Could the next game be a reboot? | Forums

[The_5_Freedoms]

Not a reboot in the traditional sense, where the previous continuity is discarded, but a reboot in the sense that the next game will start a new era with fresh ideas and the different direction that we saw in Conviction - "aggro action stealth" as I have seen it called.

I played Conviction again recently and it struck me that there is no logical way for things to return to the status quo of previous games.

1. Lambert is dead.
2. Sam's trust in Third Echelon has been betrayed.
3. Sam's left Third Echelon.
4. Sarah is alive (after having been declared dead).
5. Sam's trust in Grim has been betrayed.
6. Third Echelon has basically imploded.
7. Grim has been left to pick up the pieces.
etc.

If you choose to kill Reed, Vic talks about how Sam told him he was going to take some time to catch up with Sarah and learning who was important to him (family).
If you choose to spare Reed, Sam tells Grim he's walking and she begs him to return but he rejects her. Then Vic talks about how Sam told him he was going to take some time to catch up with Sarah and learning who was important to him (family).

Neither of those endings seem promising of Sam returning in another game.

So it made me think, where does Ubisoft go to from here?

The answer? Reinvent Splinter Cell by rebooting the series. Give us a new Splinter Cell, a new director and a new agency - not a new agency in the literal sense but a new agency in the metaphorical sense, like what Reed said in Conviction, "It's not Lambert's Third Echelon."

Except it wouldn't be Reed's Third Echelon either. It would be Grímsdóttir's Third Echelon. And Leon Coltrane would be the Splinter Cell. It would be the perfect opportunity to pioneer the new direction that the creative minds have been striving for and, at the same time, introduce some new characters and lead the story into EndWar.

About the idea of a new Splinter Cell - when we first met Sam he was already a retired special forces veteran with twenty years of experience and an adult daughter. He had an established character, even if we didn't see all of it until Double Agent and Conviction (though it was hinted at in previous games).

This is why I think that the next game should have a new main character. Someone like Archer (but with a better backstory - not as a NSA analyst who got bored of interpreting signals intelligence) who's young and fresh out of Splinter Cell training, and arrogant, stubborn and overconfident. I think it would allow for character development, something that Splinter Cell has been criticized for -- I mean, Sam is awesome, but he's been awesome since we first met him and was even awesome in flashbacks to 20 years ago.

What should happen to Sam? I think he should fade out of the series. He could be mentioned in passing in the next game, but I don't think he should be the player character of future games.

Michael Ironside has said that he was specifically pulled into Conviction by its personal subplot, but there's no way for the writers to weave in that sort of plot thread every time without it becoming tired and cliché and some people think it already is.

*inhale*

You just can't top having your daughter killed in a hit-and-run by a drunk driver while you're away on a mission and dealing with the grief by going on a deep-cover operation as a convicted felon in a federal penitentiary to infiltrate a domestic terrorist organization, then shooting your best friend to maintain your cover and afterward walking away from the agency who made you do it before going walkabout for the next three years looking for a reason to keep living and then finding out that your daughter's death wasn't an accident and going to investigate but then being tipped off that hit men sent by the guy who killed your daughter are after you and then finding out that it was just a lie to pull you into a plan to foil a treasonous conspiracy concocted by your former agency to assassinate the President of the United States and that the leverage to get you to do so is the fact that your daughter is actually alive.

*exhale*

That sort of thing shouldn't happen in every game and so I think that the most logical thing to do at this point would be to retire Sam.

[SolidSage]

We saw imagery early on of Sam in the 3E Eclipse. So I don't think SC6 is going to a reboot. I think (and hope) it will continue on from SCC and maintain stronger ties to the story of the previous game than any of the other games thus far. I also think (and hope) that SC6 will use SCC's format but include expanded move sets and some new fresh stuff. I'm assuming there will be at least one new PC to allow for another excellent co-op experience.
Grim and Sam ressurecting 3E and getting it back on track, albeit a smaller entity than before.

All of this is theory uninfluenced by anything other than Sam in the Eclipse image and my personal belief that UT wouldn't see sense in abandoning the newest take on SC....it was too good.

