Splinter Cell is one of Ubi's most profitable annual factory conveyor belt franchises, so to miss 2 years when they could have shat out a bunch of badly lit levels like they did with Double Agent must have upset management.

Now the question is, could they not make a decent game out of the crowd mechanic or are they just having to change it because they'd ended up making a modern day Assassin's Creed but without the fun platforming?

I wish they'd go back to the greatness of the original where the levels were well designed and the shadows were accurate (unlike the sequels where some fully dark areas register as well lit and some well lit areas register as totally dark).

photoboy

On another note I have to wonder if someone in the position of say Mathieu Ferland is in a disagreement with the Ubisoft head honcjos and he is saying the design needs to be redone and the money hats are saying it is good like it is, finish it up.

Hatchetforce

Im sure it wont take as long to develop. They already have all their art assets, and the engine is likely finished. They probably just need to redo the gameplay mechanics.

Altima NEO

So Sam Fisher gets younger as the Splinter Cell games come out and Solid Snake gets older. lol

lonecow12

Actually it is good the delay occurred. Obviously you don't delay a multimillion dollar game for no good reason. Often the extra time pans out - MGS4 - sometimes it doesn't help - Haze. Sitting on a game whose only draw is the engine technology, it would be bad to delay until that technology is outdated. In that case you didn't really have a good game at all, just a tech demo.

Or delaying until a key feature you had was pulled off better by someone else - as in a cover mode. Otherwise delay is a good thing. There is a point when you have to put the game out. If a game stayed in development until it was perfect it would never ship.

I like the character of Sam Fisher but they started making fatal mistakes in SC3 and Ferland was responsible for one of those. First they removed the grey hair and locked Sams age much younger despite his being older in the first game. We already have androgynous blonde 19 year olds saving the universe in other games. One of the great things about sam was his curmudgeon attitude that came with age. Then we get to SCDA and they pull the equivalent of Superman Returns and emo Sam. It is one of the reasons the regular xbox version was superior. There was less of that, the SP game was a great deal longer and regular coop was in the game. Just a superior version. IGN wrote an article for insiders about that.

They need to do what is necessary to correct their mistakes so they don't wind up with a Highlander 2 on their hands. SC3 was the most successful to date when it was launched and they were on the left side of smart for changing the direction. You don't take a million dollar racehorse that is getting faster and faster with every race and winning all the time and drastically change his training regimen.

Hatchetforce

Wasn't Splinter Cell Convictoin delayed just a few weeks after Assassin's Creed was released?

It was probably going to be similar to Assassin's Creed: a very nice looking "game" (tech demo) with completely shitty and mind-numbingly repetitive gameplay.
That can get you 80-90 scores from incompetent game reviewers once, but it probably would not fool nearly as many people the second time around.
Now they have to actually make a good game, a new concept for Ubisoft.

XbhaskarX

I'm scared. This'll...be good, right? Yeah, it has to be. Yeah.

GwennBlackfeather

Is it me, or is Fisher looking more and more emo as newer Splinter Cell games come out?

joshuamcc

definitely points towards a complete reworking, and those are never good.

They are good if you look at games like Halo's history, and add that to the fact that Double Agent failed to satisfy by Splinter Cell fans, they really need to make Splinter Cell an untouchable, intimidating power player again.

Double Agent was not satisfying to me and lacked the spark that made Splinter Cell's so great. I know a lot of gamers and reviewers agreed. Take your time, Ubisoft. Don't mess this up.

karasu is my homeboy

@Vetterli: Amon Tobin W00T! I agree. I have the soundtrack and listen to it daily.

After Chaos Theory I kinda lost interest in Splinter Cell. To bad really, they were decent games.

Eville1

Btw. did they ever come up with a patch for Double Agent for PC? I bought the game twice for my friend, as we're both SC-fans, but none of them worked. Well they did, but it looked as if we were playing alpha builds.

