Review: Splinter Cell: Blacklist

It’s always strange when a developer decides to make drastic changes to a franchise’s mechanics mid-series. Going too far in a different direction can have dire consequences, just look at Tomb Raider: Angel of Darkness to see exactly how not to do it. Sometimes developers can hit a home run, as Capcom did with Resident Evil 4, but they then find themselves being slated for not making even more changes for the sequel. Apparently, gamers are not an easy bunch to please.

In 2010 Ubisoft released Splinter Cell: Conviction, a game that had seen four years of development hell, in which it had been scrapped at least once, and finally emerged as something drastically different from the games that came before it. The emphasis this time was to be the hunter, not the hunted, and the gameplay was adapted as such. It was a great game, but it didn’t really feel like Splinter Cell.

Ubisoft have taken this into consideration with Splinter Cell: Blacklist, and have managed to create a game that feels like a perfect mix of series high point Chaos Theory and black sheep Conviction, blending them together with a storyline worthy of the Tom Clancy name, and adding some mechanics the series has never seen before, Splinter Cell: Blacklist is not only a great addition to the franchise, but can easily sit next to Chaos Theory as one of the series greats.

Taking place sometime after the events of Conviction, Blacklist sees Sam Fisher, now voiced by series new comer, Eric Johnson, reluctantly taking charge of the newly formed Fourth Echelon in order to stop the Blacklist, a series of attacks on America orchestrated by a terrorist group known as The Engineers. It’s fairly standard Splinter Cell plot, but there are enough twists and turns to keep it interesting. With returning faces to the team, a couple of new comers, and one I wasn’t expecting at all, there is enough here to keep it interesting. The only downside being the story’s anticlimactic ending; I actually had to search online to make sure my copy hadn’t bugged out.

Hang in there kitty!

I’d like to take a moment to commend Johnson on his performance as Fisher. Replacing the legendary Michael Ironside was never going to be an easy job, and Johnson has taken it in his stride, giving us a more ‘human’ interpretation of Fisher. Series purists may also be pleased at the news that Ironside was behind the scenes offering advice to Johnson, and is himself pleased with the young actor’s performance. Calmed down? Good, then we shall continue.

For the most part, the gameplay is the tightest the series has seen. Fisher sticks to the shadows, diving from cover to cover, and uses pipes to hunt, and sneak his way through multiple missions that take place in various locations around the world. The movement is fluid; with most actions mapped to the A button for smooth traversal. It lacks the nuance seen in Assassin’s Creed, but it works. I did run into a couple of problems with the controls, with the ‘one button for everything’ system often getting confused from time to time. It isn’t game breaking by any stretch of the imagination, but when a flawless mission was marred by a mistake that wasn’t my fault it became very frustrating very quickly.

Mark and Execute, an insta-kill system that allows Fisher to target multiple enemies and stylishly execute them after certain parameters have been met makes a return to the series. Many will be pleased to know the gameplay is no longer focussed around this mechanic. Night vision and thermal goggles also return to the fray after their worrying absence from Conviction, and a light on Fisher’s back will illuminate to indicate when he is hiding in the shadows; I was hoping to a return on the awesome black and white colour drain feature from the last title, but with the sheer amount of detail in the environments this time round I can see why it didn’t return. There are also a ridiculous amount of guns and gadgets to unlock and buy, ranging from non-lethal to utterly devastating.

Conviction’s take on combat really seemed to split fans down the middle, with some loving the emphasis on hunting, and purists hating it with a passion. Blacklist tackles this head on and offers up three different play styles to utilise and be awarded for in the form of Ghost, Panther, and Assault.

Don’t turn around! If you wanna see my heart breaking…

Ghost sees Fisher sneaking through missions in true Splinter Cell fashion, never being seen and avoiding combat where possible. When avoiding conflict isn’t an option, taking out guards silently and non-lethally is the name of the game. Panther mixes stealth with combat, focusing on stealth kills and utilising distraction techniques. Assault on the other hand sees our gruff hero live out a Rambo fantasy.

