At the end of the 1990s/beginning of the 2000s, the stealth genre was well and truly underway. Hideo Kojima had already given us the Metal Gear and Metal Gear Solid series, with the former said to be an early influence on the genre. Thief gave us one of the most brooding and cool characters with Garret, while Hitman had us become the world's deadliest assassins. Then along came Splinter Cell.

While the fate of Ubisoft's black-ops franchise is uncertain these days, we can at least take sol?ace in the fact that we've had a good run over the year??s. Sam Fisher �voiced by Michael Ironside in what I would consider his most iconic role �is one of the most capable agents in stealth gaming, and it would be a shame if we never got to learn more about him.

Although there is a remake of the first installment happening at some point, no word has been said about it for some time, leaving many of us to wonder if it's still in development. So while we wait, let me present all the mainline Splinter Cell games in order of their respective Metacritic scores.

For this list, I'll be taking into account the platform/system that shows the highest number, but it's worth pointing out that most of them c?ome from Xbox versions of each game.

Splinter Cell: Essentials (2006) - 58% on PSP

At a time when mobile gaming was not common �except when it came to the Nintendo DS �Sony's PlayStation Portable (PSP) was an attempt to break into an emerging market. For the busy gamer on the go, having a PlayStation console for your travels was quite something. Of course, it couldn't quite reach the lofty success of Nintendo'??s own offering, but it was still pretty successful.

Along with the handheld came a host of exclusive games, one of them being Splinter Cell: Essentials. Through flashbacks, this PSP game told more of Sam Fisher's backstory, which is always a go??od thing. However, criticisms aimed at the control scheme and the?? multiplayer function meant this one has all but been lost to time.

Splinter Cell: Blacklist (2013) - 84% on PS3

By this point, it could be argued that Splinter Cell was still hanging on, keeping its head above water in an era when stealth gaming was quite the phenomenon. The results speak for themselves, with an 84% Metacritic score for PlayStation 3. Evidently, critics and players were?? very happy with this most ?recent installment, which saw the gruff agent become commander of Fourth Echelon.

Can I be honest with you? I could not get into Blacklist, despite being a long-time fan of the series. Was it the gameplay? The controls? The story? Nope. None of that. Truth be known, it was the fact that Michael Ironside didn't reprise his role as Sam Fisher. Instead, he was voiced by Eric Johnson of American Gods and Vikings fame. Admittedly, Ironside didn't return due to health issues, and yes, not liking a game because it doesn't have the original voice actor is petty and stupid. Do I care? A little bit, yes (please like me?).

Splinter Cell: Conviction (2010) - 85% on Xbox 360

Over time, Splinter Cell moved away from the confines of sterile global politics, settling into gritter and edgier territory. At the point in which we got Conviction, Fisher was a changed man. Anyone who's familiar with his story up to this point will understand why. He had very much become a maverick playing by his own rules. I can only imagine he'd received some pointers from Liam Neeson when he was in his Taken period.

Anyway, much like Blacklist, I did struggle to get into Conviction. It was a far cry from what the series was known for and what I'd loved for years. However, after at least one playthrough, I grew to really like the direction this game took things. I'd go as far as to say it's one of my favorite entries of them all, and a Metacritic score of 85% shows I may not be alone in that.

Splinter Cell: Double Agent (2006) - 89% on original Xbox

I must admit, I didn't even know this game was on the original Xbox. Double Agent was released in 2006, around the same time the bulky console was being discontinued worldwide. That's cutting things fine, I must admit, so it is quite a surprise to see this port of the game holds the highest score out of all the versions (although it's not doing terribly well on Steam).

This one is just a hair's breadth away from being on par with the original three entries, which would make it something of a classic. The idea of Fisher having to infiltrate a terrorist organization was a big intrigue. I did, however, find it rather stressful having to gain trust among the other terrorists while maintaining good relations with your Third Echelon colleagues (especially Director Irving Lambert). Still, I'd love to revisit Double Agent at some point.

Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow (2004) - 93% on original Xbox

We're now into the old-school Splinter Cell era. What I would consider a golden age for the series. Pandora Tomorrow is the second installment, coming just a couple of years after ??the original set the scene and marked its place in th?e stealth genre.

Taking what had made the first game such a hit, Pandora Tomorrow built upwards, adding in new technologies, as well as a new online mode. Console multiplayer was pretty scarce back in the day, so I imagine this was regarded as either a novelty or just something that would appeal to a gaming minority. But overall, it was more of what the OG entry had, plus a little extra. I also remember really loving that tense and explosive intro cut scene the first time I saw it.

