Splinter Cell: Conviction Review

It's been a few years since Sam Fisher has leapt into action. With his previous mission leading him to kill his once best friend Irving Lambert and the untimely news of his daughter's death, Sam's become a shadow of his former self.

What we now have is a grittier, angrier and infinitely scarier Sam Fisher who is out for answers regardless of the collateral damage's along the way. This may be a Splinter Cell game but prefer to undertake a new beast beyond the box art.

With Sam on the run for the murder of Lambert, we catch up to him at a small café situated in Valletta, Malta where he's undertaking his own personal mission where he's looking for proof his daughter's death wasn't an accident.

Upon sitting down, he receives a Bluetooth ear piece and mobile phone from a waiter. Upon setting the tech up, he realises that it's an old companion - Anna Grimsdottir - and she's there to warn him of an incoming insurgency out for his blood. From there, a web of lies and deceit unravel in true Splinter Cell style.

Even though I say the game unravels in true Splinter Cell style, you'll find that the game is a has a completely different pacing from the previous titles. Conviction is essentially a new style of stealth game to match Sam's new demeanour.

Sam no longer cares about the little details, so you're days of hiding bodies and picking locks are long gone. Instead, game boasts a more cover-based style of stealth rather than the always-in-shadows method it's been known for. Of course, you can still crouch, use shadows, head in behind an enemy and take them out old-school style, however you can't take hostages... it's all out kills.

The game boasts a new system where if you kill an enemy using stealth, you gain the ability to take out a number of targets just by locking onto them when in-range. This is really helpful when multiple targets are either after you or you feel you've got enough locked-on to take out a full room, minimizing the chance of you being found out.

While you may actually miss the old body hiding, lock picking and other such features, it's a welcomed change as it helps narrate just how strongly the main character feels throughout the campaign. With Sam's methods being very unorthodox this time around - especially when doing interrogations - it's easy to see that he's a man hell-bent on getting the answers he wants at any cost.

There's a good mixture of open-plan levels and linear levels dependant on the end objective. The game never locks you into a scenario unless it's to do with the storyline and it's actually an invigorating experience to go back and re-test different ways of taking out the enemies.

Splinter Cell: Conviction is a good looking game. Even though the game runs on Unreal Engine 2 technologies, it still manages to live up to next-generation expectations we've all taken on-board. The game does have its fair share of graphical glitches however, such as jagged edges and flaky texturing. You won't really notice the issues unless you actively look for them.

The games soundtrack is moody and ambient, akin to watching an action movie that constantly pumps up the volume when you're about to meet enemies or are already in combat. It's not really a memorable part of the game but it works well to add decent atmosphere switches. The sound effects are excellent and offer depth to gun-fire and other items, be they usable or world extras.

Michael Ironside reprised the role as Sam Fisher and added a lot of depth to the character this time. He portrays Sam as a man with a mission, yet ever so slightly flawed in his own execution. It's excellent voice acting and it's the stand-out part of the game and it's narrative.

While this isn't the Splinter Cell of old, the series is slowly evolving into so much more than you're standard hide-and-seek foray. The new style may put a few people off after having a sneak-peek at it but I urge you to give the game as a whole a chance. It may be a different experience but it's a good one in its own right.

Veterans and newcomers alike should find something in Splinter Cell to keep them hooked. Check out the demo on the XBOX 360 to get a feel for the title if you're unsure about it. The game is relatively cheap now, so now's a good time to snap up this excellent stealth adventure.