Splinter Cell: Conviction | A Stealth Game Without the Stealth (inc. footage of cancelled game) 

Here are some timestamps: Intro - 0:00 Making of - 2:53 Good stuff - 10:44 Bad stuff - 15:34 Conclusion - 35:56 Also, feel free to reply here with games/series you would like me to cover. I'm already covering isometric CRPGs so no need to suggest Divinity Original Sin and the like. I'm thinking of the Deus Ex series plus Vampire The Masquerade Bloodlines so far.

At least Sam's personality remained in this game, I didn't know who the heck I was playing as in Blacklist.

Splinter Cell: Conviction is the closest thing to what a John Wick game could look like

An interesting thing about Conviction is that the tie-in novel of the same name (that does not share the same story) is much closer to what the cancelled version of Conviction would have been; it references Sam's shaggy look seen in the demo, and is much more focused on stealth, espionage and Sam being on the run.

You make a lot of very valid comments about this game, and I fully understand where you're coming from, but I love this game a lot. It's a a fun TPS/ cover shooter with stealth mechanics From what I remember, the coop was a lot more effective at being a stealth game in that you had to eliminate enemies that could quickly out gun you in a large more open arena, rather than the campaigns corridors.

Man the physics of the prototype game look so much fun. I remember reading about this version back in the day in Game Informer magazine lol

Conviction is one of my favorite games of all time. Sure it doesnt hold a candle to Chaos Theory but the story, voice acting, and animations were so ahead of their time. It was a blast to play through the 6-8 hour campaign. I actually recently just played it in 4K a few months ago on my PC. The gameplay still holds up and I am a huge fan of it.

I think the gameplay fits the story. This was a Sam on revenge path. So he didn't really care about being compromised and stuff. Even Vic says it at one point: "They knew Sam was coming and he wanted them to know."

I wish more publishers took a page from Devil May Cry's development (including Capcom). For those that don't know, it was originally supposed to be a Resident Evil game, but it became too different, but felt there was something worthwhile there and spun it off into its own series. The stuff from both versions of Conviction seems like it would be interesting, but the ties to Splinter Cell don't really do it any favors.

I wish they made the hobo Sam Fisher game instead :(

The only game that managed to make me angry. I couldn't believe it when I realized it wasn't possible to move bodies, in an infiltration game ! There's even some segment where you have to kill wave of ennemies charging you, and you have no way to be sneaky about it, you just shoot everyone like an uncharted game ...

This video basically explains all my frustrations with this game, when I first saw that 2007 early concept footage, I was blown away with how cool that splintercell game could of been! I really wish we knew what take they had on the game and where the story was going to go. IMO they should have started Sam has a disheveled man who basically looks homeless and has nothing (like in the 2007 iteration), but once he realizes that his daughter is alive, he comes back swinging and turns into the Sam we see in the game. Tbh the one thing that I still love about Conviction was its style...it had a sort of personality and aesthetic that I really liked, which made the DC location perfect along with the soundtrack. Too bad it didn't turn out the way we thought.

Something I've noticed many players never fully realized is how much you can accomplish if you get creative with Mark & Execute. Headshotting one enemy, or shooting an explosive or falling object in the environment to kill or distract other enemies before dropping down from above into another target to charge up your Execute and then using that to finish off the remaining targets can be extremely satisfying. Rather than killing three or four targets in a row, you can kick that up to six or seven almost simultaneously. It's all about observing, planning, finding the best possible position, and waiting for the right moment to strike. It's an entertaining gameplay loop similar to that of the stealth rooms of the Arkham games, but instead of slowly picking off enemies as the suspense and danger ramp up until you take out the last one, it's all about building up to one single flash of death. Perfecting your "run" of each area is one of the best reasons to return, and I've found better and more interesting ways to complete certain sections every time I've played.

While there was a lot left to greatness, I loved the direction they were taking with Conviction. Since I played it, I have been hoping someone would take the concept and improve the flow. Speedy stealth was shown to at least in concept be possible thanks to conviction.

"I'm sure people dont play splinter cell for the story..." ??? They do though..

Originally played this at launch when I was twelve. Thought this was a good review and brought up numerous elements I didn't notice as a kid but in hindsight are genuine failings of the game. It may be the nostalgia talking but I remember the co-op being by far the highlight of this game. the gameplay is widely improved by the need to rely on a friend to help you with the stealth and takedowns.

