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GAF: How was Splinter Cell: Conviction?

Derrick01

Banned
There's two kinds of stealth.

Passive stealth is about sneaking up on enemies and killing them before they know you're there. This is about being careful, slow, and methodical.

Active stealth is about getting engaged in a fight where the enemies know that you're around somewhere and they're actively looking for you. This kind of stealth is built around messing around with the heads of the enemy.

Splinter Cell Conviction is an amazing active stealth game. All the haters were just disappointed that it wasn't passive stealth like the previous Splinter Cell games.

I hated it because the "stealth" you describe usually revolved around killing enemies. You're mostly correct in your description but the way you deal with those enemies is by shooting them with your super-awesome auto headshot-through-walls mechanic and by other guns. It's extremely hard to sneak by people or use the environment on them except for a few cases where they place a few guys directly under a chandelier as a big "HEY SHOOT THIS" message.
 
Splinter Cell Conviction is an amazing active stealth game. All the haters were just disappointed that it wasn't passive stealth like the previous Splinter Cell games.

No I was disappointed that the game was in development for ever and the result was a 4.5 hour turd that insulted my intelligence.

Pro-tip: Games that you require you to consistently empty room after room of baddies in order to complete them are not stealth.
 
One aspect of the game that killed the "active stealth" for me at times was the way the music stopped and Fisher made some comment every time he cleared the area of enemies. It was sort of like a big flashing message saying, "feel free to stop being stealthy now!"

But guys, at the very least, don't try to act like the remote mines and sticky cameras weren't fun to mess around with...
 
One aspect of the game that killed the "active stealth" for me at times was the way the music stopped and Fisher made some comment every time he cleared the area of enemies. It was sort of like a big flashing message saying, "feel free to stop being stealthy now!"

Seriously Uncharted 3 was more of a stealth game than Conviction ever was.
 
As a huge fan of Chaos Theory (especially SP and Coop), I liked it nonetheless. While I did miss a lot of classic Splinter Cell features (namely, grabbing people for interrogation - I LOVED squeezing every last detail out of everyone -, hiding bodies, actual nightvision, and so on), I still had a blast playing it. I love that Sam is much more agile than in previous entries, which was always kinda weird considering his physique.

For Splinter Cell 6, I'm hoping for a hybrid between the two. Best of both worlds.
 

Dabanton

Member
Deniable Ops made everything better.

It was basically old school splinter cell with a few bells and whistles.

Even better in co-op but just as awesome playing by yourself.
 
Deniable Ops made everything better.

It was basically old school splinter cell with a few bells and whistles.

Even better in co-op but just as awesome playing by yourself.

And yeah, have to fully agree. It sounds obscure at first and many people probably never played it, but it's so much fun. Pistols only on realistic is most definitely stealth gameplay.
 
Edit : lol already responded to this thread some time ago.


And yeah, have to fully agree. It sounds obscure at first and many people probably never played it, but it's so much fun. Pistols only on realistic is most definitely stealth gameplay.


Must admit I haven't. My dislike for the game was for the singleplayer part which is really what I want in a game most of the time.
 
Must admit I haven't. My dislike for the game was for the singleplayer part which is really what I want in a game most of the time.

Totally understandable. I was skeptical at first, too, but while waiting for a buddy to play some coop, I decided to give it a go on my own to pass the time. And it was, simply put, fun.

It may even get better by setting up individual goals or going for those in-game challenges, such as "Finish a level without firing a weapon" or "Kill X enemies without reloading". Or just restrict yourself to a certain gun.
On the other hand, it's also a blast (sometimes even literally...) to mess around with the various gadgets.

Oh, and one more thing: If you turn gadgets off, you won't have the Sonar Goggles either. Seriously, losing the ability to see through walls makes it all the more exciting.
 

SmokedMeat

Gamer™
If you're not a Splinter Cell fan, which I'm guessing you're not, then you'll have fun with it.
It's not a bad game at all.
 
Let's just say it was as if Sam suddenly went into the Animus and found out he was Altair's and Ezio's descendant.

It wasn't bad, it's just that it wasn't what Splinter Cells were all about. Really short too.
 

noquarter

Member
I really enjoyed the first three SCs, and this Was a lot easier than them. The enemies didn't seem as smart and there were not as money cool moments (like sneaking through a window in a kitchen, picking up a can and knocking some dude out with it by tossing at him from behind a counter). Having said that, I still enjoyed the game.

I was a lot easier, and I didn't really find any areas I wanted to replay like I did in the older ones, but as a quick single player game, if you get it on the cheap, you could have fun with it.
 
Deniable Ops made everything better.

It was basically old school splinter cell with a few bells and whistles.

Even better in co-op but just as awesome playing by yourself.
The heavy Conviction critics seem to forget deniable ops is there for whatever reason. It fills the classic Splinter Cell necessities while the campaign offers something new.

It doesn't match Chaos Theory but there's a good game to discover in Conviction for what it is. Controls are super tight and pathing cover routes by tagging is an original control mechanism unlike anything i've seen before. Shoot tag is really fun and has been copied by other games even, however they should've balanced a bit because it makes things too easy. The physical combat is an upgrade over the previous games also.

