Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction
Encyclopedia
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction is an action-adventure
stealth game, developed by Ubisoft Montreal
. Key members of the Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas
team, such as creative director Maxime Béland, also worked on the game. Gameloft
released a handheld version of the game for Apple's iOS on May 27, 2010.
Other new features include the ability to interrogate characters in real time and use objects in the surrounding environment against them. Several other features, such as blending into crowds, improvising gadgets, and interaction with the environment, were announced, which according to creative director Maxime Béland would have given the game "a lot of Bourne Identity
influence," but were scrapped after the development team decided that going in this direction would be taking too much of a risk. The environment is also used to project mission objectives and key plot points onto walls in order to keep the player immersed in the gameplay during the narrative.
One of Ubisoft's stated goals for Conviction was to make the game more accessible. According to Béland, Chaos Theory
is "very hardcore", which turned off many players and disillusioned people from the fantasy of being Sam Fisher. Beland contrasted the earlier games in the series with works containing James Bond
or Jason Bourne
, who "run fast, they don’t make noise, they kill one, two, three or four guys super quickly" and stated that Conviction delivers a similarly dynamic experience with an emphasis on action.
According to co-op game director Patrick Redding, the stealth in Conviction is designed around the new core elements like "Mark and Execute" and "Last Known Position".
Archer and Kestrel are later deployed to the Russian embassy in Baku, Azerbaijan to gather intelligence on an arms deal conducted by former Russian GRU colonel Leonid Bhykov. Archer and Kestrel observe the arms deal and learn that Bhykov betrays Tagizade and orders his men to kill Tagizade. Archer and Kestrel prevent the destruction of the weapons crates, learning that the weapons Bhykov was going to sell were Block II JDAM missile guidance kits. Archer and Kestrel make their way to the banquet area to interrogate Bhykov. Archer and Kestrel learn that Bhykov was working with Major General Kerzakov, and that Kerzakov was in the Yastreb Complex, an underground fortress situated underneath Moscow's Red Square.
Archer and Kestrel infiltrate the complex to avert the sale of the JDAM kits to the Iranians and learn the location of the warheads, which Archer and Kestrel discovered were EMPs. They render the JDAM kits inoperable by using their portable EMP devices, and download data from multiple servers to trace the EMP devices to the Mozdok Proving Grounds, killing Kerzakov in the process.
Sneaking aboard a supply truck, Archer and Kestrel infiltrate the Mozdok Proving Grounds in North Ossetia. They manage to secure the EMP devices with the help of Kobin. However, during the middle of extraction via transport plane, Tom Reed contacts Archer on his earpiece and orders him to kill Kestrel. Kestrel however learns of the order from reading Archer's OPSAT device, forcing him to act in self-defense. Either Archer or Kestrel can survive, and Kobin then executes the survivor in the next cutscene. Archer and Kestrel's bodies can later be seen in body bags below the chandelier in the first hall in the 'Kobin's mansion' mission in the single player story.
After having disappeared, Sam Fisher
is remotely located and contacted by former Third Echelon colleague Anna "Grim" Grímsdóttir in a marketplace situated in Valletta
, Malta
where he is investigating rumors that the hit-and-run death of his daughter Sarah might not have been accidental. He is warned that a group of hitmen have located him. Sam kills them and interrogates the leader, Dmitri Gramkos, learning that drug runner Andriy Kobin was responsible for the death of his daughter, Sarah. Sam learns that Kobin is present in his mansion, a re-purposed museum. Sam infiltrates the mansion and, after a firefight with Kobin and his guards, Sam interrogates Kobin to ask about what happened to his daughter. Kobin says that there was a conspiracy that was "bigger than" Sam's situation. Sam is then captured by Third Echelon agents.
Sam is relocated to Price Airfield in Virginia
, where he is to be interrogated by Grim with support from a PMC
called Black Arrow. When they are all alone, Grim kills a guard and reveals that she is working with President Patricia Caldwell as a mole inside Third Echelon, and that she needs his help with investigating Third Echelon's director Tom Reed's relationship with the PMC
. A reluctant Sam refuses to help her, but relents after being told that Sarah is alive, and that she would prove it to him during the course of the investigation. Grim facilitates Sam's escape from the airfield by providing him weapons and access to her car. At this point, Sam calls in his former squadmate for assistance in the investigation, in part of Victor having rescued him during the events of Operation Desert Storm. Sam meets with Victor at a county fair at the Washington Monument
in Washington D.C., receives some equipment, and learns that White Box Technologies, a R&D (research and development) company specializing in EMP
s, hired Black Arrow for corporate security, which is considered to be out of character as Black Arrow does not normally provide such services.
Sam heads to White Box Technologies and witnesses multiple scientists being murdered by Black Arrow operatives. Fisher saves one of the scientists and learns that Lucius Galliard hired Black Arrow to provide security, and that a Black Arrow officer known as Robertson has been collecting and disposing of experimental data with EMP countermeasures. On the way to Robertson's office, Sam gets a short phone call, facilitated by Grim, from Sarah, revealing that she is still alive. Sam then reaches Robertson's office and downloads the data for Grim's analysts to study. He later triggers an EMP to prevent Black Arrow's tracing of the download in order to maintain Grim's cover, which also kills Robertson.
Sam is later directed to the Lincoln Memorial
under orders from both President Caldwell and Grim, in order to infiltrate the area and record a conversation between Reed and Galliard. Sam then interrogates Galliard, who reveals that the operation was funded and organized by an unknown group known as 'Megiddo', with Tom Reed being just 'hired help'. Before he can reveal anymore, Galliard is shot by an unknown gunman. Sam pursues the gunman, only for the gunman to get killed by a car bomb. Sam is immediately drawn into a confrontation with Third Echelon agents until he is extracted by the Secret Service
.
