It should come as no surprise that one of the most underappreciated game varieties, the stealth genre, shares its own familiarities with one of the oldest and well-known playground games in existence -- Hide and Seek. It's a simple premise that has given birth to a number of titles that encourage stealth as opposed to the typical shoot everything that moves formula. The Splinter Cell franchise has remained one of the frontrunners behind this concept. 



At a recent Splinter Cell: Conviction preview event held at Toronto's own Comic-con, members of media, including Urbanology, were invited within a faintly lit room containing several chairs, all facing a panel of two individuals who had a direct involvement with the new entry in the long running stealth series. Michael Ironside, the actor and individual who is arguably both the voice and soul of the main protagonist, sat comfortably awaiting questions while to his left was Martin Walsh, an Artificial Intelligence (AI) programmer for the game.   

During the course of the event, the general direction of the discussion began to mold itself into more of a philosophical form of dialog. When asked about the main character, Sam Fisher, and his motivations after finding out that his daughter's death wasn't an accident, Ironside expressed his answer in the blunt fashion that embodies many of the characters he plays. "I think it has more of an individual voice," Ironside said. "I think people who are feeling pissed off and angry because they've been lied to for the last 25 years are going to identify with this character. That's not vigilantism; I think that's basically humanism." 

It's clear that Fisher is willing to kill to acquire the answers he needs in this installment, the gameplay has also reflected this change by going for a more aggressive and action-oriented stance. Due to this alteration, some long-time fans might be weary of some of the changes but AI programmer Walsh was quick to reassure fans all was well. "You can still play the way that you love to play old Splinter Cell," Walsh explained, "it's about options now. There are now other options that are going to allow other gamers to enjoy the title just as much." 

Attendees were all given an opportunity to try out the game for themselves in front of the several HD televisions that were scattered throughout the room. The game looked great visually and the controls seemed relatively responsive. It's clear Ubisoft was dedicated to sustaining a level of polish that has always been present with the series regardless of delays. Ironside articulated this fact in his entertainingly frank manner, "I'm not jerking off Ubisoft or kissing their ass, this game was supposed to be out for Christmas and they chose not to, and I think that's commendable to Ubisoft and I'm not somebody who loves to voice my love for corporations." A strong compliment that'll hopefully be the reflection of a game worthy of the name Splinter Cell once it's released this month.  

Words by. Noel Ransome