Splinter Cell: Conviction Review
11 May 2010 | By Emmanuel Brown
Troubled waters for Ubisoft DRM. (PC)
It would be impossible to launch into a review of Splinter Cell: Conviction on the PC without discussing Ubi's controversial DRM, so let's get this over with; it's bloody awful. As a devotee of Steam, registration and lockdown of a game to a specific account is understandable and indeed desirable for long-term ease of use, but the only positive gleaned from Ubisoft's additional requirement of constant internet connectivity is that it highlighted just how shoddy my WiFi connection was. Or wait, was that Ubisoft's servers? Shall I dig into my router logs and find out, or just cut my losses and run a cable over to the corner? Should I ever need to consider these things just to gain access to the single-player portion of any given title?
Of course not. But then, on another level, Ubisoft has almost completely eradicated piracy for Splinter Cell on the PC; so from one - albeit very skewed - perspective, their continuing experimentation has undoubtedly proven a success. A cursory search of the usual shady message boards and internet haunts reveals a confused community still waiting on a stable illegal version, and for that to be the case even days after launch is worthy of note; though that sentence in itself makes me weep for PC gaming. Whether or not supporting DRM of this nature is a price worth paying will depend entirely on your playing circumstances, but it seems that no matter how you prepare for Sam Fisher's latest shooter, get ready for a few teething problems at the least.
"All of which is a shame because, as Richie already stated in his review, Conviction is a cracking return to form for a previously ailing series". Gone are those moments of twitchy frustration and endless replaying to ascertain specific guard movements and strobe patterns, and in their place is a brasher, bolder Sam Fisher; perfectly capable of running head-long into a firefight should things go wrong. Not that they will with any degree of frequency; Conviction is remarkably easy for the most part.
It's that shift away from sneaky stealth that will be most jarring for long-term fans, but the reality is that Conviction's short and sharp levels allow for a greater sense of freedom than ever before. Approaching groups of enemies in the shadows and staying undetected still reaps the most consistent rewards, whilst usage of an array of EMP, camera and various incendiary devices is purely optional throughout. Outside of one memorable section, running and gunning is still punished heavily as Fisher can only take a couple of shots before crumpling to the floor. But with the Sonar goggles equipped, stop-and-pop Gears' style cover-based shooting is a perfectly legitimate tactic. That the enemy AI has been dumbed down as a result is a necessary compromise.
You'd also think that level design might end up suffering from the diversity of approach required, but Conviction's linear corridors are amongst the finest ever produced in the series. Standout moments include an assault on old stomping ground Third Echelon and a tour of blackout-ridden Washington DC that actually eclipses Infinity Ward's portrayal of the same in Modern Warfare 2. But for as many years as Ubisoft expended on development, there's only around sixty minutes of single-player content per annum, with the plot drawing a neat line under most of its Bourne-style strands towards the end. But whilst it's not lengthy by any standards, the five to six hours it'll take to finish is of a standard that makes it entirely worthwhile.
Outside of that, the separate co-op campaign is of a similar quality but clocks in at around 2-3 hours to finish. Setting up a room full of enemies to execute in slow-motion with a partner is an undoubted joy, and one that should be expanded on for any future releases; but again the PC version disappoints with absolutely no support for communication between players, including a complete lack of text chat. Hunter (stealth elimination) and Last Stand (horde mode) offer up some further co-op multiplayer mileage, whilst Face-Off allows you players to stalk each other across maps littered with conventional foes.
Aside from the obvious DRM debate, the PC version looks cleaner and undoubtedly crisper than its console cousins, in part thanks to the de facto increased resolution support and higher res textures. Given the protracted development period it does look a little rough in comparison to the best the genre currently offers, but some excellent use of lighting and colour de-saturation goes a long way to counteract any misgivings over previous-generation Unreal tech rumbling beneath. Performance on high settings, at least on my modest rig, was acceptable at worst and clipped along nicely on moments of graphical quietude. Frame rate dips were most prone to occur during the intro movie sequences for each level, but having played the 360 version, that same issue seems to be prevalent throughout each platform release.
