There aren't many games out there that make you feel like a true badass. Even on games like Prototype, where that is almost the sole point of the game, this isn't always the case. Splinter Cell: Blacklist is one of those games that really does make you feel like a badass. Whether it's because you just silently killed an entire room without getting noticed, sneaked through the room without ending any lives or brutally murdered everything with good ol' bullets and explosions, Splinter Cell makes you feel awesome.
Put into the shoes of the elusive Sam Fisher, the player has to try and stop a series of attacks on the USA from a mysterious terror organisation known only as the Blacklist. Sam isn't entirely alone however, as he has the help of the Fourth Echelon, a group of specialists brought together on the Paladin. The Paladin is a plane that houses some incredibly high-tech gadgets - the most impressive of which is the SMI. The SMI is essentially a huge tablet computer, but it's there in place of a menu to let you select missions, gear and access multiplayer.
The storyline itself is a little bit unimaginative but at the same time quite realistic; well, apart from one person essentially stopping it on his own. As explained, the Blacklist are plotting an attack on the US and due to the government's apparent lack of competence, it's up to Sam and his pals to stop it. It's nothing that hasn't been done before, not least in a Splinter Cell game before, but it's a tried and tested formula, so why change it?
The 'tried and tested' formula of the old Splinter Cell games is slightly modified however, to allow for some room to manoeuvre if you get spotted, or alternatively, you can just face everyone straight up. It's clear that the game caters to stealth though, through level design and rewards. You get larger rewards for playing like a 'ghost' (and there's even an achievement for not killing anyone through the whole game as Fisher) than playing as a 'panther' (silent kills) or going into 'combat'. In my experience it's best to mix it up, as this allows you to experience all aspects of the game and be more flexible at any given situation. Diehard fans may be disappointed to see the shift to faster, more action based games, but there's still the option to play stealthily and it's definitely encouraged. Playing stealthily is much more fun in my view, as balls-to-the-wall combat can be done on a lot of games - subtle, clever stealth is best suited to Splinter Cell.
In order to help you through the game, you carry with you 3 weapons and between 4-10 gadgets, depending on your outfitting. Your pistol is your go-to weapon for 'panther' style play, whereas as a ghost you may opt for the stun gun or crossbow as your weapon of choice. Gadgets range from mines, to exploding cameras all the way to simple sleeping gas grenades. Whilst there is a decent selection of gadgets, you often find yourself using the same few over and over again if they work well. Your third weapon is up to you; do you want an assault rifle, just in case everything goes wrong? How about a suppressed sniper, so you can silently kill from distance?
Graphically, the game is good without being outstanding, but as you spend a lot of time in the shadows, the graphics are not entirely important. Sound-wise, the game is very impressive, with footsteps locatable if you have surround sound. The music is very complimentary with the game, racketing the tension up through slow, deliberate pieces of music. One criticism of the game is that maybe the single player storyline isn't particularly long, but this is drawn out by side missions and the interesting Spies vs Mercs game mode. Here there are two teams, one Spies and of course, one team of Mercs. The Spies have to infiltrate and hack certain access points in the map, whilst the Mercs must stop them. The main issue is that being a Merc really isn't very exciting, whereas being a Spy is much more fun and rewarding.
However you choose to play, the game does a very good job of making you feel awesome about taking out or evading everyone. Splinter Cell: Blacklist is a rewarding, challenging game that is intelligent in it's design and most importantly, fun to play.
My Score:
89%
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