Ok, I hate to sound the “WTF” alarm for just anything these days, given the rather easy-to-upset gaming community at large, but this article I read today kind of jumped out at me. As some of you know, one of my most anticipated games for next year is Splinter Cell: Conviction. Chaos Theory still ranks among my favorite games of all time, and I’ve been waiting for a true sequel since then.
Well I might have to wait a little longer. While I’m largely OK with some of the additional gameplay mechanics that Ubisoft has added (the one-button executions, etc), something I read in an interview with the game’s creative director Max Beland disturbed me…
I crept through some dark areas as I worked my way into the building. Even in darkness, I did not need night vision to see, notably. In dark areas the game’s graphics become grainy, but the expected night-vision overlay doesn’t come into play. Beland doesn’t like green night-vision sequences in games and told me that Fisher’s goggles aren’t used for anything like that; just for sonar scans, which show enemy positions through walls.
Seriously? No night vision in a Splinter Cell game? I mean, call me crazy, but that just about throws the game off my radar. Looks like I might not get the proper return of the franchise that I wanted.
So what do you guys think? Am I overreacting to this? How would some of you guys feel if your favorite franchise was stripped of a staple of its gameplay?
Source- Kotaku
Your over reacting! Man up Eddy! Lol. This never looked anything like a traditional SC, it’s a complete rejuvenation of the franchise (hopefully in a good way this time) and, TBH, I think many will be glad to see it go. It was annoying playing with night-vision and thermal usually did the job FAR better. I also like the grainy look that kicks in! 🙂
Here’s hoping that some divine force will come down and force Ubisoft to release this on PS3.
Master Chief with no Mjolnir armor. Its just not the same.
I dont think it will ruin the game, but it will take something away from it. Ill need to see more on the game play to see if it was a mistake leaving it out or not.
No offense but I do believe you are overreacting. Fisher will still be Fisher, with or without shades of green, and I doubt it will have a negative impact on the gameplay.
It’s like making Freeman go around without his crowbar!
But I guess if you don’t need them, there’s no need to put them there.
It’s not like Gordon carries around a second crowbar, just in case…
Also, Eddy, when will the GS Community nights begin?
Hah, GS community nights will start when my life isn’t such a tornado. Web Zeroes + Dayjob + Just bought a house = no free time of my own.
I guess my reaction to the night vision is so strong because the thing that made the first Splinter Cell in particular (and the other ones after that) was their use of lighting. The way they played with darkness and low light was really next gen-stuff, and now they seem to be taking a step backward.
@ Eddy, there’s still plenty of darkness! 😛
I don’t see why you are fretting lol. Did you play Batman Arkam Asylum using only detective mode?
You’re WAY overreacting.
Also comparing this to Chief without his armor or Gordon without his crowbar is folly, considering the NVG isn’t a necessity while the armor and crowbar for their respective characters are. Chief is next to useless without his armor, and Gordon will have nothing to break stuff with or even have a melee weapon to begin with without the crowbar, but Fisher just won’t have his NVG. You’ll just have to deal with it, sorry. =\
Also i’d love to hear when these GS community things are finally going on… =D
The nightvision was very characteristic, but to be honest.. I was getting tired of all the dark missions. That constant-green even hurts some peoples eyes ( Night Vision in CS anyone? lol…)
I think what they have added will outmuster what they have removed.
I am with Eddy. DOWN WITH SPLINTER CELL!
I mean, I am willing to accept that I am wrong, and I certainly hope that I am. It’s just the more I hear about the direction they’re going, the less it jives with what I love about the series. I’m willing to wait for the game though for the final judgment.
@ Sinister Minister, clearly you’re Halo knowledge is poor (jokes). The Chief was still a tough badass, the suit just made him a badass of even more epic proportions! lol, also Gordon Freeman fared fine without the crowbar in HL2:Ep1. Amiright?
I have played several Splinter Cell games, although not Chaos Theory, but in those that I have played I needed to use nightvision only once or twice. It really wasn’t that useful to me because it never seemed dark enough for the NVGs to be useful. Like Skuba said, the heat vision usually worked a lot better. And blue was helpful for the damn cameras.
[quote comment=”8609″]@ Sinister Minister, clearly you’re Halo knowledge is poor (jokes). The Chief was still a tough badass, the suit just made him a badass of even more epic proportions! lol, also Gordon Freeman fared fine without the crowbar in HL2:Ep1. Amiright?[/quote]
Well, even though he is genetically modified, he can get hurt when he’s shot (Remember Fall of Reach) unlike the times when the mjolnir armor protects him from countless bullets lol.
@Skuba: While I do concede that my Halo story knowledge is next to nothing outside of the games, I find it extremely hard to believe that the Chief can still take as many bullets, plasma bolts, grenades, explosives, spikes, etc. without his shielded Mjoilnir armor as he could with it on.
Also, with Gordon, it’s his only melee weapon, so the point still stands.
@ Ridickulous & Sinister Minister
Yes he’s not bullet/plasma proof but contrary to the games, the Chief did not resort to reckless run ‘n’ gun techniques. He would be stealthy, tactical and precise not unlike ol’ Sam up there! The point I was trying to make was that he was still a force to reckoned with.
Also, @ Sinister, Gordon has a gravity gun which renders a puny crowbar redundant.
Yeah, but the game came first, so isn’t it canon?
j/k, let’s not start that!
Halo canon argument?? Nerd alert!
[quote comment=”8628″]Halo canon argument?? Nerd alert![/quote]
I could show you scars from my star wars canon battles.
Master Chief did that in the books, but it doesn’t change what he’s done to many grunts, brutes, hunters, and the like, all involving very sexual interactions afterwards. But hey, ODST worked out great in my opinion, no crazy armor there, and Gordon Freeman’s gravity gun pretty much slaps the crowbar out of your inventory. So, give it a chance guys. Or at least a 50/50 like I normally do with any unique idea I haven’t seen done yet. Usually works well, I predicted most of Prototype and WET based on that reasoning.
But, if it’s like most of Tom Clancy’s other games, they’ll get it right.