Great Game, Bad Splinter Cell
Waring: this review is written by true Splinter Cell fan and is not for the faint of heart.
So after four years, we finally get our new Splinter Cell game. But how is it, is it worth the wait? The short answer is no. Splinter Cell Conviction is a great action game, but as a Splinter Cell game it suffers greatly. While the game has great set pieces, a tight story which sees main character Sam Fisher come out of hiding to find out who killed his daughter, it departs from the complexity that made the other Splinter Cell games so amazing by simplifying to game's mechanics a great deal. No longer can you choke a guard while hanging from a pipe, split-jump, use either a combat knife or less-than-lethal to take down an unsuspecting foe, and now shadows are completely binary. No meters, no shades of gray, you either hidden or you’re not. And the way the game registers this is rather annoying considering you can be behind cover then barely move and all the sudden become visible and subsequently detected.
The game's greatest transgression, however, is the way the Mark & Execute system is integrated. Basically, M&E allows you to survey a room and "mark" up to four targets depending on which weapon you have. Then, once all the targets are in range and not obscured by any objects, you just press “Y” and tap, tap, tap, tap, they’re all dead. While this concept is great and it really makes you feel like a secret agent, it’s basically a win button provided that you can get into position over one guy, tag four other guys, use the “Death From Above” maneuver and presto, room cleared. What would be great is if the Execute portion of M&E was interactive and you actually got to control Sam. Basically, if the game just went into bullet time so that you had to aim then the Execution would require at least some skill and at that point would be a positive addition to the game.
Oh, and there’s this Last Known Position system in the game but it’s a complete crock. So, if you’re seen and hide again, your enemies will investigate where they last saw you which is marked by a white silhouette of Sam. Most of the time, they’re not going to live long enough to actually make it to your LKP because you will kill them long before then. Also, this isn’t a new system. Enemies in previous Splinter Cell games would do the exact same thing, it’s just that now you can see where you were ten seconds ago in case you have ADD and forgot.
And I’m not even going to mention the Environmental Text/Video Projection thing because it doesn't add anything but it doesn't take anything away either, it’s just there. Honestly, I didn't pay any attention to it half the time.
On the plus side, Conviction features one of the best cover systems in games right now. It’s a lot like Rainbow Six Vegas' (you hold the Left Trigger to stick to cover and let go to detach) but you can slide from cover to cover with the press of a button and vault cover (I know that’s neither of those are new but they work extremely well). Also the shooting feels really good and head shots are easy (whether that’s a plus is up to you.)
Oh, and the multiplayer, it’s good fun but suffers from the same issues as the single player.
So is Conviction worth the wait? Again, yes and no. If you've been waiting for four year like me, then no. If you've been waiting since last fall, then I'd say yes. It’s a really good game, just not a good Splinter Cell game. If you’ve been waiting for the return of Mr. Fisher then chances are you’ve already bought the game and know for yourself or you decided not to buy it and in either case this review isn't really for you. But if you’re looking for a solid shooter with pretty good conspiracy or always wanted to try Splinter Cell but found them overly complex, give it a shot. For me, Conviction is too dumbed-down from the previous games to really shine.
