Splinter Cell: Conviction review

It’s worth pointing out that Conviction is a violent game. Aside from the usual gunfights and takedowns, there are interrogation sequences where Fisher extracts information in a brutal manner. His modus operandi is simply to beat the subject to a pulp, or smack them against nearby hard objects – you simply press one button to do this. It’s effective, apparently, but we felt fairly repulsed by it all – though we doubt regular fans of 24 will be too upset.

The multiplayer options are numerous. There’s an entirely separate co-op story campaign for two operatives to take on, a co-op arena game where you must defend an objective or take down a horde of enemies, plus online competitive multiplayer against other operatives.

Splinter Cell was always a more realistic stealth game for those who found Konami’s Metal Gear Solid series too sci-fi for their liking. However, that realism has been undermined by the presentation style and the powered-up execution ability, so that Conviction is far more of a game than an espionage simulator.

If none of that bothers you, then this is a great piece of entertainment for those who like to lurk and plan, rather than rush and react. It never quite pushes its initial template far enough to deserve a top score, but it is well worth playing nonetheless.