Splinter Cell (2002) - 93% on original Xbox

I've already kind of hinted at the impact the first Splinter Cell game had when it was unleashed at the start of the new millennium. While we tend to?? drop the name "Tom Clancy" from the titles, it's important to remember that the author's endorsement of the game was possibly what helped it gain public attention.

Of course, that can only go so far. What Splinter Cell did was solidify itself as a potential Metal Gear Solid and Hitman rival. The world was introduced to the cool, calm, collected (and occasionally sarcastic) Navy SEAL Sam Fisher, who'd recently become a black ops agent for the NSA. There's a good chance this would have gone down as one of the best stealth games ever created, were it not for Thief 2 pretty much taking that title already.

Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory (2005) - 94% on original Xbox

In any form of creative media, a third entry is always dicey. The first of something could be lightning in a bottle, and an immediate follow-up is a chance to improve on things or deliver something better based on responses to the original. It's, therefore, quite something that Chaos Theory �the third Splinter Cell game �is h?ighly regarded as t?he best of the bunch.

I said how the first game had the potential to be one of the greatest releases in the stealth genre. Well, Chaos Theory actually does find itself on these lists. If I had to pick my favorite out of the classic games of the series, it would be a hard choice. It would either be this or Pandora Tomorrow, but whichever one you decide on, there's a reason Chaos Theory is often held a??loft as one of Sam Fisher's strongest outings??.

The post Ranking every Splinter Cell game based on Metacritic?? score appeared first on Destructoid.

Good, but lacks Conviction

Splinter Cell: Conviction was, in my opinion, a superb new direction for the Splinter Cell series, but a fair few fans were unhappy with the changes Ubisoft made. It's hardly surprising then, that Splinter Cell: Blacklist pulls the classic trick of making the old seem new again, bringing Sam Fisher's stealthy adventures closer to their roo?ts?. 

However, unable to quite abandon Conviction -- and the potential new fans it won -- Ubisoft has also unsurprisingly sought a compromise between the new and the old. Features from Conviction have been married to Blacklist's more traditional design, and the result is a game that's qui??te entertaining, if somewhat unsure of itself. 

Splinter Cell: Blacklist (PC, PS3 [reviewed, campaign], Xbox 360 [reviewed, online])
Developer: Ubisoft Toronto, Ubisoft Shanghai (Wii U version)
Publisher: Ubisoft
Released: August 20, 2013 (NA) August 23, 2013 (EU)
MSRP: $59.99

In a somewhat canned and pedestrian narrative, Blacklist's plot revolves around a terrorist organization planning to attack the United States of America. Sam Fisher is back -- no longer voiced by Michael Ironside -- to deal with a shadowy organization known as The Engineers. He's joined by the team at 4th Echelon, including a new sidekick in Briggs, whose sole job is apparently to make things feel as much like Call of Duty as possible. 

Fisher's adventure will take him across the globe from Libya, to Iran, to Britain and the United States, but for all its globetrotting subterfuge, Blacklist's world feels sm??all and isolated. As well as ??telling a rather mundane and predictable story culled from a thousand spy thriller movies, the plot is rather uneventful and seems unable to decide what it wants to say. That, and the ending comes off as total gibberish. 

From the 4th Echelon's Paladin spy plane of mystery, Fisher can suit up, chat with supporting characters, and undertake missions. Story stages, co-op and challenge maps, as well as the competitive multiplayer are all selected from one digital map of the world -- known as the SMI -- and handily labeled for your convenience. With money earned and passive challenges beatable across every mode of play, there's a commendable attempt at blending all of Blacklist's gameplay offerings together into one cohesi??ve unit. The use of one ?map littered with icons is a bit overly busy, but the sense of unity generally works out well. 

With the ability to replay any mission and a selection of elimination, wave-based, and stealth-only challenges to choose from, heavy emphasis is placed on earning cash and powering up your perfect vision of Sam Fisher. There? is a variety of outfit pieces to choose from, as well as new?? goggles, a respectable pool of weaponry, and wonderful gadgets including the nonlethal bow with interchangeable arrows, the remote-controlled Tri-Rotor drone, and the classic Sticky Camera. 

