Splinter Cell: Conviction was originally scheduled to hit store shelves way back in 2007. But after some gameplay issues, UbiSoft developers went back to the drawing board — and it’s a good thing they did. Conviction is hands down the best game of the franchise and will definitely influence games that come after it.
The story takes place a few years after the action of the previous game, Splinter Cell: Double Agent. Sam Fisher, the game’s protagonist, is reeling after the murder of his daughter, killing his best friend and splitting from Third Echelon, the government agency he was working for as a spy. So of course, Fisher has gone rogue and in a very Jason Bourne-esque scenario, his former employers are after him while he’s trying to solve his daughter’s murder. At the same time, in a very Jack Bauer-esque scenario, Washington D.C. is under a terrorist threat.
The plot may be believable to action and spy story fans, but the gameplay is what sets the game apart from previous editions and other third-person action games. One of the new elements is called “Mark and Execute,” where you can target an enemy or enemies and as soon as you jump in the area, you can take them out quickly with ease. Another new element to the game is the “Last Known Position,” a stealth ability that allows you to fool an enemy to thinking you are in one position. While he’s coming to check out your last known position, you can flank him from the side or from behind and take him out.
And while previous Splinter Cell games had Fisher handling quite a bit of business with his pistol and silencer, much of Conviction uses hand-to-hand combat. There are quite a few different ways to dispatch an enemy when sneaking up on them and it never stops being entertaining. The enemies aren’t dumb though: Make too much noise or come out of hiding and you’ll find yourself in a firefight within seconds.
One other great thing about Conviction is the way that the story is told. There aren’t “cut-scenes” in the traditional sense. While moving through a mission, instead of the game stopping to show some animation, a story element or scene is projected on a wall as you walk through an area. It’s a great element that keeps the player immersed in the world of Sam Fisher.
Overall, as far as spy-action-stealth games go, Splinter Cell: Conviction has just set a new standard. Don’t miss this one.
