Splinter Cell Conviction Review!

What Is It?
Take everything you know about the Splinter Cell series and discard it, insert a nifty, 'Mark and Execute' ability, mix it in with a Gears of War/Rainbow Six Vegas cover system, Assassin Creed-type movement,and a Jason Bourne influenced story and you have Splinter Cell Conviction  

Review
The story of Splinter Cell Conviction is basically simple, Your Sam Fisher and you are no longer part of Third Echelon. The game takes place 3 years after Sarah Fisher( Sam's daughter) has been killed. It starts you off in a marketplace and you are contacted by 'Grim' and that serves as your basic tutorial. As the story progresses, you slowly learn more about Sarah, Grim, and Third Echelon. You also slowly receive new equipment to help you progress through levels, but it isn't until the last third of the game that you have obtained all your equipment and by that time, you really don't need it. The single player serves as a basic 'general' tutorial for the co-op. The gameplay of Conviction has been extremely overhauled from the previous entries and somewhat 'dumbed' down. That isn't to say that is a bad thing. The overhaul reminds me of what Capcom did with Resident Evil 5. It's a nice, fresh change of pace for this franchise. The 'Mark and Execute' ability is one of the best addition to the game. The game is set-up to make you earn your 'Mark and Execute'. You must first pull off an 'execution' or hand-to-hand combat to 'earn' your 'Mark and Execute' and depending on which gun you have and/or how far you have said gun upgraded, will determine how many you can 'Mark'( maximum is 4 per person). The best part of the game is the 'Co-op.' There are several options:

• Hunter - Clear the map of enemies 
• Co-op Story- A Prequel Campaign to Convictions Single Player
• Infiltration - Same as Hunter, but with the condition that detection by enemies automatically results in a mission failure. Must download from UPLAY
• Last Stand - Protect an EMP warhead from waves of advancing foes
• Face Off - The sole adversarial mode, with two players going head-to-head with a customizable number of A.I. opponents populating the map. 

You will likely spend the majority of your time running through these modes with a buddy. As previously mentioned, you will be able to upgrade weapons as well as outfits. Within the game there is 3 tiers of Challenges that upon completion reward you with points to upgrade. You are also now able to Interrogate enemies to get information throughout missions. While cool in theory, the results are a let-down and it gets old fairly quick. Also new is your objectives are now appear on the wall,buildings, floor, etc in the real-world. It is a very neat and convenient way to inform the player(s) of their objective without interrupting the gameplay.

Final Verdict
 A fun, yet short single player Campaign and great Co-op make this a must play(rent or buy). It has it's shortcomings and may disappoint fans of the previous entries, but I think with the new overhaul, it is a great foundation for the next installment and definitely worth a run through.

Difficulty: Just Right

Time Spent: 30 to 40 Hours

The Bottom Line: "Worth Playing"

The Good:
-'Mark and Execute' is ridiculously awesome
-Co-op
-New Gameplay mechanics are smooth
-More action


The Bad:
-'Mark and Execute' make it too easy,even on Realistic
-Voice overs sound a bit off a times
-Interrogations are a failed opportunity
-Classic Splinter Cell gameplay is gone
-Super Short Campaign

Grade: B+