Splinter Cell: Conviction Multiplayer Preview

11 Mar 2010 at 15:12:10 by Lauren Wainwright

It makes sense why Ubisoft was so tight-lipped about the multiplayer element for Splinter Cell: Conviction. Deviating from the more traditional multiplayer modes and offering only co-op or one vs. one, you'd expect them to be a little nervous. Leaving behind popular modes such as Spies vs. Mercs, you can't help but feel a little pessimistic about Conviction and what it is trying to do. It works though. And it works really well.

As soon as we sat down to check out co-op with Julien Lamoreux, game designer for Splinter Cell: Conviction, he asked how we wanted to play. There were two choices: full-on action or slow-paced, strategic stealth. Limited time with the co-op meant that a more direct approach would be required. We ran through, busting down doors, taking out guards and interrogating, all in a communicated and coordinated attack. The Russian Embassy was going down in style.

We were playing Prologue, a co-op campaign where you take the role of Archer, a Third Echelon agent, and Kestrel, an agent for Voron. The mode is set two months prior to the single player campaign and offers more context to the background of Conviction's main campaign.

Taking place on four unique maps, Prologue can last up to six hours. The campaign has been made with co-op in mind so you are forced to make decisions together and work as a team. For example, one of you could be holding someone hostage while the other takes out oncoming threats. You can also mark targets and the other player can then take them out, resulting in quite a lot of variety and positioning. We found that using one player to get an overlook of the field, while another stays on the ground to take them out, was a great tactic. However, it can be pretty dangerous if the player below gets spotted and you can't run back fast enough to aid him.

If one of you does come under heavy fire and goes down, you have 30 seconds to pull them back up. During these 30 seconds the downed player can play dead or pull out his pistol. Playing dead keeps you safe from oncoming attacks but pulling out your pistol attracts attacks from the enemy and could result in a game over. Once one player is down the game ends so it is absolutely vital you work together as a team.

Of course there are benefits to working as a team, one of which is the dual execution. When you take down an enemy using hand-to-hand combat, you gain a mark and execute point. In co-op, both players receive a point. This means, when you go against a group of enemies you can mark them all and pull of a dual execution, taking out a group instantly. It looks amazing and it's worth saving up points to see larger groups fall to the ground.

Going through the level in this action style looked amazing. Grabbing guards and pushing them through doors to take them out and then punching the next guard in the face was very satisfying, I felt alittle weak at the knees. It's extremely fast paced and you could see blatent inspiration from shows such as 24 unfolding in front of you. The co-op interrogation sequences were fantastic and keeping your eye on the target is vital. Not all targets are going to let you hold onto them for long.

Prologue isn't the only multiplayer mode on offer in Conviction. Deniable Ops is a single and multiplayer mission mode. Offering six unique maps, Deniable Ops gives players four modes to try out.

Hunted is the elimination mode, leaving you to take out every enemy on the map. If you get detected however, more enemies will appear to reinforce their teams and make your job harder. Last Stand is a horde style mode where you need to protect the EMP from enemy forces. A versus mode is called Face Off, which pits you against another agent as well as AI enemies dotted around the map. The last mode is Infiltration, unlocked via Ubisoft's Uplay system. Infiltration is what hard-core Splinter Cell fans are looking for. You must clear out a map, much like Elimination. The only catch is you cannot be detected, for if you are, it's an immediate game over. This is the one mode where stealth is key to winning.

To top it all off, Conviction has included The Persistent Elite Creation System (P.E.C). Inspired from its work on Rainbow Six, the P.E.C system rewards players for being completionists. There are various optional objectives to complete and each time you finish a task you gain points to spend in the armoury. This allows players to acquire new weapons, upgrades, armour upgrades, gadget upgrades, accessories and even the look of the avatar. There is so much to unlock and do with the P.E.C system, players will not be disappointed.

Splinter Cell seems to be perfectly suited to a co-op action game, where working together and being efficient feels truly rewarding. While other co-op games, like Gears of War, leave team work feeling segmented, Splinter Cell: Conviction keeps you talking and on your toes. Whether you are playing stealth or running in with your guns a-blazin', there is so much replay value for the player. From what we played of Prologue and Deniable Ops, it doesn't feel like an additional mode but more part of the whole Conviction experience.

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