There are still ways to sneak pass enemies (withouth confronting them) but is a lot harder to do and they kind of force the player to clear rooms instead of pass by them unnoticed. But the possibility is there.
 

EYEL1NER

Member
I'm in the minority, but I loved the game.
I don't think it is a bad or even mediocre game by any means. I understand how SC fans could be disappointed though and I get that their disappointment may cloud their opinion a bit. I know it has happened to me many times.

The stealth is good in the game. Maybe not vintage SC good, but I played the entire game as stealthy as possible and had a really enjoyable time. I did enjoy being able to shoot out the lights and cause sound to distract enemies in older games, but I did not enjoy being detected and it all being over for you, either because the mission is failed at that point or because an enemy puts 2 rounds into you and you're dead. This game fixed that for me. I would get spotted a couple times and find my way out of it, but I often found myself reloading the checkpoint to see if I could be more stealthy and not get detected, because I had so much fun creeping through the shadows.

I also really enjoyed the cinematic kills. I imagine they took some people out of the game, having the kills performed for you, but they made me feel like a badass.

I really liked the presentation as well. The graphics looked good to me. I absolutely loved the text for stuff appearing over walls and the ground and whatnot.

I think most people who aren't jaded over the lack of Spies V Mercs agree that the co-op is fun. Just don't play it with someone who wants to run 'n' gun through the levels like I did. It makes things very difficult.

The game is more casual than the earlier Splinter Cell games, more focused on action, and easier. These things are negatives for most people it seems, especially SC fans. But I didn't mind any of those things. I got the game for about $7 during a Blockbuster sale just to add it to my collection and was very surprise by how much I enjoyed it.

Edit: And apparently this is an old thread. But maybe their is some 'idiot' like me out there who likes stealth-lite games and gives it a chance because of my post.

Edit 2: I guess I posted ITT already too. Refreshed the page in the mobile app and saw my post near the top of the page. Go figure.
 
I'm in the minority, but I loved the game.
I don't think it is a bad or even mediocre game by any means. I understand how SC fans could be disappointed though and I get that their disappointment may cloud their opinion a bit. I know it has happened to me many times.

The stealth is good in the game. Maybe not vintage SC good, but I played the entire game as stealthy as possible and had a really enjoyable time. I did enjoy being able to shoot out the lights and cause sound to distract enemies in older games, but I did not enjoy being detected and it all being over for you, either because the mission is failed at that point or because an enemy puts 2 rounds into you and you're dead. This game fixed that for me. I would get spotted a couple times and find my way out of it, but I often found myself reloading the checkpoint to see if I could be more stealthy and not get detected, because I had so much fun creeping through the shadows.

I also really enjoyed the cinematic kills. I imagine they took some people out of the game, having the kills performed for you, but they made me feel like a badass.

I really liked the presentation as well. The graphics looked good to me. I absolutely loved the text for stuff appearing over walls and the ground and whatnot.

I think most people who aren't jaded over the lack of Spies V Mercs agree that the co-op is fun. Just don't play it with someone who wants to run 'n' gun through the levels like I did. It makes things very difficult.

The game is more casual than the earlier Splinter Cell games, more focused on action, and easier. These things are negatives for most people it seems, especially SC fans. But I didn't mind any of those things. I got the game for about $7 during a Blockbuster sale just to add it to my collection and was very surprise by how much I enjoyed it.

Edit: And apparently this is an old thread. But maybe their is some 'idiot' like me out there who likes stealth-lite games and gives it a chance because of my post.

It's been said several times in this thread, but it bears repeating: Splinter Cell: Conviction is a good game that is a lot of fun. It's just a really bad Splinter Cell game. Don't go into it thinking it's a Splinter Cell, and you'll be fine.
 

EYEL1NER

Member
It's been said several times in this thread, but it bears repeating: Splinter Cell: Conviction is a good game that is a lot of fun. It's just a really bad Splinter Cell game. Don't go into it thinking it's a Splinter Cell, and you'll be fine.
As I said in my post, I know the feeling SC fans have about the game, because it is a feeling that I have had with many movies, games, albums, books, whatever.
Something doesn't live up to the past game and I initially hate it. I saw it a lot with Saint's Row The Third. I myself was a bit disappointed with the game when comparing it to the second (but not disappointed enough to hate it), and saw several people who said outright that it was a terrible game because the second was better.
Or it happens a lot with Treyarch CoD games (which I love, including CoD3) when people compare them to Infinity Ward games.

People sometimes need to just take a moment to think, and say to themselves "Just because this is not as good as the best game, does not mean it is terrible."
Having something be 'good' when compared to something that is 'great' can be a let-down, but 'good' is still better than 'bad.'

Of course I know that there are people who specifically want a stealth game and this doesn't fit the bill. And there are people who have legitimate issues with the game. I am not saying everyone or even most everyone is jaded. Sometimes people just don't like something.
 

Ushojax

Should probably not trust the 7-11 security cameras quite so much
It's fun as long as you pretend it's a 24 game. As a Splinter Cell game it's laughable.
 