Later, Sam infiltrates the Third Echelon headquarters to recover equipment from a Third Echelon employee named Fryman and retrieve information from Reed's office. Instead of finding Reed, Sam re-encounters Kobin and interrogates him again. Sam learns that Reed was working with Megiddo to smuggle EMP technology into the United States, and activate the technology as cover to assassinate Caldwell and have the Vice President take over the position since he was "in Megiddo's pocket." As a result of facilitating the assassination, Reed would then be promoted within the higher ranks of the government and be considered a hero. Kobin later reveals that he never knew anything about Sarah and only provided a false body to stage her death, urging him to ask Grim as she knew the whole story. Sam confronts Grim (via video communication) with the information he learned, and is urged to listen to an audio recording of former Director Irving Lambert made shortly before his death in New York. Sam learns that Lambert had found out that there was a mole in Third Echelon who planned to use Sarah as leverage against Sam. In order to protect both of them, he staged Sarah's death as a car accident and secured a similar looking body from Kobin, in order to allow Sam to do his job. Despite this, Lambert concludes that he wasn't able to locate the mole, and that his efforts may have been in vain.
Grim later tells an enraged Sam to stop one of three EMP attacks at the Michigan Avenue Reservoir, stating that Sarah's apartment is within Michigan Avenue's radius; while Victor recovers Sarah. Meanwhile, Grim would accompany Reed to the White House in order to halt the assassination attempt. Sam then escapes Third Echelon when Reed activates the self destruct protocol, destroying the building. He then gets to the EMP site at the reservoir, and interrogates a Black Arrow officer outside the compound to discover that the scientist captured by Colonel Jeremy Prentiss at White Box earlier is being held captive and forced to oversee the EMP there. After witnessing the scientist being beaten by Prentiss, Sam infiltrates the room where the Scientist is being held captive and rescues the scientist, who tells Sam that 2 generators are powering the EMP, and if one EMP generator is destroyed, the other will pulse and trigger the EMP. As Sam reaches the first generator, he asks for Victor Coste's assistance in taking down both generators, and marks the generator for Coste to destroy. As Sam nears the second generator to mark it for Coste's helicopter to destroy, Prentiss arrives in his gunship and attempts to kill Sam as he makes his way towards the second generator. Sam evades Prentiss's gunship and marks the second generator. Victor Coste arrives and shoots down Prentiss's gunship, then destroys both generators. Sam is then extracted by Victor and has a brief reunion with Sarah before the two remaining EMP's are activated, destroying most electronic devices in the city and causing general chaos. After the attack, the helicopter is shot down by a surface-to-air missile. While Coste takes Sarah to safety, Sam journeys through downtown D.C. seeing the chaos and fear the EMP's have caused, and infiltrates the White House, confronting Black Arrow contractors, renegade Splinter Cell agents and Third Echelon assault troops in the process. After 'securing' the corrupt Vice President (who is to take power once President Caldwell is assassinated), Sam regroups with Grim, who shoots Sam in the shoulder so that he can get close to Reed, appearing to be a hostage.
Upon entering the Oval Office, Reed prepares to execute Sam and the president. Reed reveals that Caldwell was going to shut down Third Echelon and leave America potentially vulnerable without its intelligence services, and tells Sam that the president believed that all the sacrifices Sam and agents like him made weren't necessary anymore. To prevent this, Reed planned to frame Sam for assassinating the president (in which Sam himself would be killed as well), as supposed proof to the country that Third Echelon was still needed. As Reed gets close to Sam, Sam disarms Reed and he and Grim kill Reed's Splinter Cell escorts. Sam interrogates Reed while U.S. Army soldiers extract Caldwell. It is then revealed that Reed was the mole Lambert was looking for; and depending on the player's choice, Sam or Grim execute Reed. If Grim executes Reed, Grim confides in Sam that he is the only person that she can trust, but Sam says that he no longer wants to be a part of this and leaves. If Sam executes Reed, Sam leaves the dead body where it belongs.
The story then returns to the present tense, with the interrogation of Victor Coste concluding. Victor states that Sam's last conversation with him revolved around the importance of "always having to come back for family," and how Sam finished that same conversation by saying he loves Vic "like a brother." As Victor concludes his statement by saying "Brother. That's family right?", an explosion rocks the base as Vic says, "Yeah. I thought so", implying that Sam is assaulting the base.
to the internet on September 21, 2006 through a 2GB rar file containing, among other media, 75 concept art
images of as-yet unannounced next-generation games uploaded to Ubisoft's public FTP site. The leaked images showed gloomy images of the Washington Monument under military occupation
, as well as roadside views of Washington DC.
Conviction was officially announced on May 23, 2007 when Ubisoft released a trailer for the game. It depicted a more rugged-looking Sam with long hair and a fully-grown beard. He had the ability to blend in with the environment, interact with tables and chairs and utilize hand-to-hand combat against enemies, making the game less stealthy. The lighting and shadow effects also showed a vast improvement over Double Agent. The game was due for release on November 16, 2007.
However, the game missed its initial launch date, and on May 19, 2008, Xbox World 360
magazine reported that Splinter Cell: Conviction was "officially on hold" and that the game had been taken "back to the drawing board". While Ubisoft never confirmed this, they announced that the game had been pushed back to the 2009-10 fiscal year.
The game resurfaced at E3 2009, with a completely new visual style and a more casual-looking Sam. The developers confirmed that the "new" Conviction had been in development since early 2008, commenting that "the gameplay has evolved a lot" and "the visual direction is simply much better".
