Developer: Ubisoft Toronto
Publisher: Ubisoft
UK Price: £29.99
Platform(s): PC, X360, PS3
There comes a point in Blacklist when you realise Sam Fisher is one angry man. It may be when he responds to a friend saving his life by kicking them out of his team, or when he tortures a Guantanamo Bay prisoner with a folding chair, or just when he's grimacing at the "Launch Mission" button that appears whenever you opt into a new campaign level, looking as if his eyes might explode out of his skull at any moment due to the sheer quantity of pent-up rage trapped behind them.
It wasn't always like this. About eight years ago when unravelling conspiracies in Chaos Theory, Fisher was your friendly neighbourhood spy[der] man. Sure, he was always a little world weary, but he was also cool and collected, and had a wicked sense of humour, never short of a James Bond-style quip. He was a pleasant-seeming fellow despite his line of work.
Even when he was holding a knife to the throat of some South American Drug Lord, tugging on their twisted arm to "extract" information, you couldn't help but feel like he was somehow being nice about it. Then Sam spent a period as a Double Agent, which was pretty disastrous for everyone involved in the Splinter Cell series. Since then he's become cold rather than cool, a lumbering sack of casual violence which typifies the Hollywood portrayal of the21st century spy. The guy has a pet drone, for goodness sake.
Sam's character typifies Blacklist's tone, all soulless military techno-babble and morally dubious unpleasantness, taken to the point where the one humorous character present in the game serves only to infuriate, his wisecracks lightening the mood about as effectively as a fart at a funeral. Strangely, however, it does not epitomise the experience of playing the game, which is fun despite the grim facade, and the closest Splinter Cell has come to recapturing the brilliance of Chaos Theory. It successfully combines the shadowy sleuthing of classic Splinter Cell with the cover and close-combat from Conviction. Make no mistake, Blacklist is a good game, it's just not a very nice one.
The Blacklist is a series of threatened attacks against the US arranged by a terrorist cell known as the Engineers. These mechanically-themed doom-bringers announce the date of their attacks, but not their location or the form they will take. In response to this threat, the US President gives Fisher his own counter-terrorism unit known as Fourth Echelon, a plane called the Paladin from which Fourth Echelon can strike , and something called Fifth Freedom that means he can torture, brutalise and kill pretty much anyone he wants without repercussions, because America. If Sam had a favourite Christmas Carol, it would be "Jingo Bells."
The plane serves as your base of operations for everything: the singleplayer campaign, side missions that can be played alone or cooperatively, multiplayer "Spies vs Mercs", equipment upgrades, or just as a place for Sam to wander around shouting at his friends and looking moodily at things. It's clearly emulating Mass Effect's Normandy, but lacks characters worth talking to for any reason other than to give Sam something to vent at. It's basically a menu you can walk around, and because of that is less efficient than that traditional method of navigation.
Nevertheless, it just about works as a way of tying the game's content together, and in that regard Blacklist is generous in its offerings. The single-player alone is a meaty thing, a globetrotting adventure that takes you from typical Splinter Cell holiday destinations such as sand-blasted terrorist camps and the fortified house of a Brazilian arms dealer, to more novel locales including sightseeing over the rooftops of a rain-soaked London and breaking into the headquarters of an Iranian Special Forces unit.
The locations are intriguing and the levels mostly well structured. The first two or three missions are perhaps overly linear, but they soon open up and allow plenty of ways to get around, above or below enemies. Furthermore, Blacklist allows you to approach these missions as stealthily or aggressively as you want. Actions are divided into three categories: Ghost (non-lethal stealth), Panther (lethal stealth), and Assault (explosions and stuff).
Old-time Splinter Cell fans will be pleased to hear that 90% of the time sneaking through the dark completely unnoticed is a viable option. Sam's acrobatics and paradoxical ability to hide in shadows despite being covered in bright green lights have both been largely restored, but cover still plays an important (and sensible) role in staying unseen. The only difference is if you do get spotted, defending yourself in all-out action is not impossible.
