Splinter Cell: ConViction

[ProjectPat2280]

Yea, with you man. Love the direction. We finally get to see Sam REALLY act like a bad ass. Iv said it 100 times, but i love the Jack Bauer influence.

 

[ChrisBaleBatman]

Showing another gameplay demo on g4 right now.

I'm liking the new cover system, you can set a mark on the floor near cover and Sam will quickly jog crouch over to the cover. Pretty slick.

I watched that, it was cool all right.

And we got it confirmed too. Sam heads back to Washington after that level, so perhaps he does some wetwork (forced or otherwise) for the government before rebeling again.

I've always liked it where it was before.

Eh, I thought it always had too much attention to it. But, it was better before...because it stayed out of the way of the cover.

By the way...Gamestop has that box art posted for Conviction at it's website for pre-order. So, either everyone thinks it's the cover...or may actually be the cover.

Yea, with you man. Love the direction. We finally get to see Sam REALLY act like a bad ass. Iv said it 100 times, but i love the Jack Bauer influence.

Agreed, man.

My list of games...just got longer thanks to E3...

 

[ChrisBaleBatman]

Here's the link to the gamestop Splinter Cell Conviction product page:

http://www.gamestop.com/Catalog/ProductDetails.aspx?product_id=65497

Says it ships 10/20, too...

 

[ProjectPat2280]

Haha, man 2009 is kicking sooo much ass.

 

[livrule]

The footage definitely delivered, so glad this guy is no more:

The 'prep time' addition looks to be great too. I need this.

t: ... That feels like a lifetime ago now.

I remember forcing myself to feel excited back then ............. simply beacuse it was Sam Fisher and I missed him.

Now I have genuine hope ... The delay was so worth it.

 

[BlackLantern]

yes...Hobo Sam...I remember the article in GI about all the processing it took for Sam to pick up a chair and throw it....

 

[ChrisBaleBatman]

yeah.

they had like a 6 or 7 screen breakdown all about how he picks up a chair and hits someone with it.

As if this were the WWE.

 

[BlackLantern]

it seemed like a big deal at the time because it was a big change from the previous Splinter Cell games

 

[CELTICPRED]

It made me rage.

Hated it so much.

 

[livrule]

Also looking forward to hearing about possible online/multiplayer mode.

I'm one of the few that REALLY enjoyed Double Agent online ... and still do.

I know it was a drop in standards from PT and CT but I still get a buzz running around the likes of Boss House and Dawn Waves blowing away spies.

 

[CELTICPRED]

I'm one of the few that REALLY enjoyed Double Agent online ... and still do.

I also enjoyed MP. It could be thrilling as both a merc and spy.

But they really have to work on the skill progression system. I kept playing and didn't move a percent, no matter how many different things I did to people, and that made me lose interest once I got my rank high.

 

[ProjectPat2280]

My fav MP experience, ever, came in Chaos Theory. That co-op is still my fav co-op ever. It worked SOOOOO well. I loved communicating and coordinating attacks with my buddies. I mean there would be times where we agreed to take out a certain enemy at a set count point knowing if we were off by just the smallest margin we would blow our perfect rating. Just great co-op and i hope there is something similar. A separate story line within the game.

 

[ChrisBaleBatman]

Yeah, they need to bring back the co-op to the 360.

The Xbox DA game had one, so...I expect this one to have one as well, considering it's the same team.

ConViction seems to be winning best of E3 award from a lot of people so far who watched the conference. It really seemed to stand out.

 

[ChrisBaleBatman]

http://www.destructoid.com/splinter-cell-conviction-will-have-multiplayer-dlc-planned-135659.phtml

Splinter Cell ConViction will have Multiplayer, and DLC is planned

This post isn't going to seem much like an actual story to some of you, and that's due to the fact that it mostly isn't. Multiplayer support and downloadable content for a game in a large, established franchise? In this day and age? Yes, it's not exactly an unusual scenario.

But because Splinter Cell: Conviction was right up there with Scribblenauts for "biggest E3 surprise" or whatever you want to call it, I suppose people really care. Talking with Ubisoft producer Alexandre Parizeau, Joystiq found out about Conviction's alarming new secret.