The game was given a November 2009 release date at E3, but was later pushed back to the first quarter of 2010. After initially announcing a release date of February 23, 2010, Ubisoft delayed the game again until April 2010. On February 4, 2010, Ubisoft officially announced that the game will be released on April 13, 2010 for Xbox 360
On March 18, 2010, the demo was released for Xbox 360.
The demo includes an interrogation scene, and a gameplay scene which allows the player to fully get a grasp of the game's new features.
On October 25, 2007, SoundtrackNet
posted a news item from the scoring session for the game, featuring photographs of the orchestral recording of the music.
On January 28, 2010, a message was posted on Amon Tobin
's website, stating that "Amon's been brought in to contribute music for the climactic scenes of the next installment of the Splinter Cell game series."
On March 29, 2010, it was revealed in an interview that Michael Ironside
considered not returning to the role as Sam Fisher as a result of not being able to add more to the character until Ubisoft sent him a copy of the script.
.
† Composed and Produced by Amon Tobin
†† Musical score featured only in the "Deniable Ops: Insurgency" DLC
's website following the release of what is understood to be the majority of his contributions to the Splinter Cell: Conviction's score. The tracks that follow (in order of release date) are available to stream from his website using the embedded "Bandcamp!" service:
An alternate version of "White House", White House ["Just For Kicks" Alternate Version] [2:25], was given away as a freebie, provided users joined Tobin's promotional mailing list at the time.
's Building Steam With A Grain Of Salt features in the final sequence of the Third Echelon mission. The instrumental version present in Splinter Cell: Conviction is available to purchase on the 2-disc Deluxe Edition of Shadow's 1996 album Endtroducing...
and Microsoft Windows
platforms, as well as mobile versions for the iPhone OS
and Java ME. Ubisoft has stated that it has no current plans to release it on the PlayStation 3
with Max Beland, the Creative Director of Splinter Cell further stating; "Well, Splinter Cell was originally built on Xbox and we’ve had a great relationship with Microsoft. So Conviction is an exclusive for 360, it’s not going to go to PS3."
Ubisoft have announced that Conviction will be released in four retail versions. As well as the standard version, there will be the Special Edition, Collector's Edition, and the Limited Collector's Edition. The Collector's Edition will be exclusive to the United States and Canada, and will feature a custom USB drive, an artbook based on the Splinter Cell series, two decal stickers, a comic book detailing the events leading up to Conviction, and two in-game items: an MP5-SD3 sub-machine gun and a Third Echelon spy suit. The PC version will implement Ubisoft's new DRM
which will require a permanent internet connection. GameStop pre-orders also included a SPAS-12
Silenced Shotgun code, whereas Best Buy pre-orders included an excluive SC3000 assault rifle code. Downloading the mobile version of the game through Sprint also withheld an addition in-game weapon.
The Limited Collector's Edition is exclusive to European, Middle Eastern, Asian and Pacific territories. It includes a high quality edition box with a Sam Fisher figurine, steel-book DVD case with the game disc, manual and game soundtrack CD (24 tracks), and a card with 5 bonus in-game content codes: The MP-5 sub-machine gun, SC3000 assault rifle, SMG-2 machine pistol, Infiltration game mode and the Shadow Armor outfit. Ubisoft released a trailer of the Limited Collector's Edition.
The Special Edition called "Shadow Edition" is exclusive to GAME.co.uk, Gamestation.co.uk and Gameplay.co.uk in Europe and contains an alternate box art, a SPAS-12
Silenced Shotgun, early access to the SC3000 Weapon and a special "Shadow Armor" playable skin. Pre-orders also included Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction Projector Torch.
Amazon.co.uk have its own exclusive Limited Edition which contains standard version of the game, separate DVD case called "Exclusive Pre-order Pack" and inside it SPAS-12 In-Game Silenced Shotgun code, a 32 page comic book - "Digging in the Ashes" and a DVD featuring the making of the game.
Play.com also have their own exclusive which contains standard version of the game and Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction Carabiner Torch shipped with each copy.
In March 2010, Microsoft announced a special limited edition black Xbox 360 console for Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction. The unit includes a 250GB hard drive, two black wireless controllers, a black wired headset, an Ethernet cable, a standard definition Composite A/V cable, and the standard edition version of the game. Due to a number of defective USB drives, Ubisoft has lowered the price of the collector's edition by $10.
In June 2010, Ubisoft announced a version for the Mac OS X
. It was set for release on October 19, 2010, but was delayed until February 17, 2011.
Regarding critics, IGN awarded it a score of 9.3 out of 10 and gave it "IGN.com Editor's Choice Award". Edge
magazine awarded Conviction 8/10 in a lead review, claiming that the title is "in reach of greatness". Edge was particularly impressed with Sam Fisher's ability to turn any environment into "torture chambers" at the press of a button. Main points of criticism were its short length and that too much of the title is played in monochrome. GameSpot awarded the game a score of 8 out of 10, praising its cooperative mode and storytelling, but criticizing its short length and slimmed-down stealth elements, as well as most of the interrogation sections, stating that interrogations were a "missed opportunity", and "more predictable than provocative". Gametrailers gave it an 8.9 out of 10 praising the "top-notch voice acting" and the game as a whole saying "Conviction is a gripping new chapter in the Splinter Cell saga." Game Informer gave the game a 9 out of 10 and GamePro gave it a 5 out of 5.
Conviction had a less welcome reception with some PC reviewers. GameSpot scored it 6.5/10, citing bugs, missing features, connection issues and a higher price than a typical PC game. PC Gamer UK gave a score of 87/100, but wrote "we can't recommend you buy this game with the current DRM."
