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I have no problem saying that this is the best Splinter Cell game to date. Customization and (except for some forced sequences) the choice to tackle a problem however you want is refreshing when compared to most games out there in circulation right now. The only issue I had with the customization was that it requires you to purchase weapons and equipment in order instead of picking and purchasing what is available.
That being said, my only true problem has nothing to do with game play mechanics but with the voice acting. This is the first Splinter Cell where Micheal Ironside does not voice the protagonist Sam Fisher. Eric Johnson does a fine job on his own but his voice is nowhere near that of Ironside's. The whole time I couldn't shake the feeling that I was playing as someone else besides the Sam Fisher fan's of the series know and love and even when listening to the game I still tried my best to imagine Ironside's voice instead.
Great game, I recommend it to anyone who is a fan of the stealth/action genre of gaming.
Next time Ubisoft bring back Ironside for the voice (let someone else motion capture, technology can do it) and you'll have absolutely one of the best games of the year.
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Splinter Cell: Blacklist is the latest installment in the beloved series. With Splinter Cell Conviction, Ubisoft decided to make the game less about stealth and more about brute force. Sure, there was the option at times of using stealth but I never felt the need to use it. With Blacklist however, stealth plays a much bigger role. Gone are the days when it was ok to charge headlong into a room emptying clip after clip on enemies. While I enjoyed Conviction, Blacklist takes all the good parts of Conviction and adds so much more to it.
For a game bearing Tom Clancy's name, the plot line is exactly what you would expect. Terrorists are threatening to destroy something and an elite group of soldiers have been given carte blanch to stop them. In this case, terrorists are threatening to destroy the United States by systematically taking out high value targets, or what they call the Blacklist -things like energy, food; basically the backbones of the country. Sam Fisher of the elite 4th Echelon is tasked by the President to do anything necessary to stop the attacks. While the plot isn't spectacular, it serves it purposes to facilitate the missions and lead you towards the final encounter.
From the first mission it's evident that there is an enhanced fluidity to movement. It's easy to slip into the shadows, mantle over cover, climb up a pipe and drop down onto an unsuspecting enemy. There is a certain satisfaction in sitting in one spot for several minutes studying enemy movements to really plan out a route that will either let you slip by completely undetected, or to divide and conquer without raising any alarms. Each mission allows you to complete it any number of ways; some force you to remain undetected while others encourage it by sending in swarms of reinforcements. It proves beneficial to not start large scale gun battles.
One complaint I had with Splinter Cell Conviction was, while stealth was a game mechanic, there was very little true need to use it. That has completely changed with Blacklist. Sam Fisher can only take limited damage and when multiple enemies are attacking it can end very quickly. Planning before the mission is just as important. Deciding what gadgets and gear to equip before you put boots on the ground is imperative to making the mission go as smoothly as possible. There is a wide array of gadgets you can purchase with money earned during the mission such as smoke bombs, EMP grenades, sticky cameras, sleep gas grenades, etc. Depending on your play style, there is certain to be gear you will quickly fall in love with.
Graphically the game looks good. On Xbox there is an optional HD Texture pack that can be installed from disc 2. It's approximately 3 GBs of data; honestly if you have the space just download it for the full effect of the game. Lighting and shadows are well done. The lights on Sam's suit flare when you are under cover of darkness. They provide a nice indicator so you are not left guessing if you are in the shadows or not. Likewise, the sound track and effects are pretty good as well. They won't win any awards here, but they don't detract from the game either, but with one exception. I have a surround sound headset which is perfect for a stealth game like this. However, on more than one occasion the enemies footsteps did not mesh with where the enemy was on screen. This created some frustrating moments when I needed to go off enemy positions purely based on sound.
On top of the single player campaign there are two multiplayer offering as well. The first is the fan favorite Spies vs Mercs mode. Spies are elite, agile stealth-based characters who need to hack certain terminals, all done in third-person perspective. The Mercs and heavily armed, first-person based characters whose job is to stops the Spies from hacking or to kill the spy responsible for the hack before it completes. Playing as the Merc, there is always a sense of tension as you search for the spies, knowing at any moment you may be taken down by a lithe assailant. Conversely, as a Spy you know if you are caught in the open the fight will end quickly. There are a couple different modes within the Spies vs Mercs umbrella. Classic 2 vs 2, 4 vs 4, and then Uplink where there is a combination of Spies and Mercs on the same team. All three are high tension modes, but when you succeed luring an enemy into a kill spot and execute it to perfection, there are not many video game moments that can live up to it.
The other multiplayer mode is 14 Co-op based missions. These appear as side missions during the campaign, and all but 4 can technically be done solo. Yet, playing through these missions with a partner adds an entirely new level of strategy, planning, and tension. Executing double kills, having a partner distract a guard so the other can sneak up behind them and eliminate them is so rewarding. I have never hid the fact that I love co-op games, missions, or stories. While Conviction had a Co-op mode, it was a self-contained story and felt more like an add-on. The co-op in Blacklist feels and plays so well. Enemies rarely do the same thing no matter how many times you play a mission, so repeating the missions with different play styles, or partners, still offers an engaging experience.
I haven't enjoyed a Splinter Cell game this much since Splinter Cell Chaos Theory. Blacklist went back to the roots of what made it an outstanding game and added more variety and appealing gameplay. I have always been a fan of stealth-based games, a few games claim to be stealth-based but quickly become run and gun games where the only stealth is hiding when you are waiting for your health to regenerate. Blacklist is not one of those games. It's a game that forces you to plan ahead, and rewards you for good choices, and punishes you for rash decisions.
