I got myself a sexy NVidia GTX 780 the other day (it’s beautiful by the way). One of the current promotions NVidia is running with 700 series cards is giving away a free copy of Splinter Cell: Blacklist. Since I haven’t played a Splinter Cell game since Chaos Theory, I figured this is as good a time as any to get back into the world of Sam Fisher. So how does it stack up?
That Splinter Cell feel
The feel of this game is classic Splinter Cell with a swath of improvements. The mix of stealth and action blends perfectly, with players being able to take out, or ignore, patrolling guards and complete each mission any way they see fit. As always, you have the option of either a silent knock out or a lethal kill when taking out a guard. There are achievements for both styles of play and certain upgrades are only available for a particular one, so the replay value of the single player is there and a real reason to play through it again is provided.
The one thing that I noticed immediately was the change in Fisher’s look and voice. Sam does not look and sound like Sam. For a guy who is over 50, he sure is looking young, with a younger sounding voice. While it doesn’t take away from the plot, long time Splinter Cell fans will need to adjust. Once you get used to it though, it really is some very good voice acting.
Multiplayer
The multiplayer is a gem as well. In Merc vs. Spies, teams of four play as either the spies who want to hack computers, or the mercenaries who want to stop them.
Playing as a spy in Merc vs. Spies lets you have access to all the moves and gear Fisher uses to complete your team’s objective, but your armor is very weak and only two shots will be enough to get you killed. As a merc, the game switches to an FPS game and can be a bit tricky trying to find the spies since you have a limited viewpoint and are not as agile. That said, you also have access to fully automatic weapons and if you catch a spy out in the open, you will be making his day a bad one.
Splinter Cell: Blacklist brings the series back to its roots as a stealth game with a simple, yet complex plot. It look and feels like a Splinter Cell game with a ton of improvements. If you are someone who walked away from the series after Chaos Theory like I did, then be sure to pick up this game. You won’t be disappointed.
I give Splinter Cell: Blacklist a 9 out of 10.
