E3: Kill With Voice Commands in Splinter Cell: Blacklist

[John Funk]

E3: Kill With Voice Commands in Splinter Cell: Blacklist

Call in airstrikes without a single button press.

Microsoft is heavily promoting the use of its Kinect technology in games that might not otherwise use it. Gamers playing Mass Effect or Madden NFL are too busy actually using the controller to flail about madly, but their voices are otherwise unoccupied. We first caught a glimpse of how using Kinect's voice features to order squadmates might work in Mass Effect 3, but the functionality is greatly expanded in the titles being demonstrated at this year's E3 2012.

Superspy Sam Fisher is back in Splinter Cell Blacklist, now as the big man in charge of Third Echelon. He and his team are sent to kill people in the Middle East, because what else are spies going to do? In the gameplay we've seen, Sam can lure terrorists over by shouting at them - that is, the player shouting at them - and can call in air strikes on enemies under cover.

The voice chat continued in EA's popular sports games. In Madden NFL, legendary quarterback Joe Montana was able to call specific plays, even targeting specific players on the field, without ever going into a menu. The best new interaction may have come from FIFA, though - not only do you have the ability to make substitutions and change formations on the fly, but you can even argue with the ref. However, using the wrong kind of language can get your team in trouble.

Seriously, can we get that obscenity detector enabled on every Xbox Live game, ever? It'd be nice.

Microsoft also demonstrated how one could use its Bing search engine and Kinect to search for videos to watch by genre. Simply by saying "Bing, Comedy," the Xbox will return any comedies up for stream, and so on for other genres. Now, it even works in Spanish.

See all our coverage directly from the E3 2012 show floor. [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/conferences/e3-2012]

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[Andronicus]

Because what a Splinter Cell really needs is the ability for a few jet aeroplanes to swoop and bomb the crap out of everything within a kilometre radius. Unless this is some kind of new silent spy air strike thing, which just seems kinda stupid (why is there a highly trained operative on the scene in the first place?). Ugh, I wish SC would go back to proper stealth, like in Chaos Theory.

 

[Cyrus Hanley]

Because what a Splinter Cell really needs is the ability for a few jet aeroplanes to swoop and bomb the crap out of everything within a kilometre radius. Unless this is some kind of new silent spy air strike thing, which just seems kinda stupid (why is there a highly trained operative on the scene in the first place?). Ugh, I wish SC would go back to proper stealth, like in Chaos Theory.

What's wrong with being able to call in air support?

 

[Cowabungaa]

Ugh, I wish SC would go back to proper stealth, like in Chaos Theory.

I know right? At one point during the presentation, this not-Sam dude entered an area with about 10-ish guys. I was expecting an epic stealthy murder/KO sequence. What I got was a one-hit-kill-all monstrosity. All you had to do was sit back and watch. What is this idiocy? Did Conviction really do this to the Splinter Cell franchise?

 

[Cyrus Hanley]

Ugh, I wish SC would go back to proper stealth, like in Chaos Theory.

I know right? At one point during the presentation, this not-Sam dude entered an area with about 10-ish guys. I was expecting an epic stealthy murder/KO sequence. What I got was a one-hit-kill-all monstrosity. All you had to do was sit back and watch. What is this idiocy? Did Conviction really do this to the Splinter Cell franchise?

The forums at Ubisoft basically exploded with people saying that this is not Splinter Cell.

I'm not really that phased. The presentation raised my eyebrows but not much else. People should have seen it coming since 2010.

 

[Adam Jensen_v1legacy]

Kinect is the biggest Microsoft failure since Windows Millennium. Gamers don't care for it. It sucks. It adds nothing valuable to gaming. Just drop it already instead of trying to find new ways to sell something that nobody wants.

 

[Andronicus]

Because what a Splinter Cell really needs is the ability for a few jet aeroplanes to swoop and bomb the crap out of everything within a kilometre radius. Unless this is some kind of new silent spy air strike thing, which just seems kinda stupid (why is there a highly trained operative on the scene in the first place?). Ugh, I wish SC would go back to proper stealth, like in Chaos Theory.

What's wrong with being able to call in air support?

A splinter cell is a highly trained agent who subverts wars and terrorism by doing things that no ordinary army or team can perform, and do it silently and efficiently. They work outside political boundaries, making their operations extremely risky, and a Splinter Cell relies almost exclusively on their own training to keep themselves alive and, more importantly, their missions covert.

Splinter Cells are subtle. Air strikes are not subtle. I don't even know why Third Echelon would even risk exposing a operation with an air strike; it makes no sense.

EDIT: then again, a lot has changed since Chaos Theory, which was the last one I played (everything else after than just looked like action-packed rubbish). Third Echelon is basically just a high-tier SWAT team now.

 

[Nurb]

It's a gimmick that just slows down response time.

Seems like there's something wrong with a seceret agent stealth game where you're crouched in a dark corner deciding:
A) place sticky cam and wait for appropriate time to slip past guards and inside complex
B) lure a guard closer to silently grab them and disappear into the shadows
C) Blow them all away with an airstrike.... super-stealthy-like! SHICK-SHAW!

 

[Woodsey]

Because what a Splinter Cell really needs is the ability for a few jet aeroplanes to swoop and bomb the crap out of everything within a kilometre radius. Unless this is some kind of new silent spy air strike thing, which just seems kinda stupid (why is there a highly trained operative on the scene in the first place?). Ugh, I wish SC would go back to proper stealth, like in Chaos Theory.