Pros
Stealth, that actually works and is beneficial
Amazing Co-op and MP modes
Fluid movement
Cons
At times audio is out of sync with events on screen, most notable enemy footsteps
At times the control scheme gets in the way of the game
Splinter Cell Blacklist is the stealth game that Conviction promised it would be. With solid gameplay, and fantastic level design, it delivers many memorable moments while not sacrificing its true vision. Allowing the player to play anyway they want through almost each mission, and still feel as though it was the way the developers intended it, is a testament to how much Ubisoft wanted to get this right. Blacklist is a deeply rewarding game for those who take their time, plan, and execute a strategy. If you are looking for a fast paced, run and gun shooter you can play like that. If you are looking for a game where you can sneak past virtually every enemy leaving nothing but a shadow behind, you can play like that. If you want something in between those you, you can do that as well. While Conviction was a decent game, Blacklist excels as a stealth -based game with loads of replayability. This is one game I will be trying to convince as many friends as I can to pick up. This one is simply too good to ignore.
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Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program We were very lucky to get an advance copy of Blacklist for the 360 and have been playing it pretty relentlessly for the past couple of days. If you are a fan of stealth genre games in general (especially latter Splinter Cell games) and the bombastic ridiculous set pieces of Call of Duty/Uncharted then you will have a blast playing Blacklist.
The plot makes sense in some sort of alternate universe, but frankly it's just a vehicle for a globe-trotting backdrop and creative level design. Thankfully "Mark and Execute" make a welcome return from Conviction allowing for lots of RTS-lite entertainment. Deaths were frequent but the fun-factor high enough so that they were never a barrier to try and try again.
One of my personal issues that I have is that Michael Ironside is no longer the voice actor for Sam Fisher. Having played the series from its inception, this was more than a little irksome. The elephant in the room (Eric Johnson is the new voice and also provides the motion-capture for Sam) becomes immediately apparent when climbing into character. Fortunately, I'm happy to report that ultimately you will probably come to be comfortable if not pleased with Eric's voice talent (which he does in fact possess) before the end of the game as I did. He's still not Sam in my personal opinion, but I admit that he's growing on me. If Ubisoft can't commit to bring Michael back to the series, then sticking with Eric is a tolerable second option.
We haven't spent a bunch of time playing co-op -which isn't exactly a harkening back to Chaos Theory -but provides for plenty of fun for two people to kill and kill time. We spent most of our time plowing through waves of enemies in any way we could. The best part was that can be on the same screen as well as online! Hurray for couch co-op!!! Spies vs. Mercs is also back. However since we kept getting our butts handed to us we opted to spend the majority of our time swapping playing the single player which is both globe-hopping and fun, and most importantly doesn't ever feel like you're repeating yourself.
Running and gunning is only good for about the first third to half of the game, so you may want to brush up on your stealth skills on occasion in the early missions since you'll need to employ at least some of your gadgets from time to time to advance. A couple of missions are utterly dependent on them. That isn't to say that the game isn't merciful enough to allow for lots of trial and error, but even when you die that old Splinter Cell feeling comes back enticing you to try new angles and tactics.
And that's the bottom line. If you're invested in Splinter Cell you'll be pleased to invest in Blacklist which is in our opinion is the best stealth game in this generation on the 360 (for reference Deus Ex was a close second).
Honest reviews on Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Blacklist - Xbox 360
I haven't got too far in the game only a level or 2. This installment is more similar to the first 3 than Conviction and Double Agent. I thought DA was OK and wasn't a huge fan of conviction. There are a few upgrades in Conviction that worked, and they are in this game. You can move from cover to cover with ease, it still has the shadow of you're last known position. A door says open on it (in small letters, there isn't writing all over the screen.) But the best part, the missions, are more like the first 3 original XBOX games.
The weapon systems are like COD, not as may but earn as you go. Before you go to a mission, you put together a loadout with whatever gear you want to use. You can also upgrade his suit, gloves, boots, etc. It seems like you can also climb and hide behind everything. The shooting is really good, but it takes a while to adapt to. The buttons are different than COD and changing weapons is different. You can't take out 10 guys by yourself but I guess that's more realistic. You also have to shoot the bad guys several times, at least with the initial weapons.
This game probably resembles Chaos Theory the most, except better missions and better graphics. The A.I. is good, typical SC where 2 guys are bitchin about their boss and you come up behind him and take him out. You're always on "the paladin" where you pick your mission and gear. The campaign missions can be played in different order to a point. The 3 or 4 people on the ship also have Ops for you to go to earn extra points for more gear.
The campaign starts in places like Benghazi, Afghanistan and Iraq.
Cons:
1 No Michael Ironside. The guy does a good job though.
2 Sam is 35 now. He should be in his 40's or 50's.
3 Multiplayer doesn't seem appealing yet.
4 No interrogations. You knock out a guy or terminate.
5 No saves. The checkpoints are few and far between.
My consensus is buy it if you liked the first 3. For the hardcore SC fan this one picked up where the last one dropped the ball. I'll go out on a limb and say probably best SC ever.
Re-edit as of 9/20
Made it to dic 2 and it keeps getting better. I highly recommend playing it at perfectionist setting, it last longer and is more challenging. No shadow of where you were seen, so xray vision, and more realistic.
My only qualm is the new character. The voice over does a good job but totally different persona. He used to be an older seasoned bad a**, now he is like a character from "Strike Back". He's younger, kind of a prick, and almost douchey, always mad-dogging the camera.
The gameplay however is excellent. I'm generally pretty harsh on reviews, but I can't imagine anyone not giving it 5 stars.
Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Blacklist - Xbox 360
Love this game, reminds a lot of my favorite one in the series which was Chaos Theory. Great single player campaign that you can play again and again. But the multiplayer is where it's at, Spies vs Mercs nuff said. My only complaint is that I wish there was more multiplayer maps. Maybe they will release some in the form of DLC.
