#splintercell
The Splinter Cell collector's edition has just been reduced in price, from $80 to $70. It's hardly an act of charity, though; you can instead thank some dodgy USB drives for the savings. More »
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Did you order the collector's edition of Splinter Cell: Conviction yet? A Ubisoft representative informed us late tonight that the official price of the CE will be dropping $10, from $79.99 to $69.99. The reasoning behind the price drop is the possibility of faulty USB drives, included with the package. The publisher recently noticed that some of the USB drives didn't work, and is offering a compensatory price drop before the game's official release on April 13th.
None of the other content included in the CE has been affected, such as the comic book, art book, and bonus DLC. However, the bonus content included on the USB drive may be inaccessible in some copies. The bonuses, which include art and a behind the scenes video, will be distributed in a new manner, to be announced on the Ubisoft site after the game's launch. The Ubisoft representative wanted to emphasize that the game is not affected in any way. Good thing, too -- we don't think we could handle yet another delay.
Considering most retailers do not require full payment of pre-orders, the new price should go into effect when you pick up your copy. Make sure you contact your retailer before the game's launch if your final price doesn't reflect this $10 discount.
Microsoft has unfurled some of its plans for Xbox Live downloadable content for April, including new additions to Games on Demand and Deals of the Week, as well as the April 14th release of Final Fight: Double Impact.
On top of that, look for a half-priced The Maw on the week of April 12 and two add-ons for Mega Man 10 this week: Bass and Special Stage 1. Head past the break for the full list.
The PC version of Splinter Cell: Conviction will arrive on April 27, two weeks after the Xbox 360 version. You might have assumed that the extra time was required to implement Ubisoft's over protective DRM, which requires a constant internet connection to play a game, but according to Ubisoft, that's not the case.
"The reason that has been given for the delay is that the extra time was need to polish and debug the game," a Ubisoft rep told Eurogamer. "The slip has not been linked to the DRM." While the DRM isn't the reason you'll be waiting to play the PC version of Splinter Cell: Conviction for most of April, it could very well be the reason you won't be able to play the game once it's been released.
By now, it should be apparent that Sam Fisher is no one to be trifled with. We've watched him slamming heads against toilets and executing hapless henchmen for some time now, but maybe there are still a few people out there that don't quite get it. Obviously aware of this problem, Ubisoft has released a launch trailer for Splinter Cell: Conviction that should make things perfectly clear. With a little help from Johnny Cash, the trailer pretty much spells it out: Mess with Sam Fisher and, sooner or later, he will cut you down.
Speaking to IndustryGamers, Splinter Cell: Conviction creative director Max Beland shared his thoughts on the new direction of the Splinter Cell series. According to Beland, the team at Ubisoft Montreal spent a lot of time looking at previous games in the series to decide what its core values are. Beland said that the series does a good job of providing the "fantasy" of Sam Fisher, but that the difficulty was turning off some players. "What was coming up all the time was, 'Man, that game's hard. I played the first map and I stopped. It was too difficult,'" said Beland. He admitted that sales of the Splinter Cell series declined from the first game to the fourth.
Thus, the team decided to focus on the values of Splinter Cell -- stealth, light vs. shadow, etc -- and look at them in a different way. "If you're the best elite agent in the world, if you're Sam Fisher," asked Beland, "why do you have to hang off a ledge and move at one centimeter per minute?" He added that the team wanted Sam Fisher "to be a predator, not a grandmother." This concept led to concepts like the Mark and Execute feature, giving players the feeling that they really are an elite agent.
According to Beland, such changes to Splinter Cell are part of the delicate balancing act in which the game industry is currently engaged. "We need to stop making games that are super hardcore," said Beland, "But we're afraid because we don't want to lose the hardcore people!" He added that "it's a real challenge" to make a game that is both accessible to the casual audience but still appealing to the hardcore.
The full interview also discusses Beland"s opinions of Natal, the fate of the Splinter Cell movie -- he says it's not in production -- and the maturing of the video game industry.
