| Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction | |
| |
| Developer(s) | Ubisoft Montreal |
|---|---|
| Publisher(s) | Ubisoft |
| Release Date(s) | October 2009[1] |
| Genre(s) | Stealth |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, Multiplayer |
| Rating(s) | ESRB: RP |
| Platform(s) | Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows |
| Distribution | |
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction is the fifth installment in the Splinter Cell video game series. The game is being developed by Ubisoft Montreal, developers of Splinter Cell, Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory and the sixth generation versions of Splinter Cell: Double Agent.
Splinter Cell: Conviction was originally scheduled for release on November 16, 2007,[2] but has since been the subject of several delays.[3] On April 29, 2009, Ubisoft listed Splinter Cell: Conviction for release in the 2009-10 fiscal year, and it was later confirmed that the game will be released fall 2009.[4]
Gameplay[]
Splinter Cell: Conviction is host to a number of new gameplay features for the series.[5] One of these is the "Mark & Execute" feature, allowing Sam to tag an opponent or object that allows him to fire at automatically.[6] The feature prioritizes the targets; for instance, if Sam enters a room with two enemies and a light fixture and the light and one enemy are targeted, he will target the light first to prevent the other enemy from detecting him and then take out the first enemy. There is also the "last known location" feature, which occurs when Sam has been spotted but breaks the line of sight with the enemy. This produces a silhouette outlining Sam's last known location that the enemy saw him, allowing him to alter his actions accordingly. Other features include the ability to shoot while hanging, and interrogating enemies using the environment, such as smashing someone's head into a mirror.
The game also makes use of its visuals for gameplay purposes. When players are in the shadows, the visuals lose color to indicate this, while enemies stay in color so that the player can see their targets clearer. Objectives are now highlighted on walls, usually of the location in which Sam needs to go, while cutscenes occur in-game in order to keep players immersed in the game.
Sam will not be able to rely on many of the gadgets that he possessed in previous games, so he must be more resourceful. For instance, instead of using his optic cable in order to look beneath doors, Sam will use a piece of a broken mirror off his SUV.
Story[]
Splinter Cell: Conviction sees protagonist Sam Fisher walking out on Third Echelon, despite threats from his superiors. He is now investigating the death of his daughter, Sarah Fisher, who was killed in a drunk driving accident during the events of Splinter Cell: Double Agent. Sam soon discovers that his daughter's death was no accident, and must now uncover why his daughter was murdered and what connections it has to Third Echelon, which has become bogged down with red tape to the point of ineffectiveness and corruption.
Development[]
Promotional images, artwork and the logo of the game were leaked on September 21, 2006 in a RAR archive that included other unreleased games.
The first screenshots were revealed on a message board with photographs of screenshots in a magazine[7] featuring shots of the protagonist Sam Fisher, now with long hair and a full grown beard, throwing chairs and people around, blending in with a crowd, and engaging in a firefight from behind cover. The screenshots also showed vastly improved lighting and shadow effects from Splinter Cell: Double Agent.
On May 23, 2007, Ubisoft released the first trailer for the game. It demonstrated a more casual-looking Sam interacting with objects, such as tables and chairs, to disable enemies. The events depicted in the trailer took place in Washington D.C.[8][9] while several other notable landmarks, including the Korean War Memorial, the United States Capitol[10] and the Washington Monument[11] have been seen in various promotional videos and trailers. The trailer is viewable on the official Splinter Cell website, and on the Xbox Live Marketplace.
On May 19, 2008, Xbox World 360 magazine reported that Splinter Cell: Conviction was "officially on hold" and that the game had been taken "back to the drawing board".[12] While Ubisoft never confirmed this, they announced that the game had been pushed back to the 2009-10 fiscal year (ending March 31, 2010). The reasons for the delay were never revealed, but it is thought that the gameplay was too similar to another of Ubisoft's franchises, Assassin's Creed, which was released in 2007 and involved blending in with an interactive crowd.
