The thing about being a spy is nobody tells you about all the prep work. You have to oil up your sneaking suit and make sure your goggles have fresh batteries before you can even set foot in the field. So, naturally, you can prepare for Splinter Cell: Blacklist by purchasing the game ahead of its launch at the end of August.

Splinter Cell: Blacklist is available on Steam in both standard and deluxe editions. Pre-ordering either will net the Upper Echelon DLC pack, which includes an additional co-op mission, special suit that ups weapon defense and stealth in shadows, plus some gold sonar goggles. If you sign on for the deluxe edition, you'll immediately unlock a copy of Splinter Cell: Conviction on top of five custom suits, weapons and armor accessories.

Earlier this month, we were able to sample a few missions from the single-player campaign, providing us with a good look at Sam Fisher's new team and their distrust of his judgment.