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Splinter Cell Blacklist: Chaos Theory Modernized

D

Dark Octave

Banned
"Mark and execute doesn't work" makes it sounds like they left the feature in the game from the previous one so you can still line them up but when you pull the trigger, nothing happens.
 
Liamario

Liamario

Banned
I understand why people like Chaos Theory so much, but this looks like a lot of fun. It may have strayed away from the roots of the series, but that doesn't make it a bad game.
 
S

StevePharma

Member
This game will probably not even touch the holy greatness that is Chaos Theory.

I'm sorry but that game is on another level. You'll have to pull out some serious tricks to be allowed to be compared to CT.

Yeah I'm one of the biggest CT fanboys and will give Blacklist a shot but what I'm seeing right now does not really evoke CT to me.
 
T

TheSeks

Blinded by the luminous glory that is David Bowie's physical manifestation.
Enemies deny melee attacks from the front.
Click to expand...

Fucking finally.

But "penalizes you if you go on a rampage/kill someone" isn't on this list. So this still isn't Splinter Cell to me. Call me when Perfectionist punches you in the balls for even USING your gun to get through a level with the exception of taking out lights. >:|
 
X

Xater

Member
Bony Manifesto said:
I'm more offended by his assertion that players are going to be excited about the tension between Grimsdottir and Sam in the cutscenes ("wow there's history there!"), and that there's some returning character. Seriously, whether you enjoy Conviction or the older games, is there a single soul that gives two shits about the story?
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I can't recall anything about the SC stories.
 
D

Derrick01

Banned
Liamario said:
I understand why people like Chaos Theory so much, but this looks like a lot of fun. It may have strayed away from the roots of the series, but that doesn't make it a bad game.
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Then don't call it Splinter Cell. Make generic action game IP #27 and let the fans keep getting Splinter Cell. We don't get true stealth games anymore because they've all been turned into action hybrids. You have 200 other action games with a crouch button to play.
 
U

UrbanRats

Member
Jay-B said:
I kinda feel bad for them. They lost most of their fanbase with Conviction and that wasn't offset by big waves of newcomers to the franchise.
Now nobody really cares about this game, and it's been sent to die in the August desert.
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I'll buy this.
I had fun with conviction and i'm not an old Splinter Cell fan.. only, not at full price.

As a Tomb Raider fan, though, i understand the fans' venom towards this.
 
M

Magic Mushroom

Member
Eurogamer preview:

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-01-30-splinter-cell-returns-to-the-shadows-with-blacklist

The mill's roof is being scoped out by snipers - one of two new enemy types, alongside the canines that are also open to being taken out by the overstated brutality of Sam's takedowns - their laser sights piercing through the blue-black night. Evasion's the only tactic that really works effectively, enforcing the stealth that was thought lost.

Inside the mill, it's a warren of possibilities: there are lights to be shot out, lift shafts to rappel down and patrols to attack or avoid. It's a space alive with options, and the reward system for all three play-styles smartly never punishes you for choosing the wrong one. Everything's permitted, it seems, and importantly that means that true stealth - memorising patrol paths, playing with the shadows and exercising extreme patience - is not only possible, it's positively encouraged.

Enabling emergence is the ideal, then, and it's something that Blacklist looks to be able to pull off with some style and with no shortness of slickness. It's worth noting that no matter which way you push or pull Blacklist right now, it's an incredibly professional effort - no surprise given its lineage, perhaps, but still no small achievement for a studio that, despite its wealth and accumulated experience, is still a start-up.
Click to expand...
 
S

szaromir

Banned
TheSeks said:
Fucking finally.

But "penalizes you if you go on a rampage/kill someone" isn't on this list. So this still isn't Splinter Cell to me. Call me when Perfectionist punches you in the balls for even USING your gun to get through a level with the exception of taking out lights. >:|
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You could shoot your way through quite easily in Chaos Theory, even on the highest difficulty.
 
S

Sober

Member
Perfectionist mode sounds like a bit of a drag. They should just be there, or M&E should just be unused since they weren't going to use it anyway.

Unlike Conviction which did not have whistling or distractions to throw, looks like Blacklist has them so being forced the M&E shouldn't exist any more.

Just noticed though, is it just me or have they not shown night vision at all? Did they just remove it entirely and just have your goggles have sonar/heat/etc on a cooldown instead now?
 
K

KageMaru

Member
Can Crusher said:
Sam didn't play like a super hero though.
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I know, I was only joking around.

While it reinforced the need for stealth, I did find it odd how an agent like Sam was always so helpless with combat in the earlier games.

