User Score
7.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 976 Ratings

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  1. Aug 24, 2023
    5
    this game ruins splinter cell franchise and game was boring , splinter cell conviction was way better game
  2. Aug 14, 2023
    6
    Good singleplayer campaign, a little bit easier than the older SC games like Splinter cell Chaos theory, but this is still a good game. Multiplayer is a great thing about this game, sadly it was destroyed by those cheaters.
  3. Oct 15, 2022
    6
    Непонял какой дерьмовый тихий пиф паф и ахой тут стэлс я люблю его но его то есть того его которого тут нет
  4. Apr 12, 2022
    7
    One of the last representatives of stealth games, I hope their numbers and quality increase.
  5. Jun 30, 2021
    6
    It delivers its promises as a stealth and action packed game but it lacks excitement .
    The game's stealth is uninteresting , you don't really have many options to experiment .
    You can't crawl , which should always be a part of stealth games . You mainly press Q to find cover and then press Space to move to another cover . Problem is that , it makes the game less immersive when you do
    It delivers its promises as a stealth and action packed game but it lacks excitement .
    The game's stealth is uninteresting , you don't really have many options to experiment .
    You can't crawl , which should always be a part of stealth games .
    You mainly press Q to find cover and then press Space to move to another cover .
    Problem is that , it makes the game less immersive when you do that .
    The story is captivating at first but doesn't hold itself up well as the game progresses .
    It doesn't help that the enemy A.I isn't very good .
    The game is buggy , enemy game models still look alive even though they are killed .

    Though this game deserves a mixed review because there are some good aspects to this game .
    But still it lacks a lot .
    Worth a try but don't expect too much .
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  6. Dec 16, 2020
    7
    This game is just average comparing to previous Splinter Cell games. It has too much shooting and too little stealth for my taste. I am also disappointed that the night-only game has been brought to daylight. I think it lost a lot of its original appeal.
  7. Sep 25, 2020
    7
    Blacklist improves in several key ways over Conviction in terms of stealth gameplay, and generally is a good and cohesive stealth experience.
    While the more action oriented gameplay is still possible, the game mostly encourages you to play stealthily which as expected is the most satisfying way to go about it, part from some of the forced action segments that is, but the'yre not a
    Blacklist improves in several key ways over Conviction in terms of stealth gameplay, and generally is a good and cohesive stealth experience.
    While the more action oriented gameplay is still possible, the game mostly encourages you to play stealthily which as expected is the most satisfying way to go about it, part from some of the forced action segments that is, but the'yre not a significant bump in the road. Well maybe just the one instance where you're forced to play in first person mode, because the FPS gameplay wasnt that good and felt really damn basic for a AAA game.
    Sneaking around and using the environments offered in the levels to your advantage worked well. Which was enhanced by a more open level design, allowing you to play cat & mouse games with the enemies more freely compared to Conviction.
    Enemies were a mixed bag, from one side, they're agressive and come at you hard if you are messing around, on the other, they have same old stealth game based AI issues, tendencies to be super aware, have annoying helmets that can stop you from dealing successful headshots, even if you shoot in their faces that are not covered, doesn't happen too much, but at times can mess up your stealth streak at not to your own fault.
    Globe trotting nature of Blacklist offered plenty of variety and feel in the level/ world design.
    Mass Effect style main hub/HQ of the game, that is your cargo plane, was a cool feature too, as it was fun talking to Sam's crew between missions, upgrading the plane and Sam's gear on the spot.
    All that i'll say about the story is that the journey in this case was much more satisfying than reaching the destination, as the ending kinda felt uneventful or rather cliche, though overall the storyline was pretty solid spy, at times bombastic action, stuff.
    I dont have deep personal investment in the series, so i didnt felt any major disappointment when Michael Ironside got replaced to voice Sam. It might be a controversial opinion, but i think his new voice actor matches the character better.
    One last grievance i had with the game was that certain side missions were only playable in co-op, which was disappointing since as someone who's all about single player in games of this type, i felt like i was being left out on more content.

    On a side note, Grim was kinda hot in Blacklist :)
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  8. Jul 22, 2020
    6
    Un jeu d'action correct mais qui n'est pas un Splinter Cell ! L'infiltration n'a plus aucun intérêt puisque tirer à coup d'AK47 sur les ennemis suffit amplement pour accomplir les objectifs. A quoi bon laisser le choix au joueur puisque si on joue en "infiltration" l'erreur n'a aucune conséquence. En effet, si je me fais repérer, il me suffit de dégainer mon arme et le tour est joué. AucunUn jeu d'action correct mais qui n'est pas un Splinter Cell ! L'infiltration n'a plus aucun intérêt puisque tirer à coup d'AK47 sur les ennemis suffit amplement pour accomplir les objectifs. A quoi bon laisser le choix au joueur puisque si on joue en "infiltration" l'erreur n'a aucune conséquence. En effet, si je me fais repérer, il me suffit de dégainer mon arme et le tour est joué. Aucun challenge intéressant dans ce jeu !
    On a parfois l'impression d'être dans un Call of Duty...
    Les graphismes sont très bons pour l'époque et le gameplay souple mais trop "rapide" pour un Splinter Cell. Sam Fisher se déplace trop vite et est aussi agile que les héros d'Assassin's Creed ! Où est passé le Sam Fisher du premier épisode qui au moindre bruit pouvait alerter tout un batiment et faire échouer une mission ?!