Vetterli

@Cosmitz:

I went ahead and fixed your post ;)

Remove the bloody bugs that plagued Ubisoft games so far and we'll be happy.

Wolf_Dog

Ubisoft decided their Hobo™ Engine needed a reworking. Things to expect : advanced anti-hygienic Core, more realistic newspaper blanket physics, true to life drunken slurs and the ability to predict when the end is near.

Furiosa

Well, they definitely need to rethink things after what happened to Double Agent. It was good and all... but... seriously. They should just try harder. Oh, and get Amon Tobin back.

Vetterli

Maybe they are retooling it to run on the Assassin's Creed engine. Or they are retooling it for the Wii. BWA HA HA HA!!!! No, but seriously, it could very well be the former.

megaStryke

It didn't look like a Splinter Cell, but rather a new series altogether. Splinter Cell is Chokey Roberts, not running around in crowds.

dunetiger reads kotaku, seems pleased

I was looking for this after reading the Preview on EDGE a few months back. I twas defintly very ambitious, in a assasin Creed "living crowd" kind of way. Maybe this is for the best.

Shiryu

the game was bordering a bit on the Bourne style of action, so i guess they might be trying to tinker with some new ideas. its anyone's guess at this point.

zanzibarlegend

Remove the bloody bugs that plagued SC games so far and we'll be happy.

Cosmitz

I just realised I never want to be in a cell full of splinters. It's bad enough to be in a cell.

Itchy (PSN: Kaizoku-ou)

I dunno what to think, I'm jonesing for some new Splinter Cell action, but waiting and having it be top notch is almost preffered.

Rubix42

@DARTH_TIGRIS:

The reason I doubt that is the re-emphasis by Ubi of the original forecast in January of a 2008-2009 release.

Hatchetforce

I think I'm really over the Splinter Cell franchise. The mose recent iteration was definitely the most interesting, but regardless, they lack excitement for me. I guess I just expect more of a story out of the franchise.

sascha23

I have a THIRD possibility, if anyone is interested.

Maybe, just maybe, since this is potentially a high profile 360 exclusive, MS asked Ubisoft to hold off on any big reveal until MS' E3 press conference. That would explain the complete silence but still fit in that release window that the Ubi rep mentioned.

And yes, if you couldn't tell already, I'm trying to hopeful that we'll still see this soon. And, to be honest, based on the hard FACTS we have, my scenario is just as realistic as the others.

DARTH_TIGRIS

I've only played the first and second Splinter Cel... what HAPPENED to him? He's supposed to be a disgruntled 50 yr old who came out of retirement... now he looks like he's in his late or mid 20s.

Yeah. just noticed other comments before this posted. WE WANT OLD FOGEY SAM!!! I want him complaining about arthritis as he cracks necks.

ExistentialEgg

the game won't look as awesome in 08/09 than it did before.. :/ how long have they been already working on it? 2 years?

Shad0X

@kenkankendo:
Actually the superior control setup of Splinter Cell has made every Metal Gear Solid game (other than the original) completely unplayable to me.

The first Splinter Cell gave me a greater sense of freedom in how you approached a situation. In Metal Gear the controls are so unwieldy it isn't worth attempting anything other than the one obviously "correct" approach to getting past an obstacle.

In other words, I felt like in Metal Gear the designers force me down a singular gameplay path almost because of an obtuse control setup. In SC the game controls are intuitive enough to allow the gamer to worry more about what their options are, not just figuring out the easiest way through a scenario. It at least creates the illusion of depth, whereas MGS is the stealth action equivalent to a platformer, in which there's one correct approach to a situation and you need to figure out what it is in order to proceed.

That and the stories in SC at least make some sense. Metal Gear is about as coherent as a soap opera, and equally absurd. Hopefully Ubi can stop fucking up the franchise and give me a reason to care about the character again. Stop reinventing Sam and decide who he is as a character. I don't care if the team are big fans of 24. These days, most videogame designers are it would seem...

