Man they just need to cancel this and get it over with, apparently.

Cutedge

No Ironside would be a major, major disappointment for me.

TK423

@dead_red_eyes: You poor poor delusional bastard.

Immutablyme

@tralfaz23: Totally agree. I don't care if pees in the communion wine... pay him, love him and ensure he reprises his role as Sam Fisher---it's that or create a new lead character.

Immutablyme

Also,
@Silent Predator:

That's because the last time a developer has been refreshingly honest and voiced his real opinion about his game, it didn't turn out very well for him and 30% of the internet only bothered to read the sensationalistic headlines depicting his "disappointment" with the game.

That's why we'll have to put up with PR bullshit for decades to come.

Serdur

It does not make sense that Ubisoft does not provide proper funding and top notch support for this game. I mean hell, isn't it one of their flagship titles?

dtm3

WAR...HAS CHANGED.

Serdur

Damnit, now I have to wait longer?

@Tenth:

So you're saying that not the character design, not the actions, not the gameplay, not the writing ... but the actual voice IS Sam Fisher? Who'da thunk it?

Ironside can go piss off, just give me some Sam Fisher.

dead_red_eyes

delaystation.....no?>

sorry. figured with the word delay in it, someone would have dropped this internet meme already.

SC has never been cool to me. no big loss....

jfx316

Wow... Sam Fisher with someone elses voice will be off-putting. Four games in, and Michael Ironside is Sam Fisher. It'd be like Marcus Fenix, or Solid Snake with a new voice actor... I just can't see it.

I don't know how egotistical Ironside was, there's no quotes from anyone, but business is business.

Tenth

Without Michael Ironside doing the voice of Sam, I am not buying this game. Whenever there is an actor change on a character that has been portrayed by only one person for years it totally ruins it. Ironside has a very discernible voice and any other actor isn't going to fill the role the way he did.

BretzE

Ive been a fan since SC 1 - mainly for the multiplayer aspect on xbox live since Pandora Tomorrow came out.

Double Agent was a let down to most of the true cell online community - and I hope they bring back the old style that took extreme skill when facing good opponents - with a nice gadget selection.

Those were the days.

8 bit gamer

Oh, and why do people keep talking about MGS4. These series are really not THAT similar. SC is its own thing in the stealth action genre, and even that sounds like its going to be worked over.

DARTH_TIGRIS

Bad News: One of my favorite series in gaming will have the longest drought it has ever had. I really wanted to play this during 2008.

Good News: The 360 lineup for 2009 just got even better. Its likely we'll have Halo Wars, Alan Wake, this, Mass Effect II, Bioshock II and maybe even the PJ Halo project. And I know I'm missing a lot there (Alpha Protocal could be great). Cool.

DARTH_TIGRIS

@sascha23: Third party exclusives are essentially a thing of the past really (with a couple exceptions). I wouldn't be surprised if Splinter Cell took the same direction as Bioshock and was ported some time later... Though it greatly depends upon how much money Microsoft shelled out and ultimately what the terms of agreement were.

B33

I wonder if this will still be a timed-exclusive for 360 when it comes out.

Or could the "reworking" have to do with the game going multiplat?

Hmmm...makes you wonder.

sascha23

Weren't there rumors that the game was turning out to be too much like Assassin's Creed, in terms of crowd stealth, so they had to rework it because of that.

neoepochx

@The SmacK:
Take any of the first three games, and flip it upside down.
That's Conviction.

A typical mission would involve Sam Fisher wearing civilian clothes with no weapons, in the middle of a large park, at noon, being hunted by police officers and government agents.

Coquiton

WHoa can`t say i did not see that coming. They begun May 07 and said they would release it Nov 07, Ubisoft announced another delay to next year's fiscal quarter (which began April 1, 2008, and now were getting the 2009- 2010 thats sad and very disappointing

slyzxx786

@karasu is my homeboy:

I don't get the "sighs" the first 4 games were good, why wouldn't the new one be? Did they change the design team or something?

The SmacK

Disappointing, but not especially surprising.

TOWER_JUNKIE

@dsmx:

lol

LittleBigPlaneteer

::sighs::

This game is going to suck, isn't it.

karasu is my homeboy

A thought occurs that ubisoft delayed haze and that turned out crap, how bad must the new splinter cell game be to warrant a nearly 2 year delay?

dsmx

Ubisoft: This game is better because if you look closely, our main character has a goatee. Unlike Mr. Snake.

Consumer: Does he have Octamo?

Ubisoft: [Face palms]

Schoolimangooli the doogie mag goosie!

@Coquiton: That is exactly what I mean!