It's offical: Splinter Cell: Conviction is complete. Accompanying Ubisoft's long-awaited announcement is the above video, which adds to the Badass: The Game hype train and gives us another look at the aesthetics and design of Sam Fisher's return.
We'll be able to gauge how successful the game's projected, environmentally depicted mission objectives and flashbacks are when the game releases on April 13. (Remember: the PC version comes out two weeks after that).
Here's a deal that Sam Fisher would come out of hiding for: Amazon is offering pre-orders of Splinter Cell: Conviction for Xbox 360 at the low price of $46.99 (standard edition). All you need to do in order to get the discount is enter the code SPLINTER at checkout and $5 will be deducted from your total (the retailer is selling the game at an already-discounted $51.99 to begin with). If you liked the recently-released demo and are looking to get your hands dirty with the full-version, it's the best deal we've seen yet.
Yes, it might seem a little too easy, but we have Third Echelon's assurance that this isn't some sort of elaborate trap. (The "security device" enclosed? Totally not a tracking beacon.)
While Microsoft may have stated up, down and sidesaddle that the 250GB version of its Xbox 360 HDD would remain exclusive to special console bundles (e.g., Modern Warfare 2 and Splinter Cell: Conviction), it would appear that the particular drive will arrive as a standalone accessory sometime soon. As spotted by eagle-eyed Joystiq reader Rodney in the Spotlight section of the Xbox 360 Dashboard (pictured above), the accessory should be available at "participating retailers" rather soon -- the ad's wording indicates that the HDD might already be on store shelves (as of this writing, Amazon has the product listed without a price).
We can't say we're exactly shocked by the news (though it is of course odd to see a reveal through our Xbox's Dashboard) as we've been hearing rumblings about a standalone version of the 250GB HDD for quite some time -- one even popped up on the aforementioned retail websites earlier this month bearing ... today's date! We've asked Microsoft for pricing and release info, but until the West Coast wakes up, we've got this thrilling hi-res gallery of the advertisement for you just below.
It would appear that the rock Ubisoft sent out to press may have been a little short on the specifics for all versions of Splinter Cell: Conviction, considering the publisher today confirmed a two-week delay for the PC version. BigDownload spotted an Amazon listing and followed up with Ubi, who confirmed the new release date of April 27.
As seen above, both versions of the game were previously confirmed for release on April 13. We might normally say, "Hey, at least you PC gamers can enjoy the demo in the meantime!" but it appears that a PC demo won't be coming. So, um, maybe you should pick up a good book? And hey, how about that local sports team? Did you read that book about the local sports team?
Splinter Cell: Conviction is having a little premiere on April 1 at ten GameStops across the US -- no, this is not an April Fool's joke; we made sure. Before the game hits stores (and the head ... and heads) on April 13, a premiere event will take place in Los Angeles on the high holy joking day. GameStop will concurrently host "first-to-play co-op demo events" at select stores.
The LA event will take place at the Les Deux Nightclub in Hollywood. First-to-play sessions will occur between 2-6PM, prior to the "celebrity red carpet premiere" at 8PM. The event will feature the "Search for Sam Fisher" live interactive game, in which 15 attendees (21+) who attend the co-op event earlier in the day will be invited to participate. Grand prize is an "Xbox 360 Splinter Cell Conviction Special Edition Bundle and a library of Ubisoft Xbox 360 games."
The non-LA co-op demo events will be held from 9PM until midnight in Boston, Orlando, New York City (two locations), Denver, Chicago, San Francisco, San Jose, Dallas and New Jersey. Specific locations will be listed on GameStop's website or at SplinterCell.com. The first 100 attendees at each location receive a "free Splinter Cell Conviction beanie." Honestly, we have no idea what to say to that.