Honestly... Deniable ops was my favourite thing especially the co-op ending with the duel at the end

When Conviction came out, I hated it with a burning might. It was such an insult to my beloved Chaos Theory. Years later, I finally calmed down and played through it. And it's an okey game. It has it's moments. I really liked how Fisher acted much more ruthless and showed all his anger and frustration. Understandably so. It's just a very bad Splinter Cell. The earlier version looks much more in line with the core feeling, while getting the same angry Fisher across. I really wonder, has making the game available to a broader audience but ignoring the core fan base ever paid off? Ever? In the long run? Edit: now that I think about it, everything in the game I liked came from Fisher, the story, the license. In terms of gameplay, well, there sure was gameplay. But that's about it.

I am a die hard fan of the first 3 Splinter Cell games, but I honestly love Conviction as its own game, it's not stealth but in terms of action and a complete change of pace its very fun. Of course I want Splinter Cell to go back to its old ways.

I remember this game very fondly, especially the co-op. With a buddy who's decent at the game you are a glorious 2-man prototype John Wick team and it's a lot of fun. Still, this probably should have been a new IP instead of a Splinter Cell game, because the story made no sense. But, having played the early games and enjoyed them a lot, this is my favorite in terms of nebolous "fun". Probably because I could execute people with friends.

They should have been allowed to continue with the early prototype. Could have been an awesome and refreshing game.

This was my first exposure to the splinter cell series and I enjoyed it. As a stealth game novice at the time I found it to be a rather enjoyable game.

The best part about conviction is the character work. Sam gets so much character development in this, and I think I ultimately the more action based focus fits Sam's mental state as well. He lost his daughter, was forced to kill Lambert, has been disavowed and declared a fugitive, and hes angry. Yeah, it was a departure from traditional stealth mechanics, but they did a very good job giving reasons for why Sam is so angry.

33:07, You actually can just wait the waves out and then leave without killing anybody.

0:50 yeah, I remember when Bethesda aquired Fallout IP and that flame war. People said "they hate the game because it's no longer isometric" but it was nonsense, as Fallout NV show persepective does not matter as long as it's good game, just that.

I remember in middle school all my friends who had Xbox loved this game. They mostly played call of duty so I think the mass appeal thing worked. (this isn't a dig, just an observation). I enjoyed Blacklist a lot more.

I wonder what a game like this could be if freed from the Splinter Cell IP and went full blast on the PEV style.

I agree with almost all your points, but I still love this game so much. I technically think Chaos theory is so much better but despite that I have more playtime in this game than all other SC games together. It's weird how that works.

This is the second video that I have watched of this channel and I gotta say, I am hooked, you sir are an entertaining person to listen to.

Conviction was my introduction to Splinter Cell and I loved it. I agree the earlier games were better, but I still got a soft spot for it.

All the game footage of night scenes makes me want too boot up Pandora Tomorrow or Chaos Theory. It's sad that the niche genre of stealth games is almost dead. Deus Ex was interesting but other than that we haven't got any title lately.

I got this game when I was in 8th grade. I had played all the previous splinter cell games. I can say that I loved this game the most at the time for its "vibe" The mark and execute and ability to set up really cool kill sequences was so dope. The feeling that your enemies always know you're coming but you still get to catch them by surprise.

There are ways to ghost many of the missions and enemy encounters but not all. I was more upset that Fisher couldn’t go non-lethal so you essentially play the game as a homicidal maniac. Still a decent game.

love your videos, thank you for your work!

I miss Splinter cell so much! I wish they'd at least remaster the original trilogy agai for ps4.

Love your review style. You deserve a much bigger audience.

Yes! Looking forward to cracking a cold one tonight and enjoying this follow-up.

I would have really enjoyed seeing that 2007 demo come to full realization, it looked like they were trying something different that could have really been quite enjoyable, especially with the hand placement tech they were working on at the time.

My favorite in the franchise. Loved every moment of it

Loving the vids man!

Loved the always going back for family scene, you knew what was about to happen but it didn’t take alway from how badass it was.

Honestly Conviction might be one of the best 3rd person action (kinda stealthy) games I've ever played. Incredibly tight and focused gameplay. If only this gameplay was expanded even further because blacklist was stellar too, but with ubisofts shift to open world I'm afraid they'll abandon these systems entirely. Even now, after recycling alot of animations and assets, they haven't made an SC with gameplay as tight as Conviction and Blacklist.