Satis24

@prodld50:

No thanks, how about we just keep it a splinter cell game?
Kojima, tends to make to many cutscenes that show you the action. Splinter Cell tends to let you play and the story unfolds as you make your way through the enviorment, it's way more engrossing. Makes you feel like you are discovering the plot on your own, not being forced into it.

I'm more of a Sam Fisher fan than a Solid Snake fan, anyway.

First 3 splinter cell games were top shelf stealth/action games. 4th was pretty good on 360.

I'll blind purchase for sure.

The SmacK

noooooooooooo, I wish they would stop pushing this back. People will just keep losing interest in it. Unless what they do put out just about blows all the other games out of the water. It didn't look like that to me from the videos I saw. They kinda got away from the sneaking around aspect.

Maybe they will rework it to be more MGS4esque, because that is something that 360 fans want.

Satis24

I really, really hope the reworking means they are going back to the original roots.

It seemed to me they perfected SC's stealthy gameplay in Chaos Theory. I mean, the single player was amazing, and the multiplayer was mind-blowing.

I thought the series would only get better from there in next-gen.

Then they announced DA (and now Conviction). They practically gave players the finger.

"Oh, you like the stealth gameplay? You like the merc vs spy gameplay? Well forget it! We're changing everything!"

An now they're at the point where it's not even SC anymore, it's a weird shift towards broad-daylight running around.

I don't mnd if they make this game, I just wish we got some more of SC's classic stealth. Could you imagine the possiblities of a game like Chaos Theory in today's consoles?

Coquiton

@justinbox360: From what I read about their direction with SC you best buy a PS3 then. Or play MGS4 at a friend's house or something.

FP_slomo788

"...a 'way too egotistical' Michael Ironside"?
Might as well be a unicorn, or game shop with wii fit in stock, because it simply does not exist.

BruzeWayne

Michael Ironside you are a dumbass

DarkHavoc99

@Morithain: That makes sense if it is the case.

Wasn't the theme of this SC supposed to be hiding in plain sight? It had missions during the day and you had to hide in the crowds.

Silent Predator

...erm, surprise? there were rumors that they basically gutted the entire game a few months ago for redesign.

@SolidOni: zing! it just wouldn't be a videogames post without some awesome fanboy jingoism.

3inst3in

I actually see it as a sign of good faith when a developer does this. It reiterates the fact that they refuse to put out something sub par. I can wait a little longer to hang out with Sam.

ThisCharmingMan

Wow, this was a 360-exclusive?

If it is, then I don't care if this is delayed.

I loved Double-Agent, but Conviction being exclusive ?

:(

xCruciaLx

Take the time you need Ubi - do it right

TheLegendof_Erick

I'd have loved to see it this year, but there's so much high-quality stuff in the pipe for the rest of 2008 (Fable 2, Gears of War 2, Fallout 3, Saints Row 2, GTA IV DLC) that I don't mind waiting.

DaPress

Why can't Ubi just come out and say they're not happy with what they have right now? I'd like for some company at some point to go "You know, we had a great idea but we couldn't really get it to work so we need more time to fix stuff."

Boy that would be refreshing. Also, no Ironside isn't a big deal to me.

Silent Predator

Didn't they already announce this delay like, six months ago? They said that after Assassin's Creed came out it made the game look like a joke, so they took it back to the drawing board.

Morithain

damn. i really want something like MGS4 for the 360.

justinbox360

Only if they have that fake Sam Fisher blog again. That stuff cracked me up.

Eville1

I've only played Chaos Theory, but that was a damn good game. Hope they keep the gameplay similar, with less/better story and shinier graphics.

Krondonian

Hopefully it won't go from awesome in 08 to just great in 09 to mediocre in 2010.

FP_slomo788

Previews from last year made it look like Assassin's Creed set in present day. Maybe Ubisoft is reworking the game so the two franchises don't overlap. Just a thought.

Darth Navster

This game still has my interest. Can't wait until Sam (Michael Ironside, lol) returns.

DigitalHero

Wow, this game is delayed. Well I guess I'll file this one under "No Shit".

GrrSnort

Good - the stuff that they'd previously hyped sounded really bad for the franchise.

MeanMF

Never got why this new Splinter is a 360 exclusive. Well, other than the fact that Microsoft paid for that. Anyways, this isn't a good sign for the game.

LittleBigPlaneteer

pay the man dammit, NO ONE TAKES MONEY FROM THE IRONSIDE

tralfaz23

wow, and they say ps3 owners are waiting for their games for years on end

SolidOni

boooooooooo, we miss you sam.