As of July 2010, the game has sold 1.9 million copies on PC and Xbox 360.
Action-adventure game
An action-adventure game is a video game that combines elements of the adventure game genre with various action game elements. It is perhaps the broadest and most diverse genre in gaming, and can include many games which might better be categorized under narrow genres...
stealth game, developed by Ubisoft Montreal
Ubisoft Montreal
Ubisoft Montreal is a Canadian video game developer owned by French publisher Ubisoft.Ubisoft's North American studio is located in Montreal, Quebec...
. Key members of the Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas is the fifth game in the Rainbow Six series of video games. It was released for the Xbox 360 on November 21, 2006 and Windows on December 12, 2006. The PlayStation Portable version was released on June 12, 2007, while the PlayStation 3 version was released on June...
team, such as creative director Maxime Béland, also worked on the game. Gameloft
Gameloft
Gameloft SA is a major French computer and video game developer and publisher headquartered in Paris, France. The company also has subsidiaries in 31 countries around the world....
released a handheld version of the game for Apple's iOS on May 27, 2010.
Gameplay
Splinter Cell: Conviction introduces a number of new gameplay features to the series, one of which is the "Mark & Execute" feature, which allows the player to mark specific targets, such as enemies or objects, and shoot them when they burst through a door or window. The player can choose to prioritize these targets, so that, for example, he could distract one guard by shooting out a light in his vicinity and then take out another guard. Another new feature is the "Last Known Position", which occurs when the player breaks the line of sight of an alerted guard. This creates a visual silhouette of where the guard thinks Sam is, allowing the player to flank his enemies. Main target subjects can use the player's abilities against them. The player can be taken hostage by the subject in co-op mode; the hostage's partner can neutralize the subject by shooting them or pulling them off his teammate.Other new features include the ability to interrogate characters in real time and use objects in the surrounding environment against them. Several other features, such as blending into crowds, improvising gadgets, and interaction with the environment, were announced, which according to creative director Maxime Béland would have given the game "a lot of Bourne Identity
The Bourne Identity (2002 film)
The Bourne Identity is a 2002 American spy film loosely based on Robert Ludlum's novel of the same name. It stars Matt Damon as Jason Bourne, an amnesiac attempting to discover his true identity amidst a clandestine conspiracy within the Central Intelligence Agency . The film also stars Franka...
influence," but were scrapped after the development team decided that going in this direction would be taking too much of a risk. The environment is also used to project mission objectives and key plot points onto walls in order to keep the player immersed in the gameplay during the narrative.
One of Ubisoft's stated goals for Conviction was to make the game more accessible. According to Béland, Chaos Theory
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory is a critically acclaimed action-adventure stealth game, developed and published by Ubisoft. Chaos Theory is the third game in the Splinter Cell series endorsed by writer Tom Clancy....
is "very hardcore", which turned off many players and disillusioned people from the fantasy of being Sam Fisher. Beland contrasted the earlier games in the series with works containing James Bond
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
or Jason Bourne
Jason Bourne
Jason Charles Bourne is a fictional character and the main protagonist in the novels of Robert Ludlum and subsequent film adaptations. He first appeared in the novel The Bourne Identity...
, who "run fast, they don’t make noise, they kill one, two, three or four guys super quickly" and stated that Conviction delivers a similarly dynamic experience with an emphasis on action.
Multiplayer
Multiplayer mode in Splinter Cell: Conviction involves both split screen and system link (Xbox 360), and online cooperative mode, plus a Deniable Ops mode. Deniable Ops mode involves four multiplayer modes that pit the players against AI in game modes such as Hunter, Infiltration, Last Stand, and Face-Off. Face-Off is the game's only actual competitive multiplayer mode, as it features the ability to kill the opposing spy. Hunter, Infiltration, and Last Stand are also singleplayer and do not always have to be played with a human partner. The game does not contain the critically acclaimed "Spies Vs Mercenaries" mode featured in the previous games of the series.According to co-op game director Patrick Redding, the stealth in Conviction is designed around the new core elements like "Mark and Execute" and "Last Known Position".
Prologue (co-op)
Ten days prior to the apprehension of Sam Fisher, Third Echelon agent Archer and Voron agent Kestrel are deployed to Nevsky Prospekt in St. Petersburg, Russia to halt rogue elements of the Russian military from selling advanced warheads on the black market. Intelligence from Andriy Kobin has pointed Archer and Kestrel to drug and human trafficker Valentin Lesovsky as the broker for the sale. Archer and Kestrel are to terminate Lesovsky and his associate, Boris Sychev, as well as gaining Lesovsky's contact list.Archer and Kestrel are later deployed to the Russian embassy in Baku, Azerbaijan to gather intelligence on an arms deal conducted by former Russian GRU colonel Leonid Bhykov. Archer and Kestrel observe the arms deal and learn that Bhykov betrays Tagizade and orders his men to kill Tagizade. Archer and Kestrel prevent the destruction of the weapons crates, learning that the weapons Bhykov was going to sell were Block II JDAM missile guidance kits. Archer and Kestrel make their way to the banquet area to interrogate Bhykov. Archer and Kestrel learn that Bhykov was working with Major General Kerzakov, and that Kerzakov was in the Yastreb Complex, an underground fortress situated underneath Moscow's Red Square.
Archer and Kestrel infiltrate the complex to avert the sale of the JDAM kits to the Iranians and learn the location of the warheads, which Archer and Kestrel discovered were EMPs. They render the JDAM kits inoperable by using their portable EMP devices, and download data from multiple servers to trace the EMP devices to the Mozdok Proving Grounds, killing Kerzakov in the process.