In fact, the most fun way to play Blacklist is to go with the flow, and use whatever methods feel most appropriate at the time. For example, the "Last Known Position" mechanic retained from Conviction, which shows where the enemies think you are hiding, allows you to tactically dispatch your opponents in a Predator-style manner, or simply to avoid them completely. The only real problem with the way Blacklist plays is the cover-system. This has also been adopted from Conviction, and involves pressing Q to put Sam's back to a surface, and then the Space bar to shift forward to another position. It's unnecessarily fiddly, and somewhat arbitrary about what counts as "cover". It also isn't particularly well suited to the more open levels of Blacklist. Accidentally moving into an opponent's line of sight, or not being able to move quickly enough away from an approaching guard, is an all too frequent occurrence.
Alongside the campaign are four types of side-missions, three of which can be played alone or cooperatively, and one that is cooperative only. The first three are each designed around the Ghost, Panther, or Assault style of play, and respectively involve retrieving information without being seen, quietly taking out a set number of enemies in an area, or holding off increasingly tough waves of enemies. Of the three, the second is the most fun, especially in coop, as you work together to silently and methodically eliminate your opponents.
Conversely, the stealth missions are best played alone, as a partner just doubles your chances of being spotted and having to re-start the mission. Oh yes, it's worth pointing out that Blacklist employs a checkpoint-save system less well suited to the job than a spade to brain surgery
Last but by no means least is the multiplayer component, Spies vs Mercs. This comes in two flavours. "Classic" that pits two speedy, stealthy yet weak spies against two slow but heavily armed mercenaries, and "Blacklist" that doubles the player count for both teams and allows for custom load-outs. The result is Blacklist is a more frantic, action oriented experience, whereas classic is slower and more tense, as spies flit through the larger areas of darkness while the mercs lumber around, constantly looking over their shoulders. It is a little stripped back compared to the mode in Pandora Tomorrow and Chaos Theory. Spies can't jump on the mercs back, for example. But it nonetheless creates the right atmosphere, and is a welcome addition to the other content .
Sam Fisher is but a ghost of the character we once knew, and the game's righteous defence of America by any means necessary feels more than a little out of step in the days of NSA mass surveillance. Nevertheless, Blacklist is still the best Splinter Cell game since Chaos Theory. It's generous, smartly designed and enjoyable to play, although it may leave a sour taste in the mouth by the time of the story's conclusion
Publisher: Ubisoft
UK Price: £29.99
Platform(s): PC, X360, PS3
There comes a point in Blacklist when you realise Sam Fisher is one angry man. It may be when he responds to a friend saving his life by kicking them out of his team, or when he tortures a Guantanamo Bay prisoner with a folding chair, or just when he's grimacing at the "Launch Mission" button that appears whenever you opt into a new campaign level, looking as if his eyes might explode out of his skull at any moment due to the sheer quantity of pent-up rage trapped behind them.
It wasn't always like this. About eight years ago when unravelling conspiracies in Chaos Theory, Fisher was your friendly neighbourhood spy[der] man. Sure, he was always a little world weary, but he was also cool and collected, and had a wicked sense of humour, never short of a James Bond-style quip. He was a pleasant-seeming fellow despite his line of work.
Even when he was holding a knife to the throat of some South American Drug Lord, tugging on their twisted arm to "extract" information, you couldn't help but feel like he was somehow being nice about it. Then Sam spent a period as a Double Agent, which was pretty disastrous for everyone involved in the Splinter Cell series. Since then he's become cold rather than cool, a lumbering sack of casual violence which typifies the Hollywood portrayal of the21st century spy. The guy has a pet drone, for goodness sake.
Sam's character typifies Blacklist's tone, all soulless military techno-babble and morally dubious unpleasantness, taken to the point where the one humorous character present in the game serves only to infuriate, his wisecracks lightening the mood about as effectively as a fart at a funeral. Strangely, however, it does not epitomise the experience of playing the game, which is fun despite the grim facade, and the closest Splinter Cell has come to recapturing the brilliance of Chaos Theory. It successfully combines the shadowy sleuthing of classic Splinter Cell with the cover and close-combat from Conviction. Make no mistake, Blacklist is a good game, it's just not a very nice one.
The Blacklist is a series of threatened attacks against the US arranged by a terrorist cell known as the Engineers. These mechanically-themed doom-bringers announce the date of their attacks, but not their location or the form they will take. In response to this threat, the US President gives Fisher his own counter-terrorism unit known as Fourth Echelon, a plane called the Paladin from which Fourth Echelon can strike , and something called Fifth Freedom that means he can torture, brutalise and kill pretty much anyone he wants without repercussions, because America. If Sam had a favourite Christmas Carol, it would be "Jingo Bells."
