In "Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction," Sam Fisher's humanity is demolished, leaving nothing but an emotionally frail, agitated shell of a man. He lost his daughter. Everyone he trusted betrayed him. He's teetering on the edge of madness, and his thirst for revenge is the only thing driving him.
"Conviction" follows Sam as he wrenches answers from those who have wronged him. His methods are brutal, often making Jack Bauer's interrogations look like relaxing massages. Heads are smashed through urinals, hands are impaled by knives, and most people who exchange words with Fisher likely won't talk again.
Artfully constructed flashback sequences bring Sam's darkest days into full frame, giving the hunt ahead a twisted sense of justification. The plot races forward with the urgency of a Jason Bourne film and skirts most of the clichés associated with revenge stories. Whom Sam ends up hunting is a twist I didn't see coming. The last act, and the means with which Sam handles a high-ranking official, are worthy of a fist-pump.
With the story transitioning seamlessly from a tale of revenge to one of hope, the gameplay also takes on a new identity. "Conviction" is not a slow-moving stealth game, nor is it a fast-paced shooter. Ubisoft finds the happy medium, with solid gunplay and intuitive movement at your fingertips.
The level designs also embrace player choice in how you traverse environments. Walls can be ascended with the grace of Ezio from "Assassin's Creed," and a sprinting slide maneuver can quickly lower you from an enemy's line of sight.
Gunplay is highlighted by Sam's new "mark and execute" ability, which uses cinematic slow motion to frame the brain-bursting shots. I used this ability religiously to make short work of small pockets of enemies, and also to save my ass in shootouts.
"Conviction's" only glaring oddity is the logic that enemies exhibit. They empty clips and toss grenades with the best of gaming's foes, yet are overly vocal in their pursuit of you. I don't know about you, but if I spotted one of the world's greatest killers I wouldn't antagonize him. I also have mixed feelings on the stylistic visuals. The transitions to black and white, an effect used to tell players they are hidden from enemy sight, are jarring.
The game's second campaign focuses on two characters named Archer and Kestrel. This co-op only experience is heavy on action. But "Conviction's" multiplayer disappoints outside of the co-op. Ubisoft has included a one-on-one, spy-versus-spy competitive component, but it lacks the flair and depth of previous installments' -- spies-versus-mercenaries -- mode.
