Wow, look at that. I mean, Splinter Cell: Conviction is now 15 years old, and of course, with its launch on the Xbox 360, the internet is totally buzzing about it. Well, it would have been to an extent if Ubisoft remembered that this franchise even existed in this world. Anyway, here is a toast to this game that gave people some terrifying scenes with murder interrogation and a technique called Mark & Execute.
This was for all those who were born the very same year of this massive marketing push: Conviction was the fifth main Splinter Cell installment, and it was totally reimagined of the series. This new version was without all the super strict stealth rules: Sam Fisher was PISSED and played BY HIS RULES. The dark plot, faster pace, wonderful black-and-white visuals once invisible–this one made the chef’s kiss.
But there will always be the same empty question: where’s the love now? The Ubisoft tweet (or some random fan account, who even knows anymore) didn’t receive one reply. ZERO. That’s either tragic or proof that everyone is too busy screaming into the void about no new Splinter Cell games. Seriously, Ubisoft, for fifty Assassin’s Creed spin-off games, you gave the green light-Sam Fisher can’t get one more mission on that list?
The silence is damning. Either fans have moved on (unlikely) or all of them are collectively holding their breath for that alleged remake/reboot that’s supposedly been “in development” since time immemorial. Y’know, like that time Michael Ironside returned for voicing Sam Fisher in Blacklist? That was ten years ago. Put that in your pipe and smoke it.
I don’t even want to start how brilliant the co-op mode in Conviction was. Oh, the entire campaign with Archer and Kestrel? Impeccable. Tie-ins with the main storyline? Genius. And that this wonderful experience didn’t get proper sequels? That’s criminal.
So, here we are, 15 years later, staring at a tweet with no replies as though some blacksite mission has gone abandoned. Maybe Ubisoft is saving all its effort for something during the 20th anniversary.
Or perhaps they’ve forgotten that Sam exists. In any way, here’s to Conviction-a game that dared to be different yet still holds up even today. Excuse me now, while I replay this and pretend it’s 2010 again. Wait – Did I just gaslight myself to think Ubisoft actually cares? Oops.
