I know…I know…this is the billionth splinter cell in the series. What could possibly make this game worth getting over other big hitters like Just Cause 2 Final Fantasy XIII? Well I hate to break it to you, kittens, but there aren’t too many new features that are going to ‘wow’ you over to this game. It just continues getting a little bit darker, and give you actual guns this time! No more taser rifle, or air foil guns. This is mainly just the next in the line of games, so if you’re looking for something new, youre probably going to want to keep this one as a renter.

The visuals are all top knotch, except for the cinematic scenes before and after the levels. The models and environments in those actually look worse than the in-game engine. Backwards? I know its supposed to be grainy to simulate the film quality, but there is still a noticeable difference  between the two, and not in the way it should be. Thats the only gripe I had on the technical side at all besides the AI, but the AI is just what youve come to expect from any other Splinter Cell title. I didnt find any problematic glitches at all. The controls are a little different since there was the introduction of the ‘mark and execute’ system, but absolutely nothing off the wall that is going to make you completely fudge up your game, like jumping up and yelling instead of sliding in to cover.

The story is the selling point, and its pretty killer. Pun intended. It finally winds down the saga and Fischer’s story, and reveals some info that kind of throws you for a loop at a few points. Just like Assassin’s Creed II, it was really the story of the game that kept me playing. The game, as a whole, has kind of fallen in to just a “go here, kill them quitely’ style of play, which has its pros and its cons. Its almost just a straight line from point A to point B.

The motion and movement on this game was pretty disappointing. In the previously released versions, you were able to hop on, over, behind, etc. etc. almost everything in the game. In Conviction, however, you are extremely limited to what you can do with the environment. Its almost a skeleton of what it used to be in that regard. You are still able to venture off the beaten path and find the super sneaky ways of getting to where you need to go, but you just dont have the options that you used to when it comes down to escaping or getting wily in both the single and multiplayer modes.

The last thing I’ll hit on is the multiplayer modes and unlockables. They have cut out the spy vs mercenary side to it. Everything except for one mode revolves around co-op, which again, has its pros and its cons. The story mode for co-op is a decent length. Its not just a filler like it is on some games. The unlocks are decent. You unlock different weapons after so much game play, and are able to upgrade both them and your uniforms to give you more access to gadgets, ammo, armor. you know how it goes.

This game is a must play, but not so much a must buy at the launch price. Give it a bit and find a used copy after it drops down one or two times.

Splinter Cell: Conviction – 6/10

I’m going to be a negative Nancy and start with the bad for this review. This game is fun fun fun in the sun sun sun, until you start playing the missions. The writing and voice acting for this game are HOOOOORRIBLE. All of the dialog sounds like it was written by 14 year olds that think they know how to make an action movie, and the actual voice actors don’t sound like they’re too far behind that. At some points it feels like they cut out pieces that you’re supposed to see / hear and did a very poor job editing it back together.

The map and environments are another trouble spot for me. You can destroy a lot, but not everything. It all looks very nice, but the things you can destroy have a very preset look and feel to them. Everything will blow up or fall down the exact same way every time. The map itself is HUGE, which would normally be a plus. But its more like 75% desert, 25% city. With the exception of a few side towns, most of the towns and communities you find are spaced FAR apart from each other. So far that if you lose your vehicle somehow in between the towns you’re going to, you’ve fudged yourself over for the next ten minutes. Enjoy walking or whatever it is you do when you press the sprint button, cause its not sprinting. On top of all of this, the towns and missions have a very Assassin’s Creed feel to them. Meaning that there are really only 3 or 4 originals, and the rest are carbon copies of those. On the plus side, you’ll feel like you know everything like the back of your hand after completing 15% of the game.

Ok. Enough bad mouthing. Now to the… good… mouthing? Can I say that? There are still good points to the game. The grappling hook and the parachute are fun toys that you get to play with. They are two of your main allies against all the choppers trying to gun you down for attempting to blow up everything in sight. The hook will attach to almost everything, can tether two objects together, and provides you with that extra way to cause more carnage. The parachute is an interesting addition to a game like this, letting you get to different places safely, or helping you get from one place to another. The cinematic elements they throw in are also nice touches. Jumping off cliffs or driving of big ramps (or more cliffs) will kick in a very nice looking “follow the leader” camera angle that gives me goosebumps every time it kicks in. I like the idea of the vehicle hijacking also. If you’re just stealing from citizen Bob or Sally, then its just a quick button press to get in. If its a more serious vehicle, they will require you to complete a button pressing mini game. When you combine all of the mentioned items together, you have tons and tons of self created situations that will keep you giggling and craving more destruction.

Here’s that technical mumbo jumbo. After one or two sessions of the demo, I had the controls down solid and was ready to be tearing ass all over the city on foot, in vehicles, or just being Spiderman grappling from roof to roof. The cinematic scenes done with the in-game engine, so you don’t really get an awesome show between missions. The map itself, tho is very pretty, especially when you kick in the cinematic camera and enjoy it from a parachute.

This wound up being another wait-to-buy. It seems like it was kind of rushed to get to the floor. Its another good $30-40 game, but in my opinion, definitely not work the $60 launch price tag.

Just Cause 2 – 6/10