The design of Splinter Cell games needs to stop being based on a reaction to the perceived market for the game, and instead be helmed by someone who want to actually make the IP a true, worthwhile franchise. As it is SC is just another way to rebrand the Clancy license for Ubisoft, and that's all it is.

It's time to make SC something significantly more than it's been in recent iterations, or just call it a day.

stranger

@Hatchetforce:

True, but that is simply their fiscal year, which runs from April 2008-March 2009. That's very different than what the rumors suggest.

DARTH_TIGRIS

It's about time Ubi started fixing their mistakes instead of marketing them.

Of course they've always been a little more careful with the SC series than RB6. With Rainbow Six, they're more than happy to sell you a dick in a box.

Billkwando

Or maybe the folks at Ubisoft realized that what gamers want from the next Splinter Cell is a *gasp* proper Splinter Cell game! Conviction looks like a rehash "24" game starring Sam Fisher. Why would I want to beat people up with furniture in what's supposed to be a stealth/espionage series?

I hope they do go back to the drawing board for this one. Go back to SC:1 and refine everything you did right. The only Splinter Cell games worth a damn anyway were the first one and Chaos Theory. It's hard to believe this is going to be the fifth iteration of the franchise and they can't figure out what to do with it...

Hey, at least they're smart enough to go dark until the know what they're doing. Makes me hopeful that this game won't suck. Whatever you do, keep Ubisoft Shanghai as far away from this game as possible.

@XbhaskarX:

stranger

I think they're just working a little harder to make this a game that's not the same as the origional - and sometimes that takes a little bit of reworking.

Biscuitcleaver

Sam Fisher has always ridden on Solid Snake's coat-tails: maybe he saw how much ass MGS4 was kicking and decided to spend a little more time in the workshop researching active-camo?

kenkankendo

So is this still a 360 exclusive (shared with PC) or will it be on PS3 as well?

Ecks

@kenkankendo: Thats really funny...because I could have sworn MGS4 is using the over the shoulder view Splinter Cell made popular
@stranger: Agreed. I love MGS but damn for anyone who hasn't played the other games, MGS4 is going to be damn impenatrible, Splinter Cell has a much more realistic and grounded storyline

excel_excel

@stranger: I like the way you think.

banana-3

Yeah, I prefer SC over MGS, too. I really want to like MGS but I'm afraid that I can't handle the silliness.

ElPadre

@zanzibarlegend:
Maybe. Not to mention that Bourne game is coming out and it seems they have the same premise.

@megaStryke:
I know I read it somewhere that AC's engine was partly the reason for its delay. They're integrating utilities from that engine to this one or reworking it altogether. Don't quote me on this but that's what I read.

This game showed a lot promise when it was first announced. Specifically the trailers showed what you can do in a crowded environment. Sure the graphics weren't that great but it was a very early build and showed promise.

Hope they make something good out of this though and not just try and recreate Assassin's Creed in the City.

Maybe they're also thinking if they can re-imagine this as a whole other franchise?

excaliburps

I find it very refreshing when developers make decisions like this. I think a lot of games have raised the bar lately, and they're definitely going to be taking the extra time to make the game the best it can possibly be.

ThisCharmingMan

At least there were stories in the MGS games. I don't think I ever knew what was going on in the Splinter Cell games. It just had cool set pieces to infiltrate.

OGHowie

@ThisCharmingMan: They should put quality first, or should be bludgeoned in their beds.

Billkwando

When they first announced Conviction, like others here, my first thought was that they should just call it Splinter Cell: Assassins Creed. And then I thought, no, maybe they should call it Splinter Cell: The Fisher Ultimatum.

What the series needs is more depth, not a complete overhaul. GTA IV is the perfect example of this. They added tons of new features, updated gameplay mechanics, even prettier graphics, but at it's heart, it is still an open-world, go anywhere, do anything game.

