Splinter Cell: Blacklist

The theme might sound familiar since the player is required to save USA from terror attacks once again, but once the action begins there is no stopping this roller coaster ride…

There is no build up nonsense in Splinter Cell: Blacklist as the opening scene starts with terrorists blowing up an American military facility. Calling themselves The Engineers, their sole aim is to bring US down on its knees by destroying high security military bases. The demand is quite simple, the attacks will continue till the United States government brings back its soldiers stationed abroad. This notorious group’s target list is called The Blacklist. Splinter Cell is synonymous with the iconic Sam Fisher, a member of the special operations and counter-terrorism unit called Fourth Echelon, who is set with the task that is quite straightforward.

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Gameplay

Experienced campaigners who have played the Splinter Cell series before will feel familiar with the plot and gameplay. This game is all about being subtle and using stealth play. You need to use the surroundings to your advantage and might have to hide in the shadows to avoid any unnecessary contact with the enemy or stay invisible, so cameras can’t pick you out. There are times when you can finish levels without even killing anyone. It’s all about strategy.

There are three different modes to play this title. You can slither across the background and quietly remove enemies or simply avoid confrontation. This is the Ghost mode and it fetches you the highest number of points, as it needs a lot of planning. If you prefer screaming “Yo Joe” and go guns blazing, then Assault mode is your choice. Spoiler alert – this mode simply kills the game, as it becomes a mindless dull shooting game. Fear not, there’s the best of both stealth and shooting mode and personally, Panther mode was our favourite. Also, if you opt for the easy level then you won’t be able to score enough points and you will be deprived of all the state of the art weapons and gears.

Even though this is a single player game, it has some co-op missions, which allows you and your friends to discuss tactics before you take down the enemy. The missions are straightforward and can be finished easily.

Brings out realism

Don’t get us wrong, but it’s the situations and characters that bring the game alive. The sinister mastermind and the frustration of Sam add an element of reality. Plus, the enemy’s artificial intelligence doesn’t have deadpan predictable moves. You never get time to let your guard down as surprises keep springing out from the wood works. The espionage thriller also brings a huge repository of gadgets and weapons. Sam can change his pistol with an alternate weapon or a special weapon or even pick up a gadget or specific armour.

Verdict

The wonderful characters and the plot filled with twists keeps you glued to the screen. A lot of shots are like movie clippings and there are even some slightly gory pictures, like when a suspect is tortured in a Guantanamo Bay-like prison. The prisoner is wearing the typical orange jail suit and hounded by US Army soldiers with questions. Full points to the game developers for making the online multi-player mode interactive and with challenges that take the game to epic levels.

The cinematic feel is clear, though the overall graphics do feel a bit jaded and the features of the characters look slightly blurry. But apart from these trivial matters, this is a must have game for all Splinter Cell fans.

From the October 2013 issue of FHM India.