Holy extreme makeover, Batman! Last time we saw Ubisoft's Splinter Cell Conviction, series hero Sam Fisher resembled the homeless guy outside our hotel, with shaggy hair and lots of scruff. Now he shares more in common with Jason Bourne. Dissatisfied with turning their action star into a bum, the developers killed the previous version of the game, gave Sam a shave and trimmed some fat from his belly. Now he's a lean mean killing machine hell bent on finding his daughter's killer. Consider us sold.
Conviction's less about sneaking and more about violent encounters. In the opening scene, a pissed off Fisher interrogates a scumbag in a dirty bathroom. Instead of asking him nicely, he slams his face through a urinal, drives the back of his head into a stall door and introduces his face to a mirror; the player chooses to do these things, by the way. Meanwhile, the game's title appears in the broken glass and the next objective (find a guy named Kobin) appears in black and white along the wall. This represents Ubisoft's goal to seamlessly blend cut scenes and gameplay, thus creating a more immersive experience.
All of this perfectly captures the game's brutal new direction that's a cross between The Bourne trilogy and the TV series 24. Sam's faster, brutal and has nothing to lose. No longer working for the government, he's free to do whatever it takes to get the job done, even if it means improvising with some objects littered around the environment. Instead of using a snake cam, for example, he slides a jagged piece of glass underneath doors to spot enemy locations. From there, players can make use of Conviction's Mark and Execute feature. This allows you to tag enemies for death. After doing this, Sam will barge through a door and immediately kill those bad guys. That said, you'll need to perform stealth kills to earn Execute tokens that grant you access to this feature.
We also love Last Known Position. This creates a Sam Fisher silhouette that represents his last known location. Non-player characters will automatically converge on this spot to see where he is, thus giving the player the opportunity to get the jump on them from another angle.
In addition, the game world turns black and white whenever Fisher's in hiding, save for this targets. Keep in mind, however, that you can always create shadow paths by shooting lights and kill groups of enemies by exploiting something within the environment. In one instance, Fisher blasted a chandelier and watched it squash some bozos.
Our demo only lasted 15 minutes, but that was plenty of time to learn that Splinter Cell Conviction has the potential to be one of 2009's best action games. Its bold new style, coupled with intense firefights, should revitalize the series and lead to plenty of sequels. We just wish PlayStation 3 owners could join the fun. Thus far, the game will only appear on Xbox 360 and PC, so if you've been on the fence about purchasing Microsoft's console, consider picking one up when Conviction debuts this fall.
Related Links
Splinter Cell Conviction Game Guide
Splinter Cell: Conviction Screens
Splinter Cell Conviction will deliver an adrenaline rush of game play with blood-pumping chase sequences, close combat and intense gun battles. To survive, build an underground network of allies who will help you obtain hi-tech gadgets and stay one step ahead of your pursuers as you struggle to unmask the forces that want you dead. (Screenshot 1 of 13)
Splinter Cell Conviction will deliver an adrenaline rush of game play with blood-pumping chase sequences, close combat and intense gun battles. To survive, build an underground network of allies who will help you obtain hi-tech gadgets and stay one step ahead of your pursuers as you struggle to unmask the forces that want you dead. (Screenshot 2 of 13)
Splinter Cell Conviction will deliver an adrenaline rush of game play with blood-pumping chase sequences, close combat and intense gun battles. To survive, build an underground network of allies who will help you obtain hi-tech gadgets and stay one step ahead of your pursuers as you struggle to unmask the forces that want you dead. (Screenshot 3 of 13)
Splinter Cell Conviction will deliver an adrenaline rush of game play with blood-pumping chase sequences, close combat and intense gun battles. To survive, build an underground network of allies who will help you obtain hi-tech gadgets and stay one step ahead of your pursuers as you struggle to unmask the forces that want you dead. (Screenshot 4 of 13)
Splinter Cell Conviction will deliver an adrenaline rush of game play with blood-pumping chase sequences, close combat and intense gun battles. To survive, build an underground network of allies who will help you obtain hi-tech gadgets and stay one step ahead of your pursuers as you struggle to unmask the forces that want you dead. (Screenshot 5 of 13)
Splinter Cell Conviction will deliver an adrenaline rush of game play with blood-pumping chase sequences, close combat and intense gun battles. To survive, build an underground network of allies who will help you obtain hi-tech gadgets and stay one step ahead of your pursuers as you struggle to unmask the forces that want you dead. (Screenshot 6 of 13)
Splinter Cell Conviction will deliver an adrenaline rush of game play with blood-pumping chase sequences, close combat and intense gun battles. To survive, build an underground network of allies who will help you obtain hi-tech gadgets and stay one step ahead of your pursuers as you struggle to unmask the forces that want you dead. (Screenshot 7 of 13)
Splinter Cell Conviction will deliver an adrenaline rush of game play with blood-pumping chase sequences, close combat and intense gun battles. To survive, build an underground network of allies who will help you obtain hi-tech gadgets and stay one step ahead of your pursuers as you struggle to unmask the forces that want you dead. (Screenshot 8 of 13)
Splinter Cell Conviction will deliver an adrenaline rush of game play with blood-pumping chase sequences, close combat and intense gun battles. To survive, build an underground network of allies who will help you obtain hi-tech gadgets and stay one step ahead of your pursuers as you struggle to unmask the forces that want you dead. (Screenshot 9 of 13)
Splinter Cell Conviction will deliver an adrenaline rush of game play with blood-pumping chase sequences, close combat and intense gun battles. To survive, build an underground network of allies who will help you obtain hi-tech gadgets and stay one step ahead of your pursuers as you struggle to unmask the forces that want you dead. (Screenshot 10 of 13)
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