbox 360 on April 15th through April 16th, 2010. And for PC on April 30th, 2010. The items included in this version are different than the US collector's edition and are as follows:

Special Edition Xbox 360 Splinter Cell Conviction Bundle

The Xbox 360 Splinter Cell Conviction Bundle is to be released on April 13th in the US and from April 15th to 16th in Europe etc. Different from the difference between the Collector's and Limited Collector's edition, the Bundle will be containing the same in both the US and Europe. The bundle will contain the following:

• Xbox 360 console
• Xbox 360 250GB HD
• 2 black Xbox 360 wireless controllers
• 1 black Xbox 360 headset
• 1 ethernet cable
• 1 standard definition Xbox 360 Composite A / V cable
• Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Conviction

Xbox 360 Pre-order bonus

• Gamestop - SPAS-12
• Bestbuy - SC3000
• Amazon.com - Infiltration game mode

Demo

The demo for Splinter Cell: Conviction was released over Xbox Live on Thursday, March 18th, 2010. The demo itself consists of two single player levels. The first level is an interrogation scene in a seedy bathroom which introduces the player to the new interrogation techniques that involve pummeling an NPC into submission by beating him against destructible objects such as sinks, urinals, mirrors, and doors.

The second level of the demo has Sam infiltrating an abandoned warehouse that's being used by the enemy to store an EMP device, which he must disarm. The level introduces the player to the new mechanics of Splinter Cell: Conviction, such as the new controls, updated cover system, and the new mark-and-execute feature. The demo provides players access to varying pieces of equipment such as Sam's new Sonar Goggles, EMP grenades, a portable EMP device, frag grenades, and flashbang grenades. Sam's weapons during this demo include his silenced pistol and an MP5-N, although he can also pick up enemy weapons.

Differences Between Demo and Final Game

• The main chunk of the demo takes place in the level Michigan Ave. Reservoir, Washington D.C which is a level close to the end of the game. The level is modified for demo purposes.

• The trunk of Grim's car is closed, therefor the player doesn't have the ability to pick their weapon loadout.
• There is a small tutorial that shows off the cover mechanics of the game and the mark and execute ability, by having the player switch cover to cover and doing a hand to hand take-down on a enemy, then finally marking and executing two enemies.
• The interrogation interaction with the Black Arrow agent has been removed because it would spoil the story of the game.

Splinter Cell: Conviction Trivia

• The hand to hand combat techniques Fisher uses in Conviction are based on the self defense system Krav Maga that originated in Israel.
• Sam Fisher boasts a new handgun technique called Center Axis Relock (C.A.R,), which is designed to be more effective and efficient in close quarters combat.
• Vinny made a bet with Ryan that there would be night vision goggles in Conviction. After Jeff reviewed the game, it was revealed that there was no night vision in the game. Vinny lost and had to pay up.
• The song that features prominently after Grim plays Lambert's office recording is Building Steam With A Grain Of Salt by DJ Shadow.
• Plush dolls of Rabbids from the Rayman's Raving Rabbids series (also published by Ubisoft) are visible at various points in the game, including at the carnival.
• This was the last game in the Splinter Cell franchise to star Michael Ironside as the voice of Sam Fisher as he was replaced by Eric Johnson in the sequel Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Blacklist.

PC Version and DRM

On March 19, 2010, the PC version was delayed by two weeks to April 27, 2010. Ubisoft stated that the game needed extra time for polish and debugging. The game was released in stores and on Steam and Direct2Drive.

Splinter Cell Conviction is the third Ubisoft game that requires an "always-on" internet connection to play, as part of a new DRM and online services platform, regardless of where the game was purchased from.

If a player's Internet connection is lost while playing, gameplay is halted and progress since the last checkpoint or save game is lost, with only the option to quit to Windows or wait until reconnection. This also happens if Ubisoft's servers go down.

System Requirements

Minimum:

• OS: Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7
• Processor: 1.8 GHz Intel Core2 Duo or 2.4 GHz AMD Athlon X2 64
• Memory: 1.5 GB Windows XP / 2 GB Windows Vista, Windows 7
• Graphics: 256 MB DirectX 9.0c–compliant video card (512 MB recommended) (see supported list*)
• DirectX®: DirectX 9.0c
• Hard Drive: 10 GB
• Sound: DirectX 9.0c–compliant sound card
• Peripherals Supported: Mouse, keyboard, headset, 12-button gamepads with analog sticks
• Internet Connection: Broadband Internet connection

*Supported Video Cards at Time of Release:

NVIDIA GeForce 7800 / 7900 / 8 / 9 / GTX series

ATI RADEON X1800 / X1900 / HD 2000 / HD 4000 / HD 5000 series

ATI HD 3000 NOT supported at time of release.

Laptop versions of these cards may work but are NOT supported. These chipsets are the only ones that will run this game.

Xbox 360 HD Install

Installing Splinter Cell: Conviction on your hard drive takes up 6.0 GB of space.