Derrick01 said:
Then don't call it Splinter Cell. Make generic action game IP #27 and let the fans keep getting Splinter Cell. We don't get true stealth games anymore because they've all been turned into action hybrids. You have 200 other action games with a crouch button to play.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately this direction is inevitable due to the cost of game development these days. If we want another Splinter Cell, they have to do what they could to make the games appealing to a wider audience.
 
R

RedSwirl

Junior Member
Voice of Reason said:
Sounds like the mode I'll be playing it on then, but this would only work if the fundamental design is on par with Chaos Theory.
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This. My biggest problem with Conviction was ultimately that its level design was much simpler than that of Chaos Theory. I actually appreciated a lot of the changes it made to the controls, but the environments were what ended up constricting my options.

If they want Blacklist to live up to CT's spirit, each level needs to be a true sandbox.

Anyway, they still need to shut the fuck up about singleplayer and tell us about versus. How many people here are actually hoping that it might resemble CT and Pandora Tomorrow versus? They'll probably hold that shit back until E3.

Also, I'm actually expecting them to launch PC day-and-date. They've never delayed Splinter Cell on PC before, only Assassin's Creed, Prince of Persia (I think), and the most recent Ghost Recon.
 
I

iMax

Member
HotHamWater said:
For me, Chaos Theory had the best of everything the series has ever done. Gameplay, the single player, the multiplayer, the co-op - even the soundtrack was astounding. I'll be completely honest, I consider Chaos Theory to be one of the greatest games ever made.

I can see why Conviction is appealing to some, but the gameplay is just horrible (again, to me), the story has that goddamn fucking retcon and spys vs mercs is abandoned.

It's worth noting that the Eurogamer preview says Ubisoft plans for the PC version of Blacklist to be day and date.
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I do miss Spies v Mercs. I played it heavily in Double Agent. That map in the dockyard was fantastic.
 
G

Grief.exe

Member
RedSwirl said:
This. My biggest problem with Conviction was ultimately that its level design was much simpler than that of Chaos Theory. I actually appreciated a lot of the changes it made to the controls, but the environments were what ended up constricting my options.

If they want Blacklist to live up to CT's spirit, each level needs to be a true sandbox.

Anyway, they still need to shut the fuck up about singleplayer and tell us about versus. How many people here are actually hoping that it might resemble CT and Pandora Tomorrow versus? They'll probably hold that shit back until E3.

Also, I'm actually expecting them to launch PC day-and-date. They've never delayed Splinter Cell on PC before, only Assassin's Creed, Prince of Persia (I think), and the most recent Ghost Recon.
Click to expand...

I fully expect them to have very simple levels.

Can't leave the lowest common denominator behind!
 
R

RoKKeR

Member
Relevant:

splintercell.gif
 
S

Sec0nd

Member
Who is this guy?

jg3XFMu.png


Edit: On a more serious note, I think the game looks like fun. I've already accepted the fact that there will never be a game like the old Splinter Cell games. And while that fact sucks, it made me embrace Conviction for what it was and it was a pretty cool game. If you play the game like they meant it, it's a lot of fun. Already thought Blacklist looked pretty cool this game mode makes me more excited for this game.
 
M

Mr.Monitor

Member
Like others are mentioning, I get the feeling this is going to break the game the same way higher difficulties in Hitman: Absolution did. If I'm wrong, awesome. I'll probably play on that mode, then. Aside from that, if they're aiming for something in between CT and Conviction I'm totally fine with that and will probably end up enjoying it, with or without perfectionist mode or whatever it's called. I'll wait for some more impressions before I decide to pick it up or not. From what I'm hearing so far, it'll be a fun weekend killer just like Conviction, so I'll probably wait for the price to drop on it a bit.
 
S

szaromir

Banned
KageMaru said:
I know, I was only joking around.

While it reinforced the need for stealth, I did find it odd how an agent like Sam was always so helpless with combat.
Click to expand...
He wasn't that hopeless though. From a proper spot you could kill pretty much any number of enemies.
Unfortunately this direction is inevitable due to the cost of game development these days. If we want another Splinter Cell, they have to do what they could to make the games appealing to a wider audience.
Click to expand...
Unfortunately. I hope one day games with lower fidelity graphics become relevant again so that the producers don't feel they need to target absolutely everybody.

That said, it looks like it'll come down to the level design. Pretty much all the stealth options are back (whistling, dragging bodies, various gadgets etc), so the question remains if there will be space to hide and run around unseen.
 
