Sam Fisher Almost Reloaded!

If the time-honored principles of an established game series a radical overhaul undergo, which is always a certain risk for the developer and the part of the game can clientele one hand relief, but on the other hand also evoke anger. We hereby take Splinter Cell (= SC), which was directed with Conviction in entirely new stealth paths. What in my opinion, was high time, after Double Agent served the same SC-soup from the day before, and in bad ester implementation which one only can imagine: A arg soulless espionage agent who roams in a pale story übelst designed missions and is surrounded by AI morons. No, thank you, because the trimmed for speed and action thrill gameplay adjustments were doing really well, especially since it finally understood Ubisoft, rauszuholen from the personality Fishers over the known Veteran with nichtvorhandenem profile. The new chapter Splinter Cell: Conviction (= SC: C) was a really exciting show history, finally, there was a common thread that linked the individual missions make sense for the first time loud shooters had no alibi existence, the opponents (!) acted stubbornly and not nearly as hollow as in the past, and the beautifully revamped presentation in picture and sound was little to be desired. A successful fusion of a quiet stealth and dynamic tactical action was found.

The changes bore fruit, SC: C blossomed into the best selling SC ever, critical voices were, however - as you might expect not far. The elders among the SC-hare came with the modernization of SC-great-mechanism is not clear, just because Old Sam on some of his gadgets (including his famous Three-eye) and renounced his opponents unexpectedly hard tackled, ie bloody into virtual nirvana sent.
What to do now, so that no player page comes up short? Ubisoft has the answer. It reads Splinter Cell Blacklist (= SC-B), which brings back the most important ingredients of the old series beginnings without the refreshed SC this: to turn C gameplay under the table. This combination works and plays for long stretches pretty good, but with some SC-roots return have, unfortunately, again crept some avoidable Alt weaknesses while Ubisoft allowed himself to strange design decisions.

In accordance with the continuous chronology SC-B assigns directly after the events of SC: C. Third Echelon's history, Sam Fisher has returned his daughter believed dead and is now head of the new intelligence, which Tadaaa be !!! creative enough, Fourth Echelon calls and all covert operations draws from a flying command center from. Well, after last opponents were defeated from within the company, there are the usual suspects - ie stereotypical terrorists that put America under pressure. Either all scattered around the globe US troops are withdrawn or the Engineers bring the war into Amiland what at the end means targeted attacks, with ever-increasing violence.
The game plot shows afloat and sleekly staged like a Tony Scott Strip, the core remains fairly insubstantial and can not refrain from numerous derailments into the pathetic. Even Sam Fisher are themselves sometimes more than the most patriotic of all patriots, and the encounters extremely mad at. After his great performance in SC: C we have it again, this decal of a characterless shadow viewfinder. After all, he has not lost his cynical humor, and his team designed Sam one or the other scene halfway amusing, all the protagonists remain nevertheless quite stereotyped. So from the story and the character development in total you must not expect too much, which is quite a shame, almost incomprehensible, but where was shown in the previous, that it can be much better.

Consider us the actual game part of SC-B, the thing looks a bit rosier. Ubisoft has kept its word and actually combines old mechanisms of the accelerated play. Gewohntermaßen is any shady place, any secluded corner where he can hide his second home (and life insurance at that), and quick as a flash he miraculously from cover to cover or climb pipes, Fester cornices and every imaginable-tangible edge along to from there ambush of unsuspecting opponents. To his favorite activity - vigorously to bring darkness into light - comes Mr. Fisher also well enough what it gives the possibility of being seen as possible enemies to pull over. If you want to discard several bad guys at the same time, can the SC from: C Mark & ​​Execute known to select and off target individuals, but this is only possible if you have previously done a single terrorist from behind harmless. Here the player is free to decide whether the force used anesthetic or lethal nature should be.
Ubisoft wants to make every player type right, so each mission will end durchanalysiert any playing style, evaluated and rewarded with virtual currency, which can be sending you invest equipment besides weapons in upgrades of Paladin-based or in Sams. For thoughtful tread the most money ends up in the agent piggy bank, also keeping a time limit for implementation of the Mission will be rewarded separately. Problem of the whole only: No matter how you ultimately plays Part 6 of surreptitious series are far too generous with the pay, even the loudest troublemakers get enough from. So it is just by the half of the game and there is nothing more you could possibly unlock. An old Ubisoft lapse that is known already from the Assassin's Creed series: lot of moss in my pocket, and the players know basically no where to put it. And only among us: Really Winning depends on only a very few of these upgrades.

The level design is in itself quite successful and varied, which primarily applies to the main campaign, which has very few blunders. However Purist Schleich comrades must not fall into the belief that SC-B can be solved completely nonviolent. Reaching for a gun demanded mandatory at certain points, has two sections one even in a conventional manner Ego-Shooters (!!!) by hitting the target, what else does not allow the target. SC goes back to the roots ?? Only in your dreams, my friend.
The side missions fall compared to the campaign significantly. In most of these follow up a request to clean up small maps held by enemies or to compete against several successive enemy waves. Only two or three jobs actually go hand in hand with the original SC-Credo.
For KI: If you caught Sam in the corner of her eye, she ruled fairly quickly. When he was discovered, she quarrels long, goes on the attack and looking stubbornly the environment from when he is looking into the distance. But in simpler situations it presents itself to correct stupid. To operate a simple light switch or even to take a look upward, to them is not still capable. Fisher could shimmy over tens of terrorists away and spit them on the head, you would not notice it.

Graphically, the new SC has again made a leap forward. Inside is still working that no longer really dewy Unreal Engine 2.5, but Ubisoft has this been optimized and improved, that this could easily pass as a version 3. DX11, coherent illumination (with slightly intrusive transition effects), chic shadows thanks to Ambient Occlusion, good movement animations and highly detailed environments. An excessive gloss effect lets Fisher and Co. unfortunately look like freshly polished action figures, the facial expression seems limited, occasionally falling ugly spongy textures eye, invisible level limits can be reported, and if three-Eye Sam's legs in the hand takes one means he would 'nen floor in the rear. Especially Sam Fisher is almost unrecognizable, CGI Botox and thick polygon muscles have turned him into an unexpectedly tapered, wide edge.
It has its small flaws, but taken as a whole to SC-B does not need to hide.

Sadly, Ubisoft has left of the grandiose orchestral music of its predecessor, now pushes an indefinable something from electronic sounds and beats loud as background Mucke from the speakers. After a few hours of play you get used to it, to the catchy soundtrack but never developed for the effect setting is free of any blame. The localization is expected to be exemplary, especially Nicolas Cage strain spokesman Martin Kessler gives the good Sam Fisher its unmistakable coolness. Strangely only that talks are under opponents (with few exceptions) only be effected in the foreign language and not even subtitled. Afghans, Russians, English (!!!), and still others ... In 99% of cases you can not figure out what should be the content of this chat and whether any drinsteckt a useful info for Mr. Fisher. A strange design decision on the part of Ubisoft to create a more authentic atmosphere? Or the money supply was hasty in full translation turned down? Did not have a clue.

Oh Every now and then is SC-B a right bitch. When things whim, it has not seen on good days the connected XBOX360 controller, then to less good again. And the Fixed HD resolution forgets the game off well and. The GB-serious patches that Uplay has darufgeschaufelt later because no remedy created.

Conclusion:
Playful relatively good mix of old and modern SC-ingredients with good scope, faster production, but low-stress story with inappropriate pathos (Fisher has never been American as here, and that's not a compliment!). Some caused by design changes Ungereimheiten despite a nice stealth shooter, though not quite so round and catchy as its predecessor.