Now that the Xbox 360-exclusive demo for Splinter Cell: Conviction is available, we thought it appropriate to walk readers through the experience in a lengthy video packed with essential Sam Fisher intel. If you're wondering how Conviction ties to other games in the series or have an interest in hearing the changes made to portions of the demo from our previous hands-on experiences, this is the video to watch. Also, if you're stuck at work and can't play the demo for yourself, watching this video walkthrough might help fill that void and pass the time until you can go on your own gunslingin' adventures with America's most wanted secret agent.
Shortcut: Queue-up the Splinter Cell Conviction Demo (Xbox 360)
You're a good, conscientious (yes, we spelled that right on the first try) person, so we're going to just assume that you've already downloaded the Splinter Cell: Conviction demo that appeared on Xbox Live today. If not, well, we can just turn our backs and whistle the complete works of Ke$ha while you go get it.
...Back? Great! Now let us never speak of this again. What we would like all of you to speak of is the demo itself. You and Sam have been apart a long time, is the magic still there?
#splintercell
While a lot of the game's marketing has focused on the fact it's coming out on Xbox 360, let's not forget Splinter Cell: Conviction is also on the way for the PC. More »
Metal Gear Solid's Hideo Kojima was the weirdest gaming-related Twitter account we'd seen -- until we saw Sam Fisher's account. Yes, the green-eyed spy guy is now on Twitter, which we know thanks to a picture we were sent from a Ubisoft email address that implored us to "Don't Believe What You Hear; My Mission Is One of Justice," combined with the plug above.
So far, he's only been whining about using "rogue resources" and posting 140 characters at a time of mysterious nonsense like "when you believe, it's easy to sacrifice." Because of course when you're a rogue operative and you need to get secret messages out into the world, a fully public Twitter account is the best way to do so. To be honest, we're a little disappointed -- Sam Fisher's got an interesting life, and we'd like to follow him and get a look at the man behind the Cell. What's he doing with his time off? What bars is he checking in from? And what does Sam Fisher eat for lunch every day? You know, important Twitter stuff.
With the NSA's Third Echelon taking the hunt for Sam Fisher to Facebook, the protagonist of Splinter Cell: Conviction turns to the only people he can trust - millions of Twitter users. More »
#splintercell
It's a bit hard to believe the long-delayed Splinter Cell: Conviction will actually be out soon. If you needed something tangible as proof, you could always try the Xbox Live demo of the game, due out this week. More »
Last week, we brought you the incredibly exciting news that a Splinter Cell: Conviction demo was confirmed for release on Xbox Live. That thrilling news just got too awesome to bear: the demo will be out this week. March 18, in fact, according to a new Inside Xbox video.
If you're not worried about spoiling the demo for yourself (which, we suppose, would lead to spoiling a very tiny portion of the game by extension), you can see some of the gameplay the demo covers in the video. Or you can wait until you get to put yourself into Sam's goggles for yourself. Oh, did we say Sam's in it? And that there would be goggles? Whoops, spoilers!
#ubisoft
Third Echelon's best agent has gone rogue, and they've turned to Facebook for help tracking down Sam Fisher. Where would you go if you were a top secret government agency trying to track down a traitor? MySpace? Please. More »
In a video answering fan questions, Splinter Cell Conviction Creative Director Maxime Béland revealed the existence of a demo for the highly anticipated sneaking-guy game. "Yes, there will be one. I can't tell you what map or when it's going to be released yet. My lips are sealed." Warning us in advance of the demo's release date would run counter to the whole 'stealth' theme, we suppose.
We first heard of a demo for Conviction from an Ubi employee known only as "Adam," and before that had only a guess that there would be one based on the common-sense fact that it's a really popular game. Splinter Cell: Conviction is currently due for release April 13.
The last time we were in control of Sam Fisher -- aka the X10 demo -- he was sneaking, shooting and (neck) snapping his way through a mansion in Malta, tracking down the man he believed had information about his daughter Sarah's killer. Recently, I played through a new section of Splinter Cell: Conviction, which picked up right where the previous demo abruptly ended -- with a a team of Third Echelon forces breaking up Sam's one-man operation.
