sigint.ninja
Hey all, I'm fairly new here and I don't mean to sound like a gremlin right off the bat so please don't start hating me for saying this,
...BUT...
It seems to me like this whole series is fading away into corrosion. The way things are going with Splinter Cell after Chaos Theory, I am beginning to doubt whether or not there will be any further games after Conviction. I don't really have any opinions on whether or not I think Ubi is purposefully attempting to break down the fan base for this series by drawing hurried sequels, and hence killing the franchise off.
However, the name of the original game was Splinter Cell. And the reason it was called Splinter Cell is because the game was all about wearing a pitch-black uniform and sneaking around in the dark shadows and evading enemies simply by staying hidden from them, in the dark. Quite a concept. Nobody had ever thought of it before, and it drew a large crowd and became a mass mega-hit that spawned countless sequels.
Splinter Cell, simply stated, is supposed to be primarily all about moving around undetected in the dark, with night vision. The whole key edge of the game was found in the uniqueness of sneaking around in the dark for a change, which was something that no other game had thought up yet. The first three Splinter Cells were followed that same pattern down to a T, and there were no daylight missions, it was all done completely at night time and completely in the dark. In the original Splinter Cell, such a thing as a daylight mission was unthinkable in the game because it was a completely night-time mission and the primary concept of the game was night-time. And now look where we are going with Conviction... Would you really call this a Splinter Cell game anymore? I fail to see how it's really about Splinter Cell at all. It's not going to be about hiding in the dark anymore -- that by itself should be a dead giveaway that this is so diverted and contorted that it's nothing at all like the original game, and inferior in quality. Sam Fisher, the main hero of the game, no longer dons that black suit. For that matter, he's not even technically a Splinter Cell at all anymore, he's turned renegade and he just wear street outfits. And the whole game is done completely in daylight, so there is no darkness to hide in. Even if there were, the point of the game is no longer based on hiding in the darkness so the enemies would probably see you anyway.
So Think very carefully when I ask the following questions: Would you really describe this rather uninspired sequel as a trademark "Splinter Cell" game if you just chance happened to run across it in a store and not see the title? Is it wrong to label this game "Splinter Cell," since it has really nothing in common with the original Splinter Cell? Does it have all of the original, unique qualities that the first and original Splinter Cell had, which made that game such a staggering success?
Considering that there has been a tremendous amount of change made into the latest couple of sequels, I tend to think that this newest sequel isn't really a Splinter Cell game at all, it's one of the worst sequels I've ever seen. It honestly does not hold onto any of the unique gameplay traditions that stirred up such large demand in the first few games. This game as so much more similar to Grand Theft Auto that it's pitiful. I don't think they should call this Splinter Cell at all, because it has nothing to do with Splinter Cell and it shouldn't be called that because it's no longer Splinter Cell anymore. It's not longer a game about night-time missions and silent movements and lock-picking and using your gun as sparingly as possible. Conviction's all about daytime and has nothing to do with shadows -- and instead of trying to dodge your enemies, your goal is to noisily sprang up out of nowhere and violently punch and kick and throw chairs at your enemies, causing all kinds of ruckous. Talk about Stealth Action Redefined, but this time it's not in a good way.
I think the only thing that's going to be selling this game is going to be the hanging story arch. People who have played all of the games, especially the last one (Double Agent) want to see a continuation of the Splinter Cell story beyond what took place at the end of DA. People who haven't played the other games are not going to be interested in buying this sequel, because it doesn't demonstrate all the finer points of Splinter Cell and it doesn't interest newcomers to the franchise like the first one did.
I say... go ahead and buy this game if you're all wrapped up in the Sam Fisher storyline and need to see the rest. But beyond this game, if there are anymore sequels to follow this game and they are no better than this game already appears to be, then I am saving my money.
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