Splinter Cell is synonymous with the PlayStation brand and when it first launched on the PlayStation 2 in 2002, it became an instant classic with gamers. Fast forward 11 years and Sam fisher has finally graced the PlayStation 3 and brought Splinter Cell firmly into the current generation of gaming. Splinter Cell: Blacklist is a master class in stealth action and with a wonderful and believable cast of characters, a terrific plot that spans the entire globe and a host of online and local multiplayer game types, this is a game that will not disappoint and is the definition of bang for your buck.
As I said above, the storyline in Blacklist is terrific. You play as the legendary soldier Sam Fisher who is a member of the special operations and counter-terrorism unit called “Fourth Echelon”. The job of Fourth Echelon is to stop a terrorist group called ”The Engineers” who have assumed responsibility for the destruction of an entire military base and will continue their destruction of American assets called “The Blacklist” if the U.S, Government delays the return of American Troops deployed overseas. Although the story sounds very generic, it is the characters that make it. The members of Fourth Echelon are tremendously voice acted and believable. The main villain in the game is also frighteningly realistic and terrifying which make the scenes with him present very tense and downright unnerving. I found myself always wanting to continue the 11 or so hour story to see how it played out which is rarity for me nowadays so, congrats to Ubisoft on making a story worth investing in.
The games only downfall is in the graphics department. Although Blacklist is pretty in places and has extremely varied environments, the game felt dull most of the time. The character models besides Sam himself were average at best and lacked detail. With Splinter Cell: Blacklist releasing after such visually stunning games such as The Last Of Us and Bioshock: Infinite, I felt the game looked like something released two years ago and that it just lacked the overall polish of a game releasing at the end of a console cycle.
The gameplay in Splinter Cell: Blacklist is where the game shines. This game blends stealth action and tense gun fights together perfectly and makes it accessible to the current generation of players. Old Splinter Cell fans have no fear, the entire game can be competed without killing a soul so there is no need to go in all guns blazing. I incorporated a mix of both, using stealth to outwit my enemies and gunfire to get myself out of tricky situations. The great thing about this game is that you can use any style of gameplay you want to beat each level and with perfect level design, you never feel cheated using one gameplay type over the other. Like previous entries in the series, Sam has a lot of tools at his disposal such as a tri-copter, sleeping gas, trip mines, sonar goggles and a cross bow with EMP arrows. These tools are not essential but used correctly in the right type of circumstance and they will reap awards for the player. Sam has a military barracks worth of weaponry at his disposal and each one on of these weapons can be customized to the players liking. Completing each mission and side quest grants Sam money which can be spent on new weapons, tools and upgrades. One of the new gameplay features in this game is the execution feature. Once Sam has racked up four kills, he can use execution mode. The player needs to tag enemies using the R2 button and once the target goes red, the player presses triangle and Sam will automatically kill the tagged enemies. Although this is a drastic departure from the Splinter Cells of old, it helps to keep the pace of the game up and I am happy they included this feature in.
Another amazing part of Splinter Cell: Blacklist is the online component. Online and couch co-op is present here and is brilliant. You and a buddy work together to kill mercenaries and complete objectives using all the tools at your disposal. The money collected from this mode can be used to upgrade your equipment and weapons for use in online and offline matches. The fan favourite Spy’s VS Mercs mode returns and is addictive and challenging as ever. You play as either the Spies or the Mercenaries and the players need to work as a cohesive team and try to outwit and defeat the enemies before they get you. Although I initially found it hard to settle in to the difficulty of the mode, once I found a team mate willing to communicate and work as a team, I had an amazing time and I will still be playing it over the next few months.
Splinter Cell: Blacklist is an excellent game crammed full of things to do. The gameplay is as tense and finely tuned as it has ever been but some significant changes have been made in order to make it relevant in this day and age. The graphics are average in some parts of the game and the characters lack detail but the variety of environment present in the game certainly makes up for it. The multiplayer component in Blacklist is incredible and the intelligent implementation and ease of access of this component is welcoming. Sam Fisher may be different from the beloved hero we once knew on the PlayStation 2 but Ubisoft have successfully brought him to the current generation of consoles and it feel so good to have him back. If you are looking for a game with excellent gameplay and a plethora of things to do, Splinter Cell: Blacklist is perfect for you.