The sense of personalization is carried over into the gameplay, with players graded on getting through levels using Ghost, Panther, or Assault tactics. Points for Ghost activity are earned by totally sneaking through a level without disturbing enemies -- the toughest prospect, with the highest reward. The Panther style is closer in spirit to Conviction, with Fisher actively stalking enemies to distract, outflank, and ultimately take out of the equation. Assault play should be pretty self-explanatory, taking opponents head-on with assault rifles, grenades, and melee kills. Ubisoft's done a laudable job of making Blacklist accessible without undermining what makes Splinter Cell enjoyable, and while Assault may seem like an attempt to make the game easier, it's actually a lot simpler to use Panther? tactics, while Ghosting a section is ultimately the most satisfy??ing route -- if it's pulled off well!

While the flexibility is at least appreciated, the game does sometimes try and bottleneck players in a somewhat cloying contrivance of variety. As well as areas where sneaking by totally undetected is mandatory, there are also some overhead missile strike sections and?? even a first-person shooting stage, with any solo missions involving Briggs designed to look and sound like those military shooters th??e kids love so damn much. 

In its attempt to bring more of Conviction into the Splinter Cell basics, Blacklist preserves the "Mark and Execute" ability, where you can use an Execute gauge to select and automatically take out targets in range. The "La??st Known Position" feature also returns, with a ghostly ou??tline showing players where enemies think Sam Fisher is. Interrogations are back, but are not as interactive as last time, with the "Spare or Kill" choices punctuating enemy encounters coming off as fairly meaningless and cynical. 

These features were designed for a different kind of stealth game, and don't always work so well in Blacklist. Levels don't feel designed with Mark & Execute or Last Known Position in mind, and they don't feel as useful as they did last time. Sometimes the predatory stealth fails, with enemies randomly spotting Sam as he lies in wait for an ambush, and A.I. in general fairly finicky on whether it can see players or not. Ultimately, the Conviction elements seem thrown in for their own s?ake, and ??offer no real value to the game. 

This may be good news for fans of Chaos Theory, however, as Blacklist does boast some great level design, plenty of gadgets to play with, and the welcome return of night vision, which can be upgraded to full-on? Predator-Robocop vision. Setting up traps, luring guards with noisemakers, and using pipes, ducts, and ledges to worm one's way around the environment make for some undeniable fun, though it can be jarring for stealthy players to suddenly find themselves in the cover-based shootouts and other action sequences sometimes tossed into the mix without warning. 

One other issue with the game is how easy it is to earn cash. While there's a lot to spend the money on, it's given out so readily that you'll have upgraded the Paladin and gotten access to your favorite inventory items after a handful of mis??sions. I obtained the exact loadout I wanted with hours left on the clock, and felt no further incentive beyond that. Too much cash, and not enough to spend it on, somewhat tarnishes what is otherwise a fun idea. 

To be quite fair, the story-based campaign missions aren't all that enjoyable, suffering from a plodding pace and writing that's simply too cliched to be interesting. The situations Sam finds himself in are all fairly played out in the stealth genre already, and do very little to make themselves more exciting. The challenge maps are far more interesting, and surprisingly, it's the co-op (either local or online) that manages to make the experience more engaging. Playing through missions with a partner adds a sense of dynamism to the gameplay that the sterile and predictable solo mode sorely needs, and wh?ile it can often be more difficult to sneak through the environment as a two-person unit, it's altogether far more rewarding to pull off. 

Online multiplayer is also a highlight, and while ?it may sadden Fisher fans to hear that, it must be said that Spies vs. M?ercs is notably superior to the campaign. Once again, teams of players take turns as stealthy spies and action-oriented mercenaries, with the former attempting to hide from the latter and complete objectives without being found and blasted.

The "Classic" mode is everything you could want -- two quick-witted spies pitting their non-lethal gadgets against slower, first-person shooting, lethal mercs. A new "Blacklist" mode further evolves the idea, however, with custom loadouts and four-on-four matches with a variety of game types. Using the money earned in all areas o?f the game, players can buy all manner of gadgets and weapons for their Spy and Merc, just like do with Fisher. Many of the tools are designed to counter the opposing team, such a mask for the Spy that can Counter the Merc's gas grenade, or a disruption field that Mercs can employ to jam Spy gadgets. 

Spies vs. Mercs is where the real heart of Blacklist lies. It's more action-oriented and quicker paced than previous iterations, while the ability to customize means players can find their own unique style within the two fundamental classes. Sometimes the balance can be a bit off -- Spies in particular get big advantages over Mercs with the right tools -- but the overwhelming se?nse of paranoia involved makes the larger scale multiplayer more amusing than ever. 