B1ooDshOt

And by Konami I meant Kojima Productions

prodld50

It would be nice to see ubi take this game in a direction similar to what Konami decided for mgs4. Put some more action into it I say

prodld50

Is this game ever actually going to come out? I swear Ubi will release Beyond Good & Evil 2, a game I never thought we'd get, before it releases Splinter Cell: Conviction, a game that was already supposed to be out.

MSUSteve

Ubi shelves games all the time to pad the next fiscal year. It doesn't really mean they're still working on it.

It just means that they have more time to sit around eating truffles and drinking wine, or whatever the hell it is they do that distracts them from fixing the bugs in their games.

Billkwando

Maybe this means they'll make a really good game. They could always split the game into two parts: Traditional sneaking and "active crowd stealth", or attempt to combine them somehow.

Metal_Slug_Solid

So did they forget that we already know it was scrapped and restarted:(

xIvSlowDeath420

i'm just glad ubisoft are taking their time. splinter cell was becoming madden.

cihx

@justinbox360: y don't u just go and play the real thing. don't have the money? borrow a friends ps3 for a couple days and rent or borrow the game.

waiting for second rate wannabe's aint worth it.

exstrat

So, does this mean it'll be reworked to be like Chaos Theory, i.e., a GOOD stealth game again?

No?

Then fuck it.

RedRaptor

A case of splinter hell prehaps!

aphexmalus

Metal Gear had something to do with this decision.

artofwar420

hello

aikoo

I'm waiting for the MAXIMUM RISKY shots of this bearded emo bad boy. Where's Flynn when you need him????

gblock

You know who I blame?

Snaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaake!

Hopefully, they use this time to really make something worthwhile to play. Who knows. By the time we see it again, it may be a completely different game from the stuff we've already seen. Not sure about the stuff with Michal Ironside, though.

Buttah

Crap we pulled a Sony...

Murderdolls

It's like bizarro MGS... Sam gets younger :O

ZombieRace

...people still care about Splinter Cell?

RichardChaos

this is all really vague,

hope the gameplay isnt

Icyme

@The SmacK: Um...are you new?

A concept was announced and then abandoned for quality. They've officially announced delays 3 or 4 times. There's clearly a lot of trouble surrounding this project.

Gaming history has shown stuff like this tends to end up in a crappy game.

karasu is my homeboy

@RichardChaos: Why not, the controls were a bazillion times better (to use a technical term) than any MGS game I've played.

I like both. I'm just sayin'.

Billkwando

"...a "way too egotistical" Michael Ironside would no longer be returning as the voice of Sam Fisher."

This looks like a job for David Hayter! LOL

Thinker302

@dead_red_eyes: "So you're saying that not the character design, not the actions, not the gameplay, not the writing ... but the actual voice IS Sam Fisher?"

Correct... if you've seen the character design of 'Conviction', he looks like the main character from Condemned 2. Hell, he even looked different in DA. The gameplay has been copied/homaged by several other games, not to mention that Conviction looked like it was departing from the classic Splinter Cell gameplay. The writing is cookie cutter Clancy (not saying it's bad, just that you didn't need to play any one of the previous 4 in order to be able to know what's going on).

So yes, that is exactly what I'm saying. If I were handed a Splinter Cell game where the voice actor for Sam was not Ironside... I would ask "who am I playing?"

Of course, now that I know the answer... I guess I won't be asking that. ;)

Tenth

i@The SmacK:

People never complained about the cut scenes in the past. It was the codec that made people angry. If you played mgs4 you would know the game play was revamped. Its funny how people never complain about cut scenes in a Final fantasy game.

mace89

What else does Michael Ironside have to be doing? I don't expect they'll be doing a Top Gun II anytime soon. Damn egotistical, pretentious D-list Hollywood types. heh

Juthan

When people talk about mgs and splinter cell most of the time they miss the point.

MGS = Street fighter
Splinter cell = virtua fighter

1 is more realistic and technical and the other is more charming and fun to play. You have fun playing a mgs and SF, while splinter cell and VF make playing the game more of a task.

mace89

@karasu is my homeboy:
@mace89:

How am I new? I'm saying all the past games have been good and I'm sure the new one will be, too.

They are delaying the game to make it better or change the direction entirely.

Anyway,

MGS = don't have to use stealth (I played MGS 2,3,4 and just killed everything barely had to use stealth ever.)

Splinter Cell = You have to use stealth

PS, I hate final fantasy's cutscenes, too. As well as the dated, tedious, japanese gameplay.

The SmacK

Ubi should scrapped this and just start from scratch

kingme

@The SmacK: You obviously have not gotten the rank of "Big Boss" on either MGS 2,3, or 4, have you? Try playing those games on the hardest difficulty setting, I guarantee you, 2 gun shots and you'll be dead, if not already. Go through the game, undetected, play it like it was meant to. Don't treat it like an fps.

