For those of you who have played any of the Splinter Cell games before, be prepared for quite a game-play change as Conviction is much more fast paced than in previous entries in the series. I personally haven't played many of the Splinter Cell games except for Double Agent, which was good, but the multiple endings and the many choices you have to make was confusing.
For those of you who don't know Splinter Cell, it is a series of stealth/action games that focus heavily on sneaking around in the shadows and taking out enemies one by one and they also require a LOT of patience.
Conviction has significantly changed this form of game-play a lot, and in my opinion, delivers a faster paced, more enjoyable stealth/third person shooter game. Don't get me wrong, Conviction still heavily focuses on stealth, but the consequences if you make a mistake or a little too much noise is less severe than in the previous games. Conviction also introduces co-op story mode, and three other modes for you and a friend to enjoy locally via split-screen or online.
Once again you play as Sam Fisher, on the hunt for the killer of his daughter. Michael Irons provides Sams voice, and no-one could fit the role better. The essential stealth element remains the same, but eventually you will acquire shotguns and assault rifles to go loud with in case things get out of hand. In this game, your pistol has unlimited ammo, which makes things a LOT easier. Speaking of which, hardcore fans may be disappointed that the difficulty has been dumbed down a lot compared to the other Splinter Cells, but it is not as easy as you can run and gun everywhere (my friend tried this and failed miserably). One element that has been introduced that makes things a lot easier is the mark and execute feature. To enable this feature all you need to do is to get a hand-to-hand take-down and bingo. Depending on your equipped weapon, you can mark up to four enemies, and provided they are in range, eliminate them all in a slo-mo work of art. You get various gadgets that will help you in the game and help you keep your enemies guessing as to where you are, and you can also shoot out the lights to create shadows to hide in. The various interrogations you perform on story characters are fun, but I think more effort could have been put into them instead of only you requiring to repeatedly push B until they give in.
The co-op mode is fun, and the story acts as a prequel to the single-player storyline. Its essentially single-player with a friend, where certain parts require input from both players to continue. Although the other modes are also fun, with a last stand mode where you have to defend a EMP device from waves of enemies.
Throughout co-op and single player, there are various challenges for you to complete which will earn you points to upgrade your weapons and armour(co-op only).
Scores
Graphics: 8.0
The graphics are pretty standard, but the cutscenes look nice.
Gameplay: 8.5
Conviction provides a fun new take on the core Splinter Cell formula.
Sound: 9.0
Voice acting is great, and the sound effects are quite good too.
Replayability: 7.5
Single-player isn't really worth going through more than twice, but the co-op and extra modes will keep you entertained for a few hours.
Overall Score: 8.5/10
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