On controller, the walk and run speeds are controlled by how far you push the stick. You have to be careful while aiming and cornering, as it's easy to push too far and drop your guard, but it's generally much more controllable than the toggle button There are essentially two ways to play this game. Every encounter (except Iraq and Echelon) has a route that allows you to complete or bypass it without triggering detection. This usually involves careful planning and observation, followed by rapid, coordinated execution. The "vanish" step is then unnecessary because you were never detected in the first place. Whether you want to call this stealth or not is up to you, but it doesn't force you to engage in traditional combat. The other way, and my personal preference, is to play like John Wick, making aggressive use of the snap aiming, executions, and well-timed hostage grabs in an emergency. I don't even use suppressors most of the time! As an action game, Conviction is actually really special, so both approaches are equally valid

Found it hilarious how the bad stuff part of the video out lengths the good stuff part😂, great video mate👍

Your upload schedule is always impressive, Chris.

I beat every splinter cell game more than 10 times as a kid. I grew up playing them. It gave me my love for stealth games. Conviction and blacklist are the worst in the series . Great video.

I liked "Conviction".. There, I said it! And, with that said, I kinda wish they wouldn't have gotten scared of the public's reaction and went full speed with the original idea. It fits better with the story of him going nomad. Like stated in the video, the stealth could have been similar to Assassin's Creed, hiding in plain sight, and MSGV type gameplay. I wonder if they changed the whole story when going back to the drawing board. Were they going to bring back Sarah in the original or was that storyline changed? I have so many questions!

I'll admit that I absolutely love this game. As a Splinter Cell game, it's a big step backwards. As a Sam Fisher game and as a thinking man's third person shooter, it's brilliant. It's a rare title in which the story truly informs the gameplay. I still go back and play it every couple of years just because I love Michael Ironside's performance, and the pacing of the game ensures it doesn't overstay its welcome, despite still having its fair share of quiet moments. It also arguably has the best presentation and storytelling of the series. It's definitely an entirely different definition of stealth action, and while it's not the kind of game I wanted as a Splinter Cell fan, I still find it to be one of the best games of the last generation.

I can't wait for the Blacklist analysis, great video

Excellent video! However, I am surprised that you didn't mention the Deniable Ops game mode. It's usually regarded as the fan favorite feature of Conviction. I know that you mentioned that you were unable to try the coop mode, maybe you thought that Deniable Ops was specifically for coop? There are quite a few maps available for the game mode, there was even dlc released for it as well. On top of that there are a few different types of game modes you can play, the main one being Hunter where you are tasked with killing 10 or so enemies in a section of the level (20 or more if you are detected) and once you do that you can move on to the next section. And since you mentioned wave defense, there is actually a wave defense game mode called Last Stand which isn't nearly as good but it does serve as a good time killer if you have a friend to play it with. Speaking of, you can play these both solo or coop. I urge you to check them out, the levels are really solid and a lot of fun! Excited to see what you have to say about Blacklist.

33:04 actually that's not right, I played through that entire section without killing a single enemy, and I only got spotted when I ran to the end. It was probably the best moment in the game for me.

I've never played any of the Splinter Cell games. I'm not a fan of stealth games in general. Yet I've watched all these videos weirdly enough. Something about your analysis, critique and commentary I find interesting and relaxing at the same time. Keep up the good work, oh and also RU-vid algorithm... Give this man here more views please!

Thanks for this video!

Sacrifice for the algorithm gods.

This was a phenomenal experience. First time in a stealth game where getting spotted didn't seem like a total failure. Encounters were like a playground and fisher felt powerful like batman in the Arkham games.

Thank you for doing the review on Conviction.

Great video, can't wait for blacklist!

This game has insane speedrunning potential.

I totally understand why people were turned off by it, because it was so drastically different than the other entries in the series. If they only just made a new IP with Conviction, instead of slapping the Splinter Cell name on it, I guarantee it would have been a very well-received game. Especially if they incorporated a lot of the scrapped elements too. I still love Conviction though. I love all the Splinter Cell games, and I hope to see another entry someday. Thanks for this video!!

I will forever mourn the loss of the Conviction we could have gotten. Remember thinking it looked amazing back in the day. Sad we won't ever get to experience it -- that and the scrapped Prey 2.

