Thoughts from the ComDev... | Forums

[Sharkey1337]

Thanks for at least reaching out to us, Zack. My only concern is using Sam Fisher as the protagonist when Eric Johnson is taking over for Michael Ironside. To me, it'd make better sense to introduce a new character, give Johnson the chance to introduce a new Splinter Cell agent, not just live in the shadow of Michael Ironside. I believe Johnson is a great actor, but why not just reboot the series with some new blood and have Sam/Ironside take over as the superior/mentor? I'm cool with the gameplay, but it just doesn't make sense to have a young voice for a guy who's pushing 56 years old, AND is still in the field. I'd love to see a new Archer take over the Splinter Cell spotlight!

A good comparison to look at is the Bourne movies. Matt Damon IS Jason Bourne, and how they're handling The Bourne Legacy with Jeremy Renner as a NEW CIA agent makes absolute perfect sense. They're not replacing Matt Damon for Jason Bourne, they're introducing a new character with a new actor. This is what should happen to Blacklist, make Eric Johnson into a new character.

[nightFOXninja]

Assuming you really are who you say you are, can you please stop insulting my intelligence with your PR nonsense? What are you, a used car salesman? Sorry, but Ubisoft has lost the right to receive the benefit of the doubt. They lost that a long time ago. Rainbow Six, Ghost Recon, Splinter Cell have all been been watered-down in order to cater to the mainstream market. I've read direct quotes from Max Beland himself stating as much.

"Although Chaos Theory was an amazing game, I think the issue that Ubisoft identified was that, out of everybody that is attracted by the fantasy of playing Sam Fisher, when they actually get to play it, we lose a lot of people," Beland explained to Edge. "Stealth, I think, has always been delivered as very hardcore gameplay."

"We did a lot of playtesting, a lot of consumer research, we talked to a lot of gamers and there were a lot of themes that were coming back all the time: Stealth is punitive, stealth is slow," he continued. The obvious solution? Kiss that hardcore stealth goodbye.
"Sam's back as the guy that he should have been all along. Sam is a guy who's fast, he's quick on his toes and he can run without making a lot of noise. He can be hanging on a ledge and not have to be moving at one centimeter per minute," Beland said. "Sam is a panther, not a grandmother."

Does this sound like someone who enjoyed Splinter Cell 1-3? Does this sound like someone who would enjoy the more traditional stealth found in Splinter Cell 1-3? The answer is no and no. Therefore, I have very little reason to trust you. I realize these quotes are from several years ago, but Ubisoft's outlook stays the same (this is evident based on what we've heard and seen of Blacklist.) I can think for myself, you can't hide the truth under your marketing rug. You're a community manager, this is part of your job.

It started with Double Agent and the final nail in the coffin came with the release of Conviction. I'm sorry, but original Tom Clancy fans have long since noticed the pattern. We get it, you want your games to appeal to as large an audience as possible in order to maximize profits. That's all well and good, but don't sit there and ask me to be more open minded. I understand that a slower, more methodical gameplay demonstration isn't as appealing as, "Boom, boom, boom, airstrike, shoot 6 dudes while sliding over the hood of a car then proceed to stab someone in the throat!"
Though it's funny, Ubisoft had zero problem showcasing a slow paced, Chaos Theory Co-op preview back at E3 2004.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVl1dLOY3-Q
I also understand the market has changed since then. Anyways, the fact that you can even demonstrate Blacklist in that sort of fashion raises a red flag. If you heard shots being fired in Splinter Cell 1-3, it was bad news. Why? Because there was more emphasis on stealth (and realism in regards to odds.)

Sam was a super soldier, not a super human like he is in Conviction and Blacklist. He was scaling that cliff like Ezio on speed! You claim options and being able to approach it in different ways, but is it possible to have a game that's casual friendly and hardcore? That has a deep, satisfying stealth system and an over-the-top, Hollywood-esque action system? Can you juggle both? I highly doubt it. You know how many times I've seen developers come out with lines like, "Hardcore fans of the originals will love it, as well as casual, newcomers to the series!" This translates to, "This game bares some resemblance to its predecessors (enough to try and get them on board), but they aren't our target audience." Prior to Conviction's release, the developers kept going on about how the game is still stealth oriented and that true fans will love it. Sorry, but can't say that was the case.

