A step back - in a positive sense

Splinter Cell was a long time still as the epitome of "Stealth". Each part of the large number (handheld offshoot etc. excluded) always has been improved, with Chaos Theory to his time with the Stealth Action Games a masterpiece succeeded. Double Agent was unable to reach the level in my opinion. Perhaps you tried Conviction therefore also something entirely different. Away from Stealth, towards action. Under the whole story of protagonist Sam Fisher is a logical step. But even if the gameplay took place very smoothly, the story was quite successful and therefore had a lot of fun with Conviction, bled a page of my Splinter Cell Heart for the missing elements of stealth. The elements then Chaos Theory did so incredibly well. With Blacklist Ubisoft is now a step back and tried a balancing act between the action of Conviction and the stealth of parts 1-4. But for beginners can also be quite painful a balancing act. Creates blacklist this balancing act?

Story: Story-wise you get here nothing special delivered. It is what we know from playing Ubisoft's Tom Clancy. War, Far East, terror against the United States. Eben quite typical standard. But I personally do not want to see as a negative point that. such a setting fit now times simply most likely to this series of games. And as it is said that the story is told quite fast and exciting. An Oscar does not exist for it. But it's definitely entertaining!

Technology: The synchronization is absolutely first class. The processes known from the old parts were characters here again emphasizes the same voices that we now know since some of them already 6 pieces. OK then! For the people who play the whole thing rather in English: There has been a change in the synchronization of Sam. Here, then, is no longer the same voice. Sound effects and music are absolutely sublime and at a high level.
Graphically wins blacklist no price. Poor, the game looks terrible from. Above all, the predominant issues in the dark are really chic. In the Mission in the light falling on a few problem areas. While most character models look very good and have great facial expressions by motion capture, see some character models but from something like dolls.
What you have to let the game is that it's really remarkable what you can still get out of the Unreal Engine 2. However, it is questionable why you went back to his time at the Double Agent Unreal Engine 3 and used with Conviction to a modified version of the Unreal Engine 2. Perhaps more work with the version 3 would have been better.
So a graphic blockbuster you should not expect. The game is ugly but really do not.

Gameplay:
The first major innovation that stands out is the Paladin. The new headquarters of Fourth Echelon, where you can walk around between missions, and interact with the characters. Mass Effect and the Normandy send their regards.
Another new feature that stands out there: Apart from the options menu and quit the game menu, there is no real menu in the game. Everything is part of the equipment on the Paladin. This has very harmonious and fit into the overall setting.
When you start a mission, it then goes to a total linear way, but often with wide action possibilities. Who liked the action of Conviction, then continue as play. Who prefers to play shooter that can easily dispense entirely with the Stealth and shoot around like a maniac around. And how does it look from the Stealth? Is he back? Yes! And how! In order to support a style of play, there are certain procedures in points 3 Kathegorien: Ghost, Panther and Assault. During the Assault is just creeping loose Rumgeballer, the Ghost is what we know from the old parts of the series and loves. Top kill anyone, a maximum stun and remain undetected. The Panther joins between. So far as it goes invisible driving, distracted by skillful maneuvers, the guards and then off by stealthige tricks.
There is then total money. Firstly, you can order the Paladin upgrade for special bonuses, on the other hand can enhance and customize their direct your gear. Many pieces of equipment are broken down again in the Kathegorien Ghost, Panther and Assault. Here you should select the right equipment for your practice. Who wants the matter with a stealth equipment frontal plan, is just as little country look like someone with ner Assault Armor which prefers to sneak. Here it is important to find the combination of everything that suits your play style. And the possibilities are enormous.
In addition to well-known gadgets like the detention camera, Sam also gets a new toy. My personal favorite is the new, flying drone, which can shoot, for example 4 Taser, or frontal flies and explode the enemy's nose. The part can be dropped very universal. Cool!
The Maps are reasonably linear, as already mentioned, but always consist of several larger areas that are often linked by several ways. People who did not like Conviction, because there was little variation and more frontal approach is pleased the. The linked here not only to the old parts, it it even topt.
Mostly you have the freedom to choose how you want to proceed. At only a few places you will forced to kill or stun at least. Again, there are in turn also places where you are allowed and the Stealth is forced to kill her and anyone not are allowed to be seen. Ubisoft want to let you all see, but you can choosing what you want in 99% of the game. It works.

Multiplayer: In those days there were Spy vs. Mercs. Some embody agile, thin armored agents that were controlled from the third-person perspective, the other heavy, slow warriors who were driven from a first person perspective and the agent should stop on its hack-job. That was a great, asymmetrical gameplay. This mode is back. As he was known and loved. And it works even today.
In Conviction, there was then a co-op mode. Together with a partner sneak through the maps and the opponents of unseen. The co-op mode of Conviction was there even significantly stealthiger than the campaign.
The co-op mode will also return. But it does not play any agent as in the predecessor, no it embodies Sam and the new agent of the campaign. The missions vary greatly and are significantly more as designed campaign missions. Several sections, multiple mission objectives and so on. The missions are not just a co-op mode. They are more or less optional part of the campaign, as well as small but for the whole story less relevant, stories are told. Therefore, this mode has been integrated directly into the campaign. Use the map where you select the campaign missions, you can also start co-op missions. Either just for friends, random players, or if required and most of them alone. Really cool and fun. The whole was even integrated to the point where you for each mission, whether campaign Singleplayer, Multiplayer, Coop, Spy vs. Mercs, gets money. What you buy and rearming so is up to you. You can upgrade your spy or Merc from the corresponding mode and vice versa just as with money from the campaign. The Coop integrates so well. So there is no strict separation between single player and multiplayer, but both are interlinked. Extremely fun.

Conclusion: With Blacklist Ubisoft tried to link the fleet, liquid gameplay of Conviction by stealthigen gameplay from predecessors such as Chaos Theory. A balancing act that would have painful can be. But a balancing act that works extremely well. The story itself is likely to deal with you during a single playthrough 10-12 hours, about. The co-op missions of my previous experience, on single games and 6-8 hours, depending on how good you are and what difficulty their use. For this purpose then the Spy vs. Merc. Mode. Plus the high Map of replayability. A) because you can unlock by little more and it will take until you really have everything and B) because there are so many ways to take action and a new experiment will be rewarded. An extent is lacking the game so far.
Deduction of points could be due to some graphic deficits and told great, but give unoriginal story. Personally, I can see over it and reward but rather to step back to stealth out. Chaos Theory has been the best part of the unbeaten series to me. Blacklist could finally replace.
Strong buy recommendation!