Splinter Cell Blacklist - Catch-All

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Yeah... where did this come from? This looks epic!

CGI

Gameplay

Definitely buying this one

It seems to be continuing in the direction of changes they made with Conviction, but also definitely moving away from old SC.

Also looks a lot more mobile and free climbing like Assassin's Creed series. It looks very impressive and definitely going to scratch that stealthy action shooter itch for me.

I really enjoyed Conviction, but not because it was Splinter Cell. This looks like more of that, but even better, so I'm excited.

I found every SC except for Conviction to be a little too impenetrable for my tastes. This looks rather exciting to me.

Biggest highlight for me was that it has Spies vs. Mercs returning for multiplayer!

I am watching this one with a lot of interest.

I heard that Micheal Ironside isn't involved in this one. If that's the case, maybe they ought to retire Sam. Of course I've been saying that for the last three games...

Does anyone else think the climbing animations looked really bad / fake? Hes basically hopping up the side of a cliff. I do like the setting though.

Looks like fun.

Is it too much to ask for some of the old "hide and seek" MP as well?

Grubber788 wrote:

I found every SC except for Conviction to be a little too impenetrable for my tastes. This looks rather exciting to me.

Absolutely. I don't have the patience to redo a section of a game five times; I like stealth, but, if I screw up and get seen, just let me shoot my way out, mmmkay? Don't make the penalties for failing stealth so damn oppressive that it ruins the game. Conviction was great, and there was enough sneak/action mix to keep it fresh, plus I loved the mark and execute mechanic which kept driving me to get in close and get melee kills.

Conviction plus some Assassin's Creed climbing? That sounds like a seriously good time.

LobsterMobster wrote:

I heard that Micheal Ironside isn't involved in this one. If that's the case, maybe they ought to retire Sam. Of course I've been saying that for the last three games...

He's involved as an adviser of some kind. It seems to be that they're using facial motion capture for the characters and they thought Michael Ironside didn't look enough like Sam Fisher.

Dr._J wrote:

Biggest highlight for me was that it has Spies vs. Mercs returning for multiplayer!

I am watching this one with a lot of interest.

I have the weirdest boner.

I'll re-post what I added in the E3 thread:

...Splinter Cell: Blacklist (neither of which I even knew existed until 10 minutes ago) are both totally on my radar. The "killing in motion" sh*t in Blacklist looks really slick, and I'm glad to mark/execute system is still in. I don't really care for the new voice actor for Fisher, though; he sounds way too young for the aging, grizzled Sam from Conviction. But whatever, I'll get over it. Aside from that, I'm really hoping for another great coop mode; the coop campaigns from Chaos Theory and Conviction provided some of the most fun I've had playing a game with another person.

And they're bringing back Spies vs Merc? Oh HELL yes.

EvilDead: I didn't think the climbing looked any worse than, say, the animation from Assassin's Creed. It looks way, way snappier and much more fluid than the rather stiff (by comparison) climbing mechanic in Conviction.

Personally I think they should have made Sam the leader (which he is) but stick him in the office and let the new guys have a shot. But it's Tom Clancy... so I can't really fault his stories. I now have the sudden urge to go back and play Conviction again. I'm so glad they kept this secret. It's nice to get surprised with this kind of stuff. With this and some other good titles coming out, it feels like another great year to be a gamer.

I'm happy to see the franchise continue. I really preferred the older Splinter Cell titles that were so much more focused on getting in and out unseen, but I'm not at all surprised to see the series continue in the "kill everyone" theme established in Conviction. It still makes for a fun game, just not as fun for me.

Now we just need to wait through all the inevitable delays and design changes. When it finally arrives in 2015 it could very well be a social networking based iPhone 8 game.

BlackSabre wrote:

Personally I think they should have made Sam the leader (which he is) but stick him in the office and let the new guys have a shot. But it's Tom Clancy... so I can't really fault his stories. I now have the sudden urge to go back and play Conviction again. I'm so glad they kept this secret. It's nice to get surprised with this kind of stuff. With this and some other good titles coming out, it feels like another great year to be a gamer.

I think the problem is the mismatch between an ageing Sam Fisher and the faster gameplay Ubi want. I have a harder time staying immersed in a game if Sam is on one hand moaning about getting older (and part of getting older is becoming less physically able), and on the other somersaulting around the levels. Apparently he's only 55, which isn't over the hill, but it's going to mean something to his capabilities. In short, they can't have their cake and eat it, they can't say Sam is old and ignore that fact.

To me, it would seem like they would go in two directions, Sam flying a desk as the boss and a new guy in the field, or Sam in the field but taking into account his age characteristic. Another possibility would be to have two agents Sam/new young agent doing different types of mission through the campaign to keep things interesting. I think it would have been a good opportunity for asymmetrical coop, with Sam and the new young agent.

Who knows, along the way they might even accidentally make a new character gamers like as much as Sam.

