Splinter Cell: Blacklist 101 Trailer Shows Off the New Goods

Andy Chalk

One Flag, One Fleet, One Cat
Nov 12, 2002
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Splinter Cell: Blacklist 101 Trailer Shows Off the New Goods

The lengthy Blacklist 101 trailer tells you (almost) everything you could ever want to know about Ubisoft's new Splinter Cell.

It's been a long time since I last played a Splinter Cell game, so I'm kind of in the dark about what's going in the world of Third Echelon. Or Fourth. Whatever. The point is that there seems to be a lot of new players and I don't have a scorecard. What's an out-of-touch operative to do?

This Blacklist 101 trailer is probably a good place to start. It talks a bit about the game's characters, including the old-hand Grimsdottir, CIA hardass (and, I think, franchise newcomer) Isaac Briggs and chatty computer nerd Charlie Cole, who's quick with a quip and not half as cool as he thinks he is (you know the stereotype), and also touches on the game's weapons, tools and styles of play, which we've talked about previously [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/126274-Splinter-Cell-Blacklist-Assaults-the-Ghost-Panther].

The trailer also reveals something I wasn't previously aware of (although that may just be the result of not paying attention): At the end of each mission, Fisher and Co. will be "paid by Uncle Sam" based on the quality of their performance. That cash, and "the right supplies," will enable the team to purchase new gear and upgrade the old stuff. It seems like kind of an odd approach for the U.S. government to take, given that it's facing its greatest existential threat of all time yadda yadda - you'd think it'd be more interested in getting the job done than in ensuring an adequate ROI on its latest ultra-covert hit team.

But hey, what do I know? I'm still mad about that whole Michael Ironside business, after all. Splinter Cell: Blacklist comes out on August 20 for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii U and PC.


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Not Lord Atkin

I'm dead inside.
Oct 25, 2008
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I'm still failing to see who the game is marketed to.

Splinter Cell fans? Hardly. Stealth fans? Doubtfully. Shooter fans? They already have better shooters than this.
It's like their way to 'broaden the appeal' works to limit it even further.

Not saying it can't end up being a good game. But I'm not holding my breath.
 

Krantos

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Jun 30, 2009
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Waiting on reviews for this one.

Conviction was decent, but flawed. Not really interested in this one unless it manages to bring something more to the table. Being a stealth game isn't enough. It needs to actually be compelling before I'll shell out $60 for it. Blame Dishonored for raising the bar.
 

Eiv

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Oct 17, 2008
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Instead of sounding gritty, he now sounds like "Generic soldier #22134". Have to wait and see if I can deal with that. Ironside really made the character 'his'.
 

dakkster

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Aug 22, 2011
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Johny_X2 said:
I'm still failing to see who the game is marketed to.

Splinter Cell fans? Hardly. Stealth fans? Doubtfully. Shooter fans? They already have better shooters than this.
It's like their way to 'broaden the appeal' works to limit it even further.

Not saying it can't end up being a good game. But I'm not holding my breath.
I've played through every single Splinter Cell game and this one does not feel marketed to me. The whole "young bro explaining why this shit is cool" angle just seems forced.

Krantos said:
Waiting on reviews for this one.

Conviction was decent, but flawed. Not really interested in this one unless it manages to bring something more to the table. Being a stealth game isn't enough. It needs to actually be compelling before I'll shell out $60 for it. Blame Dishonored for raising the bar.
I liked Conviction. It obviously wasn't the same as the first three games, way more actiony, but I liked it more than Double Agent, mainly because of the personal story and the new way they handled the story presentation. I was really taken by Sam's story.

This one? I just can't get over the fact that he's supposed to be in his mid-to-late-50s. Ironside was perfect in portraying Fisher getting more and more jaded. With this new Eric Johnson guy, Fisher's voice AND movement makes him feel like 25-30 years old. Which brings me to what I wish they'd done with this game:

Retire Sam Fisher, introduce a new guy. Why not Archer from the Deniable Ops? The player we'll be controlling will not be Sam Fisher, so why not just end the charade and get another character in that spot? I mean, how long do they expect to carry on the franchise with it resting on Fisher's shoulders anyway?
 

Dogstile

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Jan 17, 2009
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Honestly, I think it looks good. More choice in how you do missions is fantastic (and not quite perfect in conviction) and being able to customise what you get based on how you think you should play is always welcome. It looks like they made stealth a bigger thing now, which is awesome because in conviction, sometimes it got taken away from you. I have no doubts that this game will do the same, but not as often.

Splinter cell is definitely still splinter cell, you just don't move like a robot anymore.
 

thefascistpig

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May 21, 2013
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dakkster said:
Johny_X2 said:
I'm still failing to see who the game is marketed to.

Splinter Cell fans? Hardly. Stealth fans? Doubtfully. Shooter fans? They already have better shooters than this.
It's like their way to 'broaden the appeal' works to limit it even further.

Not saying it can't end up being a good game. But I'm not holding my breath.
I've played through every single Splinter Cell game and this one does not feel marketed to me. The whole "young bro explaining why this shit is cool" angle just seems forced.

Krantos said:
Waiting on reviews for this one.

Conviction was decent, but flawed. Not really interested in this one unless it manages to bring something more to the table. Being a stealth game isn't enough. It needs to actually be compelling before I'll shell out $60 for it. Blame Dishonored for raising the bar.
I liked Conviction. It obviously wasn't the same as the first three games, way more actiony, but I liked it more than Double Agent, mainly because of the personal story and the new way they handled the story presentation. I was really taken by Sam's story.

This one? I just can't get over the fact that he's supposed to be in his mid-to-late-50s. Ironside was perfect in portraying Fisher getting more and more jaded. With this new Eric Johnson guy, Fisher's voice AND movement makes him feel like 25-30 years old. Which brings me to what I wish they'd done with this game:

Retire Sam Fisher, introduce a new guy. Why not Archer from the Deniable Ops? The player we'll be controlling will not be Sam Fisher, so why not jus
t end the charade and get another character in that spot? I mean, how long do they expect to carry on the franchise with it resting on Fisher's shoulders anyway?
Cause archer is dead