Ubisoft Montreal will be handling the game's multiplayer, which isn't being discussed until later this summer, and has plans to "continue expanding the experience" with additional content once Conviction is finished. Pretty standard, really, but since it's Splinter Cell, I'm being told to change my reaction to "OMG NO WAI!"

 

[ChrisBaleBatman]

http://www.joystiq.com/2009/06/09/interview-alexandre-parizeau-talks-splinter-cell-conviction-e/

Interview: Alexandre Parizeau talks Splinter Cell: Conviction, evolving characters and stealth

It was no shock to anyone when Splinter Cell: Conviction made an appearance at E3 2009, but the new look and presentation for Sam Fisher's latest action adventure took us all by surprise. Gone is the sulky and in hiding Sam Fisher shown years ago -- replaced by an offensive powerhouse ex-soldier, searching for revenge. Adding elements with appropriate buzzword phrases like projected objectives and dynamic stealth, Ubisoft Montreal hopes to push Sam beyond traditional stealth action titles.

We had a chance to speak one-on-one with Ubisoft Producer Alexandre Parizeau to discuss the evolution of Fisher, how Ubisoft wants to change stealth and to compare Sam to everyone's favorite television hero, Jack Bauer.

The last time we saw Splinter Cell it looked drastically different. It was around that time that Assassin's Creed was going to come out and they shared similar traits -- crowd control, for example. What was the thought process behind bringing Sam and the series back to the drawing board?

Well, the first thing is ... when we showed the game it was very early at the time and we were really trying to innovate and try something different for the franchise. When you try to innovate, some things work and some things don't. Not necessarily as you would like. What we tried to do in the last couple years was to ground all those things, so those things still exist. They are still apart of the game. We've still got crowded, or simulated environments. We're still using the same technology and we're building on what we had shown.

But we grounded it, in a direction that feels more like a Splinter Cell game. So, we brought back elements like light and shadow to make it feel like a right successor to Splinter Cell. "When you try to innovate, some things work and some things don't. Not necessarily as you would like."


Were there things that the team at Ubisoft Montreal looked at from that original Splinter Cell: Conviction footage and you thought, "This works, but this doesn't..."

It's not necessarily stuff that we took away, but it's more that we built on it. We grounded the features to work better with the franchise. So, like I mentioned, bringing back the light and shadow gameplay and more of a mix between crowded environments and infiltration, like you've seen in the demo.

Of course this is the first we're seeing of the game, but many fans of the series want to know if the multiplayer will return in Conviction.

We're going to have a multiplayer, but I can't talk about it anymore than that. It's part of the things we're going to announce during the summer.

Is the multiplayer being developed by the team at Ubisoft Montreal along with the single player?

Yeah, everything is being developed by Ubi Montreal.

Conviction is planned for release later this year for the Xbox 360 and PC...

Yes, this fall.

What are the plans for beyond the release of the game? Is this the time you would begin to think about downloadable content?

DLC? Yes, it's always part of our strategies. We always want to keep the content fresh, so as soon as the team is done with the game we can move on and continue expanding the experience. It's going to be part of our plans, for sure.

Examining what you've shown so far, Conviction has a new "Mark and Execute" feature to the game (which has limited uses during gameplay). From what it looks like, the marking looks like the system used in Rainbow Six Vegas with the added element of, what appears to be, a quick snap to target system. How does that element work? How do you respond to people saying that may make the game too simplistic?

The "Mark and Execute" really was all about ... put it this way, you've seen Jack Bauer peak into a door, right? And, well have you seen the movie Vantage Point?

Yes. It's one of Dennis Quaid's finer works.

There's a great scene at one point where the bad guy puts on a mask and storms into a building. He's got a sound suppressor on, he's on the move, he's fast, but he's stealth. No one knows he's there, he's clearing the building, right? So think about "Mark and Execute" like this, stealth -- in the past -- has always treated the same way. It was more like a defensive tool. You're hiding in the shadows and waiting for the right moment and then you attack. What we wanted to do is give tools to the player to be more on the offensive, but remain stealth. Remain silent and undetected -- become the predator that you're supposed to be. You're supposed to be like Jack Bauer. You're Sam Fisher, the best elite agent in the world. You're supposed to be able to do that kind of stuff.