I've talked about retiring Sam, his age is becoming an issue but not retiring him from the game, just field work. He is so invested in that work, that I think he would assume a role he could be most effective in until his late 60's.
Also, we have to understand that at his age, he probably isn't going on a lot of missions anyway. His seniority and tenure make him an asset of very high value, so when he goes go on a mission, it is likely one of the UTMOST importance (the ones we play). And they send him because he is the guy most likely to succeed the first time.

I imagine that SC6 will follow on from Sam's history while at the same time, trying to rectify it and get some integrity back in there. He doesn't have to be dead inside now, he basically has a direct line to the President, has a unique (ha ha) and lasting relationship with Grim and has consistently proved to be the guy the World can depend on. He's got to be in 3E's executive branch at some point.

I think Sam's got a couple more in him, at least one anyway. I'd be okay with fresh agents too, especially if they were of the quality of A&K. At the end of the day, as much as I like Sam, I think I'm more of a fan of the tech, sneaking suit and stealthing around like a bad dude, revealed to me by my favoring of A&K and their campaign....it does have a lot to do with the suits! (so superficial).


The big question for me, is who is the new guy and what is he going to be like? (or she, but I think that is a smaller possibility). Maybe there will be a roster of new characters, and a little bit of recruiting going on?

[shobhit7777777]

If SC6 has Sam return as the protagonist...

I want Sam to lake a long hard look into the mirror and come to terms with what he actually is
I want Sam to forget about Sarah, Lambert and Grimm...and deal with it
I want Sam to put aside all the emotions and rage and decide once and for all what he was trained for and what he does best

I want Sam to swallow the Emo BS of all the last 2 games and return to form

I want Sam to accept that he is the first and only line of defence. Tip of the spear


I want Sam to become the small sharp sliver of glass.


End of. If not I want him to GTFO and retire....or come in as an advisor.....

I want an EPIC comeback for Sam....as he embraces the shadow-hugging predator in him

[sameer_monier]

If SC6 has Sam return as the protagonist...

oh he will....

I want Sam to lake a long hard look into the mirror and come to terms with what he actually is

America made him a killer, that's who he is LOL

I want Sam to forget about Sarah, Lambert and Grimm...and deal with it

OMG, you kidding ?!, you want him to forget about his daughter !!, what kind of father does that !!, you are the worst :P

I want Sam to put aside all the emotions and rage and decide once and for all what he was trained for and what he does best

Being a Terminator ?! or maybe a Ninja ?!
oh I got it a Cyborg .......

I want Sam to swallow the Emo BS of all the last 2 games and return to form

come on, his look was so cool in SCC, check DmC (Devil may Cry) now that's emo.

I want Sam to accept that he is the first and only line of defence. Tip of the spear

Now he is more like Goku don't you think ?!

I want Sam to become the small sharp sliver of glass.

but he is human ......

End of. If not I want him to GTFO and retire....or come in as an advisor.....

you should leave the forum, and no advisor BS, give him a break

I want an EPIC comeback for Sam....as he embraces the shadow-hugging predator in him

First thing to AGREE on Shobhit, expect the whole predator thing, he is more of a Ghost.



Okay I was teasing ya yeah, yet still I kinda don't agree that all his emotions are BS, he is a father and was a friend, from my point of view what he gone through was totally natural, he evolved and maybe now that Sarah he is okay he will come back to terms and calm down.

[SolidSage]

Sam should;
lose the anger and return to the dark brooding.....quietly angry guy from before. No emotional turmoil, resolve it and overcome.

put the suit back on dude, I like your civvies but it's time to go to work.

NOT forget about Sarah and Lambert (tut tut Shobhit) but not brood on them, keep it to himself. And certainly not forget about Grim since she is a 3E executive now.

Not retire. See the current situation through to the end, like a man, and then become 3E Operations Coordinator, lead 3E, and be responsible for hand picking and training new guys that have the 'right stuff'.

[newhenpal]

They needlessly dug themselves into a hole by resurrecting Sarah. Sam's lethal "nothing to lose" state was discredited after that revelation and the end of the immediate threat that was Reed. And for what? So we could hear a few words between the two (of the typical "I'm so glad you're alive!" variety) before they disbanded once again. Sarah, while indeed important to Sam, was always an ancillary character within the series, one whose return the fanbase wasn't exactly ****oring for. The game could have been made as it is and there could have been enough steam for a sequel or two if Sarah had stayed dead. But now that they've put her front in center, making her the last thing Sam has to live for, they can no longer sustain this series with 24-esque escapades and conspiracies. At least not with Sam as the protagonist.

