Splinter Cell: Blacklist Review

[Halcyon.]

2005. Third Echelon. Chaos Theory. 2013 Fourth Echelon. Blacklist. Between the two, Double Agent and Conviction, not exactly the most po[CENSORED]r titles in the Splinter Cell series. At the risk of upsetting, I will remove from the list to discuss two games at almost a decade away, but have a common element essential: stealth. When Splinter Cell was more oriented towards action with automatic executions players were not very pleased and it seems Ubisoft listened.

Blacklist play on all fronts: stealth, action and a combination of both so as to please as many people. Action enthusiasts will discover ghostly serious obstacles, those who prefer noise and explosions can express, and when patience reach the limit, you can combine a grenade explosion with a non-fatal strangulation to carry out the mission. Fortunately, at least Luckily for me, the game leans more towards the stealth than to crazy machine gun in hand.

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The single-player story now doing a haunting for Americans - a group that targets everything that country dearer: consumerism, fuel and freedom. Sam Fisher and his team must prevent the destruction planned by terrorists and will bear little journey around the globe aboard a new headquarters, fly - Paladin next-generation aircraft. The main story comes with 13 missions, but in addition, his teammates Sam (Grim, Charlie and Briggs) and they have some offers affordable single-player or cooperative. Briggs's missions are the only ones that can only be played cooperatively, meaning a colleague "suffering" to help you to open doors or climbing over obstacles.

Solo missions are more interesting when they are addressed cooperatively, which means access to otherwise blocked routes. On the other hand, in addition to the required working times in the two co-operation left to the player. And to the extent that you coordinate with whom you can be more interesting to execute enemies in tandem or at you attract while his colleague puts a microphone or recover important documents.

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Each of the three colleagues Sam has his type of mission and their performance provides significant amounts of money to improve aircraft and equipment. Grim is offering 100% stealth targets in any detection or alarm go back to mission; Charlie proposes recovery of certain information from various embassies, basically a survival mode with a minimum of five waves of enemies armed to the teeth. These goals are an ideal opportunity to go wild with firearms, personal or taken from enemies, but still need to turn the corner tactics to not premature.

As I said, Briggs is the only cooperative offers exclusive missions. Fortunately, there are essential in developing the story and side missions remaining group provides enough funds. From this point of view, collect money quickly and after about four or five laps you can upgrade to a maximum plane and then to focus on Sam's equipment.

Gameplay is divided into three branches, and the equipment is properly provided. Ghost requires action shadowy Assault weapons onto noisy and Panther combine the two options. Likewise, Sam can be properly equipped three branches, with suits that mitigate sounds or armor strong to absorb the damage or a balanced combination to survive an attack with AK-47 to hide or stop electricity .

Gun or light machine gun with silencer but will be best friends with various types of lasers, optical devices or ammunition. You and sniper rifle or a few weapons available on the black market, but do not really have real opportunities to be sniper given that most missions take place indoors. For a short time you get to play and the first person controlling it on Briggs and several other occasions control of guns drone aircraft or Paladin.

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Blacklist return the stealth element in the series, lost on the road strewn double agents and convictions (or beliefs). And how does it brought me great pleasure Chaos Theory and remember that was one of the few games where I even had the patience to stealth game. And Blacklist did the same, providing motivation to remain unseen and unheard in a way that rarely gives in annoyance. True, the difficulty Perfectionist is not exactly easy, because you have no fancy gadgets or enemies you can not run, so everything is more "up close and personal".

To be a ghost 100% have enormous patience; and in this respect, the idea of ​​saving only checkpoint during a mission exclusively non-lethal or without fierce determination is silly. Because after spending 40-50 minutes creeping up all over, hanging, crawling through ventilation channels or routes studying soldiers, only to resume the level you do not feel whole.

The other combinations are more easily achieved, and the AI ​​is mostly well dosed to your life difficult, but not impossible. The equation involves dogs that can detect from a distance greater than a bunch of cameras and lasers, plus ordinary light.