Blacklist sees a return to a mission based structure, with a hub available between missions for Sam to walk around and talk to NPC’s, upgrade equipment, or replay missions. The hub is a huge aeroplane named The Paladin that, like Fisher, can be upgraded using money acquired by completing missions and objectives. These upgrades help Fisher in numerous ways, whether it be through acquisition of new black market weaponry made available to purchase or unlocking a radar to use during missions.

The main focus within the hub is a huge console in the middle of the control room known as the SMI. The SMI allows Fisher access to missions, upgrades, a Meta game, and online games. It’s a great system that allows seamless switching between campaign and multiplayer without excessive menu navigation.

There is a lot to do in Blacklist, with each mission having several secondary objectives to complete, and each main member of the team having additional missions for Fisher to take part in. The secondary missions are simple, and revolve around Sam collecting things from the battlefield such as intel from a laptop, and dead drop (usb stick with intel), or capturing a high value target.

Apparently Fourth Echelon get their tech from Stark Industries.

The missions from the team members themselves are fantastic and varied, with numerous rewards and upgrades available upon completion, and most can be enjoyed solo or cooperatively with a friend locally or online. Of course, that isn’t Blacklist’s only foray into the world of multiplayer, as this title also sees the return of the much revered Spies Vs Mercs mode.

Spies Vs Mercs is a harsh mistress. Initially the only ‘Classic’ mode is available to play, with the subsequent modes being unlocked every five levels or so, which I have to admit annoyed me greatly.

Classic mode is a modernised version of previous Splinter Cell Spies Vs Mercs; the levels are draped in darkness, pitch black in areas, with the mercenaries hunting spies through dimly illuminated rooms, utilising torchlight for those hard to see areas. The aim of the game is simple; spies must hack terminals whilst guards defend them, teams swap roles at half time, and the winner is the team with the most terminals hacked.

After levelling up to level five, Blacklist mode is unlocked. Blacklist is a brand new 4v4 take on the old classic, with customisable spies and mercenary load outs that really support individual play styles. Equipment and costumes can be unlocked by collecting currency throughout repeated play, much like upgrading Fisher in the story mode, so it really pays to stick with it after the initial arse kicking the first few matches will hand out. There are multiple game types to try ranging from terminal hacking to this games personal take of capture the flag, giving the mode an extended reply value that was missing from the other titles.

This is what you get for tweeting on company time!

One of the problems with Spies Vs Mercs mode is that it forces the player to play certain game types until the necessary level has been reached to unlock a new mode. I feel in this day and age of gaming, especially considering the increased focus on multiplayer that this generation has created, that all game modes should be available from the off. By forcing the player to play a mode they may not necessarily enjoy, Ubisoft are potentially putting players off what is otherwise an excellent mode.

The other problem was the difficulty I encountered upon beginning my first game of Spies Vs Mercs by having newcomers (like myself) up against players who have been playing it for longer. My first few games were hellish, plagued with unresponsive team mates and excessive spawn camping. It wasn’t until a couple of hours later when I’d unlocked the other modes and begun to upgrade my avatars that the enjoyment began to kick in.

Spies Vs Mercs is without a doubt a mode that has to be played with friends due to its emphasis on stealth and communication with team mates. In my experience with random players, communication was second on their list of priorities; instead of focusing on their own quest for glory as would be expected in a game of Call of Duty. That style of play has no place in Blacklist, and unfortunately, for the first couple of months at least, it’s going to be plagued by it. Don’t be put off though; once the linear progression and difficulty spike have been broken through, what lies beneath is an absolutely fantastic piece of multiplayer goodness that will keep fans of the series happy long into the future.

All in all Splinter Cell: Blacklist is fantastic. A fully realised single player campaign that fits perfectly at home with the rest of the series, and just enough changes to keep it fresh while still retaining a feeling of familiarity, complimented by the outstanding, if unforgiving, multiplayer modes that will keep people playing long into the winter months and beyond. And with DLC being released for it already, it’s apparent that Ubisoft see the potential this excellent addition to an already excellent game has to offer. If this is what they are managing to squeeze out the end of this console generation, I can honestly say I cannot wait to see what awaits Sam Fisher and co. as we sneak head on into the next.

Official Game Site

Tags: Sam Fisher, Spies Vs Mercs, Splinter Cell Blacklist, Ubisoft