Sure, there's Vic and Meggido, but....meh.

[shobhit7777777]

No, I am right, y'all are wrong
or must be something in my Bong

Sam must stay in SC Six
but the narrative needs.. to be fixed

No more boo-hoo self pity nonsense
Serious sneaking is SC's essence

Bring over the Panther, dump Marilyn Manson
I want Sam back looking chill and handsome

@Sameer:

NO U!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[SolidSage]

Even better; (or not)

Sam is in the first and last missions, (really long ones) setting things up and turning Meggido's lights out at the end, and he has some communications/cameos during the 15 to 20 missions (long ones), that make up the middle and meat of the game. These other missions play host to a cast of other Agents. Instead of building 8 or so looks each, for one or two PC characters, we'll have 16 PC's instead, that all look different but can swap gear, weapons and equipment with each other. Individual skills being determined by the Player's earned XP and choices. No one Character being able to max out all the skill classes (this early in their career), but perhaps able to aquire a varying amount of special features (cqc moves or something, cooler knives, extra skill class) based on the Player's performance with that character. This would make co-op more fun - what if Player 3's character doesn't have M&E in his skill tree?
They can be involved in a predetermined number of missions each, perhaps some seeing more action than others, and be playable in all scenarios of D-ops, VS, Last Stand, or whatever modes are available. Or, even be selected from a list of Mission Ready Operatives by the Player, and sent on any of the Campaign's missions as desired...except for Sam's two special missions, which have to be Sam, on his own, doing it large. Replay value being increased by the Achievement for eventually sending every PC on every mission in the campaign.

Here's the good bit, they are Agents from a Global version of 3E, an entity that can truly go toe to toe with Meggido, an alliance of Nations. So there would be spies/Government sanctioned special operators from India, Egypt, Australia, Bosnia, America, England, Germany, Canada, France, Russia and 'insert your own'...the coolest one specifically would be from California and the Player could assign call signs if they liked.

[sameer_monier]

All of YOU, Big Flat or Fat NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO, here is how it should go:

Sam is back in SC6, he wants to protect his daughter, his country, and probably the world, he knows he need to disappear from Meggido's radar, but he can't just do that, so he is back in action, in 25 different mission taking place in different countries, if it's too much, then 12 different mission, every mission consist of 3 part, each part takes around half an hr to complete, and Vic helps Sam by getting him some gear, but he can't get the latest tech of 3rdE, also the end should be epic, but not Sam dieing, like Meggido's HQ exploding, and no body is found for Sam, so he is presumed MIA (missed in action), and that's it, on Co-Op side 3rdE & Voron launch a joint operation to take down Megiddo, taking place in 8 of the main campaign countries, yet at different places so it gives another look at the same place but from a different perspective, 8 Missions, each mission 3 parts, each part half an hr too, but actually you control 2 teams, meaning 2 different 3rdE agents, and 2 different Voron agents, that way one of the 3rdE agents can be the SP spot light in SP in SC7.

In SC7, Meggido's HQ been destroyed, but the power scale is total mess, so a joint operation between different agency like 3rdE and Voron works together, like Solidsage suggested, and that is the main spot light of SC7, and of course Meggido rise from the ashes again, How do you like it now

[Andre202]

First of all, I think if they want to start a serious Splinter Cell again they need to start with the news that Sam died since everybody knows who he is now or did the people in America forget about him magically after all what happened in Conviction?

Third Echelon itself needs to start from scratch again. Maybe even that way so even the NSA doesn't know of the agency.

The connection between Sarah and Grim is important which they should take into consideration for the fact that Sam actually doesn't want with her anymore or cannot trust anyone anymore. This will be a big task, after all how they destroyed the character development of both Sam and Grim. Even fan fictions never considered such a Grim and such a Sam.

Other then that, we are forgetting Coen here who may take an important part in the story again. Victor Coste could take the position of Lambert since he seems to have some experience on such a high position. I think the first mission needs to establish a very unique but nostalgic feeling for the players and for Sam. Now they are even able to do some inside black humour jokes to get some conections to the old games back.

Moreover they need to readd the dialouges between the NPCs and Sam.

From a specific point of view I think it will be a "restart" for the Splinter Cell series.