Some people are worried it's going to make the game too easy, but it's not. Have no fear at all. It's an added tool that lets you do the first step when storming a room or area or a situation. But you'll have all the tools that you're used to use as well. It's just an added tool to allow you to be a bit more offensive. To be that predator that we want you to feel like you are.

You've mentioned Jack Bauer a few times already, originally when Splinter Cell came out it was very military heavy. It wasn't really about Sam the character, but focused instead on the situations this person was going into. It seems Double Agent and Conviction have made the situation much more personal. Why shift focus to Sam Fisher the character?

When we were approaching the design of Conviction, the main thing was where Sam was now in his life. What did he have to deal with? That's the first thing we're thinking about. He lost his daughter, he lost people around him, he's out of Third Echelon. That's going to affect the way he deals with situations, right? That's how we approached this situation. That's also the idea of dynamic stealth came from because we're like, "He's not going to be the same person when he reacts to situations as he was when he was working for Third Echelon." It's a completely different scenario.

When we came up with the dynamic stealth, the idea came from... we didn't want to break up the pace with cinematics, so we had to come up with ways to tell the story in real time -- like the projected objectives. So, everything is embedded for the same purpose which is, where is Sam in his life now? And how we make you feel like that, like Sam Fisher.

"It's just an added tool to allow you to be a bit more offensive. To be that predator that we want you to feel like you are."

Splinter Cell: Double Agent had multiple endings to different scenarios. Continuing the story in Conviction, what is the official ending of Splinter Cell: Double Agent?

(smiles) You have to play Conviction to find out.

That won't be a problem. I notice the demo you're showing off here actually says demo at the start menu. Are you planning to release this demo to the public at some point?

Uh, maybe later ... closer to the release.

So, you've got to tell us. Has Sam had some work done? He looks 10 years younger in Conviction.

(laughs) Does he? You know, Sam Fisher is a bit like those characters in movies like James Bond. He's ageless, right? He's a great character that I'm hoping my kids will play with later, in the future.

Do you think that, for instance at the end of Double Agent, it felt like Sam was the Splinter Cell on his way out. That he might retire and a new guy would take his place to bring the game back to what it originally was. But players associate Splinter Cell with Sam Fisher and not ...

Third Echelon?

Right. So, is bringing this back to the roots of the franchise a way to quell those fears that this character was on his way out? As in, Sam is the Splinter Cell.

You know, we love Sam Fisher he's a great character. He's a complex character and we haven't seen a lot of who he is, right?

That's true.

We saw a bit of that in Double Agent and in other games where he's a bit sarcastic, but really efficient. We wanted to show a different side, a different angle of Sam Fisher. This is a different part of his personality and I think it's going to be interesting.

Thanks a lot, Alexandre.

Thanks for dropping by.

 

[livrule]

Awesome .... didn't have to wait long for my question to get an answer.t:

 

[ProjectPat2280]

This was my game of E3. Really wasnt expecting that. This game was the best thing shown. Cant wait for it.

 

[ChrisBaleBatman]

Slightly unrelated...but here's a one-page comic I did a while ago. Posted it in the fan art section, but still...

 

[Lando81]

this game gives me a *****

 

[ChrisBaleBatman]

It gives everyone one.

I'm very happy that they held back and did not release the Hobo Sam.

I wish more developers would do this. Do what they FEEL is right for the character. Listen to the fans, if they're not happy..adjust. Even if it takes years.

Seems to have paid off for ConViction.

And yes, I'm still doing the capital V think. Cause it's cool.

 

[ProjectPat2280]

Wow Bale, nice, i SUCK at drawing. Really, really suck. Really suck.

 

[XxDelta09xX]

http://www.destructoid.com/splinter-cell-conviction-will-have-multiplayer-dlc-planned-135659.phtml

Splinter Cell ConViction will have Multiplayer, and DLC is planned

Holy Crap.

 

[BlackLantern]

listen to the fans, but still use their own intuition....the fans are NOT always right

 

[ProjectPat2280]

I hope there is some co-op. The co-op from Chaos Theory is still my fav co-op. Ever.

 

[XxDelta09xX]

I hope there is some co-op. The co-op from Chaos Theory is still my fav co-op. Ever.

Yeah that was some good co-op.