Sneaking aboard a supply truck, Archer and Kestrel infiltrate the Mozdok Proving Grounds in North Ossetia. They manage to secure the EMP devices with the help of Kobin. However, during the middle of extraction via transport plane, Tom Reed contacts Archer on his earpiece and orders him to kill Kestrel. Kestrel however learns of the order from reading Archer's OPSAT device, forcing him to act in self-defense. Either Archer or Kestrel can survive, and Kobin then executes the survivor in the next cutscene. Archer and Kestrel's bodies can later be seen in body bags below the chandelier in the first hall in the 'Kobin's mansion' mission in the single player story.
Single-player
Taking place three years after the events of Splinter Cell: Double Agent, former Navy SEAL Victor Coste is held in a Black Arrow facility interrogation room as he is interviewed by an unidentified group of men. Victor begins to recount the events of Splinter Cell: Conviction in the past tense. This continues throughout the game, with each level being narrated in the past tense as the player "experiences" what happened.After having disappeared, Sam Fisher
Sam Fisher
Samuel "Sam" Fisher is the protagonist of the Splinter Cell series of video games and novels . His full name is first seen in Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell, the first game of the series, when he was using the computer in the V-22 Osprey to encrypt his call home...
is remotely located and contacted by former Third Echelon colleague Anna "Grim" Grímsdóttir in a marketplace situated in Valletta
Valletta
Valletta is the capital of Malta, colloquially known as Il-Belt in Maltese. It is located in the central-eastern portion of the island of Malta, and the historical city has a population of 6,098. The name "Valletta" is traditionally reserved for the historic walled citadel that serves as Malta's...
, Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
where he is investigating rumors that the hit-and-run death of his daughter Sarah might not have been accidental. He is warned that a group of hitmen have located him. Sam kills them and interrogates the leader, Dmitri Gramkos, learning that drug runner Andriy Kobin was responsible for the death of his daughter, Sarah. Sam learns that Kobin is present in his mansion, a re-purposed museum. Sam infiltrates the mansion and, after a firefight with Kobin and his guards, Sam interrogates Kobin to ask about what happened to his daughter. Kobin says that there was a conspiracy that was "bigger than" Sam's situation. Sam is then captured by Third Echelon agents.
Sam is relocated to Price Airfield in Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, where he is to be interrogated by Grim with support from a PMC
Private military company
A private military company or provides military and security services. These combatants are commonly known as mercenaries, though modern-day PMCs refer to their staff as security contractors, private military contractors or private security contractors, and refer to themselves as private military...
called Black Arrow. When they are all alone, Grim kills a guard and reveals that she is working with President Patricia Caldwell as a mole inside Third Echelon, and that she needs his help with investigating Third Echelon's director Tom Reed's relationship with the PMC
Private military company
A private military company or provides military and security services. These combatants are commonly known as mercenaries, though modern-day PMCs refer to their staff as security contractors, private military contractors or private security contractors, and refer to themselves as private military...
. A reluctant Sam refuses to help her, but relents after being told that Sarah is alive, and that she would prove it to him during the course of the investigation. Grim facilitates Sam's escape from the airfield by providing him weapons and access to her car. At this point, Sam calls in his former squadmate for assistance in the investigation, in part of Victor having rescued him during the events of Operation Desert Storm. Sam meets with Victor at a county fair at the Washington Monument
Washington Monument
The Washington Monument is an obelisk near the west end of the National Mall in Washington, D.C., built to commemorate the first U.S. president, General George Washington...
in Washington D.C., receives some equipment, and learns that White Box Technologies, a R&D (research and development) company specializing in EMP
Electromagnetic pulse
An electromagnetic pulse is a burst of electromagnetic radiation. The abrupt pulse of electromagnetic radiation usually results from certain types of high energy explosions, especially a nuclear explosion, or from a suddenly fluctuating magnetic field...
s, hired Black Arrow for corporate security, which is considered to be out of character as Black Arrow does not normally provide such services.
Sam heads to White Box Technologies and witnesses multiple scientists being murdered by Black Arrow operatives. Fisher saves one of the scientists and learns that Lucius Galliard hired Black Arrow to provide security, and that a Black Arrow officer known as Robertson has been collecting and disposing of experimental data with EMP countermeasures. On the way to Robertson's office, Sam gets a short phone call, facilitated by Grim, from Sarah, revealing that she is still alive. Sam then reaches Robertson's office and downloads the data for Grim's analysts to study. He later triggers an EMP to prevent Black Arrow's tracing of the download in order to maintain Grim's cover, which also kills Robertson.
Sam is later directed to the Lincoln Memorial
Lincoln Memorial
The Lincoln Memorial is an American memorial built to honor the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln. It is located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The architect was Henry Bacon, the sculptor of the main statue was Daniel Chester French, and the painter of the interior...
under orders from both President Caldwell and Grim, in order to infiltrate the area and record a conversation between Reed and Galliard. Sam then interrogates Galliard, who reveals that the operation was funded and organized by an unknown group known as 'Megiddo', with Tom Reed being just 'hired help'. Before he can reveal anymore, Galliard is shot by an unknown gunman. Sam pursues the gunman, only for the gunman to get killed by a car bomb. Sam is immediately drawn into a confrontation with Third Echelon agents until he is extracted by the Secret Service
United States Secret Service
The United States Secret Service is a United States federal law enforcement agency that is part of the United States Department of Homeland Security. The sworn members are divided among the Special Agents and the Uniformed Division. Until March 1, 2003, the Service was part of the United States...
.