Brandon F

Well congratulations! You got yourself caught!
Moments in it were great and really capitalized on the gameplay conceits/gimmicks well. Then again, I lost steam about 3/4 through and never finished.
 

elsk

Banned
I loved it. I'm not too much of a fan of stealth games, maybe that's why I enjoyed this different kind of Splinter Cell game.
 

Brandon F

Well congratulations! You got yourself caught!
What the fuck! No. God no. Definitely RE4.

Not at all. RE4 was a dramatic shift that is highly beloved by fans new and old. It revitalized the franchise and its successes in design have bled through to other industry releases.

Conviction on the other hand did not at all share similar luxuries.
 
I really enjoyed it from beginning to end. Its a great action game, but not a great Splinter Cell game.

Ditto. The interrogation sequences made me cringe in a good way, and was in general a good execution of the "You wouldn't like me when I'm angry" angle for Sam.

This was basically Taken: Splinter Cell edition.

My personal favorite sequence was walking into Third Echelon HQ.

"I don't have an appointment." *boom*
 

Rigest

Neo Member
I really missed spies vs mercs. It really was a unique kind of multiplayer. I enjoyed the multiplayer though, but I havn't played it as much as spies vs merc.
 
Good production values but its a really poor stealth game because Sam is basically invincible. Your wayyyy too accurate and able to land headshots from a distance with silenced weapons, and once they give you nades and emps to go along with that it gets kind of boring.

With that said I'm going through it again due to picking it up for the Ghost Recon beta and am having a good time.
 
Deniable Ops should have had a pacifist mode where the goal was to get through unseen taking out as few people as absolutely necessary. Seems like a missed opportunity that they forced you to kill every single person on the way through to the point where you literally can't proceed if you left one person alive.
 

Rigest

Neo Member
Although I liked the concept of multiplayer where there are NPC's as well (PvEvP). It really didn't work that good. Especially when you see each other and you run at each other bashing B and hoping that you would win.
 

NickMitch

Member
A great game in my opinion (for what it´s worth). I believe that people think it´s too action oriented because it´s easy to take the "gears of war" route instead of the Splinter Cell route. But if you get serious about stealth then its a nice challenge to clear a level without being detected and killing everyone.

And if you go into the P.E.C-challenges you are forced to play different styles to complete all the challenges.

Also, as stated earlier. Co-op is ZAMAZINGA!

But where the game really shines is in the control department. I went directly to Deus EX: H R after playing through the Splinter Cell campaign and boy did i struggle with the controls.
Every third person game should have the Conviction controls. They are brilliant. Simply brilliant.

Besides, conviction is really cheap these days, so there is no reason to hesitate.
 

rvy

Banned
Not at all. RE4 was a dramatic shift that is highly beloved by fans new and old. It revitalized the franchise and its successes in design have bled through to other industry releases.

Conviction on the other hand did not at all share similar luxuries.

I was talking from a quality standpoint. I don't care what the fans think.
And RE4 is not "highly beloved by fans new and old".
 

jufonuk

not tag worthy
I really liked it, but having said that I never really played the other instalments, so my basis was off of that one game, plus had no chance to play online...
 
Splinter Cell Conviction is an amazing active stealth game. All the haters were just disappointed that it wasn't passive stealth like the previous Splinter Cell games.
Truth in a nutshell. It isn't Chaos Theory but its a great alternate take on the series with some kick ass co-op and challenge modes. I am a long time fan of classic Splinter Cell games and I still absolutely loved it for what it was.
 
It was okay, but it was another game where everything became more mainstream and straightforward, more emphasis on presentation and less on compelling gameplay.

There was really only one stand-out stealth level, the rest of the game may as well have been any old 3PS.
 

KorrZ

Member
No reason not to try it out OP. It's cheap now and by no means at all a "bad game". If you're expecting hardcore stealth like Chaos Theory you're going to be disappointed, but since you're coming off Arkham City I think you'll enjoy the more "eliminate everyone in the room creatively" stealth. Co-op is great and it's a lot of fun trying to get perfect on the challenge modes.
 

ZealousD

Makes world leading predictions like "The sun will rise tomorrow"
I hated it because the "stealth" you describe usually revolved around killing enemies. You're mostly correct in your description but the way you deal with those enemies is by shooting them with your super-awesome auto headshot-through-walls mechanic and by other guns. It's extremely hard to sneak by people or use the environment on them except for a few cases where they place a few guys directly under a chandelier as a big "HEY SHOOT THIS" message.

Within the context of what I described as "active" stealth, what's the problem with killing enemies?

Look, if you were disappointed with the fact that Conviction was not the same kind of game that the other Splinter Cell games were, that's fine. I understand that. But just because the style is different doesn't make it a bad. That just means it's a different style.

If the game had starred Jack Bauer or Jason Bourne nobody would have complained.
 

Derrick01

Banned
My problem with the killing in the game is it was just hiding behind cover and headshotting enemies, either by using the super-awesome auto headshot through walls ability or just lining the target up because you didn't have to manually aim. It was boring and even easier than most shooters. There wasn't very much to it.
 
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