Play the demo, graphics are alot better than i thought they would be, the gun play has improved and i like the way you can pick up enemy weapons. However, i'm not sure if i like the game, it seems way too dumbed down, it all seems too obvious, the AI is terrible and the stuff that the enemies say is really annoying!

Unfortunately, it really seems to be the case and this game is a testament of that statement.

To really understand the potential of this thing, at least in my opinion, try your absolute best to play in proper stealth. Don't take advantage of the awesome, oh so totally awesome, mark and execute ability.

Try to avoid using things like mark and execute, try your absolute best to not alert the guards. Use your distractions well. I think some may be pretty surprised with how challenging it becomes when you try to go through without using mark and execute, or without taking out or alerting too many of the guards to any serious extent.

And, of course, it's just a demo when all is said and done, I suppose we can't be surprised that they didn't toss the absolute best their game has to offer at us.

Oh, and it seems a lot are confused about the start of the demo after the interrogation scene. Those 3 enemies on the road are placed there purely for tutorial reasons and are supposedly not in the actual game, and if they are, you surely won't be able to pull some of the crap you did.

That's the reason that the 2 guards didn't react to you taking down that guy with a hand to hand takedown, even though they are close by, and why you were able to get away with that type of mark and execute and couldn't move from that position at all until you mark and executed them.

I don't see how the AI in this game is any worse than the AI in previous Splinter Cell games like I see some saying on GAF. In fact, it seems better.

I can't wait for this damn game to come out :P

Impressions: The context sensitive interactions (mainly A) are a mess. Sometimes Fisher would do things I didn't want him to do. This is a crucial part of the game because things can get heated up pretty fast and in a hurry you'll most likely mess up.

The game almost plays itself. I can fuck up every situation in the worst possible way and get away with it because they won't see me on the ceiling or won't search in the right corners with their flash lights. Also the shooting is easy, too easy for my tastes.
3

The enemy AI is bad, it's retarded really. Enemies won't hear me take down someone just a few footsteps away. I can practically emp the room, rush through it and no one will take notice.

I'm really bad at the game, but I had no problem with it at all. It's way too easy, seems worse than the last PoP. No buy.

Wow, I am really surprised at some people's comments.I think people would rather fumble their way through, getting into fire fights, then complain that the game isn't Splinter Cell anymore.I agree.

It'd be cool to see them release a demo of the co-op. As it stands the sp experience isn't enough to sell this.

Also you forgot Rayman who got kicked to the curb in favor of some Rabbids.

They still have Beyond Good and Evil 2 coming...

I don't know about that one because if you are inside the warehouse and the first guard that is on patrol doesn't check the proper place with his flashlight, guess what? Another guard comes from an entirely different vantage point and then DOES check that area that wasn't checked by that previous guard. I've seen this happen right at the pit area inside the warehouse, right when you are super close to making it into that tiny room to slide down to the bottom area of the warehouse. Don't believe? Try it out for yourself. Just try and see if you can stay in that pit area long before you're spotted. The only truly safe spots are the ones that are much too out of the way, and even those can become dangerous if you play too recklessly.

I don't understand what some people are saying when they state they can play super wreckless and just charge through after dropping a single emp, when on realistic it hasn't always been that simple at all. Can you drop an EMP and quickly make your way to a position in hopes of not being spotted? Yes! But what's wrong with that exactly? We do understand that when that emp is dropped, the place becomes pitch black right? Plus, the amount of noise you make affects you as well.

Don't believe that? -- Go to the left side entrance of the warehouse, but make sure you run all the way there, that guard at the window will hear you and be alerted and looking your way, shining that flashlight of his all over.

If you do subtle and clever things, yes, they won't spot you or check the ceiling. Get as reckless as some are saying they are being and, yes, they will shoot the living crap out of you even while you're in that completely shadow concealed location on the ceiling.

That part about enemies not hearing you take someone down just a few footsteps away isn't entirely true. The only reason you were able to do that first takedown without those other 2 guards at the start of the demo realizing is because it's purely tutorial for the demo to get you use to the mechanic. Even if you wanted to run past them or shoot them both without using mark and execute, you couldn't, because the demo is forcing you to just try out the takedown mechanic and the mark and execute at the start. You were even concealed by shadow when you tried that either. Just try and pull a takedown in exposed lighting conditions when you're that close to guards after the first 3 guards in the demo, and I'll be amazed.

How can people say this is no longer Splinter Cell, when I've yet to see a single sign that this game is incapable of being played like oldschool splinter cell? That's what truly blows my mind. Are we complaining about enhanced capabilities by Sam, a super spy, or are we complaining that the guards are no longer quite as idiotic or stupidly placed as they were in some earlier splinter cell games? I've shot out lights to my advantage to create shadows. I've monitored the patrol paths of guards, I've taken note of the intervals between the activation of lights in specific parts of the warehouse and have adjusted my strategy and movements accordingly.