I've said once and I'll say it again. A lot of us have played Conviction, we know what it's about. A lot of original Splinter Cell fans (myself included) dislike it, for obvious reasons. Now, there's plenty of people that like both, I'm not denying that, but Conviction strays too far from its roots. We also know who Max Beland is. We know his track record (partly responsible for creating the worst Rainbow Six ever in Lockdown) and we are well aware of his outlook in regards to Splinter Cell and stealth. These are known quantities. Now, anyone with half a brain can put two and two together. This is where a lot of the concern/backlash stems from. We've been burned before. Don't act as if it's a surprise.

I was reading a thread in regards to the Blacklist E3 demo. The first response reads, "I think the game looks great. This looks like the first Splinter Cell game I can actually enjoy." That says it all, really.

[CovertOwl]

Zack, THANK YOU for responding to us die-hard fans. I truly believe that you are being truthful in that this is not a full representation of the game. As long as we are able to go through the whole game stealth then I am okay with having extra action options. Just letting you know though, I refuse to do an airstrike the whole game Oh, and if I have to fight another helicopter again.......

Anyways like I said I believe you. This trailer is just to get the masses pumped up. The Hitman Absolution original demo comes to mind. I thought they turned Hitman into just another 3rd person shooter, but with these new demos they clearly have all the stealth too. Im okay with options, just dont force them on us like in Conviction single player.

About Ironside... sorry but I have to agree with most of the people here in that I would MUCH rather have a new character than to destroy Sam like that. Like some others have said it would be better just to have Sam in your ear as the new Lambert to transition him out. Im not against being a new agent (Archer and Kestral were just fine to me) but to make Sam so different is just... well I cringed.... alot.....

Once again Zack I thank you SO MUCH for reaching out to us, and I still have hope for this game because even though Conviction was very different than the old games I still played the hell out of Deniable ops (cant say the same for the single player). I bet SvM will kick *** as well as co-op, so GOOD LUCK with the rest of development!!!!!

- Love an old, old fan of Splinter Cell

[jrockviggy]

We understand you might have the best of intentions in mind. But I, as a paying customer, am saying that I would rather have a hand-animated game with Michael Ironside as the voice for Sam Fisher than a game with Fisher being voiced by a young guy, specially when he's pushing 50 from the way the storyline is going.

Either reboot the storyline or bring Ironside back.

Yes, this. I would have been TOTALLY fine with a reboot. I would be more fine with Ironside reprising his legendary role. I am fine with the gameplay.... But Sam looking and sounding 30 when he should be 50... ugh. Sarah is probably around the same age by now.

The only saving grace you have is that Ironside himself endorsed Johnson... Based on what I currently have, I will buy your **** game.... But remember UbiTO... you are on thin ice.

[goclo822]

Firstly I wanna thank you for at least trying to communicate with the fans. It's frustrating for us to feel as though we are completely ignored by developers so thank you.

Now I could give you guys the benefit of a doubt in regards to gameplay. We are not nieve enough to think that this is all the game has to offer. We have danced this danced before and we know that you are going to show the most intense, action packed and interesting level in the game which may not always be the most accurate representation of the game. I was also one of the few that enjoyed Conviction, and not only current Conviction but original Conviction as well. The gameplay and storyline for Blacklist can have potential and it's not a complete flop. But it also looks like you guys didn't take and listen to any of the constructive criticism from Conviction in regards to realism or stealth. These aren't just things that we have to just "wait and see" for. These are blatant anvils on the head that make it obvious that developers stuck with the Conviction formula and haven't seemed to make any of the changes the fans wanted or read/cared at all about any of the problems we had. So why should we give you the benefit of the doubt in that regard when nothing has been shown to steer us otherwise? Yes not everything has been shown but what has been doesn't make it look like there is much room left for improvement.

