I first saw "Splinter Cell: Conviction" in 2007. Back then it was a pretty radical departure for the franchise, placing super spy Sam Fisher out in the open, requiring him to use crowds and chaos to take control of a situation. If that sounds familiar, you probably played "Assassins Creed," and you probably understand why "Splinter Cell: Conviction" left the public eye for two years. Thankfully E3 2009 saw the return of ol' Sam, and my time with his new adventure left me desperately wanting more. In fact, it was my game of the show.
"Splinter Cell: Conviction" is set around the events after Sam Fisher's daughter is killed in a suspicious car crash. Sam is rightfully pretty pissed about the whole thing and basically goes on a bloody quest to take down the folks responsible. The game still has a big focus on stealth, requiring you to use guerrilla tactics to get the jump on your foes, but Sam has a lot more tools in his belt.
What It's Doing Right
Speedy Sam
Although Sam has always been deadly, when it came to moving about his world, he was pretty slow and plodding. In "Conviction," he moves much faster, with a smoothness that you'd expect to see from a trained spec-ops ninja. He can slide along walls, run while crouched and leap into open windows with the grace of Altair, and such fleet-footedness makes getting out of sticky situations much more natural.
Mid-Gameplay Cutscenes
Definitely the most unique visual aspect about "Conviction" is how it displays objectives and important information right in the game world. For example, the opening scene of the demo had Sam torturing a thug in a bathroom. Once he got his information, a video of his new target was splashed over the walls of the bathroom. It's a really cool way of displaying such data without just having a text box pop-up.
Improved Stealth
While "Splinter Cell: Double Agent" featured a lot of stealth, it didn't give you a lot of tools to make use of it. "Conviction" instantly lets you know when you're in the shadows by washing out the colors in the game. Step into the light and the environment around you will once again pop. Again, a very clever way to integrate HUD-less gameplay.
Another great feature is the use of a marker which shows you the last place the enemy saw you. A "ghost" will appear showing that location and you can assume that enemies will be focusing on that spot when they come to look for you. Thankfully you're not there anymore, so getting the jump on them should be easier.
Mark and Execute
Killing someone up close with a melee attack gives Sam the ability to mark and execute a target. So long as you have line of sight, you'll be able to hit a single button for an instant headshot. Once it's used, though, you have to get another melee kill before you can activate it again. This turns "Conviction" into a crazy mad dash, hopping from kill to kill, as fast as you can. Of course, you could always just stick to the shadows and play it safe, but where's the fun in that?
What It's Doing Wrong
Mid-Gameplay Cutscenes
Yes, I realize I'm contradicting myself here, but the developers need to be very careful about how they use these. Since they're so integrated into the environment, it's extremely difficult to tell what's actually there. Usually it's as blatant as giant text like "INFILTRATE THE MANSION" on the wall, but with video it's harder to pick up on. Maybe that's the idea…but in its current state it needs a little polish.
Final Impressions
I played through the E3 demo of "Splinter Cell: Conviction" a few times, and each time I was able to try something new. You can go in stealthy, you can bash down the door, it's really up to you. The environments (or at least the mansion in the demo) seem much more open, with varied pathways and entry points, and the visuals are smooth and precise, with a tight framerate and cool visual cues to give you pertinent gameplay information. It's hard to summarize why the whole experience is coming together so well, but I hope this gave you a sense.
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