Fucking tell me about it.

And now instead of Michael Ironside they have some guy who sounds about 25, Sam continues the trend of looking younger in spite of him being about 55 by now, and then backs that up by doing flips 'n' shit all over the fucking place.

Oh, and everyone knocked the Conviction level set in Iraq for being shootery and highly unoriginal or imaginative, so the first thing they demo is a fucking mission in the Middle East. In broad daylight.

I weep.

EDIT: then again, a lot has changed since Chaos Theory, which was the last one I played (everything else after than just looked like action-packed rubbish). Third Echelon is basically just a high-tier SWAT team now.

Double Agent was decent. Not as good as Chaos Theory but at least an interesting advancement of the series whilst sticking to what it was about.

 

[Cyrus Hanley]

Because what a Splinter Cell really needs is the ability for a few jet aeroplanes to swoop and bomb the crap out of everything within a kilometre radius. Unless this is some kind of new silent spy air strike thing, which just seems kinda stupid (why is there a highly trained operative on the scene in the first place?). Ugh, I wish SC would go back to proper stealth, like in Chaos Theory.

What's wrong with being able to call in air support?

A splinter cell is a highly trained agent who subverts wars and terrorism by doing things that no ordinary army or team can perform, and do it silently and efficiently. They work outside political boundaries, making their operations extremely risky, and a Splinter Cell relies almost exclusively on their own training to keep themselves alive and, more importantly, their missions covert.

Splinter Cells are subtle. Air strikes are not subtle.

Thank you for telling me what I already know.

I don't even know why Third Echelon would even risk exposing a operation with an air strike; it makes no sense.

How would an air strike expose an operation?

EDIT: then again, a lot has changed since Chaos Theory, which was the last one I played (everything else after than just looked like action-packed rubbish). Third Echelon is basically just a high-tier SWAT team now.

It's not Third Echelon anymore, it's Fourth Echelon.

 

[Random Argument Man]

I remember Splinter Cell being about stealth. I don't mind the kinect use. It shortens the use of buttons if one decides to not use them. Gamers will care about Kinect if you find a use that helps the core experience.

My major complaint is about Ubisoft. Look, I know that the market these days likes fast-paced action gameplay. I can understand that. Why not make a new IP with the gameplay you're showing us now? It's more risky, but with the right marketing campaign, people can buy this. When gamers are saying "We're losing the core experience of a franchise", this is what they were talking about. If you really want people to buy because of brand recognition, at least make a sub-series to the franchise. Don't use Sam Fisher. Bring in another agent.

 

[SacremPyrobolum]

It is not so heavy on stealth now, but that is fine with me.

I actually liked the idea behind the mark and kill button, it is more indirect but also makes combat smoother and more bad ass for people like me who such at that sort of thing. Makes you feel fluid and not so stiff.

I have never really got into a Splinter Cell game, but this looks good.

 

[Andronicus]

How would an air strike expose an operation?

Really? Are you serious? I have to admit, I've never really been in a situation where identification of an attack from the air might be necessary, but I'd imagine that the fact that there's an aeroplane in the sky shooting down at things on the ground might be clue. And clearly, you don't know what a Splinter Cell is. SC operations occur where airstrikes would be impossible due to political ramifications. It's not the fact that an airstrike exposes an operation, it's the fact that there's not supposed to even be an operation, either from air OR ground, because that shit starts wars. SC's don't fight wars, they prevent wars.

And thanks for correcting me, because I really fucking care about what they renamed the unit between Chaos Theory and Blacklist.

 

[Drummie666]

Fine, improve on conviction and not splinter cell, whatever. My problem is bigger. Where the hell is ironside? That was so not him voicing Sam in the demo. That makes me put this thing on MY blacklist.

 

[Cyrus Hanley]

How would an air strike expose an operation?

Really? Are you serious? I have to admit, I've never really been in a situation where identification of an attack from the air might be necessary, but I'd imagine that the fact that there's an aeroplane in the sky shooting down at things on the ground might be clue.

That's not proof that there's a lone operative on the ground in that area doing sneaky shit.

And clearly, you don't know what a Splinter Cell is.

No, I do. You're telling yourself that I don't.

SC operations occur where airstrikes would be impossible due to political ramifications.

Not anymore.

It's not the fact that an airstrike exposes an operation, it's the fact that there's not supposed to even be an operation, either from air OR ground, because that shit starts wars.

There are already wars going on in the areas that Fourth Echelon are infiltrating.

SC's don't fight wars, they prevent wars.

Not anymore. In Blacklist, Fourth Echelon are fighting terrorists who are threatening to attack the United States if they don't extract their troops from other countries. So, in a sense, Splinter Cells are actually fighting to prolong wars.

And thanks for correcting me, because I really fucking care about what they renamed the unit between Chaos Theory and Blacklist.

You mean Conviction and Blacklist?

 

[snagli]

Shouting at terrorists to lure them over? It used to just be a whistle, why not do that?

 

[Andronicus]

And thanks for correcting me, because I really fucking care about what they renamed the unit between Chaos Theory and Blacklist.

You mean Conviction and Blacklist?

No, I mean Chaos Theory and Blacklist.

 

[The Lunatic]

Welcome to the Games Industry, Names are for selling, not for classifying.

 

[octafish]

Yep nothing says invisible stealth infiltration like shouting, shooting everyone in the face, and air to ground missiles.