Dusty Relics: Splintered Convictions

It's been 5 years since Splinter Cell: Conviction came out and it certainly seemed to be the standard by which the next Splinter Cell game was made, as anyone who's played Blacklist and Conviction will tell you; Blacklist leans heavily on Conviction for it's gameplay style, none the worse for that either. So how does this title stand up now?

To say that ‘Conviction’ pushes the boundaries of what Splinter Cell is, or perhaps was, would be an understatement. As it really doesn’t conform to the previous Splinter Cell principles, less even than Double Agent did back in 2006, I think that this rebellion was important for SC and we likely wouldn't have seen Blacklist if Conviction didn't do the things it did. The story was very different,  it became personal to Sam and the game reflects this in its rawness. Sam is no longer just a Third Echelon lapdog, he is doing this for himself. This makes the game more aggressive as a whole; the emphasis is on revenge so the gameplay makes up for this by introducing an enhanced combat interface, because in all honesty in the other games when the bullets began to fly, Sam sucked balls in combat.

An area that is somewhat of an afterthought in the other games and only began to see prevalence in DA is the narrative but in this game the story line is strong. Sam is on the trail of whoever murdered his daughter, he is in it for himself, for closure. As the story progresses there are a number of twists and turns that lead Sam down differing paths. These paths lead him to different places which manifest as the missions. This isn't, or rather doesn't feel like, an A to B do this mission do that mission kind of affair like previous titles and to be honest even feels more organic than Blacklist as well.

The premise of the story is much more memorable in this Splinter Cell, as in the first games the story was really only something to hold the missions together but realistically most people who played the first three, or even BL, couldn’t tell you a quarter of the story, that’s just the way it was. None the worse for it, but certainly not wielding the epic prowess of games such as MGS for weaving a colourful and involving story line. 

In Conviction the writers have really tried to developed Sam’s character as being more than the wise-cracking solo operative who makes light work and conversation of killing. In this we see Sam as a father too, in a short interlude in the game you actually play Sam in his own house and in another part of the game you are transported back to when Sam served in the first Gulf War. This gives the astute player an insight into Sam as a person, maybe this is an endeavor to make his cause seem more worthwhile. Personally I think it is a breath of fresh air from the stale old concepts of mission after mission tied loosely together with what was in all honesty, some pretty watery US vs Middle Eastern/Russian Bad Guys narratives, thanks Blacklist for taking us back to that by the way...

As far as gameplay mechanics in modernity this game certainly does well in ditching the old light meter and sound meter that was used in the first three. Now there is a simple  use of monochrome to indicate your visibility to the enemy which is a nice touch that leaves the HUD free from clutter. The enemy AI seems to have improved as well, don’t be surprised if you can’t get away with standing right in front of a guard without him seeing you like you could in the other games, if you move, he will most likely spot you. Bust lights and the enemy will instantly know something is up and will be on the lookout. Get spotted and they will hone in on your last know position to clear that area and make sure you are not there. This element of play makes setting traps and flanking much simpler and more satisfying as Sam is now much more adept in combat. Something that now almost seems commonplace when you play Blacklist but this really was ground breaking for Splinter Cell when Conviction was released.

The gameplay is still very fluid, even by today's standards, almost everything is done with the ‘A’ button, from opening doors, to climbing and interacting with things. This makes the gameplay much quicker than its predecessors. However, it can also be a little irritating when you want to pick up a weapon next to a door for instance; the interface sometimes gets confused and will usually lead to you having to move Sam around a lot until you are in a position where it will allow you to select the weapon/door. Something which seems to have been addressed in Blacklist.

The cover system is smooth as well, you simply move near a corner or surface and hold the left trigger to tuck up against it. This new cover interface is probably one of your best assets as it allows you to ‘slip’ between cover positions as well, you can also shoot and interact from cover which is excellent if you want to down an unsuspecting guard as he walks through a doorway straight into Sam’s loving arms. Again, little things that we overlook in more recent titles started in titles like this and others like it and I tell you, you'd be lost without these systems now in games like Splinter Cell.

Conviction also introduced the 'mark and execute' option that allows you to ‘tag’ enemies and then hit ‘Y’ to execute the marks with an almost 100% kill-rate guaranteed. Traps and other things can be marked up too for added effect and you have to earn your marks by performing hand-to-hand take downs and some weapons have more marks available than others, it’s a nice touch that adds to gameplay though at times it does feel too OP, even in Blacklist.

Sam has much improved in combat giving you the option to literally shoot your way through a mission if you like and in some parts of the game a shoot-out is unavoidable. I think this is helped by the arsenal that is now available to Sam. Gone are the days of the old silenced assault rifle, which in all honesty was only good for the launcher attachment. Sam can now choose from quite a reasonable selection of collectible and up-gradable weapons including the not so quiet Desert Eagle and AK-47, though for some reason they have left the knife out of the weapon selections which is a shame and probably the most satisfying part of Chaos Theory but it did return in Blacklist which I was pleased to see. The upgrade options add another level to gameplay as the upgrade points are earned through fulfilling optional challenges. Sam is now quite good at close quarter combat although the moves can feel weak and you can’t interrogate guards to find out tasty bits of info like you once could, though they have tried to make up for this with a bigger interrogation mini game that allows you to bash your victims head off of various items that are around but this can feel quite basic if truth be told and a little samey as the first interrogation in the bathroom is the best one, clearly the one the most thought went into.

The new game has retained some of the gadgets of the first games including the fibre-optic camera for peeking under doors and the sticky camera which you can throw at any surface and lure unsuspecting guards to their doom with silly music. Conviction has ditched the night vision in aid of ultra-sonic vision, that can literally see through walls and shows up enemies before even you can see them, this can also be used in conjunction with the new mark and execute interface.

The game however, does not retain the lock picking mini games which is a huge shame in my opinion as it was always fun to come up against a door and have options other than to open it or bash it down. Gone too are the hacking mini games. I think this was a bit of a bad move on the part of the game designers as this added depth to the game play and sometimes ‘Conviction’ can feel quite linear. 

Two player returns in Conviction after the hiatus of Double Agent, which is nice to see and has some added modes as well as story mode, which also includes an adversarial mode, finally. All the perks that exist in Sam’s story exist in the two player modes as well so other than the missions differing, nothing is lost by playing with a friend. Something which was mirrored in Blacklist as well with a dedicated 2 player story, however I would still rate Convictions 2P mode over Blacklists for both length, narrative and enjoyment, Blacklist's was just over far too soon and lacked any kind of substance. Which was a shame because 2P stealth has to one of the most enjoyable 2P split screen experiences.

Conviction can feel quite linear at times and if your gonna sit down and play it beginning to end in one sitting you’ll find it relatively short but it still stands up even today as a great Splinter Cell game that I would highly recommend if you haven't already played it - it's a defining title in the Splinter Cell series and thoroughly set the scene and pace for Blacklist which, In my humble opinion, wasn't actually as strong as Conviction as a game - I found Conviction far more memorable despite playing Blacklist more recently and more frequently. What's more important is that Conviction is enjoyable to play because of the options it gives you in approaching how you're going to tackle a mission; full stealth, run and gun, or a bit of both. Games need more of this variety.

In many ways this, as much as Chaos Theory, is a piece of definitive Splinter Cell history that no fan should go without playing. 
Even now, five years later.

~

Thanks for reading. 

It doesn't matter what you use, only that you game. 

#GamersUnite
~

Also, take a look at this petition if you're a Battlefield 4 player;
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/DLCguns-BF4