SOtherwise, cower under your beds, cowards! --- Just kidding:)
Fisher kicks ass. The first minutes of the game not only offer a slick tutorial of Sam's potent abilities, but they let you flex those muscles in inventive new ways ways. Human shields, clever misdirection, and brutal interrogation techniques are all everyday events and are just as slick and easy to execute.
Splinter Cell: Conviction starts off dramatically. A redheaded woman with a gun to Fisher's head, an interrogation inside a secure facility, and ghostly images of Sam's daughter all flashed by while the cacophony of the event drowned out any expository audio. When the game proper began, you find yourself in a street-side cafe, populated by a bustling crowd of people. The wildness and insecurity create a wildness unlike previous SCs. This is something brand new.
This strong visual impression continued as I made my way into the area where fruit vendors had set up stalls. It soon became clear that the market was the first training ground, and with the help of unobtrusive onscreen prompts, I soon became comfortable with moving in and out of cover. If you pull the left trigger, you'll stick behind cover just like Gears of War. The cover indicators are similarly placed. They are visible enough to catch your eye, but not big enough to intrude on the environments. The demo is online on the X360 Marketplace as of tonight.
The overall effect of this style is to draw your attention to the environments. It essentially trains your eye what to look for, so pretty soon you are sliding between cover positions without even noticing the indicators.
This same philosophy extends to story exposition and character developments. When Sam is interrogating someone or having a relevant memory, a black and white projection will appear on whatever surface Sam is looking at. This impressive visual style is so striking and smooth, you feel you are in the midst of an A-rated Hollywood thriller. Ubisoft does not dissapoint.
Just as one is getting the hang of movement, Sam had a very vivid flashback that takes you back to his daughter's bedroom. Young Sarah (approximately five years old) is scared of the dark, so Dad sits on her bed and explains how the dark is nothing to be frightened of. Though it was hard to hear the actual conversation because of the noisy event venue, the scene still conveyed a touching sense of fatherly devotion.
It also served to demonstrate the visual filters that Conviction uses to indicate how stealthy Sam is being. When the world around you turns black and white, you are hidden from enemy sight. When you are spotted or exposed, the screen is once again flushed with vivid color. A quick jump back to the marketplace showed this in action, but soon it was back to the bedroom. This time, the quiet evening at home turned dangerous, as breaking noises in the other room heralded the arrival of intruders. Sam leaves Sarah in her room and deals with the armed invaders in classic Fisher style. A stealth takedown equals brutal marking executions.
It's a powerful ability and one that is clearly integral to Sam's survival. How many enemies you can shoot in one takedown depends on the gun you are using and how upgraded it is. Conviction has a Persistent system similar to that found in RainSix. This system allows you to upgrade your arsenal in single-player, as well as tweak your guns and outfits in Conviction's cooperative modes. Fisher's single-player loadouts are determined by his progress to an extent, but there is definitely room to increase your gun damage, magazine size, or even the number of targets you can quickly execute.
Points are granted for fulfilling a wide variety of in-game challenges. Some are single- or multiplayer specific, but the points are persistent no matter what mode you are in. Many of these reward actions are what you would normally perform in the course of battle, like performing silent takedowns or quick executions.
However, there are a lot that encourage you to use Sam's abilities to their fullest extent. During your time with the game, you earned some points for taking an enemy as a human shield and then using his head to bash through a door. Using a broken mirror to peak underneath a door before executing the enemy behind it is pure fun.. When you dive back into cover, a silhouette remains of your last known position. Flanking and killing an enemy who was investigating your silhouette brought us one notch closer to the "cat and mouse" reward. Finally, you scored some points for shooting a large chandelier and bringing it crashing down on your enemies' heads. Some very, very good times.
SC: Conviction will crash the local stores April 15th. Make sure you bring your silenced MP5-N and assorted magazines and gadgets:)
The sticky cam is back!
Gameplay: 10.0
Storyline: 9.0
Awesomeness (boredome meter) : 9.5
Soundtrack 7.0
Graphics: 9.3
Overall: Another great addition to the SC series. A must-get!
Final Grade: 10.0
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