O

Omega

Banned
Sober said:
Sam's face has changed pretty much a lot between every game (except 1 and PT) so I guess it's par for the course.


Watch the IGN video, it's a little more generous in terms of stealth and that one was in reaction to the Baysplosions E3 reveal.
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I don't read or watch anything that comes from IGN so no thanks.

Does this game at least get rid of that stupid black and white filter when you're in shadows?
 
S

StevePharma

Member
szaromir said:
That said, it looks like it'll come down to the level design. Pretty much all the stealth options are back (whistling, dragging bodies, various gadgets etc), so the question remains if there will be space to hide and run around unseen.
Click to expand...

This. Clint Hocking knew what he was doing in CT. I used Dishonored last year as my semi Chaos Theory fix. Amazing level design. I want that back in Splinter Cell.

Also, I want the secondary objectives stuff back from CT, and how finding out stuff/doing objectives in one level had a little impact on what you have to do on the next level. Little risk/reward gameplay.
 
T

The Nature Roy

Member
I have no hope that it'll be Chaos Theory II, but I enjoyed Conviction for what it was and I'm sure I'll enjoy this too. I actually had a lot of fun soloing the co-op mode in Conviction.
 
T

TCRS

Banned
don't insult us by comparing blacklist to Chaos Theory. we're not stupid you know? ubisoft has fucked up the entire tom clancy franchise and for that they all deserved to be fired. Just let it die if you don't know how to carry on.
 
D

dragonbane

Member
I don't even know how you could modernize Chaos Theory. It is still almost perfect. Modernizing is probably not a good thing in this context and refers to instant kills, no stealth and intense violence.

The new difficulty sounds nice, but the overall package is still not very appealing to me.
 
H

hao chi

Member
Meh, I'll give it a rent. My expectations are at zero, so I'll be impressed if Ubisoft still manages to disappoint me.
 
D

Dick Justice

Banned
Now is the game actually designed well enough that it will be playable on this difficulty, or is it a tacked on load of horseshit like the purist difficulty in Hitman Absolution, which is just there in a weak attempt to win over the hardcore players?
 
M

Messofanego

Banned
Saying "chaos theory modernised" sounds like sensationalist headlines, because Maxime Bellend even says "we're not trying to make another Chaos Theory".

Sam looks like he's in his late 20s. Hilarious how over the series history, he gets the Benjamin Button treatment.

I'm not completely down on the game like others, since I haven't even played it, but I feel a bit cynical that they're bringing back mechanics maybe to fool old fans. Who cares though, Spies vs Mercs!
 
S

Sober

Member
dragonbane said:
I don't even know how you could modernize Chaos Theory. It is still almost perfect. Modernizing is probably not a good thing in this context and refers to instant kills, no stealth and intense violence.

The new difficulty sounds nice, but the overall package is still not very appealing to me.
Click to expand...
As much as I'd like them to make CT2, it feels like Blacklist is their take on CT at Conviction speeds (so more lethal options, faster/fluid movement), which I guess is an okay balance, as long as they give us more nonlethal/stealth tools that went missing in Conviction.

The levels are still a big thing though. The memorable CT levels were the big sandboxes you could have almost complete access too short of scripted moments, with a few linear and loose (to use Kotaku's term) levels that were still funneling you through something (Korea in SCCT is a good example, if not the starting CT mission, or pretty much the first two games).

I do hope there are some more free sandbox-like missions where you infiltrate a building or something but they mix it in with a more linear and loose path to reach it. As long as any of the more sandbox portions are strong areas, I think it'll be reasonably good.

The extra hard difficulty appeasement mode is kind of dumb (like in Absolution) except for the front melee blocks. I don't remember thermal breaking through walls in the older games and sonar is supposed to do it anyway, so don't know why they had to make mention of that. M&E is nice for keeping track of guards but if they have whistling back then you won't be stuck with Conviction where you have to M&E/go lethal because of guard placement if you can coax them away.
 
K

keltickennedy

Member
TheBaronOfNA said:
It will hardly matter if is not designed properly to work that way. Remember that "Stealth" Gameplay Video?
Click to expand...

Yes, this was my first thought. It sounds awesome. But what about the levels that force the player into firefights our having to call in artillery strikes...I guess we will see.
 
9

90TilInfinity

Member
I'm a big Splinter Cell fan who's given this game no mind since E3 for the most part. I've had (still do to some extent) no plans to buy it, but parts of the Eurogamer preview are encouraging. I'd suggest reading it.
 
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