In March 2009, Ubisoft contracted the services of Thierry Cimkauskas, an international expert in Krav Maga, the deadly Israeli self-defense and tactics system- M. Cimkauskas, wearing a digital motion-capture suit, developed the combat scenes for the game, which will be the first video game to feature actual Krav Maga techniques. M. Cimkauskas is National director for the International Krav Maga Federation (IKMF) in Canada.
On September 22, 2008, an article from Videogaming247 reported that Splinter Cell: Conviction has gone under some radical gameplay and visual changes. According to a Ubisoft community development manager, "the gameplay has evolved a lot" and "the visual direction is simply much better."[13]
Splinter Cell: Conviction resurfaced on May 13, 2009, when Ubisoft relaunched the game's official website with a teaser image and an acronym that translates to "Man Of Conviction",[14] which also appeared on the official discussion forums. Ubisoft reserved the domain name manofconviction.com on April 17, 2009.[15]
On May 15, 2009, the first of three teaser trailers were shown on GameTrailers TV,[16] and appeared later on the game's website. Depicted using satellite imagery, the teaser hinted that the game will take place, or involved the Republic of Malta.[17] The second teaser was released on May 20, 2009, showing satellite imagery of Washington D.C. as seen in earlier footage of the game. Sam discusses how he always wanted to live a normal life but couldn't because he was always called back to work with the NSA. The third and final teaser was released on May 28, 2009, showing satellite imagery of the Los Angeles Convention Center, confirming that the game will be shown at E3 2009, which was held between June 2-4, 2009. Sam describes how his investigation is taking him back home.
The teaser trailers confirmed that Michael Ironside will return as voice actor of Sam Fisher. Claudia Besso, voice of Anna Grimsdottir, can also be heard at the end of the gameplay video shown at E3 2009, confirming her return.
Soundtrack[]
On July 16, 2007, it was announced that composers Kaveh Cohen and Michael Nielsen in association with music house Groove Addicts will be composing the musical score to Splinter Cell: Conviction, their first score for a video game.[18]
On October 25, 2007, SoundtrackNet posted a news item from the scoring session for the game, featuring photographs of the orchestral recording of the music.[19]
References[]
- ↑ Splinter Cell devs: We’re more immersive than Metal Gear
- ↑ UbiSoft Dates Its Winter Titles
- ↑ "Ubisoft's earnings up; Splinter Cell Conviction delayed". GamerNode (July 24, 2007). Retrieved on 2007-07-24.
- ↑ http://www.ubisoftgroup.com/gallery_files/site/270/1042/1967.pdf
- ↑ Splinter Cell Conviction: Maxime Beland Interview
- ↑ "Microsoft E3 2009 Press Conference". Retrieved on 10 June 2009.
- ↑ Blog Jeuxfrance.Com : °~ Games-Actu ~°
- ↑ Saturday 05.19.07 news article [1]
- ↑ http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/788/788888p1.html
- ↑ Note: In reflection of police car window [2]
- ↑ Image from Game.net Image Gallery [3]
- ↑ "Splinter Cell Conviction "back to the drawing board"". CVG (May 19, 2008). Retrieved on 2009-04-06.
- ↑ "Splinter Cell: Conviction escapes original gameplay, visual design". Joystiq (September 22, 2008). Retrieved on 2009-04-06.
- ↑ Official Conviction website [4]
- ↑ Whois Record for Manofconviction.com [5]
- ↑ GameTrailers.com [6]
- ↑ "Splinter Cell: Conviction to be set in Malta?".
- ↑ "Groove Addicts compose music". QJ.net (2007-07-16). Retrieved on 2007-07-25.
- ↑ "Kaveh Cohen and Michael Nielsen score Splinter Cell: Conviction for Ubisoft Montreal". SoundtrackNet (2007-10-25). Retrieved on 2007-10-25.