Sam Shepard makes his final appearance on the current generation of video game consoles, as well as the PC, as part of a slew of farewell gifts from the old stalwarts of the heady 80s who have silently evolved into the most prominent publishing and software development company the finicky yet deadly world of video games.
As the story goes, Shepard has a brand new voice which doesn't differ that much from the old one. Naturally, the gamers of today who are considerably more knowledgeable but surprisingly quite clueless were cajoled by wicked gaming sites into making a huge outcry about the whole voice acting thing. A new big ass Hollywood star was roped for the voice acting and has truly done a fine job of portraying the cold and murderous protagonist. The subject is now officially closed and the idiocy of it all has been quickly forgotten.
But as the games story goes, bad old Sam has been given a new lease of life. Some big wigs have decided to put Sam in charge of an unconstitutional group consisting of highly specialized agents in the hopes of finding and smoking out an organization hellbent on subverting the very foundation of the good old USA. That's bad news. Its also a bad situation that requires the wrong man for the right job. Enter Sam and his team of misfits, crazy enough to follow the ex-Third Echelon super agent over the cliff if they have to. Such a team has merits, but if this team should get their asses in a sling, the US Government will disavow any knowledge of them without batting an eyelid. What the government doesn't know is that if they give Shepard enough rope, he will hang them all.
So off we go one Shepard's most perilous mission that takes him and his new team to exotic locations as diverse as Uptown Afghanistan, the Iraqi Boardwalk and Downtown Chicago just to name a few. There's absolutely no time for sight seeing or looking up whorehouses here. Such a shame, I always wanted to take a picture with a $10 hooker in Iraq.
The action moves at the players pace. This time around Ubisoft have added a new element to the old hide and shank game play. Players may opt three different play styles that gives the game a lot more depth and replayability. Choosing to be a Ghost is basically the old 'No Alerts, No Kills' challenge from the Metal Gear Solid games. Then there is the Panther, striking from the darkness all the while remaining hidden from view. Finally, my favorite, Assault, which is the no holds barred, kill em all and blow em up style. The choice of play styles is highly dependent on the gear and weapons a player must choose before committing to a mission. Pick the right toys for your style and off you go.
The graphics are a step up especially on an old SD TV where the degree of darkness is as cruel as some of the locations in Dark Souls. Playing this game on it highest difficulty with a shitty SD TV is actually unlocking the hardest level of all. Unfortunately, Ubisoft will not be giving out prizes for unveiling that secret. Of course, with expert use of Sam's goggles things get a little brighter and a little more bearable. There's nothing worse than hearing some mangy mutt growling close by and then end up getting your nuts bitten off without warning. Unlike Game Fuhrer's old hound from hell, Brutus, these stinking dogs do not respond to treats, imitating the masters voice or the old stone throw fake out move.
While the single player missions offer a lot of fun and laughter in the many ways of murder, the story about Sam and the bad guys is a rather gritty one. Fraught with treachery, brutality and some pretty dramatic moments that alter the course of the game quite drastically. For instance, during rescue missions, if the guards are some how alerted, the scenario is altered to include a fire fight that has Sam worrying about the encroaching enemy and the fragile life of the rescued prisoner which is constantly at risk during a shoot out.
Apart from the solo missions, there are a variety of co-op tasks to perform where Sam and a fellow agent must work together as a team. One bad foul up can lead to a mission going bad in an instant. With the variety of play styles; players can experiment with different tactics and maneuvering to out smart the overwhelming enemy force. Not all the baddies are smart but eventually they will use pincer and flanking maneuvers or overlapping fields of fire to either surprise or pin down the two agents and finish them off with a few well cooked grenades. Death is cheap in co-op mode. Only smart play will see the missions through. Lowering the difficulty works too.
Finally, there's the Spies Vs Mercs online multiplayer co-op that guarantees hours of fun with 4 vs 4 match ups and a variety of game modes that not too dissimilar from ones found in a host of other multiplayer shooters. Death Match, Capture the Flag etc done in a Splinter Cell sort of way. To be honest, this is one mode that has not been fully explored due to our horrendous "fraudband" connection speeds. Unfortunately, the extremely expensive broadband pricing we are forced to pay acts as a deterrent to the lower income groups from the smaller towns and villages from having access to the internet. This is the most effective type of censorship, and boy, I wish Sam was here to do something about this.
Conclusion
For good old Sam, its business as usual. With a bold new story and a pretty innovative level up system, Splinter Cell Blacklist stands out as one of my favorite Sam Shepard adventures. Hopefully, this will not be his last. If you are a fan, then buy this game at all costs, for those new to the series, don't worry, with the huge amount of 'Tenchu' inspired stealth games that have been released this past year alone, it is unlikely that you won't be familiar with this one.
Splinter Cell Blacklist
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