subject: Xbox Games Review - Splinter Cell Conviction [print this page] Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction for the Xbox 360 gaming platform is Ubisoft's fifth release in the Splinter Cell series. Although originally announced way back in May 2007, delays and re-developments pushed its release out until April 16, 2010. It introduces a number of welcomed features and additions to this highly-popular game series, including enhanced gameplay, improved multiplayer modes.
Anyone who saw the demo released in March 2010 knows the enhancements that took the game "back to the drawing board" were well worth the wait.
The game picks up three years after the events occurring in Splinter Cell: Double Agent, with former Navy SEAL Victor Coste being held for interrogation by an anonymous group of men in a Black Arrow facility. Sam Fisher, also known as the "Man of Conviction", comes back to the scene after years of being away chasing clues to the murder of his daughter.
Having been used up and tossed aside by his own country's government, he must help a corrupt power save the nation from a faceless enemy against his will. He must, however, accept being forced back into duty if he is to ever find the key to his daughter's death.
This latest Splinter Cell release introduces a variety of new features. It's "Mark and Execute" feature allows players to mark specific targets for destruction when they break in through doors and windows. Targets can be prioritized so that certain enemies can be distracted or disabled first while another target is targeted for elimination.
Another new feature, "Last Known Position", allows the player to outflank his enemies by creating a visual silhouette of where an alerted guard last saw him. Other new features allow the player to be taken hostage and even allow the player to use nearby objects to help "influence" an interrogation.
The environment plays a key role in this game by further projecting mission objectives and key plot points onto walls so that the player remains immersed in gameplay even during narratives.
Multiplayer mode encompasses a split-screen system link with an online co-op mode. Another interesting multiplayer feature is the "Deniable Ops" mode, which sports four modes, Hunter, Infiltration, Last Stand, and Face-Off, that players can fight the computer AI within.
One of Ubisoft's major goals with the Conviction release was to make the game more accessible, as the last release, Chaos Theory, turned off all but the most hardcore gamers. It is hoped these new features and improved gameplay will change this for the better.
Overall Splinter Cell: Conviction has received good feedback from all the major game critics, with its best reviews coming from The Escapist (5 out of 5 stars), Game Pro (5 out of 5), IGN (9.3 out of 10), Game Informer (9 out of 10) and GameTrailers (8.9 out of 10). Edge Magazine, GamesRadar, and GameSpot all awarded it with 8 out of 10.
The largest criticism given was the game's short length, minimal stealth, and lack of narrative vividness during interrogation scenes. Overall, however, Splinter Cell is likely to satisfy.