Forced to surrender, Sam's put on a plane and "brought home" for questioning about a plot to bring down Washington, DC an EMP attack. Handling the transport is Black Arrow, a private military contractor, and it's this outfit's private airbase that serves as the setting for the game's second level. It presented me with new challenges, specifically staying out of site in some really wide-open spaces. I was reminded of Metal Gear Solid more than once, what with patrolling guards, stacked crates and roaming flood lights to negotiate.
#preview
My time with the latest preview build of Splinter Cell: Conviction transformed me from a stealth operations hater to a deadly master assassin, stalking dark corridors with deadly intent. Has the game changed, or have I? More »
Michael Ironside is like one of those dudes you respect so much, he could show up at your house, eat the last of your Nilla Wafers, break your Solid Snake figurine collection while tracking mud all over the house and you'd still love him afterward. He's got unlimited clout and his job as the voice of Sam Fisher, protagonist in Splinter Cell: Conviction, is just one of the many respectable bullet points the man has on his resume.
In that vein, we thought it appropriate to point out the brief video interview with Mr. Ironside above, which discusses coming back to the character for the fifth time and how this time around, the dialogue was "emotionally richer" than what he's used to. Frankly, we don't buy that. We were a mess when Lt. Rasczak bought the farm in Starship Troopers -- a performance that was about as emotionally rich as they come.
click for more top-secret images
As was foretold, Microsoft has announced a special Splinter Cell: Conviction Xbox 360 bundle set to arrive this April in North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. The bundle will retail for $399 and will include two controllers, a standard edition copy of Splinter Cell: Conviction and a 250GB hard drive. We should remind readers that, unlike the one offered in the Final Fantasy XIII bundle, the second controller will actually be useful in Splinter Cell: Conviction, thanks to its split-screen co-op modes.
Check out hi-res images of the bundle in the gallery below.
#clips
Three new videos provide nearly everything you need to know about the multiplayer of Splinter Cell: Conviction, from Deniable Ops side games and Persistent Elite Creation system to the co-op story mode. More »
Assassin's Creed 2 has yet to even arrive on PC, but ever since PC Gamer got an early hands-on with the final retail version, Ubisoft's ... somewhat cumbersome (to be very polite) internet-based DRM has caused a bit of a worry for some gamers. As it would seem, regardless of consumer complaint, the publisher is allegedly moving ahead with plans to implement the anti-piracy software in many of its upcoming titles.
Softpedia reports that an Ubi rep (speaking with PC Gamer) has confirmed Splinter Cell: Conviction, Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands, Silent Hunter 5: Battle of the Atlantic, and the recently announced Ghost Recon: Future Soldier to employ the DRM tools. The publisher also specifically pointed out that different titles handle the loss of data differently -- for instance, AC2 depends on checkpoints and The Settlers 7 saves wherever you last were -- though PC Gamer supposedly pressed for an answer to the question on all our minds: Will every PC game from Ubisoft in the future have this DRM?
Cryptically, the publisher replied, "It's hard for us to say, yes, from now until the day that we all die all of our games are going to include this but most will." While we can appreciate the efforts of publishers to diminish piracy of their games, we can't help but wonder what the logic is in seemingly frustrating your already dwindling legitimate consumer base with measures targeting the folks who probably wouldn't purchase games anyway.
If you were hoping to infiltrate this post about Splinter Cell Conviction and find anything short of three trailers, then prepare to be totally satisfied. Ubisoft's established a correspondence with Joystiq, deploying three fresh new videos from April's Badass: The Game -- and like that totally accurate and brief description, these videos will bash your face against a mirror and leave you bleeding for dead on a men's room floor. OK, not really, but we're painting a picture, so work with us here. A picture with words.
Above, you'll find a brief overview of how the co-op game fits into the story and the four additional gameplay modes, but you'll need to sneak on past the break for the next two pieces of intel: one video is a closer look at Deniable Ops, while the other documents Persistent Elite Creation, the special series of challenges within the single-player and multiplayer framework. Basically, it's a fancy way of saying "unlockable junk for your stuff."