Nice. Waiting for this one

This wasn't a bad game per se but I didn't feel like playing Splinter Cell, I felt like playing 24/Bourne the game.

Before I even start this video, I'm flooded with how much I loved this game. Probably has to do with the fact that this was my first splinter cell, but still. I thought the story was tight and that the bad guys really deserved the killin' they got. When an enemy feels like they deserve being wiped out, idk, it just makes the game so much more entertaining to me. I still replay this game at least once a year.

Conviction was my first splinter cell game and I have fond memories of it. Probably that’s why I enjoyed it more than others.

To me this is what modern assassin's creed should have become with Desmond. Sorry for being off topic, have a great day.

Played all Splinter Cell games and loved them all, but Conviction is my FAVORITE. Sure, it is very different and it is a lot less stealthy than the rest of the series, but it is the most cinematic, stylish and brutal. So many good design choices!

I really enjoyed this game without playing the other games, and I really don’t plan on playing the earlier games. This game was my childhood, believe it or not, and I loved this game at every moment.

This was my first ever splinter cell game when I was about 10 and I loved it as my introduction, I started playing blacklist recently and it's pretty good too. Can't speak on the originals since I haven't gotten the chance to play them, but I'm certain they're really good games should I get the chance to play them. I have love for all splinter cell content.

I'm excited about this video.

The movement, climbing, and melee combat in CT and DA really made you feel like the models had real weight. In Conviction, Fisher flies up walls and across ledges like a cat. It feels like such an obvious downgrade.

Sadly, the co-op was probably the best part of this game

There are actually some points in the game where you can ghost it. I managed to do it in the wave section, most sections before you go inside white house, some sections inside the white house, some sections on the way and away from where you get the other vision, and finally at the final section in the mission where you infiltrate the warehouse thing. However it was very difficult and I agree with your point. The game really tries to force you to clear out rooms and change your play style.

Conviction was a bad splinter cell but for the story of Sam Fisher was perfect.

Ive played every Splinter Cell game & played Conviction more than the rest lol especially with the co-op! So much fun with the boys especially at the end 😏 no spoilers. But its funny & also sad. Cant wait till we get a Sarah Fisher Splinter Cell with how he explained dealing with monsters under her bed im just waiting for that flashback lol. She remembers & realized he was more or less referring to how he took out some goons.

I love the series and I actually do like conviction, purely because it looks cool and is fun but I far prefer the original trilogy and I think blacklist was a decent middle ground

I always liked the side missions with Kestrel and Archer. They made you forget it was supposed to be splinter cell, and once you forgot that the game actually became pretty fun for me

As for future games I'd like you to cover, it would be "The Saboteur". Open world 3rd person shooter with light stealth, parkour and rpg elemtents set in occupied France during WWII where you play an irish mechanic / resistance fighter. It has an interesting story, an AMAZING soundtrack, a memorable ending and a unique feature, where most of the game is set in black and white (kinda like SC: C), but during certain points in the story, you bring colour back to certain districts, which has its own little benefits (less guards, more resistance, etc). I think you'll enjoy it, and it would make an amazing video!

Such a weird game for me to watch in a video. I bought the game when it came out and beat it twice. Dont remember any of the levels or any parts of the game. Guess it just wasnt as memorable to me because all I did was mostly get into firefights.

Honestly, I enjoyed this game more than the next game, Blacklist, because I felt it was at least more consistent on what it wanted to be, even if I wasn't entirely on board with the new direction. I haven't played Conviction since 2013 though so my thoughts would likely change because you make it sound way too simple to be enjoyable for long. Include me in the group of "Would likely have enjoyed the original vision of Conviction more". Shame we never got another game anywhere near Chaos Theory's quality.

A reasonable well worded review.

I remember enjoying trying to beat the coop levels - which can be played solo - only using melee, it's the only way to make it more challenging and resemble the old ones more (especially on Infiltration Mode).

Just to let you know I completely agree with your review. You SHOULD play the coop though. Its really good. It suffers from a lot of the issues of the core game but its an overall fantastic experience.

I honestly lost interest after double agent (PS3 version). Pair that with the fact that Ubisoft made this a 360 exclusive, I just never could get back into it even after blacklist. The original e3 version of conviction looked great though imo.