And that's what Splinter Cell needs - more depth - not a complete departure from the core stealth and gadgets gameplay. Innovate the ways in which the game can be played, but don't completely deviate from what made the game cool.

Personally, I'm hoping for a good old fashioned 'reboot' of the series. Forget continuity with the previous games. Just start from scratch with the core concept of Sam Fisher + stealth and gadgets and go from there.

bag79

When I saw videos for it at E3, it looks like it needed to go back to the drawing board. Good concept, bad execution.

wolfzero

He reminds me of Tyson Stevens.

Soundoreo

Splinter Cell and Metal Gear Solid are for two completely different audiences. They both have strengths and weaknesses which have made them some of the best of the bunch as far as stealth action games go.

Still, I've always been much more of a MGS guy. I'm just hooked on it like crack.

Buttah

@Hatchetforce: I'm not sure how you know it has worked out for MGS IV. Maybe you meant GTA IV, b/c that game has actually been released.

Spartan1308

@kenkankendo: Yeah I think they're waiting for MGS4 to come out. Its obviously the stealth juggernaut that Splinter Cell wants to be. They just need to rework Sam Fisher's image and 'motivation'. I also agree with previous posters that Amon Tobin should make a comeback . El Cargo is a top notch tune.

Nexus6

I just hope that they wont screw this one up, since DA was a huge step back for the SC franchise. :/

neojam

Complete reworkings are "never good"?? Um, Half-Life was completely scrapped and re-worked starting about a year and a half before release. I'd say there's still hope.

Khab

strange, Ubisoft used to pull out a Splinter Cell every year. maybe they're waiting for MGS4 to come out. it's obvious that Splinter Cell is a MGS-wannabe. SC: DA's story felt a little Metal Gear-ish to me.

Grimmjow Jeagerjaques

@Grimmjow Jeagerjaques: @Nexus6: Yeah, I don't think Ubisoft Montreal is waiting to see what innovations MGS4 brings to the table. We already know some already and it's just random stuff like barrels (the new cardboard box), gential-centric gameplay, and that mini-Metal Gear. And a third-person camera, which Splinter Cell had from day one. MGS4 is advancing it's own insular mechanics, playing a little catch-up, and progressing the story, of course.

I think Ubi is having problems with getting Assassin's Creed social-stealth to work with objective-based gameplay. Here's hoping they figure it out.

Xiedo

@Spartan1308: Because of two things 1 - At least 1 major review is out that I trust. 2 - I personally know that reviewer and trust him at his word. Besides, I think at this stage it should be patently obvious that the quality of that game is no longer in question.

And for the record I own GTAIV and think very little of it.

Hatchetforce

I thought it looked awesome, and I was looking forward for something to play this summer. By the time it comes out, I'll probably have lost interest.

peAr_nectAr

I hope a reworking does NOT mean reverting back to sc3. If you want that play Chaos Theory.

It was the crowd mechanics and the completely interactive environments that made me excited for it.
Yes, I really want to be able to smash guys with a deskchair. I dont care that it's not same old splinter cell. Thats the point. Things have changed, for Sam, so now his tactics must change.
It's all choice , anyways. Im sure you could sneak up and break his neck. But, dammit, I want a chair! Screw same ol same ol, only. Its all about options.

And, yes, it would be nice if same ol same ol was an option. I just dont find that as exciting as being joe shmoe, on the run, hitting police with chairs and whatever else is in the area.

SadSadSamus

I wonder why they did that ? did they really need reowrking ?

slyzxx786

don't think it's always a kiss of death. if i remember correctly, valve completely re-did halflife

diodegrey

They can't screw Conviction. It's their big game.

mcool93

I think they were looking at a similar "lost in the crowd" mechanic as Assassin's Creed - urban jungle type of gameplay. That and the fact that MGS4 is ten times a better espionage/stealth game probably turned them off on releasing the game anytime soon.

Kamesen

I think Assassin's Creed and the Bourne game have stolen their thunder. The developers seem to want to move beyond a stealth game and don't quite know how.