Later, Sam infiltrates the Third Echelon headquarters to recover equipment from a Third Echelon employee named Fryman and retrieve information from Reed's office. Instead of finding Reed, Sam re-encounters Kobin and interrogates him again. Sam learns that Reed was working with Megiddo to smuggle EMP technology into the United States, and activate the technology as cover to assassinate Caldwell and have the Vice President take over the position since he was "in Megiddo's pocket." As a result of facilitating the assassination, Reed would then be promoted within the higher ranks of the government and be considered a hero. Kobin later reveals that he never knew anything about Sarah and only provided a false body to stage her death, urging him to ask Grim as she knew the whole story. Sam confronts Grim (via video communication) with the information he learned, and is urged to listen to an audio recording of former Director Irving Lambert made shortly before his death in New York. Sam learns that Lambert had found out that there was a mole in Third Echelon who planned to use Sarah as leverage against Sam. In order to protect both of them, he staged Sarah's death as a car accident and secured a similar looking body from Kobin, in order to allow Sam to do his job. Despite this, Lambert concludes that he wasn't able to locate the mole, and that his efforts may have been in vain.
Grim later tells an enraged Sam to stop one of three EMP attacks at the Michigan Avenue Reservoir, stating that Sarah's apartment is within Michigan Avenue's radius; while Victor recovers Sarah. Meanwhile, Grim would accompany Reed to the White House in order to halt the assassination attempt. Sam then escapes Third Echelon when Reed activates the self destruct protocol, destroying the building. He then gets to the EMP site at the reservoir, and interrogates a Black Arrow officer outside the compound to discover that the scientist captured by Colonel Jeremy Prentiss at White Box earlier is being held captive and forced to oversee the EMP there. After witnessing the scientist being beaten by Prentiss, Sam infiltrates the room where the Scientist is being held captive and rescues the scientist, who tells Sam that 2 generators are powering the EMP, and if one EMP generator is destroyed, the other will pulse and trigger the EMP. As Sam reaches the first generator, he asks for Victor Coste's assistance in taking down both generators, and marks the generator for Coste to destroy. As Sam nears the second generator to mark it for Coste's helicopter to destroy, Prentiss arrives in his gunship and attempts to kill Sam as he makes his way towards the second generator. Sam evades Prentiss's gunship and marks the second generator. Victor Coste arrives and shoots down Prentiss's gunship, then destroys both generators. Sam is then extracted by Victor and has a brief reunion with Sarah before the two remaining EMP's are activated, destroying most electronic devices in the city and causing general chaos. After the attack, the helicopter is shot down by a surface-to-air missile. While Coste takes Sarah to safety, Sam journeys through downtown D.C. seeing the chaos and fear the EMP's have caused, and infiltrates the White House, confronting Black Arrow contractors, renegade Splinter Cell agents and Third Echelon assault troops in the process. After 'securing' the corrupt Vice President (who is to take power once President Caldwell is assassinated), Sam regroups with Grim, who shoots Sam in the shoulder so that he can get close to Reed, appearing to be a hostage.
Upon entering the Oval Office, Reed prepares to execute Sam and the president. Reed reveals that Caldwell was going to shut down Third Echelon and leave America potentially vulnerable without its intelligence services, and tells Sam that the president believed that all the sacrifices Sam and agents like him made weren't necessary anymore. To prevent this, Reed planned to frame Sam for assassinating the president (in which Sam himself would be killed as well), as supposed proof to the country that Third Echelon was still needed. As Reed gets close to Sam, Sam disarms Reed and he and Grim kill Reed's Splinter Cell escorts. Sam interrogates Reed while U.S. Army soldiers extract Caldwell. It is then revealed that Reed was the mole Lambert was looking for; and depending on the player's choice, Sam or Grim execute Reed. If Grim executes Reed, Grim confides in Sam that he is the only person that she can trust, but Sam says that he no longer wants to be a part of this and leaves. If Sam executes Reed, Sam leaves the dead body where it belongs.
The story then returns to the present tense, with the interrogation of Victor Coste concluding. Victor states that Sam's last conversation with him revolved around the importance of "always having to come back for family," and how Sam finished that same conversation by saying he loves Vic "like a brother." As Victor concludes his statement by saying "Brother. That's family right?", an explosion rocks the base as Vic says, "Yeah. I thought so", implying that Sam is assaulting the base.
Development
The existence of a sequel to Double Agent was leakedInternet leak
An Internet leak occurs when a party's confidential information is released to the public on the Internet. Various types of information and data can be, and have been, "leaked" to the Internet, the most common being personal information, computer software and source code, and artistic works such...
to the internet on September 21, 2006 through a 2GB rar file containing, among other media, 75 concept art
Concept art
Concept art is a form of illustration where the main goal is to convey a visual representation of a design, idea, and/or mood for use in films, video games, animation, or comic books before it is put into the final product. Concept art is also referred to as visual development and/or concept design...
images of as-yet unannounced next-generation games uploaded to Ubisoft's public FTP site. The leaked images showed gloomy images of the Washington Monument under military occupation
Martial law
Martial law is the imposition of military rule by military authorities over designated regions on an emergency basis— only temporary—when the civilian government or civilian authorities fail to function effectively , when there are extensive riots and protests, or when the disobedience of the law...
, as well as roadside views of Washington DC.
Conviction was officially announced on May 23, 2007 when Ubisoft released a trailer for the game. It depicted a more rugged-looking Sam with long hair and a fully-grown beard. He had the ability to blend in with the environment, interact with tables and chairs and utilize hand-to-hand combat against enemies, making the game less stealthy. The lighting and shadow effects also showed a vast improvement over Double Agent. The game was due for release on November 16, 2007.
