REVIEW - Splinter Cell: Conviction (PC, Xbox 360, Mac OS)

If Jack Bauer played video games, Splinter Cell: Conviction (Ubisoft) would be his game of choice.  For Conviction borrows heavily from the TV series 24 in order to turn the traditional stealth series into a much more action-oriented affair.  


If you are unfamiliar with the Splinter Cell series of games, then you have missed out, for they are easily some of the greatest games made on the last two generations of consoles.  With exciting plots, fascinating stealth mechanics and nerve scraping tension, Splinter Cell proved itself a worth competitor to the ultimate of stealth games - Metal Gear Solid.  The basic premise is that you are Sam Fisher (voiced by Michael Ironside) - a gruff-voiced elite intelligence operative working for a shady NSA organization by the name of "Third Echelon."  The latest game finds a distraught Sam, who has lost his daughter Sarah in a car crash, as well as his best friend Irving Lambert, in the last game.  Sam is hidden away in Malta, but once information about who killed his daughter appears, he decides to go 'rogue' and find whoever it was who killed Sarah.  Sure enough, events expand and unravel, and Sam finds himself caught in an enormous geo-political conspiracy, that he must stop before disaster strikes etc etc etc.

The intuitive combat system makes moves like this second nature.

The story is notable by the way that is a lot more person-centric than previous games.  Previous games had an international situation, and Sam was (literally) helicoptered in to save the world.  Conviction on the other hand has Sam as the main thrust of the storyline, with international events gently circling around him, events that become bigger and more noticeable as the game develops.


Conviction is not particularly long (even inexperienced gamers will struggle to make this last over 10 hours), but it plays like a movie, and will keep you on the edge of your seat right until the very end.  Missions are diverse (from pure stealth missions in DC, to out and out shooting in Iraq) and are so much fun that you won't care about the brevity, mainly because the plot is so thrilling that you will be dying to get to the end to find out all the answers, and to resolve the various plot threads.  This is an extremely replayable game, and so the length is forgivable due to the fact that the missions are well scripted, and constantly exciting.  There are no tedious long walks, enormous battles or pages of dialogue to trawl through - the game remains snappy, and as a result is extremely addictive.


Open Flash and Clear!


As for the gameplay itself, I would challenge anyone not to have fun with Splinter Cell: Conviction.  This may surprise some readers who have found previous Splinter Cell games difficult, unwieldy and often very tedious.  Although the games have always been vastly popular, many found the heavy emphasis on stealth to be fiddly and unforgiving.  Conviction changes this by making the game a lot more action based, as well as a lot more user-friendly than previous entries into the series.

Something awesome is about to happen...

While in previous Splinter Cell games, the emphasis was on killing as few enemies as possible (with many levels designed in a way that they could be completed without killing a single one), Conviction moves away from this.  While it still emphasizes stealth as a way to complete levels, Sam Fisher now uses stealth to stalk his prey, as opposed to using it to avoid them.  Sam Fisher is a hunter who uses cover, gadgets, light and distractions to circle around his prey before striking (if you are good) with breathtaking efficiency.


This move from stealth to stalking has been made easier for the player by two massively important game mechanics.  The first is "mark and execute".  What this entails is that when one kills a guard or gang member via hand to hand combat, the player is given a set of between two to six "marks" that the player can then use to mark other enemies.  Once the enemies in question are marked, a flick of a button will lead Sam to "execute" the enemies marked in a slick bullet-time set piece.  This means the fiddly shooting that haunted previous games is limited, making Sam a much more ruthless killer.


It works surprisingly well.  Although it does take some control away from the player, it still feels intuitive, and in addition to the technological gadgets Sam has, and the multiple options of doing things, it adds up to some incredible moments.  It means that if you can silently enter a room with enough marks stored up, you can quickly drop everyone in the room without them even knowing that you are there.  It works well, is hideously satisfying, and is bound to leave you with a grin on your face.


This, accompanied by a well done stealth mechanic that allows you to use the shadows to easily sneak up behind enemies, and a whole range of gadgets that include sticky cameras that both play tunes (to draw a guard near to them) and then explode, there are countless ways to do many of the levels, and this adds up to a lot of fun.  There are many times when the player will be outnumbered by enormous amounts of terrorists with mean machine guns, whilst poor Sam is stood in a corner with his small pistol.  Consequently it is immensely rewarding to get through the stage, and this is where Conviction is at its best.

"A little closer please...."

