New Splinter Cell: Less Stealth, More Accessible

[teh_gunslinger]

I guess I'm happy that I was already not buying it due to the horrible DRM. Now I'm no longer sad I'll miss this game.

Goodbye Sam. I'll cherish our adventures and sneaking when playing the 3 first games only from now on. We had a good run and I'll miss you.

What the heck happened to your title? Those string of Latin words above your avatar are intimidating.

OT: That makes a lot of sense. Remove what made the game unique to become another generic shooter with little to nothing to set the game apart. Conform and blend in with the other shooters to create a stagnant shooter market. That's [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nineteen_Eighty-Four] such [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Third_Wave] a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Scare] great [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Flew_Over_the_Cuckoo%27s_Nest_(novel)] idea [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_McCarthy].

I'm a member of the Publishers Club so I made my own title. It's mostly dog Latin for Master of the Pony.

 

[Mewick_Alex]

Can someone explain to me why everyone is so angry at the changes? The stealth is still there, just faster.

Wow, thanks for posting that its totally on my buy list now. Was thinking of getting it purely cos of the co op play, but thats made it certain for me.

Soon as I replace my damn xbox anyways....

 

[spinFX]

Sigh. Consoles raped Dragon Age of it's complexity (compare Baldur's Gate 2 and DA:O) and now Splinter Cell.

If Civ V get's announced for Xbox then PC gaming is dead and the casual console generation will rise to destroy us.

 

[Marik2]

The stealth is still there, just faster.

I dunno. That's a LOT of killing for a stealth game.

Well I'm pretty sure you can play the game without killing anyone. I don't think the game will force anyone to go Rambo style. You have to remember that Fisher is no longer tied to the government, he is pissed off and the gameplay perfectly reflects that.

 

[FoAmY99]

Well, perfect example is of course Mass Effect 2. Gone are the immersion and the epicness of the game and replaced by generic shooting and whatever.

Well, Splinter Cell, you won't be missed. Back to Chaos theory + Co-op.

Well then you forget that the vast majority of people hated the combat and Mako driving spots in ME 1 so they underwent an overhaul.

Getting back to Splinter Cell, obviously Ubisoft felt that more and more people were beginning to dislike the dominance of stealth in the gameplay, so they're trying a different approach. Maybe its not the right one, but they're trying to give people what they want. In my opinion the stealth of Splinter Cell is one of those "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" things.

 

[Mr. Mike]

Well this new-age stealth seems pretty interesting to be honest. Never played any old-school stealth games, but making it more about quick execution in the shadows versus waiting for the guy to turn around on his patrol appears as though it'll make it more accessible to the wider audience. Bummer for the old-school stealth nuts.

And it's a bummer I won't be getting this; don't have a 360, PC's too old, and even then, I'm not getting sucked into the maelstrom of Ubisoft's ridiculous DRM.

 

[aaronmcc]

i'm still gonna get it cuz i love sam fisher. if it's shit i'll just trade it or sell it on. it can alledgedly be completed in 5 hours, which is disappointing.

 

[Gh0st1y_H]

Can someone explain to me why everyone is so angry at the changes? The stealth is still there, just faster.

I don't like the "Ghost" feature. It looked pretty streamlined right up until the Ghost feature popped up. I think Ubisoft is making this game too easy.

Advertising is usually aimed at mainstream audiences though. It's possible that Ubisoft is going to make certain parts of the game more catered to the hardcore fans of the franchise. Metal Gear Solid 4 introduced Metal Gear Online making hardcore fans more pleased with the online portion than the fan-service the story turned into.

Ubisoft could just be making games too easy at this point though. Assassin's Creed 2 was just too easy to be considered more than an unsatisfying waste of time.

My entire post is just speculation on how things are going. I'm withholding judgment until I see the finished product. I'm excited but wary of this new release.

 

[Mr. Gency]

Can someone explain to me why everyone is so angry at the changes? The stealth is still there, just faster.

Thank you.
I'll still by playing this with a stealthy attitude...

Unless I'm playing it with my dad, who probably won't consider stealth until we're stuck.

 

[Oilerfan92]

Bought this game. Love it.

I see that many people are judging this without playing it. I never was the biggest SC fan. But from what i know, this is still SC. The stealth aspects are still in, and you can go around planning and executing your plans. Or you can IF YOU WANT TOO. Be more gung ho.