What are we complaining about? That guards, unless certain tricks are employed, won't leave certain positions? We are angry that we can't just easily walk behind, around or past guards without being detected because there are numerous exposed light spots and numerous guards watching from various angles making it further difficult? Are we actually disappointed that we have to be more tricky and resourceful in our own right to avoid having to resort to the kind of deadly force we are now capable of if we wish to use it? I've watched so many splinter cell chaos theory perfect stealth videos and while awesome, I've also seen some of the most ridiculous crap I've ever seen, and people are criticizing this game for it's AI? I would agree with a lot of what was being said about the game, if it weren't complete exaggeration and falsehoods.

Why are people acting as if parts of chaos theory weren't also capable of being easy? Played a certain way, Splinter Cell Conviction's demo can indeed be very easy. Sam is a just a monster, much more so than he was in previous Splinter Cell games, but does that necessarily mean that you can't play in a much less aggressive and non-lethal way? Of course not.

People are actually complaining -- not just on here, but GAF as well -- that because you kill a guy without alerting the rest of the guards patroling, that is instantly not stealth gameplay? Really? Has anyone ever once asked themselves in earlier splinter cell titles that if they are infiltrating such a dangerous place of such vital importance, why isn't there more guards patroling or a guard stationed at one of the more obviously vulnerable window entrances to the facility?

This game has potential to play very different from past splinter cell titles, I admit that, but then it just as easily possesses as much potential, if not more, to play very similar to the past splinter cell games and potentially much better. It's almost as if some don't understand that Sam is operating in a much more guerilla nature than he has in the past, due to his circumstances. He may not yet have the kinds of tools at his disposal that some are hoping him to have.

And I suppose I can understand the initial complaints with regards to some context sensitive actions, but it's so damn easy... What's wrong with looking at the bottom of a door to activate peek under? What's wrong with making sure you're actually looking at a pipe to climb up it? In a lot of cases, it isn't even something you need to think about. It just works. I myself also understood the criticism with having to hit LB to stand back up or crouch, but then it's something when you get use to it feels good and makes you feel like you gotta work for it more. It doesn't make the game feel as dumbed down as it could've been. It makes me as the player feel as if I have to actually acquire a certain amount of skill to be effective.

We need to also keep in mind that this is a demo, they don't want to give you too great a sampling of what they've got, they want to give you just enough to get a taste. Haven't we already seen videos with some full stealth gameplay, with what appears to be more complex play required?

Ultimately, you have to respect what people's opinions are and if people aren't convinced, then they just aren't convinced. I like what I see and I look forward to grabbing this day one. It's looking like a potential killer title for me and I may play this thing over and over for quite a while to come depending on how the full game comes together.

No kidding. The inclusion of the right trigger initiating a melee kill(or left trigger for a non-lethal melee incapacitation) went a loooong way to making the game easier. Get spotted? Just run towards the guard and press R. People seem to forget that..and the fact you could pretty much go through shooting people.Bwahahaha...no I don't.

Well I'm still a fan of the GRAW games and I LOVED rainbow six vegas so I'm not really sure why you listed those two. It's all so subjective and not to mention the fact that they are going for sales. and i'm pretty sure GRAW and Vegas sold pretty good.

And, to be honest, looking at some of the posts on GAF, it's obvious that there's an extra and fairly obvious bit of unfair criticism and outright bs being tossed at the game because it's a 360 console exclusive. I guarantee if it were on the PS3 as well, you wouldn't be reading half the nonsensical complaints you are reading about this game. I'm not accusing anyone on here of that as most, if not all, on here have their own criticisms of the game that I believe are purely based on what they think of the game itself and not heavily influenced on the console it's on.

Look at this gif here that's sure to be used as fodder.



Idiot plays the game like an idiot and is surprised he gets an idiotic looking result. :)

As if it weren't possible to play older splinter cell games like a complete moron as well :)

I'm especially loving how it's slowed down to give the impression that what he did was going on for a very sustained period of time, and the AI was clueless for the entire duration.

Sam running at full blast in this game would've gotten from where he first slid to knock down that first guy over to the other two guys in practically no time flat.

Exactly. So why is this shit even possible? Where is the risk in that?

It's a video game, doing stupid things and getting away with it is possible in any game. The nature of the beast. I wouldn't remotely want to play the game like that, and I'd feel sorry for anyone who does.

Seriously, it's like you live on another universe. Games have never been like that. A game needs a sense of progression, but it's missing in SC:C because it doesn't punish me for doing stupid things. The gif animation showed off how stupidly easy it is.

Play on a harder difficulty maybe? You actually can't do what is done in that gif if you play on Realistic. Fact is, if you run towards a couple enemies in that mode, they will gun you down. The first time I played on Realistic, the first time I was spotted, I tried to escape and was killed rather quickly.It's not en vogue to bring that up though.

