Ubisoft released a new trailer for Splinter Cell: Blacklist, teasing us even more about Sam Fisher’s next adventure. The question is: do we really want another one? Other than the most stalwart of fans, does the average gamer really care?
The series sprang into the limelight as a non-shooter in the Tom Clancy universe when stealth was a niche genre populated by very few memorable characters. To many, the pinnacle of the franchise was Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory with it’s total dedication to stealth mechanics and its iconic multiplayer. But that was over seven years ago.
In his last outing, we saw Sam Fisher’s more aggressive side. As a twist to the typical Splinter Cell formula, Conviction met with mixed reactions from fans at best, apathy at worst. Perhaps the lack of excitement is a trend we’re seeing with Tom Clancy games in general. As much as I liked Ghost Recon: Future Soldier, it was a short-lived blip in the shooter landscape where Battlefield 3 and Modern Warfare 3 dominated. H.A.W.X. was an interesting attempt at an air combat simulator that led to a mediocre sequel. Does anyone even remember the voice controlled RTS experiment that was End War?
Let’s face it. Games bearing the Clancy logo need a boost. With Rainbow Six: Patriots with no solid release date, Blacklist is Clancy’s best chance at keeping some of its gaming mindshare. With games like Mark of the Ninja and Dishonored setting the tone in stealth-based gameplay, drumming up that mindshare may prove to be a not-so-small task. So what does Blacklist have to wow us? Let’s take a look at the video:
Interweaving snippets of various modern era Presidents reciting the oath of office creates the subtext that like them, Sam Fisher has taken an oath, stated or otherwise, to protect the United States. Apparently, after taking care of some personal business in Conviction, he is back to serving the nation. That idea is punctuated at the 32 second mark when his trident goggles power up with that distinctive electronic whoosh.
The story will revolve around Sam trying to stop the Blacklist attacks at the behest of the President. “I can’t do this without you,” she says. ”You’re our last line of defense.” The next few seconds show Sam sneaking toward enemies and silently snapping their necks. Other mechanics we see in action are things we’ve seen in past games, like crawling along pipes, zip lining , clinging to the side of a building, pulling enemies out of a window, etc. The video ends with a fan favorite: the inverted neck snap. Outside of some new animations, will more of the same be enough to satisfy existing fans? Is there enough here to attract those new to Splinter Cell?
Based on this and past trailers as well as the various trade show demos, Blacklist looks to be a combination of Conviction mechanics mixed with the spirit of Chaos Theory. As a huge Splinter Cell fan that has followed Sam on each and every one of his outings, combining the old with the new would seem like a good thing. So in the very least, I can say that I still care about Sam Fisher and is grim band of patriots. Whether anyone else shares my cautious optimism will be revealed when the game finally releases on August 20 in North America.
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Before e3 last year I had never heard of splintercell but I liked what I saw so I got conviction and I loved it so now I’m really looking forward to blacklist so it has done enough to attract 1 person to the series who knows maybe I’m not the only one.
I’m also a big fan of Conviction. I’m also glad that you’re willing to see what Blacklist has in store. From what I understand now, there will be different modes. One tentatively called “Ghost” is designed for old fans like me to play it like Chaos Theory. Another mode called “Panther”allows people to play it like Conviction. Once it comes, out please come back and let us know what you think. I’m interested in your perspective.