Ding ding, saved by the co-op play
Some of the new features seem to have been designed specifically to give you a helping hand, and as a result I found it relatively easy and unchallenging to breeze through the 6 hours worth of single player campaign. The ‘Last Known Position’ feature, for example, which conjures up a visual silhouette of where the guards will search for you, makes it relatively easy to avoid detection and flank the enemy. It will be an unchallenging single player campaign for anyone who's used to playing shooters.When Splinter Cell Conviction was first revealed, a lot was made of the crowd mechanic and the amount of interaction that we’d have with the environment to show off Sam’s stealth and killing moves. There’s little demonstration of this in the game though. You can set off car alarms and send specific objects crashing down on the head of an enemy with a carefully placed shot, but these instances are few and far between.
The initial interrogation scene boads well for interaction for the rest of the game as you slam the target’s head into the sink and some urinals, but other interrogations are quite bland in comparison, creating an impressive cinematic effect, but adding nothing to the gameplay. There are some visually impressive and highly detailed environments, where you’re given a fair bit of room to explore and move around, but the space generally hasn’t been used to enhance the gameplay. There’s one mission, for example, that’s set in a fairground, which looks fantastic. But you simply have to follow three targets around and wait for them to turn their back before pressing B to interrogate them – it’s kinda boring.
Splinter Cell Conviction does show glimmers of brilliance though, including an exciting chase scene, which was one of the reasons that spurred me along to complete the game. The storyline is interesting, well-paced and unravels itself well with some excellent plot twists, plus it's fair to say that the game looks magnificent and the soundtrack does a great job at creating tension just at the right moments. The PEC Challenges, which you can access through the menu at any time, requiring you to carry out a number of objectives, such as killing three targets with a frag grenade, encourages you to experiment and rewards you with points to spend on upgrades. Completing these objectives becomes an entertaining side game in itself.
Click for larger imageThe cover to cover system has also been implemented very well allowing you to snap from one piece of cover to the next effortlessly. Some of the levels are jam-packed with cover spots allowing to make good use of this feature, while elevated positions and multiple tiers in some levels gives you the freedom to attack enemies in a multitude of ways. Sadly though, I can count the number of engaging and exciting levels on three fingers. Just as you think things are getting better and the campaign becomes more tactically compelling, another bland mission pops up where I could easily run-and-gun my way through, making short work of some very short levels.
There is still good value to be had out of Splinter Cell Conviction. The highlight of the game is the multiplayer and co-op modes. As US and Russian agents you have to work together to complete objectives. You get the chance to sneak around much more than the single player campaign and can execute some entertaining dual executions across a variety of well designed maps and excellent game modes.
Hunter - Eliminate a set number of enemies
Face Off -Team up or against each other in Hunter
Infiltration - Sneak around and don't get detected while killing enemies
Last Stand - Protect an EMP warhead as waves of enemies attack
This is where Splinter Cell really shines and everything from the single player campaign - the weapons, the gadgets and the features (Mark And Execute and Death From Above) can be used in this mode. While the single player campaign will be forgotten quickly, it's the multiplayer modes that provide the most entertainment and prevent Splinter Cell Conviction from being a total disappointment. Nevertheless, this isn't the Sam Fisher I expected. The tag line that accompanied one of the first press releases “You’ve never played Splinter Cell like this before” is spot on. It’s not Splinter Cell as such: it’s Rainbow Six, meets Bourne Supremacy, with just a dash of the classic Splinter Cell of old. With that in mind, some will love it and others will hate it. I sit somewhere bang in the middle.
Pros
Brilliant co-op and multiplayer component
Engaging storyline
PEC Challenges encourage you to experiment
Cons
Fans of other Splinter Cell games will be disappointed at how Sam has changed
Lack of excitement and challenge in short single player campaign
