One of Ubisoft's most pleasant unveilings at this year's E3 (at least from me) was the reveal of the next chapter in the Splinter Cell franchise.
In saying that, I admit, I was surprised when they showed off the stage demo and most of the things we saw were a lot more shooting; as opposed to more skulking in the dark to silently take out enemies. Has the franchise "sold out" and caved in to the "Call of Duty" crowd where every encounter needs to be met with a bullet to the head?
In an interview with Videogamer, Ubisoft Toronto producer Andy Wilson states that he doesn't think this is the case.
Splinter Cell is Splinter Cell. It's not Call of Duty and never will be. It's a very separate intention that we've got with this game.
I gather, that's something a lot of Splinter Cell-purists will be happy to hear, no? If that's the case, does this mean the game will deviate from the stage demo where it showcases Sam Fisher taking out Middle-Eastern enemies in broad daylight? The Splinter Cell franchise has been known to use the darkness and shadows as one of its major game mechanics, after all.
Lucky for us then that Wilson emphasizes that stealth will still play a key role within the game…that and there will be a "tonne" of night-time gameplay.
Stealth is going to operate in the traditional way you would expect it to. I think people will definitely see that when they see more hands-on time…We're not just bright daylight in the Middle-East. We've got locations all over the world. There are a tonne of locations that are at night as well, so the traditional night-time gameplay is coming back. It's all in there.
I'm guessing we'll know for sure if Splinter Cell: Blacklist lives up to its franchise namesake once the game's out in 2013 for the PC, Xbox 360 and PS3.
Would you want more action in Splinter Cell: Blacklist or should that stuff stay entrenched in Call of Duty?