Atmosphere is another thing that Conviction gets spot on.  The graphics are stunning and are some of the best I have seen on any system.  There was one moment when I was crawling through a DC office block, and I glanced out of the window to see the Capitol Building in all its glory in the distance, shimmering beautifully through the rain stained glass.  It was a moment where I just had to stop and admire the view - which was unfortunate as I failed to spot the guard creeping up behind me, who subsequently pumped my body full of lead!  However, the graphics are used to produce some excellent atmospheric touches as well, such as letting the player know that they are hidden, by fading the screen into black and white.  It sounds simple, but works so very well that it makes Conviction  a real treat to sneak about in and allows you to creep up behind enemies knowing full well that they can't see you.


"Tell Me What You Know!"


From a Catholic perspective, Splinter Cell: Conviction is tricky.  It starts out as a fairly problematic game not only due to the incessant foul language that comes from the mouths of terrorists and guards (which quickly becomes tiresome and irritating), but also due to Sam's motivation being one of bloodthirsty vengeance, which the player is supposed to go along with.  However, as the game develops, this thread of vengeance subsides into the background, while the "save the nation" plot moves to the forefront of the game.  Yet the streak of vengeance remains, and scenes of various "interrogation techniques" on key enemy characters may trouble some gamers.  Although these involve nothing particularly gory, players may be put off by the (admittedly tedious) moments when a player must press a certain button to advance the interrogation by smashing the victim's head into a television or urinal or whatever.

Interrogation scenes are troublesome, and not particularly enjoyable either.

In addition, it goes without saying that even if a gamer chooses the more stealth-based option of getting through levels and avoiding fights whenever possible, one will still end up with a fairly significant body count in Conviction.  Although these are all terrorists and gang members determined on attacking America, Conviction's difficulty from a Catholic perspective is that it makes killing such people so much fun.  I found that if I executed a raid perfectly, taking out all five guards without being spotted, it would give me a fairly big sense of satisfaction and I would be sat in front of the screen with a wolfish grin on my face.  However, the pat on the back comes from completing the mission properly as opposed to the actual enjoyment of the death of another person.  At no point do kills linger on, and with the exception of a couple of brutal moves during the interrogation scenes, the game is relatively gore-free.


On the plus side, Conviction delivers a very moving plot that many Catholics will find intriguing and touching. Sam's relationship with his daughter is the key theme of the game rather than the motive of vengeance, and is constantly at the forefront of the story.  Sam Fisher is not some mindless killer with a blood lust - he is motivated by his love for his daughter as well as his love for his country.  All the characters are well-rounded, and the gamer with find themselves rooting for Sam all the way.  Without giving any spoilers away, the well developed story results in some very moving moments that I am sure will cause many gamers to have a lump in their throat.  It is a refreshing move away from the emotionless machismo seen in so many action games these days (I'm looking at you Gears of War!)


While it is possible to criticize Splinter Cell: Conviction from moving away from its roots and for having a short single player campaign, the game is still a ridiculous amount of fun.  Sneaking around and hunting down the various terrorists trying to attack the country is made so intuitive and so satisfying that it never gets old or samey.  There are always different ways of completing levels, and consequently there is a lot of replayability here.  Add to this a pumping techno-rock soundtrack, incredible graphics, a tense atmosphere, and a nail-biting plot, Splinter Cell: Conviction is one of the best games I have played in 2010.  The high frequency of bad language, intense interrogation scenes, significant body count, and unclear messages about revenge make this a game for adults only.  Yet Conviction's positive messages about clear boundaries between good and evil, its touching pro-family message that emphasizes self sacrifice, and the game's efforts to make the gore content as minimal as possible makes this a game that a great number of Catholics can delve into, and play over and over again!


The Technical rating for this game is  9/10

The Catholic rating for this game is    A-III - adults.

REVIEW - LittleBigPlanet (PS3 exclusive)

LittleBigPlanet (yes all one word) - or LBP as it has become known by the gaming community - is a game that is impossible to hate, and extraordinarily easy to love.  It really is the gaming equivalent of a puppy: if you hate it it then something is the matter with you, and people should avoid you at all costs.

In a gaming world that so often surrounds gamers in blood, violence, car crashes, sex and obscene language, it is difficult to express the surprise that comes with starting up LittleBigPlanet (Media Molecule) and being brought into a cutesy world of innocent sackdolls scampering around a world that could have been created on a children's TV show.

Sackboy - prepare to dress him up and make him look
as silly as you can!