I have my fingers crossed they bring this off. I loved the Splinter Cell series.

Chilly Hollow

Ubisoft probably read all the fans reaction to their making a carbon copy of Hitman and calling it Splinter Cell. Personally, I was outright pissed to hear that they had further ruined the franchise that I love (more than almost any other game series). Take away even more of my gadgets??? If I want social Stealth, I'll play Hitman or Assassin's Creed. I play Splinter Cell for Splinter Cell, and Hitman for Hitman. Splinter Cell: DA was bad enough- it had great classic Splinter Cell action every other level, and then forced me into tedious, annoying Social Stealth every level in between. I always found myself tapping my fingers and waiting to finish the JBA Headquarters levels, bored out of my mind- only to be rewarded with an incredibly short, relatively easy level of classic Splinter Cell action.

MasterYong

@joshuamcc:

You'd look emo, too, if you were getting old and you're daughter died while you were thousands of miles away.

InsolenceAndHeresy

That's good news to me. I really didn't like what've been shown. It was not subtle, and I think subtlety is a key aspect in SC. It's ok to have a big change a bourne syle game, but for the trailer it seemed like a brawler. And those distractions were ridiculous. Shooting a propane tank with lots of peaple around it?! That's not Sam Fisher!

Solid_Altair

@SadSadSamus:

"I hope a reworking does NOT mean reverting back to sc3. If you want that play Chaos Theory."

That's funny, because Chaos Theory IS SC3. I'm hoping you're just confused a bit. Just because a game is good doesn't mean it can't be built upon and improved for the fans to enjoy. If you want to play Conviction play the mediocre Bourne game coming out on June 3rd. I myself want the real splinter cell back.

Ubisoft knows very well that there are a lot of people who thought Chaos Theory was amazing and want a next gen follow up. Instead, they've decided to piss on the wound that Double Agent left on those of us who bought it by coming out with this crap.

Chaos Theory I think was the best stealth game to date, and I think if the devs at the montreal studio are so tired of making good splinter cell games, they should just leave the franchise alone. It would be so easy to just make Conviction a totally new IP, and I could imagine it doing very well as there are plenty of morons out there who think that playing as a disheveled hobo who shoots hotdog stand propane tanks as a "diversion" and throws random crap at various security guards and mall cops is a far richer experience than what previous Splinter Cell titles offered.

Metninja

If the original team is so bored with making light & shadow gameplay splinter cells, why not just leave it be and make this game a new ip? It makes no sense to me, it's as if they actually believe SC fans will like the change in direction even though it is now a completely different game. Here's what I think, and I really hope a Montreal employee is reading this.

Ubisoft Montreal, what it all comes down to is that Splinter Cell is the only stealth game of its kind. For those of us who don't have the patience for 90 minute cutscenes and convoluted storylines found in the other titles in its genre, SC is pretty much all we have. It's bad enough that you let Shanghai tarnish the excellent name you worked so hard to create, but that's business I suppose, and all would have been easily forgiven if you had decided to give us the next gen follow up to Chaos Theory so many of us were eagerly waiting for. But instead, you're doing conviction for some reason. To be honest, as a fan I'm refusing to acknowledge this stupid idea as an SC game, same as I've done with Double Agent.

What I'm saying is, is please... leave this series alone. I realize you guys created and own it, and therefore have the right to destroy it if you so desire, but for the sake of the fans, just give it an honorable passing that so few franchises have been given. I sincerely hope ConViction never sees the light of day. If one day you decide to return to SC where you left off in Chaos Theory and give it the next gen sequel it deserves, I'll be grateful, but otherwise just let it die so I can keep my fond memories intact.

Metninja

*sniff* *sniff* I smell a PS3 port.

fraggenstein

All this talk of delays for Conviction has made me buy Chaos Theory again. I loaned my old copy to a friend and never saw it again. (Damn him.)

Assumption