I played the first Splinter Cell, it wasn't bad, but I lost interest, and never finished it sadly. It turned me off, mostly, it needed a more interesting plot.

zerokoolpsx

@The SmacK:

i played splinter cell game and i can't remember one moment from it. Splinter cell games are forgettable. You did not play mgs like how its suppose to be played if that was your approach on the game. You are suppose to use stealth bro.

Its like playing gta and only do the main missions. Its just not the same game and you missed out on how it was meant to be played.

mace89

Delayed or not, this game should be epic.

Sucks about the voice acting change though.

WhiteWhaleHolyGrail

I still have to finish Chaos Theory. I love me some splinter cell but im glad its being delayed. I have a stack 3 feet tall of games I still have to play and or beat.

Nexus6

@LittleBigPlaneteer: Why is this bad for the game? MGSIV got delayed 3 or 4 times, and it turned out great. GTAIV was delayed, it turned out to be very good.

Spartan1308™

@Morithain: i kind of took assassin's creed as a joke too. after all these wonderful trailers, you basically pickpocket the same guy over and over again, then listen to the same crowdmonger rant before you rough him up over and over, then climb some towers over and over . . .

hopefully this game won't consist entirely of blowing up hot dog stands and stealing coats from the back of park benches.

vanishing.hero

It's nice to know they aren't dropping a massive pos into a market already chock-full of pos games.

Thanks for waiting!

cookiesareafriend

Can't really blame the guy. If I was the main voice for a game that makes millions of dollars I would probably be looking for a bigger piece of the pie too. We'll never know if he is too egotistical or if Ubisoft is just too cheap.

mugido

I played a little bit of the first SC way back when, but it vanished into the "300"-like bottomless pit of games I "plan on playing" someday. That said, the series is a major IP for a public company and they simply can't afford to explain to their shareholders why the tits on Sam Fisher's cashcow ran dry without losing serious credibility.

The ole "quarter bolstering" sleight-of-hand is a classic move to buy time when there's a quality control problem, but Ubi needs this game to be a hit, and they're clearly getting down to the last grains of sand in the proverbial hourglass.

Jonaconda

@zerokoolpsx: @mace89:

Honestly, I don't have the time to play MGS on hard and if that is what it takes to enjoy MGS than screw it. They gave me the option to play that way and they made the crappy design choice to lower the default difficulty and made a not so stealthy game.

I'm in agreement with Tycho from Penny Arcade...everytime they put out a MGS, I see all the great reviews and go out and buy it....I play it and I don't like it....the story is convoluted and the gameplay is usually not that great.

Sorry guys, Just not my kind of game.

Also, I mostly tend to hate the games that come out of the far east. I think the western and european devs do a much better job.

Who cares though? It's just my opinion, anyway.

The SmacK

Looks like after MGS4 they are shitting their pants lol.

Heavenly_King

@B1ooDshOt:
Not since the DA, I'm not. That game was crappy.
Also that pointless sneaking between the missions was driving me crazy.

neojam

Delayed then cancelled.

silkwood-scrubdown

Not using the original voice actor would be like replacing batman with spiderman and acting like he is the same person.

BillyTheRatKing

I'd rather have it released as good as it can be later.

So good news i suppose.

string_theory

Not having Ironside really isn't a big deal. The Splinter Cell games have never been about the stories. Even Double Agent, the game that was supposed to make us face tough moral decisions had a lackluster story. The way I see it, if you want story in your stealth games, go play MGS. If sneaky gameplay is what you're looking for, Splinter Cell is where it is at.

Will we ever see the two combined (good story and gameplay, not SC and MGS, though that would be cool)? I doubt it. As long as SC has the Tom Clancy name attached to it, we're stuck with boring political stories with zero character development.

yeah write

I really do commend Splinter Cell for constantly re-doing/reworking their series with each new entry but what they did with Double Agent was just weak. Chaos Theory PERFECTED Splinter Cell in EVERY way and they just turned it ass upside down with Double Agent. Mainly, they broke the stealth meter which was perfect. Chaos Theory had the best stealth system in any game ever. Period. Aside from constantly trying to innovate why would they literally break that?? D.A's system was broken as far as I'm concerned. There's no buffer between concealed or caught. How can you tell without a slider how exposed you are??
I'm rambling, either way Double Agent was a huge dissapointment and I don't expect the next one to be any better. It's just too different and they've reached the point of no return. I really wouldn't blame Ironside if he jumped ship due to the deterioration of the series.

Chicopollo