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For Sam it is essential to remain hidden and out of obscurity will mark the last known position to the enemy. Most often enough to break the bulbs, but off a generator, for example, will raise the alert level of the enemy and will alter their normal travel routes.

On the other hand, perfection is only an ideal, and AI gives bat in the marsh than once. Regardless of the level of difficulty (and I have been through everything from Easy to Perfectionist), you'll have troops staring fixedly like a cat on a blank wall; if the alarm is given, all start to run crazy and it is easier to remove. It is better to hide the bodies to not even raise an eyebrow suspiciously, but other times you need to carry an enemy back to open a door. Or leave the door open to peace and wait for someone on the other side interested in a "psssssst" discreet.

The good part is that you can choose not only how to get rid of opponents, but also where to go. The design was conceived levels for multiple approaches, the doors broken leg came to a tower window after you glued to the walls above a deadly goal. You External routes directly to the roof, internal routes to go from floor to floor, ventilation channels, steel structures on which to climb, ziplines to cross the air zone discovered or ropes for climbing or down quickly along the walls.

Unfortunately, "toys" can be used only at predefined points, and availability decreases as the difficulty level increases. You can see through the walls of infrared night or darkness of a drone to find the site for you, grenades of various types, a taser and a crossbow to attack non-lethal ... the list goes on, and the combinations are up to the player; Blacklist rewards you for any activity, fatal or not, plus the discovery of hidden routes and different levels for hidden objects (laptops, dead drops) or capture important enemy targets.

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At graphic Blacklist can not boast much of innovations, but neither looks bad. The few open areas are decently made, and the interiors have many details need to discover how the elements needed to advance in level. The characters and animations are instead medium level, as well as cinematic sequences. Zone control the plane and SMI interface that acts as interesting menus are made, but not exactly a good idea having to enter the single-player to launch multiplayer.

Similarly, the large number of keys it might make a ballet, but it's still better than artificial restrictions imposed by a controller. On the other hand, I do not understand why a key change for five minutes during a sequence against the clock. If I was climbing the ladder Space, I suddenly rediscovered E, and at the end Tension quietly returned to the original setting. A programmer forgot ... or, during a similar sequence of movement you include opening / closing a door while time is running? As you zoom in suspense? Better put less time on the clock than to introduce unnecessary items.

The room turned out to be another problematic element, which tend to block visibility fix when you most need to know where you're going. Climbing, descending, climbing are extremely well defined points, so if you are from 2mm to the left, you will not be able to act. Sam's movement is also quite strange keys, is clearly designed for a controller; the same respect, you can not really înnăbuşeşti to the sound of Sam, whatever upgrades you've made suit, because often go on foot or runs away for good. With a controller you have more control, but have three designated action on the same button and not always to do the right one.

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Chapter multiplayer is dominated Spies versus Mercs return mode, spies and mercenaries in the third person to first person. Classic mode resembles Pandora Tomorrow 2v2, 4v4 and equipment Blacklist adds customizable. The difference between spies fast, but weak and clumsy mercenaries, armed to the teeth but make multiplayer a very interesting challenge and even lasting for those who appreciate this type of gameplay.

On the other hand, Team Deathmatch is total chaos because it allows combining teams and not know that who walks; a quick match can turn a walk in the lobby the lobby if the host is changing and yet there are so many players to gather 8 participants, however waited. Uplink is more interesting, with a constant struggle for control points, while Extraction put all the pressure on whoever is in possession of information suitcase.

So addressing the Blacklist puts it at almost the same level as Chaos Theory, combining gameplay to offer something for every type of player. The emphasis is on stealth, because ultimately it is the heritage of the series, but you can unleash if he has enough patience throat. The campaign deserves replayed with different approaches and equipment, and multiplayer is intense and long life is doomed once it most populous.