However, the game missed its initial launch date, and on May 19, 2008, Xbox World 360
Xbox World 360
Xbox World 360 is a British Xbox and Xbox 360 magazine published by Future Publishing.- History :Xbox World 360 began life as Xbox World, with issue one released in early 2003, over a year after the Xbox's release...
magazine reported that Splinter Cell: Conviction was "officially on hold" and that the game had been taken "back to the drawing board". While Ubisoft never confirmed this, they announced that the game had been pushed back to the 2009-10 fiscal year.
The game resurfaced at E3 2009, with a completely new visual style and a more casual-looking Sam. The developers confirmed that the "new" Conviction had been in development since early 2008, commenting that "the gameplay has evolved a lot" and "the visual direction is simply much better".
The game was given a November 2009 release date at E3, but was later pushed back to the first quarter of 2010. After initially announcing a release date of February 23, 2010, Ubisoft delayed the game again until April 2010. On February 4, 2010, Ubisoft officially announced that the game will be released on April 13, 2010 for Xbox 360
On March 18, 2010, the demo was released for Xbox 360.
The demo includes an interrogation scene, and a gameplay scene which allows the player to fully get a grasp of the game's new features.
Audio
On July 16, 2007, it was announced that composers Kaveh Cohen and Michael Nielsen in association with music house Groove Addicts will be composing the musical score to Splinter Cell: Conviction, their first score for a videogame.On October 25, 2007, SoundtrackNet
SoundtrackNet
- History :Created in 1997 by David A. Koran and Dan Goldwasser at Carnegie Mellon University, the site has grown over the past decade to become one of the leading websites covering the film music industry in Hollywood....
posted a news item from the scoring session for the game, featuring photographs of the orchestral recording of the music.
On January 28, 2010, a message was posted on Amon Tobin
Amon Tobin
Amon Adonai Santos de Araújo Tobin , known as Amon Tobin, is a Brazilian musician, composer and producer of electronic music. He is described as a virtuoso sound designer and is considered to be one of the most influential electronic music artists in the world...
's website, stating that "Amon's been brought in to contribute music for the climactic scenes of the next installment of the Splinter Cell game series."
On March 29, 2010, it was revealed in an interview that Michael Ironside
Michael Ironside
Michael Ironside is a Canadian-born actor. He has also worked as a voice actor, producer, film director, and screenwriter in movie and television series in various Canadian and American productions. He is best known for playing villains and "tough guy" heroes, though he has also portrayed...
considered not returning to the role as Sam Fisher as a result of not being able to add more to the character until Ubisoft sent him a copy of the script.
Original Soundtrack
On April 13, 2010, Ubisoft Music in conjunction with composers Michael Nielson and Kaveh Cohen released a 16-track Official Soundtrack to Splinter Cell: Conviction exclusively via iTunesITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
.
Track listing
Original Soundtrack [L.C.E.]
With the release of the Limited Collector's Edition of Splinter Cell: Conviction the "Original Soundtrack" CD by Michael Nielson and Kaveh Cohen was included, featuring one track composed and produced by Amon Tobin. Unfortunately, no track list is incorporated onto the CD or packaging. However, on 18 April 2010, Nielson posted a track list for the CD on his Myspace.Track listing
† Composed and Produced by Amon Tobin
Amon Tobin
Amon Adonai Santos de Araújo Tobin , known as Amon Tobin, is a Brazilian musician, composer and producer of electronic music. He is described as a virtuoso sound designer and is considered to be one of the most influential electronic music artists in the world...
†† Musical score featured only in the "Deniable Ops: Insurgency" DLC
Amon Tobin
On April 20, 2010, a news bulletin was posted on Amon TobinAmon Tobin
Amon Adonai Santos de Araújo Tobin , known as Amon Tobin, is a Brazilian musician, composer and producer of electronic music. He is described as a virtuoso sound designer and is considered to be one of the most influential electronic music artists in the world...
's website following the release of what is understood to be the majority of his contributions to the Splinter Cell: Conviction's score. The tracks that follow (in order of release date) are available to stream from his website using the embedded "Bandcamp!" service:
- White House [4:05]
- Sarah!!! [0:55]
- Corridor Cue [0:55]
- Oval Office [1:47]
- Menu Theme [2:18]
- Coste [2:16]
- Roll Credits (Unreleased) [2:52]
An alternate version of "White House", White House ["Just For Kicks" Alternate Version] [2:25], was given away as a freebie, provided users joined Tobin's promotional mailing list at the time.
Additional licensed music
DJ ShadowDJ Shadow
Joshua Paul Davis better known as DJ Shadow is an American music producer, DJ and songwriter. He is considered a prominent figure in the development of instrumental hip hop and first gained notice with the release of his highly acclaimed debut album Endtroducing....., which was constructed...
's Building Steam With A Grain Of Salt features in the final sequence of the Third Echelon mission. The instrumental version present in Splinter Cell: Conviction is available to purchase on the 2-disc Deluxe Edition of Shadow's 1996 album Endtroducing...
Retail versions
Splinter Cell: Conviction is available on the Xbox 360Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
and Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
platforms, as well as mobile versions for the iPhone OS
IPhone OS
iOS is Apple's mobile operating system. Originally developed for the iPhone, it has since been extended to support other Apple, Inc. devices such as the iPod Touch, iPad, and Apple TV. Apple, Inc. does not license iOS for installation on third-party hardware...
and Java ME. Ubisoft has stated that it has no current plans to release it on the PlayStation 3
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
with Max Beland, the Creative Director of Splinter Cell further stating; "Well, Splinter Cell was originally built on Xbox and we’ve had a great relationship with Microsoft. So Conviction is an exclusive for 360, it’s not going to go to PS3."