It's a shame, then, that Blacklist's visuals are pretty unimpressive, bordering on ug??ly. Cutscenes feature screen tearing while environments are marred by muddy textures. Animations are twitchy and most of the effects, be they lighting, explosions, or fire, are all fairly outdated. Loading times are also egregiously lengthy, making the poor visual quality all the more confusing. Sound design is fairly bland too, with droning music and voice acting that lacks any sort of verve -- especially the new and unremarkable Fisher. That said, whoever voices the main villain does a bang-up job!

As with so many recent Ubisoft releases, how much you enjoy Splinter Cell: Blacklist depends on how willing you are to enjoy every feature it crams into the overall package. The campaign itself is fairly middling, and can be blazed through in the usual eight-to-ten hour timeframe, but if you talk to your supporting characters and access the ton of extra mission content, you can double the bang for your buck. With Spies vs. Mercs getting so much attention, you'll want to indulge in some multiplayer too if you really want to get th?e most out of what's on of??????????????????????????fer. 

The good news is, if you're up for some cooperative stealth and mercenary antics, Splinter Cell: Blacklist is right up your alley. If all you desire ?is more Sam Fisher action, however, you may come away feeling a little sho?rtchanged. 

The post Review: Splinter Cell: Blacklist appeared first on Destructoid.

How about, instead, a war on terror cliches?

This latest Splinter Cell: Blacklist trailer reads like the Cliff's Notes to all the previous Blacklist trailers, summarizing the game's various aspects. There's the silly, hyper-organized terrorist attacks on the United States that validate the government spying on citizens with an assortment of slapdash sci-fi tech. There's the allowance of varying styles of gameplay -- stealthy and one-man-massacre-y. There's the co-op (except for you, Wi?i U. Not offline, anyway). ??There's the multiplayer,

All of this is information is delivered in character from an NPC integral to the story as if he was reading the microfilm from a PR dossier. He also says, "if we have the right cash...then I can test out some sick mods on the gear," so I'll be the first to complain if we can't at least stealth take down his noisy bum. 

The pilot-able RC helicopter is sort of neat. It's also being offered tangibly as an expensive pre-order bonus. Minus the tranquilizing weapons, naturally. Still, I'm content to acknowledge the Splinter Cell series is no longer for me. Except, maybe, for the returning Spies v.s. Mercs mo?de. The ?eight player iterations seem too manic, but the smaller, tenser engagements might still be my speed.

Are you excited for Blacklist, or ??????????????????????????do you find it lack-lister? Do you splin-terribly miss Michael Ironside's knell? Anything about the game you de-spi??es? Have mercs-y on me.

Splinter Cell Blacklist Overview Trailer [All Games Beta]

The post A refresher on all of Splinter Cell: Blacklist’s assets appeared first on Destructoid.

Here are rundowns of both classes

One of my favorite multiplayer modes of all time is returning to Splinter Cell: Blacklist in the form of Spies vs. Mercs, and these two new videos will give you a rundown of each class. If you're itching for information, Community Developer Zack Coo??per and Level Design Director Geoff Ellenor have provided extensive 10 minute videos detailing pretty much everything you could ask for, including general tactics, loadouts, and more.

Provided the online community stays put for a while, I think this is goin?g to be my go-to game for the next few years, as this is shaping up to look pretty amazing.

The post Get acquainted with Splinter Cell’s Merc and Spy appeared first on Destructoid.

The classic faction-based mode is back

I have very fond memories of Splinter Cell's Spies vs. Mercs mode. The gametype debuted in Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow (and was refined in Chaos Theory), and featured two distinctly different types of teams pit against each other -- the agile, crafty and weak spies, and the tough but pragmatic mercenaries. Simply put, it was way ahead of its time, seeing a??s how LAN play was a bigger deal than online modes at that point.

Now, we have final confirmation that the mode will be making a glorious return in Splinter Cell: Blacklist, and it looks pretty damn awesome. This new reveal trailer shows off the various gadget of the ?spy team, as well as the lethal and brutal nature of the mercs -- everything l?ooks about right!

I wonder how this mode will pan out on the Wii U. While Call of Duty: Black Ops II was technically one of the best versions of the game, the online community and lack of DLC support is currently crippling the game's long term value. Hopefully Ubisoft will get everything under contro?l here, as the Wii U exclusive features look great.

The post Spl??inter Cell: Blacklist Spies vs. Mercs revealed! appeared first on Destructoid.

Hopefully we'll get some cool GamePad functionality

Rejoice, Splinter Cell fans! After a fleeting leak in February by Ubisoft, Nintendo has confirmed the existence of a Wii U version of Splinter Cell: Blacklist. It will be launc?hing on August 20th, the same day as the PS3, 360, and PC versions.

