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Sam Fisher is back and battling Blacklist!

Splinter Cell Blacklist is the sixth installment in the Splinter Cell series that began in 2002. Sam Fisher makes his big comeback and this time out is head of the Fourth Echelon unit, a team under the direction of the Oval Office, that's involved in anti-terrorist missions.

Surrender before stealth, a healthy dose of action,  customization options galore, the return of Spies vs Mercenaries Mode... Blacklist includes all the best of the Splinter Cell series in a game that will delight fans of infiltration!

It's all about the content!

In Splinter Cell Blacklist, elite soldier Sam Fisher returns to action in order to stop a new terrorist threat. With his combination of stealth and gadgets, Sam must circle the globe and fight a band of lunatics to put an end to Blacklist, a series of large-scale attacks perpetrated against American targets. The protagonist takes the helm of the new Fourth Echelon unit including Charlie Cole, Isaac Briggs, and Anna Grimsdottir, all determined to send the Engineers and their evil plans packing.\n

Sam Fisher's small team now makes their home in the Paladin, a cargo plane with the latest technology that serves as a flying command center controlled via an interactive menu. It's from the Paladin that players can access the SMI (Strategic Mission Interface), a map of the world from where all the single player, co-op, and multiplayer missions can be run. Sam Fisher walks freely around the airplane to chat with his colleagues and even call his daughter Sarah between missions.

In terms of content, Splinter Cell Blacklist doesn't do things by halves and includes a campaign mode that's longer than in previous versions, that takes you to very different environments: an abandoned factory in London, deep into the mountains of Iran... The main missions in campaign mode include side missions and objectives that extend the life of the game. Some side missions can be played either solo or in co-op mode with a friend or an online partner.

Multiplayer mode in Splinter Cell Blacklist is a co-op mode known as Spies vs. Mercenaries mode, which makes its return after being shelved for a few years. This latest clash takes place with a team of spies trying to hack terminals, and a team of mercenaries, played in the first person, who must defend the terminals. The gameplay of both teams is radically different and you have to play with the strengths and weaknesses of each. This mode requires effective coordination between the players if they're going to emerge victorious.

Pure stealth or action: You choose

Blacklist plays in one of three styles and includes open gameplay where everyone can choose their style of play. Fans of infiltration will be able to move into the shade and use Sam's agility to climb gutters, scale buildings or shimmy into vents to avoid the enemy... Players wanting more action can play in Rambo mode with an arsenal of powerful weapons and explosives.

Each phase of the game can be approached differently since Blacklist defines three types of approaches: Ghost (pure stealth with fewer deaths), Panther (assassin mode where everyone is killed undetected) and Assault (take no prisoners, annihilate everything that gets in the way). At the end of the game, points are awarded to each player based on playing style and they're converted into virtual money. Your spoils can then be used to customize Sam's equipment and upgrade the Paladin. Everything is customizable, from the suits to the gadgets (Tri-Rotor, transmitter glue, EMI adhesive, tear gas bombs, night vision goggles, etc.) to the various weapons (which are also customizable)... The player can improve and evolve their equipment according to their style of play.

The best of Splinter Cell in a single game

After Conviction, which somewhat ignored the mechanisms of infiltration in favor of pure action, Splinter Cell Blacklist opts for consensus with an open style of gameplay. Infiltration and action coexist perfectly and the player is free to choose their style of play. The level design follows in that vein and the player will be able to once again undertake missions that borrow from the various styles of play.

Splinter Cell Blacklist also does great things with multiplayer mode, including Spies vs. Mercenaries mode and the ability to go from first person to third person view and to offer two very different styles of gameplay. It's a real pleasure to play online! Splinter Cell Blacklist convinces with its plethora of content and gameplay that help you forget the main weakness of the game - its very simplistic scenario.

PROS

  • Open gameplay
  • Varied environments
  • Customization options
  • Spies vs. Mercenaries mode
  • Co-op missions
  • Co-op missions High levels of difficulty, a real challenge

CONS

  • Very weak story, loses you quickly...
  • AI behavior sometimes funky

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