This is a game that draws you in with its simplicity and cuteness from the very beginning.  The game begins with an introduction and tutorial by British TV personality Stephen Fry, who welcomes you to the world of LittleBigPlanet and introduces you to "Sackboy" (or Sackgirl if the player eventually chooses) who waves at you, and then proceeds to skip and jump throughout the gaming environment.  Sackperson is a fully customizable character who the player can dress up however they wish.  One of the fun side quests throughout the game is picking up extra items and costumes with which to dress one's character in different ways.  There are also collectible stickers with which to decorate one's spaceship or "pod".  It is nothing particularly groundbreaking, but they are all ways with which to enjoy the game.

The bulk of the game is a platformer about as old school as they come.  However, its unique feature is an accompanying physics engine that is used for a wide variety of purposes, from building blocks which Sackboy can then climb to reach higher platforms, to using carts and vehicles such as bobsleighs and cars with which to zoom around the various levels.  What is so much fun about the many gimmicks (the jet pack a personal favorite of mine) is that they aren't then re-used to death, as can happen in so many modern releases.  Once the player has enjoyed the novelty of a physics based puzzle, the game removes it and introduces another one, meaning that the game avoids repetitive slog, and stays very fresh all the way through to the end.

Mini races like this break up the platforming action nicely.

The environments are also extremely varied that take the player literally all over the planet, from Japan to the Wild West.  LBP can best be described as a 2.5D platformer, with 3 levels of depth which the player will switch through either manually or automatically.  This can be difficult and frustrating at times, as I found myself hurling myself through the air to land on a platform, only to find that I was on a different depth "plane" and was therefore hurling my snazzily dressed Sackboy to his death yet again.

Make no mistake, while this game is certainly child friendly, it is by no means a childish game.  It does not employ a traditional "lives" system, and instead for every checkpoint you pass through, you receive a handful of new attempts at the next segment.  Fail to reach the next checkpoint without dying five times and the game throws you back to the beginning of the level.  Considering that levels are extremely long, and can take somewhere in the region of twenty minutes to complete, this can be a devastating blow, especially if it is your third attempt at a level with one part that you just can't get through!

While the game is not incredibly hard, it is much more difficult that its cuteness communicates.  With the slightly sludgy controls, complicated set pieces, and LBP's innovative design that throws lots of different and new challenges at the player, this can be a tricky game, and is therefore not "Baby's First Game" as it might appear from the graphics.  Children easily frustrated or who find computer game's tricky may need an adult nearby to help them through the tougher parts of this game.  Some adults may even need a fellow adult nearby to stop them throwing their pad through the television in some of the later levels.

The level design is constantly innovative from start to finish

Apart from that however, this game is about as non-offensive as they come.  Even describing it as "non-offensive" does not do LittleBigPlanet justice, as it suggests a bland neutrality to the game.  Instead, LittleBigPlanet is a bright, positive, uplifiting game that is a positive environment for both children and adults to enjoy themselves in, and is a delight to play.  Even the levels with slightly more adult themes - such as when you have to break a friend out of a local jail using explosives - are handled in a childish, cartooney way that will not offend parents or upset children.  Additionally, the ending to the game is simply one of the most beautiful endings to ever grace a video game, with themes of forgiveness, friendship, sharing and an upbeat view of humanity all present in an ending that will bring a tear to the eye of all but the most heartless of gamers.

Also worth noting is the level design tool that comes with LBP.  The game allows you to collect various tools and parts as you move through the single-player story mode, in order to arm yourself with a wide range of items and objects with which to make your own levels.  You can then throw share these levels with the well-moderated online community.  Although this is only something that will appeal to a very limited number of gamers, it is an applaudable way of adding longevity to what is already a substantial game.  

A buddy can turn on their controller and jump in at any point.

Although it is tempting for people to see LittleBigPlanet as a run of the mill platformer, it is far from it.  With beautiful music, stunning innovative graphics and original gameplay all packed into an extremely playable (and loveable) game, LittleBigPlanet is a revolutionary landmark title, and stands out as one of the best titles for the PS3.  Anyone who owns a PS3 and is remotely interested in the platform genre should have this game in their collection.  From a Catholic perspective, this is one of the few game that is not only inoffensive, but also has an actively positive message of community, friendship and kindness - all without being preachy or cheesy.

This game contains mild cartoon violence, rare instances of mild rude humor and some haunted house scenes that some very sensitive children may find distressing.

The Technical rating for this title is 10/10

The Catholic rating is A-I --general patronage.