Of course not. But then, on another level, Ubisoft has almost completely eradicated piracy for Splinter Cell on the PC; so from one - albeit very skewed - perspective, their continuing experimentation has undoubtedly proven a success. A cursory search of the usual shady message boards and internet haunts reveals a confused community still waiting on a stable illegal version, and for that to be the case even days after launch is worthy of note; though that sentence in itself makes me weep for PC gaming. Whether or not supporting DRM of this nature is a price worth paying will depend entirely on your playing circumstances, but it seems that no matter how you prepare for Sam Fisher's latest shooter, get ready for a few teething problems at the least.
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| - The context-sensitive reminders are useful. | When Fisher's new abilities come in useful. |
"All of which is a shame because, as Richie already stated in his review, Conviction is a cracking return to form for a previously ailing series". Gone are those moments of twitchy frustration and endless replaying to ascertain specific guard movements and strobe patterns, and in their place is a brasher, bolder Sam Fisher; perfectly capable of running head-long into a firefight should things go wrong. Not that they will with any degree of frequency; Conviction is remarkably easy for the most part.
It's that shift away from sneaky stealth that will be most jarring for long-term fans, but the reality is that Conviction's short and sharp levels allow for a greater sense of freedom than ever before. Approaching groups of enemies in the shadows and staying undetected still reaps the most consistent rewards, whilst usage of an array of EMP, camera and various incendiary devices is purely optional throughout. Outside of one memorable section, running and gunning is still punished heavily as Fisher can only take a couple of shots before crumpling to the floor. But with the Sonar goggles equipped, stop-and-pop Gears' style cover-based shooting is a perfectly legitimate tactic. That the enemy AI has been dumbed down as a result is a necessary compromise.
You'd also think that level design might end up suffering from the diversity of approach required, but Conviction's linear corridors are amongst the finest ever produced in the series. Standout moments include an assault on old stomping ground Third Echelon and a tour of blackout-ridden Washington DC that actually eclipses Infinity Ward's portrayal of the same in Modern Warfare 2. But for as many years as Ubisoft expended on development, there's only around sixty minutes of single-player content per annum, with the plot drawing a neat line under most of its Bourne-style strands towards the end. But whilst it's not lengthy by any standards, the five to six hours it'll take to finish is of a standard that makes it entirely worthwhile.
Outside of that, the separate co-op campaign is of a similar quality but clocks in at around 2-3 hours to finish. Setting up a room full of enemies to execute in slow-motion with a partner is an undoubted joy, and one that should be expanded on for any future releases; but again the PC version disappoints with absolutely no support for communication between players, including a complete lack of text chat. Hunter (stealth elimination) and Last Stand (horde mode) offer up some further co-op multiplayer mileage, whilst Face-Off allows you players to stalk each other across maps littered with conventional foes.
Aside from the obvious DRM debate, the PC version looks cleaner and undoubtedly crisper than its console cousins, in part thanks to the de facto increased resolution support and higher res textures. Given the protracted development period it does look a little rough in comparison to the best the genre currently offers, but some excellent use of lighting and colour de-saturation goes a long way to counteract any misgivings over previous-generation Unreal tech rumbling beneath. Performance on high settings, at least on my modest rig, was acceptable at worst and clipped along nicely on moments of graphical quietude. Frame rate dips were most prone to occur during the intro movie sequences for each level, but having played the 360 version, that same issue seems to be prevalent throughout each platform release.
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| Lighting is atmospheric. | In case you forgot while you were here. |
SPLINTER CELL: CONVICTION VERDICT
So in some respects, Splinter Cell Conviction on the PC is the definitive version of Ubi’s reborn franchise. But it’s a far more controversial choice for those with flakey broadband connections that just want to experience the single-player, or for anybody that enjoys conversing and strategising with other players in their multiplayer. At its core though is a game of succinct quality that successfully relaunches Sam Fisher’s career as a videogame badass, and for that reason alone, it may well be worth a look.
TOP GAME MOMENT
Marking and Executing
