Ubisoft faced early development challenges with Conviction, which was originally designed to be similar to Assassin’s Creed II, with crowd-blending as a major aspect of the game.  Even the storyline, which saw Sam Fisher as an escaped convict (hence the title of the game), was scraped.  The delays concerned Splinter Cell fans, but it is clear that Conviction is yet destined to be the Splinter Cell game you’ve been waiting for.

The basic formula for any stealth-based game includes hiding, sneaking, plenty of shadows, and killing silently.  There are plenty of these elements in Conviction, but what this title brings to the table are the Mark and Execute and Last Known Position systems.  Mark and Execute rewards players for making hand-to-hand takedowns with insta-kill moves, which come in handy when situations get really desparate.  Last Known Position adds tremendously to the stealth genre by giving the player an understanding of where the enemy A.I. is focusing on, which the player can use to flank the enemy.  These two systems add to alter the pace of the game, as well as the strategy that a player implements against the enemy.

Another gameplay element Conviction brings to the table is in the form of a graphical indicator that informs the player when Fisher is completely shrouded by the darkness.  Essentially, the colors on the screen will desaturate when Fisher is hidden, allowing the player to know that the enemy is unaware of Fisher’s position, while preserving the player’s ability to see what else lies in the dark.

Fisher’s keen ability to move from cover to cover, along with his ability to climb poles and ledges with agility make for some awesome moments, especially those involving takedowns (death from above, and pulling an enemy over a ledge).  Speaking of takedowns, they are brutal, silent, and oh so satisfying.  While the animations in hand-to-hand takedowns are varied and plentiful, one could only imagine what they could be if Fisher was equipped with a combat knife.

And speaking of equipment, there is an array of sidearms, submachine guns, machine guns, and gadgets at Fisher’s disposal.  Each of these tools are upgradeable, and none seem to be overly powerful.  One of the more notable pieces of equipment in the game are the sonic goggles, which use sonic pulses to precisely determine enemy positions, even through walls.

Some of the most memorable moments in the game come from the interrogation sequences, where players can control Fisher to use his environment to forcibly compel a person to give up valuable intel (ever wonder what it would be like to smash a bad guy’s head into a urinal or piano?), all the while, memories and words are stylistically projected onto walls and surfaces.

The story digs deep and connects the player with the emotional pain Fisher has suffered by focusing on the loss of his daughter, the death of Lambert, his relationship with Grim, and his friendship with Victor Coste.  Unfortunately, the game’s main plot is far too muddled, and while the life of the President of the US is on the line, there aren’t enough “big” moments to make the story feel epic.

Conviction’s short single-player campaign is definitely replayable, as players will try various tactics in each of the levels, but this title’s lasting appeal rests in the robust multiplayer modes.  The four variations of Conviction’s horde mode are more refined than those we’ve seen by most FPS titles, due primarily to the stealth mechanics in the game.  Each of the (two-player max) modes allow each player to take on the role of an international covert operations agent, equipped with the same tools and skills Fisher possesses.  So just like in the single-player campaign, players will be able to sneak in the shadows, climb pipes, and hang over ledges to quietly kill enemies.

In the Hunter game mode, the objective for players is to eliminate all enemies in each level or zone, but any detection of the players will lead the A.I. to call in more reinforcements, so the goal really is to engage the enemy as stealthily as possible.

The Last Stand mode is more of a traditional horde mode fare, but with a twist.  Players must protect an EMP bomb which is placed in a fixed location against waves of enemies that get smarter and tougher with each wave.  The EMP can be repaired if any damage is inflicted upon it, so teamwork is absolutely essential to distract enemies to allow repairs to take place.

Face-Off is a competitive adversarial mode where two players will battle each other in a map populated with A.I. enemies gunning for both of them.  Using the A.I. here to lure in or defeat an opponent adds a nice level of depth.

Lastly, there’s Infiltration, which is unlocked through Ubisoft’s Uplay system (gain Uplay points just by playing the game, which accumulate to unlock Infiltration and other unannounced goodies).  In this mode, players must kill all enemies without detection, but this time, players also have security systems to evade.

Aside from these four Deniable Ops missions, there is the Prologue campaign mode that introduces two new characters and additional settings, allowing two gamers to engage in five to six hours of gameplay.

To top off these multiplayer modes, Conviction includes the Persistent Elite Creation System (PEC), which allows players to earn points through gameplay challenges to upgrade weapon, gadgets, and even uniforms and skins.  Buffing up a character will be even be visually represented by extra ammo or gadget packs, so in addition to real practical effects, the player’s character will be graphically distinguishable based on the upgrades unlocked.

Multiplayer is incredibly compelling, but only when playing with another serious player.  It goes without saying, but anyone attempting to play with a person who is only interested in playing as a lone agent will find themselves very frustrated.  And speaking of frustrations, Ubisoft’s Uplay server is still in its beta phase, which means that downtimes and server issues will be an issue.  Lastly, there is a bug that prevents some players from unlocking an achievement for completing the single player campaign on realistic difficulty, but hopefully this issue will be resolved with an update soon.

While there are portions of this game that play more like Rainbow Six than the classic Splinter Cell, stealth is still a primary component in its gameplay – the key is to keep a keen eye out for a pole to climb, a ledge to hang over, or a box to hide behind.  Overall, Splinter Cell Conviction will resonate well with fans, and as an added bonus, purchases of Conviction will guarantee access to the Ghost Recon Future Soldier beta later this year.