However I can even look past all of that and just use the whole "wait and see" notion that is so popular with game developers.

However the change of Sam Fisher is something that I can't just brush off lightly. 10+ years of playing this character with this iconic voice is hard to forget. Sam is Sam for a reason and to not only trade in Sam for a new voice but also a seemingly younger model just does not sit well with me. Two main things that made Sam Sam was his age and his voice and it seems like these changes were made for no apparent reason. It would have been different if you guys wrote it into the story and took the game back to Sam's past or something but even then, the voice change still doesn't make sense. You claim it's for the fans but you guys had to have known we would have a problem with this. The fans have made it very clear that Ironside is Fisher and if there is no Michael, there is no Sam. We haven't made any statements that I can tell that would suggest we wanted a younger model. So to completely change his voice, looks and movements with the only reason given is that it's somehow more "theatrical" doesn't make sense and you can't really expect us all not to notice this huge change without a reaction. Then to mention believability within the storyline while at the same time taking Sam's character in this direction? It just doesn't make sense. Of course we are going to be upset. You have to understand that most of us have played as this character with this voice longer then you have worked at Ubisoft and if you are already so defensive of Ubisoft, imagine how we feel about Sam and this franchise.

But that is my personal opinion and my feelings. I'm sorry if it's somewhat harsh, know that I don't mean to direct it at you.
With that said, I wanna say thanks again for not only reading but responding to us. It does matter to us that you are reading and caring about our opinions.

[Oh My Godmode]

I really just want Multiplayer details. That will absolutely make or break my decision to preorder. A major part of the community wants a Chaos Theory style MP back. Some still want DA. I want both.

[Ichbinian19]

Absolute nonsense from Ubisoft here. What the hell are they doing. It's like taking away Darth Vader's voice and replacing it with a high pitched, young one.

Bring back Ironside. I don't care if it's motion capture or not; just bring him back. He IS Sam Fisher. I thought Conviction had incredible continuity going back to the start of the series, all the way back to Splinter Cell 1. This is all ruined now. What the hell.

[Ristar85]

one thing stands out.

why is an old man that's in charge of Echelon climbing over walls and killing people instead of directing agents?

as wat others have said, it's better to use another agent.

i hope the game's easily mod-able and map makers are made available for all. that's the only way to keep the game alive.

i hope Denial Ops type of game is still in, and with additional modes. that allow the user to actually be a splinter cell and achieve objectives instead of killing everyone on the map.

[Hitsuyoo]

I absolutely agree with this statement. I am aware that you all want to cater to a brauder audience and do something new, innovative. and maybe even believable. The problem here is the hardcore, as you call us ( I'm far from hardcore. I'm a grandfather that enjoyed the story up to this point.) I have never had a problem with the action. Side note: If I'm not mistaken, Conviction had to go back to the drawing board because the premise didn't work. I could be wrong, but I'm just saying. Think about it guys. It is Not realistice in any way if Sam Fisher has a younger look and sound after he reunited with his daughter, Whome he thaught to be dead. ( His only true reason for living in the first place.). You don't have to be hardcore to like a good story. I really hope you have something up your sleeves. But as it stands, This title is Not a pre-order game. I just can't see the logic behind it. Believe when I say this. Your fans would not be upset at all if Sam took the back burner and you put someone else in the field. We all love Sam and we want him to be with his daughter. ( I am the father of three girls and grandfather of one and I would do whatever for them all. That's realistic. Think of what you are doing. Give us something to believe in not just believe. The game has great potential, but this is a dumb way to ruin a fanchize.

[TMW92]

I want you guys to show us a demo,where the stealth doesn't feel forced,like it did with Conviction.I don't want to see situations where you're faced against 4-5 guys and the only way to get past them undetected is to M&E them.This is not stealth,nor it's realistic.Please make the game feel natural when using stealth and don't force us to use M&E all the time.