Agreed. It's also been my experience that in the past Splinter Cell games and as well in MGS, you get really punished for making mistakes. It's part of what makes the experience rewarding and enjoyable.
More games are coming out where you cannot die or fail the majority of the time. Chances of frustration in a games difficulty are pretty non-existent now.

I really wish they would, because sometimes I forget.

Then it sounds to me like you have played very few games in your lifetime. There are many games like that. Halo is like that, Splinter Cell of old is like that, Ninja Gaiden is like that, Bayonetta is like that, COD Modern Warfare is like that, Uncharted 2 is like that, Gears of War is like that. Does it always work out for the player when they do stupid things? No, it doesn't, but it happens very often in a lot of videogames and it's just plain old denial to not admit such.

And really Viginti, the game doesn't punish you for doing stupid things? You haven't died not one time on realistic in the demo? You think you can do what's in that GIF 100% of the time on realistic and not pay for it?

Heh, I guess I see the criticism with presentation tools like projecting the mission objectives onto the game environment, but it's amazingly well done. It's creative, it's unique, cool as hell and I'm glad they did it. I mean, why the hell not? It isn't like it remains there permanently, and it's quite a presentational step up from simply displaying mission objectives in plain old boring text somewhere on the screen.

They took a risk and I commend them for it. The black and white thing was suppose to have been my biggest concern once I really learned about it, but it, again, is very well done and I love how things you can interact with are in color. And I really don't get this going back to the series roots thing. What does that mean exactly? I'd really love to know. I'm starting to think that if Sam were simply wearing the same suit from games like Chaos Theory, that is probably all some would need to classify the game as 'going back to the roots'.

I love how a weakness of the previous games, the ability of a specialist like Sam to handle himself when a serious gunfight breaks out, being greatly rectified in Conviction is somehow being repudiated. Even the AI is noticeably more aggressive and better than the previous games, but people seem to be glancing back at the previous games in the series and seeing these rose tinted accolades in areas that never existed to begin with. Every single Chaos Theory stealth video makes the AI look like complete imbeciles.

With regards to the gif, I guess people would prefer that the guards did not get knocked over when Sam goes sliding into them like some clown? You can have Sam slide whenever you want him to, so because some idiot uses it to knock over guards, that automatically means that if you play the game, that's exactly how you're going to play it? Viginti, FireWire, are both you guys planning on playing the game as shown in that gif? If so, then you only have yourselves to blame for your less than stellar experience.

I guess it's impossible to send your character running into other characters in another game involving guns and survive to talk about it right? It's impossible to do that in Uncharted 2 right? It's impossible to do that in Halo right? It's impossible to do that in Gears of War right? Hell, it's one of the principle features of Gears of War :)

How about Killzone? It's impossible in none of these games. Oh well, I'm done debating this issue. If people are disgusted with what they played, then they have every right to not bother with the game. I, on the other hand, cannot wait.

On the lower difficulties in Conviction you can take massive punishment and survive, but on Realistic you die rather quickly from being hit with bullets, even if it's possible to escape from and avoid being hit by gunfire.

They also shouldn't have slowed the gif down, because that makes it seem like what that person did was going on for way longer than it actually was to serve their agenda, when that isn't the case at all. But, as I said before, people are giving the previous Splinter Cell games a free pass while blowing things way out of proportion with regards to Conviction.

It's funny people are complaining about things like mark and execute they don't even need to use :D

Also, did anyone check the options at all? It looks like you can DISABLE those notifications on the wall, just not in the demo apparently.

Meh, I can't download the demo currently (which might even give me a more objective view), but it does look like a lot of senseless complaining. I remember hearing things back in the first Splinter Cell days complaining about how stupid it was for the night vision goggles to shine in the dark but you could still not be seen. Those are retarded complains, they are purely a visual thing.

Funny thing is, I bet many of those being so uneasy with conviction never complained about such things before, but somehow now the slightest thing is blown out of proportion. I also wonder if some of these people think Metal Gear is stealth? Because I think there are people out there who actually believe MGS is stealth. Another funny thing is that with all this, it practically means we have no real stealth games out there--and we never have had one--I dare anyone to mention one.

And I think there's lots of hypocrisy going on here. Like Optimus said, by the same standard, you could do stupid things in all previous Splinter Cells, and things would work out. As real as a game of this nature tries to get, they are still a fantasy, let's not fool ourselves. There is no way anyone can be so silent in the dark. In any splinter cell you can always walk two feet away from a guard as long as it is--questionably--dark enough for them not to see you. Enemies always had very limited peripheral vision. You can also drop from about 10 feet right next to a guard, but this guy is so badass he falls like a feather. Crawling through air vents in complete silent is simply impossible too.

There is lots of selective observations going on.