Ubisoft have announced that Conviction will be released in four retail versions. As well as the standard version, there will be the Special Edition, Collector's Edition, and the Limited Collector's Edition. The Collector's Edition will be exclusive to the United States and Canada, and will feature a custom USB drive, an artbook based on the Splinter Cell series, two decal stickers, a comic book detailing the events leading up to Conviction, and two in-game items: an MP5-SD3 sub-machine gun and a Third Echelon spy suit. The PC version will implement Ubisoft's new DRM
Digital rights management
Digital rights management is a class of access control technologies that are used by hardware manufacturers, publishers, copyright holders and individuals with the intent to limit the use of digital content and devices after sale. DRM is any technology that inhibits uses of digital content that...
which will require a permanent internet connection. GameStop pre-orders also included a SPAS-12
Franchi SPAS-12
The SPAS-12 is a combat shotgun that was manufactured by the Italian firearms company Franchi S.p.A. from 1979 to 2000. The SPAS-12 is a dual-mode shotgun, meaning it can be calibrated to cycle either semi-automatically or through pump-action. The SPAS-12 has sold well to military and police users...
Silenced Shotgun code, whereas Best Buy pre-orders included an excluive SC3000 assault rifle code. Downloading the mobile version of the game through Sprint also withheld an addition in-game weapon.
The Limited Collector's Edition is exclusive to European, Middle Eastern, Asian and Pacific territories. It includes a high quality edition box with a Sam Fisher figurine, steel-book DVD case with the game disc, manual and game soundtrack CD (24 tracks), and a card with 5 bonus in-game content codes: The MP-5 sub-machine gun, SC3000 assault rifle, SMG-2 machine pistol, Infiltration game mode and the Shadow Armor outfit. Ubisoft released a trailer of the Limited Collector's Edition.
The Special Edition called "Shadow Edition" is exclusive to GAME.co.uk, Gamestation.co.uk and Gameplay.co.uk in Europe and contains an alternate box art, a SPAS-12
Franchi SPAS-12
The SPAS-12 is a combat shotgun that was manufactured by the Italian firearms company Franchi S.p.A. from 1979 to 2000. The SPAS-12 is a dual-mode shotgun, meaning it can be calibrated to cycle either semi-automatically or through pump-action. The SPAS-12 has sold well to military and police users...
Silenced Shotgun, early access to the SC3000 Weapon and a special "Shadow Armor" playable skin. Pre-orders also included Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction Projector Torch.
Amazon.co.uk have its own exclusive Limited Edition which contains standard version of the game, separate DVD case called "Exclusive Pre-order Pack" and inside it SPAS-12 In-Game Silenced Shotgun code, a 32 page comic book - "Digging in the Ashes" and a DVD featuring the making of the game.
Play.com also have their own exclusive which contains standard version of the game and Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction Carabiner Torch shipped with each copy.
In March 2010, Microsoft announced a special limited edition black Xbox 360 console for Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction. The unit includes a 250GB hard drive, two black wireless controllers, a black wired headset, an Ethernet cable, a standard definition Composite A/V cable, and the standard edition version of the game. Due to a number of defective USB drives, Ubisoft has lowered the price of the collector's edition by $10.
In June 2010, Ubisoft announced a version for the Mac OS X
Mac OS X
Mac OS X is a series of Unix-based operating systems and graphical user interfaces developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. Since 2002, has been included with all new Macintosh computer systems...
. It was set for release on October 19, 2010, but was delayed until February 17, 2011.
Unlockable and Downloadable content
Splinter Cell: Conviction released weekly unlockable content every Thursday through the in-game "Extras" menu. The content included weapons, gadgets, multiplayer skins and Deniable Ops maps. Conviction also continued with Ubisoft's new Uplay downloadable rewards program. With Uplay, players earn units for completing set in-game tasks that can be used to purchase various content in Splinter Cell, or saved for content in future Ubisoft releases. On May 27, 2010, the first official DLC map pack was released, titled "The Insurgency Pack." It features four new levels for the Deniable Ops mode, and nine new achievements for a total of 250 gamerpoints.Reception
Conviction has received mostly positive feedback from critics on Xbox 360 and PC.Regarding critics, IGN awarded it a score of 9.3 out of 10 and gave it "IGN.com Editor's Choice Award". Edge
Edge (magazine)
Edge is a multi-format computer and video game magazine published by Future Publishing in the United Kingdom. It is known for its industry contacts, editorial stance, distinctive anonymous third-person writing style, yearly awards and longevity....
magazine awarded Conviction 8/10 in a lead review, claiming that the title is "in reach of greatness". Edge was particularly impressed with Sam Fisher's ability to turn any environment into "torture chambers" at the press of a button. Main points of criticism were its short length and that too much of the title is played in monochrome. GameSpot awarded the game a score of 8 out of 10, praising its cooperative mode and storytelling, but criticizing its short length and slimmed-down stealth elements, as well as most of the interrogation sections, stating that interrogations were a "missed opportunity", and "more predictable than provocative". Gametrailers gave it an 8.9 out of 10 praising the "top-notch voice acting" and the game as a whole saying "Conviction is a gripping new chapter in the Splinter Cell saga." Game Informer gave the game a 9 out of 10 and GamePro gave it a 5 out of 5.
Conviction had a less welcome reception with some PC reviewers. GameSpot scored it 6.5/10, citing bugs, missing features, connection issues and a higher price than a typical PC game. PC Gamer UK gave a score of 87/100, but wrote "we can't recommend you buy this game with the current DRM."
Sales
486,000 copies of the game were sold in April 2010 in the USA, which made it the best-selling game for that month.As of July 2010, the game has sold 1.9 million copies on PC and Xbox 360.