Jesus people, dont judge so quickly

 

[Mr. Gency]

Spoiler: Out of context quote

Ubisoft could just be making games too easy at this point though. Assassin's Creed 2 was just too easy to be considered more than an unsatisfying waste of time.

Well It was still enjoyable advancing through the story. If you want Assassin's Creed 2 too be hard, play the game with no armor, no up your med-kid pouch so you can only carry five at a time.

I may try that my self.

 

[Marik2]

Can someone explain to me why everyone is so angry at the changes? The stealth is still there, just faster.

I don't like the "Ghost" feature. It looked pretty streamlined right up until the Ghost feature popped up. I think Ubisoft is making this game too easy.

Advertising is usually aimed at mainstream audiences though. It's possible that Ubisoft is going to make certain parts of the game more catered to the hardcore fans of the franchise. Metal Gear Solid 4 introduced Metal Gear Online making hardcore fans more pleased with the online portion than the fan-service the story turned into.

Ubisoft could just be making games too easy at this point though. Assassin's Creed 2 was just too easy to be considered more than an unsatisfying waste of time.

My entire post is just speculation on how things are going. I'm withholding judgment until I see the finished product. I'm excited but wary of this new release.

From the look of this review it looks like the game is fun and challenging it doesn't look too easy, just right. Shame about the length though.

 

[internetzealot1]

Still getting it. Besides, they needed to change something. Double Agent's gameplay was dated.

 

[Kasawd]

Eh, I'm kind of split on this game.

While the game is fine to play, fluid and capturing, I find the new stealth system to be annoying.

I'm a big fan of the old "Wait and strike" Splinter cell games where I derived pleasure by murdering everyone in my wake while not alerting a single guard. Waiting for the precise moment to remove all threats with gadgets and a polymer blade(I assume. Won't set off metal detectors and why would splinter cells not get nifty knives?) really boosted the immersion for me. While I can still murder everyone, it isn't as satisfying. Using an auto kill move that can shoot through objects with a weapon that doesn't run out of ammunition isn't fun, for me. Counting bullets and using guns as a last resort in these games gave it a nice taste of realism.

Also, I loved the interrogation of minor enemies in the previous games in order to obtain information about the area.

Still this game is actually quite good. It's just not SC, to me.

I'm a real stealth nut.

 

[almostgold]

I think it looks better. Yeah I said it. I wouldn't buy another slow-paced stealth game. I will buy this all-out shoot-em-up action game. Deal with it.

 

[Programmed_For_Damage]

I was even more pissed to hear that the single player campaign is 5 fucking hours short!

And that is why it ain't getting my hard earned cash! My home net connection is rooted at the moment so co-op etc does nothing for me.

 

[joshuaayt]

Yeah. I heard that Nintendo told Gamefreak to remove pokemon from Black and White versions, because, for newcomers, there were just too many to get their heads around.

 

[ImprovizoR]

As previously stated, the stealth is still there, and you can still go through a level without killing anyone. Hell, I propose that stealth is actually better in conviction. Yea, I said it. Wanna know why? Because the stealth is actually kinda difficult for a change. In the previous Splinter Cells (minus DA), you had light and detection meters (also known as easy-mode stealth), you could stand right next to a guard and they wouldn't notice the floating green lights, and there was essentially only one linear and correct path through the levels. Now the stealth is more difficult and requires more thought, which I thoroughly enjoy. Have fun with your conspicuously dark mansions and missile bunkers and your easy-mode meters, I'll take the difficult stealth any day.

I agree 100%
Look at Hitman for example. It's a great action game and you can chose to kill everything that moves or to do it stealthy and not kill anyone which is a lot more difficult. In previous SC games stealth was the only option. You didn't have the resources to fight your way through the level. Now you can, but you don't have to. And if you chose to do it stealthy it will take more time and it will be harder. It's better like this, people are just too narrow minded when it comes to gameplay changes in familiar titles. Or maybe they would still rather play MGS with bird view camera...

But 5 hours long campaign? It took me up to 20 hours on previous SC games and the replay value was still great then. I don't care about co-op, deniable ops or MP, I want Sam's story!

 

[SnippyWings]

Well i'm going to play it on the hardest difficulty to make sure i'm forced to use some form of stealth.
As for length I will be playing through the co-op section (hardest difficulty) with a friend so hopefully that will add some hours.