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Friday 11 May 2007
Splinter Cell Conviction, the ambitious reinvention of the espionage action series, will feature a whole new spin on both multiplayer versus and co-op gameplay.
Co-op missions will be included but they won't resemble the double-team style of previous games, nor will they be run-throughs of the single player mode. Meanwhile, versus matchups will feature the impressive-looking civilian crowd that mills around during Sam Fisher's Washington-set escapades.
These intriguing hints appear in a deep-detail feature focusing on Splinter Cell Conviction's innovations in this month's issue of Edge magazine. Elsewhere, examples of Fisher's new objectives, abilities and threats are also laid out.
For instance, in one mission Sam finds himself needing to place an explosive under a target's car as well as locate a nearby security office and wipe the contents of a surveillance tape. The order you tackle each problem is a free choice, though while pondering your next move there'll be a significant police presence patrolling the area and searching for any suspicious characters.
Fortunately you can blend into the crowd surrounding each location, Assassin's Creed-style. Act naturally and avoid being noticed and you can explore at leisure - with the third-person cam swooping into a more FPS viewpoint to indicate you are safely anonymous in the wandering masses. Sam also has the cringe worthily-named but useful ability of Hero Vision, which again echoes Assassin's Creed by fading out everything on screen apart from important things like the police, visible even through scenery.
Without cutting-edge gadgets, you'll need to make effective use of these tricks to stay undetected - if you are spotted, the police will begin trailing Sam as he moves through the level. A bar will turn red indicating the unwanted interest, which only begins to drain to a safe level if you can break the cop's line-of-sight and escape unseen. Of course, should you announce your existence in a more spectacular fashion, like hurling a pursuer through a coffee-shop window, the police will be quick to draw weapons and start blasting away.
For a more in depth look at Splinter Cell Conviction, grab a copy of Edge 176, on sale right now.
