Splinter Cell: Conviction Eyes-On Preview

Sam Fisher has spent many years in the shadows. In his previous adventures, only the chirping sound of his Third Echelon-provided earpiece kept his silent escapades moving forward. In Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Conviction, this marionette’s strings have been cut, his Echelon ties have unraveled, and former spy is on the streets searching to uncover who was behind his beloved daughter’s death. I got to take a look at Sam’s latest adventure at E3 2009, eager to see if this old spy has any new tricks.

The demo began with Sam in a bathroom, where we got our first look at the new ’interrogation’ gameplay. Nearly every object in the room was at Sam’s disposal, allowing him to pulverize his ‘informant’ in any way he saw fit. This is also where we received our first look at the game’s innovative in-gameplay cinematics. While other titles have foregone noninteractive cutscenes to tell a story in-game before, Splinter Cell: Conviction takes this idea one step further by displaying projected visions of cinematics on walls. Mission objectives and other key information are also projected as you make your way through the level. It is an interesting mechanic that allows the player to still feel in control of the game while the story is unfolding, keeping the plot moving as in-game events unfold.

It became immediately clear that Sam packs an extra punch in this iteration. This isn’t your typical Splinter Cell title, as Sam now embodies certain characteristics of Jack Bauer, James Bond, and Jason Bourne. He is not a man with whom to be trifled, as he is now able to rush headfirst into battle. Stealth was once the confines in which Sam had to operate. Now, it is a tool at his disposal. What once restrained the gameplay is now being used to expand the boundaries of the series into new territory.

This isn’t to say that all planning can be forgone. The development team has replaced loading screens with an area viewer which allows the player to get a preemptory look at the level. This isn’t the only strategic feature that has been added. One of these--called ’mark and execute’--is a new way for the player to achieve a cinematic level of marksmanship, as Sam can mark enemies before charging into a room as long as they are within his line of sight. If they aren’t immediately visible, he can use a mirror to look underneath doors and around structures. Once marked, Sam can execute these enemies automatically with the simple click of a button. It allows for the perfect accuracy you’d expect from an iconic action hero and leads to some thrilling moments.