The plane serves as your base of operations for everything: the singleplayer campaign, side missions that can be played alone or cooperatively, multiplayer "Spies vs Mercs", equipment upgrades, or just as a place for Sam to wander around shouting at his friends and looking moodily at things. It's clearly emulating Mass Effect's Normandy, but lacks characters worth talking to for any reason other than to give Sam something to vent at. It's basically a menu you can walk around, and because of that is less efficient than that traditional method of navigation.
Nevertheless, it just about works as a way of tying the game's content together, and in that regard Blacklist is generous in its offerings. The single-player alone is a meaty thing, a globetrotting adventure that takes you from typical Splinter Cell holiday destinations such as sand-blasted terrorist camps and the fortified house of a Brazilian arms dealer, to more novel locales including sightseeing over the rooftops of a rain-soaked London and breaking into the headquarters of an Iranian Special Forces unit.
The locations are intriguing and the levels mostly well structured. The first two or three missions are perhaps overly linear, but they soon open up and allow plenty of ways to get around, above or below enemies. Furthermore, Blacklist allows you to approach these missions as stealthily or aggressively as you want. Actions are divided into three categories: Ghost (non-lethal stealth), Panther (lethal stealth), and Assault (explosions and stuff).
Old-time Splinter Cell fans will be pleased to hear that 90% of the time sneaking through the dark completely unnoticed is a viable option. Sam's acrobatics and paradoxical ability to hide in shadows despite being covered in bright green lights have both been largely restored, but cover still plays an important (and sensible) role in staying unseen. The only difference is if you do get spotted, defending yourself in all-out action is not impossible.
In fact, the most fun way to play Blacklist is to go with the flow, and use whatever methods feel most appropriate at the time. For example, the "Last Known Position" mechanic retained from Conviction, which shows where the enemies think you are hiding, allows you to tactically dispatch your opponents in a Predator-style manner, or simply to avoid them completely. The only real problem with the way Blacklist plays is the cover-system. This has also been adopted from Conviction, and involves pressing Q to put Sam's back to a surface, and then the Space bar to shift forward to another position. It's unnecessarily fiddly, and somewhat arbitrary about what counts as "cover". It also isn't particularly well suited to the more open levels of Blacklist. Accidentally moving into an opponent's line of sight, or not being able to move quickly enough away from an approaching guard, is an all too frequent occurrence.
Alongside the campaign are four types of side-missions, three of which can be played alone or cooperatively, and one that is cooperative only. The first three are each designed around the Ghost, Panther, or Assault style of play, and respectively involve retrieving information without being seen, quietly taking out a set number of enemies in an area, or holding off increasingly tough waves of enemies. Of the three, the second is the most fun, especially in coop, as you work together to silently and methodically eliminate your opponents.
Conversely, the stealth missions are best played alone, as a partner just doubles your chances of being spotted and having to re-start the mission. Oh yes, it's worth pointing out that Blacklist employs a checkpoint-save system less well suited to the job than a spade to brain surgery
Last but by no means least is the multiplayer component, Spies vs Mercs. This comes in two flavours. "Classic" that pits two speedy, stealthy yet weak spies against two slow but heavily armed mercenaries, and "Blacklist" that doubles the player count for both teams and allows for custom load-outs. The result is Blacklist is a more frantic, action oriented experience, whereas classic is slower and more tense, as spies flit through the larger areas of darkness while the mercs lumber around, constantly looking over their shoulders. It is a little stripped back compared to the mode in Pandora Tomorrow and Chaos Theory. Spies can't jump on the mercs back, for example. But it nonetheless creates the right atmosphere, and is a welcome addition to the other content .
Sam Fisher is but a ghost of the character we once knew, and the game's righteous defence of America by any means necessary feels more than a little out of step in the days of NSA mass surveillance. Nevertheless, Blacklist is still the best Splinter Cell game since Chaos Theory. It's generous, smartly designed and enjoyable to play, although it may leave a sour taste in the mouth by the time of the story's conclusion
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