Nintendo shared a tiny bit of info, noting that the GamePa??d will ?utilize "enhanced gameplay features," which both touchscreen and motion support. As long as it's not forced or overboard, I'm all about it.

Nintendo of America [Nintendo via Joystiq]

The post Splinte??r Cell Blacklist confirmed for Wii U, for realsies appeared first on Destructoid.

Hey, it's the flying thing from Black Ops II

You saw the return of the night vision goggles, in Splinter Cell: Blacklist, and now you can get a little more in-depth with this eight minute developer walkthrough from Ubisoft Toronto courtesy of IG??N.

It shows off quite a bi?t of the general mechanics in the game, from direct combat, to the wacky Bond-esque tools Sam will use, to some fairly diversified stealth gameplay.

Even though Hamza stated that he felt like the game was a bit more linear than he hoped it would be gameplay wise, it ??looks like you can take a lot of different approaches to indiv??idual areas.

As a Splinter Cell fan, I'm cautiously optimsitic!

The post Splinter Cell: Blackl??is??t video shows off more gameplay appeared first on Destructoid.

Watch Sam get down in the dark

Once we saw footage for Splinter Cell: Blacklist, everyone was worried that it would be a bit too ac??tion o??riented.

Well, this video is here to set the record straight, and confirm that at least some of the experience will allow for stealth gameplay, as developer Zack Cooper gives us a brief glimpse into a night vision portion of Blacklist.

As a huge Splinter Cell fan, I hope this one is worthy of the franchise??. The lack of Ironside's voice acting and the emphasis on a more linear level design has me worried, but we'll find out i??????????????????????????n August.

The post Spl?inter C?ell: Blacklist night vision footage emerges appeared first on Destructoid.

'I've not really heard anyone say they loved it...'

Prior to the recent round of hands-on previews, it would be fair to say that Splinter Cell: Blacklist had been suffering from a messaging problem with respect to its perceived focus on action at the expense of stealth and a certain infamous torture scene. S??ome would argue that it's still an issue for the game, which appears to be garn??ering, at best, mixed reactions.

Commenting that properly conveying stealth on an E3 stage demonstration would have been tricky, Blacklist producer Andrew Wilson tells Eurogamer "We've scaled a lot of that [violence] back, and as we've gone through the process of development there are always t??hings that you feel are not working a??s  well. Every game does this, and cuts certain things."

Returning to the aforementioned torture sequence, an interactive part of the E3 demo in which Sam twists a knife around inside of a man he's attempting to interrogate, Wilson explains?? that "Definitely we are not going to see when the game's coming out that there are torture scenes in it. That scene is not there any more. I've not really heard anyone say they loved it..."

I would never say that torture should be avoided as a subject in videogames, but I think that in this particular instance, in this particular game, it's probably for the best th??at things worked out the way they did. Could it be used effectively in the medium? Sure. But I didn't get the sense that torture was necessary here -- not based on what we saw of the game.

Splinter Cell Blacklist's torture scene is cut [Eurogamer]

The post Torture scene no longer in?? Splinter Cell: Blacklist appeared first on Destructoid.

You hear that, you canuckers!?!

_{[Update: This post, originally published with the headline, "Playable Splinter Cell and more at Toronto's Gamercamp," has been amended. We have received an email from Ubisoft saying Splinter Cell will not be playable at Gamercamp. Our apologies for any confusion we may have caused. -Ed]}

You know what Canada has a lot of? Game developers. You know what it doesn't have a lot of? Gaming expos. Gamercamp i??s doing its part to change this. Why not join ??them on November 3-4?

With playable Splinter Cell: Blacklist and Super Time Force, the Toronto premiere of the Ace Attorney film, and panels featuring notable developers (Day Z, Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Sound Shapes), Gamecamp is coming out swinging with its 2012 lineup. Passes start at $20 and can be purchased now.

Dtoid user Prryjcksn is helping put this event together so make sure to say hi and guilt him into?? letting you cut lines.

The post Come see some games at Toronto’s Gamercamp appeared first on Destructoid.

It looks like a little information has leaked before the Microsoft press conference this morning. A new Splinter Cell game!

Called Splinter Cell: Blacklist, the screenshots show Sam Fisher (?) doing some manly things in some really dusty locations. Also, the cool stylized location graphics are back from Conviction! I love those. Check out all the screenshots in the ?gallery below.

We will most likely find out much more about this game during Microsoft's media briefing in about an hour. Stick with Destructoid!

The post E3: New screenshot?s reveal Splinter Cell: Blacklist appeared first on Destructoid.