E3 2012: Splinter Cell Blacklist preview

I was told this new Splinter Cell is going to be “The biggest Splinter Cell game” and let me just tell you their E3 preview backed up their statement. Getting a firsthand look at this year’s E3, I got to see just how Sam Fisher is going to tackle whatever obstacle is thrown at him. Sam will be going up against Black List, A terrorist organization set on eliminating high profile targets of the U.S. Sam has been called into stop them. Fisher will form 4^th Echelon and that’s where our preview began.

The game takes place 6 months after Splinter Cell Conviction. Sam, disguised as an afghan solider, is asking for aid for his injured friend. Sam’s mission is to check out a suspected Black List agent’s activity in the camp. The soldiers allow Sam to enter a tent and being to aid his friend. Soon the soldiers begin to catch on to Sam’s plan. The player can mark the targets and take them out easily using the Execute system which continues to make an appearance in the Splinter Cell games. After Sam beautifully assassinates every single one of them a cut seen is shown and then you Sam Fisher emerge in the classic Splinter Cell suit. Ubisoft listened to their fans and brought back some classic stuff that they thought was missing from Splinter Cell Conviction.

On your way up the road to the camp, you see use another tool from Sam’s arsenal, the SMI. The SMI is Strategic Mission Interface. By activating these SMI you get to see the enemies that may be behind cover and plan your attack accordingly. When you play as Fisher you have 2 ways of doing things. Either a run-and-gun tank method or stealthily plan your attack from the shadows. I would choose the 2nd of the two and that’s what I got in my preview.

An example of this new mechanic is cutting a hole in a canvas tent and assassinating the soldier inside. After securing your position in the tent, a group of soldiers are surrounding your position and need to be taken out. The way to take care of them is to use Splinter Cell Blacklist’s new Killing-in-Motion mechanic. You can mark and execute a number of enemies and then when that is over takedown another enemy in a single motion to refuel your execute meter and then being to mark and execute enemies again. Although I have only seen this done once, more details about this new feature will come out later.

Moving along in the level and many dead bodies later Sam reaches his target but needs to get inside his locked up room. Here is where you have options. You can either plant a breaching charge to blast the door open and gun down everyone in sight, or place that same charge and then begin to climb around the outside and crash in through the window for a surprise attack. After the guards are eliminated, its time to interrogate your target. These scenes were pretty graphic and offered some options upon what you do in the interrogation, whether you knock him out or you slit his throat with a well place tactical knife.

Splinter Cell Blacklist has got people talking and I for one am jumping on this bandwagon early.  Blacklist blew my mind at E3 and I can’t wait for more information to come out! Splinter Cell Blacklist will be coming to Xbox 360, PS3, and PC. Blacklist will also include Spies vs. Mercs and Co-op mode which is just the cherry on top of an already awesome experience!