Sam doesn't strike me as the kind of dude who'd do well jockeying a desk; he's more the "die with your sneakers on" kinda guy. But I see what you mean, Scratched. Chaos Theory had something of a concurrent mission system you mentioned between the game proper with Sam and the coop mode, which intertwined at points and even had communication between Sam and the two rookie agents. That kind of thing would be a great way to transition into a new protagonist for the future of the franchise, with the mission proper being in the hands of the new guy and Sam taking on more tertiary missions (like bashing heads into sinks and kicking dudes through bathroom stall doors. Ah, I do so love those silly interrogation sequences from Conviction).

Well they did have Archer and that Russian dude in Conviction co-op story. With the way the co-op ended, I can understand why they didn't return... but still, I'd be happy with a new guy being the on the field guy. But that being said, I don't really have a problem with Sam. He's Splinter Cell.

There was also a cool moment in the video when he sliced open the tent with his knife. Instantly brought me back to Chaos Theory. I liked the originals, but I also like the new approach too. Just as long as they keep their filthy DRM off it.

It seems a similar conundrum to AC:Rev, with a supposedly aging Ezio still running around like the Ezio from decades past. Credit to them for an older character, but they need to make that significant and match it to the gameplay.

Pretty psyched for this. I'd love an old school Splinter Cell, but I also really liked Conviction, once I gave it a chance.

I don't actually care about the Spys vs Mercs MP, since I never played that mode in previous SCs.

The age thing is weird, even aside from the way he moves. It clearly follows the story of Conviction, yet Sam looks younger and is now played by a voice actor that sounds younger as well.

I know I played the first SC game on PS2. Since then though I only tried a demo on PC back in 04 or 05. I gave up on this series because of that demo and Sam's inability to shoot a guy standing three feet in front of him.

I've actually found out last weekend that area in the demo was scripted for me to throw the guy off the bridge he was on rather than shoot him.

After seeing this game though I might take a closer look into this game if it's coming out on PC, which seems extremely likely.

I've never played any of the SC series. What's a good one to start with? I'm on 360.

On 360 you're limited to 3 games. The core of them is the same, stealth and sneaking, and that you're weak in a direct gunfight compared to your enemies so you take them out on your terms with gadgets and infiltration.

Chaos Theory, which people who liked the old style games say is the best of that old style. Slow and methodical
Double Agent, I'd say not as good as CT, but still good.
Conviction, more action oriented and fast paced so it marks a change in the series. You're much more lethal and shooting your way out is much more viable option, with very few imposed stealth (detection=failure) sections.

Thanks, Scratched!

Scratched wrote:

On 360 you're limited to 3 games. The core of them is the same, stealth and sneaking, and that you're weak in a direct gunfight compared to your enemies so you take them out on your terms with gadgets and infiltration.

Chaos Theory, which people who liked the old style games say is the best of that old style. Slow and methodical
Double Agent, I'd say not as good as CT, but still good.
Conviction, more action oriented and fast paced so it marks a change in the series. You're much more lethal and shooting your way out is much more viable option, with very few imposed stealth (detection=failure) sections.

Chaos Theory was actually for original Xbox, but is backwards compatible, so it will play on the 360. I think Splinter Cell and Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow are the same situation actually. The first two didn't support inverting the Y-axis, but I think it was supported in CT. I agree that CT is the best of that old style, so you don't need to play the first two.

Agree about Double Agent. About half traditional gameplay, and half "sneaking in the open" (you go undercover in a criminal / terrorist organization). Also has some story branching.

Conviction is a very different game. It's much quicker. You can shoot your way out if you get caught, but it isn't really a shooter either and you will die if you play it that way. It's actually kind of the same approach to stealth gameplay as Batman Arkham Asylum, if you've played that.

I'm really happy this game is happening. The ending of Conviction felt very final, and I thought I had read somewhere that they were going to let Splinter Cell rest after that title.

Garden Ninja wrote:

Chaos Theory was actually for original Xbox, but is backwards compatible, so it will play on the 360.

https://www.mobygames.com/game/tom-c...

Platforms
GameCube, Nintendo 3DS, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Windows, Xbox, Xbox 360

I think it's either CT or DA that's notable that they made a different and in some ways better game for the previous gen versions.

There's an original xbox Double Agent which had two-player cooperative missions. Both Double Agent and Chaos Theory's multiplayer modes probably don't work anymore at all, and the framerate on Chaos Theory is often janky.

I went back and reinstalled PT and CT.

It's quite jarring to go back to PT and then remember that's the same year stuff like Doom3, Half-life2, Far-Cry and Chronicles of Riddick:EfBB were coming out. I wouldn't recommend going that far back unless you absolutely have to see the whole series. CT is fine though.

The Chaos Theory on 360 was just the Xbox Originals download though. I do agree that you don't really need to play the earlier ones though.

Danjo Olivaw wrote:

There's an original xbox Double Agent which had two-player cooperative missions. Both Double Agent and Chaos Theory's multiplayer modes probably don't work anymore at all, and the framerate on Chaos Theory is often janky.

I played the Generation 6 version of Double Agent on the Wii, and enjoyed it quite a lot. It felt more "traditional" than the Gen 7 version. I don't think it's backwards compatible though.

Must admit it looks good. I didn't like the first trailer which seemed to be dropping the Splinter Cell feel for Mr Generic in Generic town.

I was attached so Sam's old voice and physog but I can probably get past that >_< if the game play is as good as it looks.

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