The Mark and Execute mechanic is essentially the game playing itself, and it doesn't even look cool doing it.

great video

This is my introduction to the series. Of course I’ve seen gameplays of chaos theory but the feel of watching and playing it is very different. This game someone mentioned is more of a Splinter Cell: 24 Hour tv series.

33:08 No that's not true. You can hide in the top floor of the restaurant/coffee shop whatever, and one or two guys will come up there throughout that entire section. It is really boring if you do it this way but I just wanted to point that out

Heres my sacrifice to the algo... hey I loved the end scene as well, its what I most remembered from the game... you know when it first came out I was pumped for another splinter cell game and I dont recall any issues except i do remember that it wasnt what they had showcased... but now that Im replaying the whole series, on Chaos theory at the moment and it definitely holds up, I can see all the issues that you discussed about this one and double agent... maybe blacklist is better than I remember we will see.

I played the Coop campaign back in 2012, it's decently fun with a nice twist at the end. It took me and a friend of mine around 2-3 hours to complete it so I would say it is a decent addon to the main campaign.

I got mixed feeling on this game overall but there are some great scenes in this game, especially with Sam temporarily losing his shit. Shows you a very different side to him.

Honestly. I'm happy I played these games as a kid when i wasn't really picky. I overall enjoyed conviction even though I could tell it wasn't even close to previous games. Not the best game, but was a good enough time then, and now with the power of nostalgia every game played in teenage is an automatic 10/10.😡

Wow the 3D physics based brawler looks awesome

Hey Chris keep up with the amazing videos dude, really like them!

Well I enjoyed the hell out of SC: Double Agent & Conviction. Played them a lot during the Xbox 360 days :p

One of my favorite games of all time, Deniable Ops is amazing.

I actually enjoyed the hell out of tbis game when it came out. I even replayed blacklist recently and still enjoyed it.

I’ve been playing this series since the original release when I was like 10 years old. Having recently replayed the entire series I can confidently say this is by FAR the worst Splinter Cell game and not just because it’s different and lacks stealth. This game is shallow and atrocious. I beat it by basically sitting on a pipe or in a doorway and throwing explosives and killing all the enemies. No branching paths or thought behind anything in this game. Most sections you have to just kill everyone unless you want to really manipulate the AI to try and slip by. Speaking of AI holy god they are brain-dead. Throw a mine at 3 people and blow them up, what do you think the rest of them do? Funnel over one by one to get killed by the same thing. Most lame and eye-rolling story I’ve ever experienced. Gunplay and controls feel terrible. No speed control when crouched and don’t even get me started on the binary light system. Mark and execute is the lamest thing I’ve ever seen in a game. Why even play a game at that point just watch a movie. Completely linear and short levels with no opportunity to take alternate paths outside of a few encounters. Most encounters have things setup so obvious you don’t even have to think. Hmmm encounter starts with a guy isolated by himself with a pipe overhead. I wonder what the devs planned for this part of the mission. Like it’s so brain-dead. A myriad of stealth options that have been in the series taken away. Like why? Why not just leave them in (moving bodies, whistling, etc) giving the player options? Forcing us into a Jason Bourne game is ridiculous. I could write an entire novel about this game but it’s not even worth my time. This game is made for action fans (but it’s abysmal as a TPS action game) and/or brain-dead people who want to hold forward and shoot everyone. Everything is artificial and shallow. It’s absolutely atrocious. Anyone who thinks this is the “best” splinter cell game shouldn’t even be playing a stealth series and should probably get their head checked. Even if you like this style of game it’s STILL HORRIBLE for all the reasons above plus a myriad of others. It’s just flat out a terrible game in all respects. Period.

This game was good and the co-op was awesome. We didn’t need them to make the same game again.

looking forward to your take on blacklist

This was the first Splinter Cell game I ever played, and I loved it. I played Pandora Tomorrow next and that was one heck of a change, though I enjoyed it too. Especially the cryo mission. But I kept going back to replay Conviction for the story, the fun combat, and the great music in the later missions. I'd call Conviction a bit more fantastical than the older games. It is selling a power fantasy, with the extremely skilled protagonist and the mark system that allows you to set up badass setpiece combat on the fly, and enough stealth and challenge to keep it from being boring. I still like it and will probably buy the PC version sometime soon since my old Xbox 360 isn't in great shape these days.