    En espérant un vrai retour de cette licence dans les années à venir ! Les 3 premiers restent de très loin les meilleurs Splinter Cell.
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  9. Apr 15, 2020
    6
    Очень даже неплохо для своего времени. Сейчас она никому не нужна, проверка временем не пройдена.
  10. Nov 8, 2019
    5
    The splinter cell series ended with double agent ... conviction and blacklist is a way to take more money on the name of game ... better go through the previous parts
  11. Jul 21, 2018
    5
    This game really is a hit and miss, a dumbed down version of Splinter cell plauged by bugs on the PC. Some missions are actually quite nice, while others are an insult to the legacy. Unfortunately, some of these really stupid missions, like the Philly Metro, you cant skip. Its a decent game if you can overlook the problems.
  12. Jun 10, 2016
    7
    Good story, characters, level design, dialogue (though people tend to speak too fast - hard to follow). The overall gameplay mechanics are decent, but the game occasionally manifests itself as a console port. The main problem is with the E key, which serves too many functions and there's no way to distribute them across different buttons. Your E key interacts with objects like doors, lightGood story, characters, level design, dialogue (though people tend to speak too fast - hard to follow). The overall gameplay mechanics are decent, but the game occasionally manifests itself as a console port. The main problem is with the E key, which serves too many functions and there's no way to distribute them across different buttons. Your E key interacts with objects like doors, light switches or bodies. It's also for initiating a kill animation and picking up weapons. Now imagine a situation where you want to do one thing with this key, but coincidentally there are several animations that can be triggered. I want to go for a kill, but... NO. FISHER CLOSES A **** DOOR IN MY TARGETS FACE AND GETS HIMSELF SHOT IN THE PROCESS. In another instance I got myself into a gunfight and wanted to pick up a weapon while I was behind cover. Coincidentally there was an effing body right next to the weapon. What happens? Fisher is locked into the slow animation for picking up bodies, stands up from cover doing so, AND GETS **** SHOT. In "realism" mode this "realistic" scenario gets you killed in two shots and you have to do everything all over again.

    The number of times I had to re-do a level because the game facked me over is uncountable. That impacts the rating. Otherwise it's a classic Splinter Cell experience.
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  13. Sep 12, 2014
    5
    Massive shame. As a fan of the original titles I was awfully put off by the opening and first level gameplay offered by blacklist. Though impressed by the quality of its production I can't stand to see the standard set by this series drift this far from stealth simulation. Missing the tongue in cheek humour of fisher, multi vision mode, sound detection ai and just the calm realisticMassive shame. As a fan of the original titles I was awfully put off by the opening and first level gameplay offered by blacklist. Though impressed by the quality of its production I can't stand to see the standard set by this series drift this far from stealth simulation. Missing the tongue in cheek humour of fisher, multi vision mode, sound detection ai and just the calm realistic professionalism of the characters and slow-er-than-tv-show pace helped create tense and complex gameplay scenarios that splintered an early audience and earned new fans at the time of the original 2002 xbox release.

    On top of this expect strange, inhuman movement animations and mechanics that betray the original entirely replacing the concept of moving slowly like a spider preying in the darkness transform here to what feels like a rabid snake flailing from cover to cover snapping at it's ai crippled victims. Actually stopped playing after 40 mins as NOTHING felt stealthy anymore. I guess its open market on who can create the best stealth/spy simulator looks like kojima has reclaimed that title for now.
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  14. Sep 4, 2014
    6
    A disappointing game for sure... It's sad that the last couple of games were both big letdowns. This game is lacking on many aspects. I just feel they have gone downhill after Conviction with Chaos Theory being the last good one and at this point I don't think any future Splinter Cell game will top that. Definitely not worth the time. Nothing that will make you really like it
  15. Aug 24, 2014
    6
    This is more or less a Splinter Cell Double Agent with the style of SC Conviction, nothing more. Some spots (some=very few) felt exactly like Chaos Theory but it was just not enough. The game feels like a normal blockbuster, and ubisoft added all these features about unlocking equipment, upgrading and buying stuff with money you earn by doing the mission in a certain way and doing stupidThis is more or less a Splinter Cell Double Agent with the style of SC Conviction, nothing more. Some spots (some=very few) felt exactly like Chaos Theory but it was just not enough. The game feels like a normal blockbuster, and ubisoft added all these features about unlocking equipment, upgrading and buying stuff with money you earn by doing the mission in a certain way and doing stupid soulless side missions and so on....

    Well, I did not like it and I am a huge fan of Sam Fisher. It is ok, it feels like Splinter Cell but it is still the rotten Splinter Cell we carry on since Double Agent. Buy it very cheap if you really miss some stealth action but be warned, it does not differ so much from the latest Splinter Cell games. The atmosphere is just not there. Repetitive missions, and not enough communicative.

    60/100
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  16. Aug 14, 2014
    7
    Splinter cell: Blacklist is a mediocre game in the franchise but by far was the most anticipated because it brings all the stuff that was new in Conviction, but builds it all into one full fluid gameplay experience. Sadly this made the game too different and it didn't feel like a splinter cell game at all, but just another action game that incorporated stealth in some areas to compete withSplinter cell: Blacklist is a mediocre game in the franchise but by far was the most anticipated because it brings all the stuff that was new in Conviction, but builds it all into one full fluid gameplay experience. Sadly this made the game too different and it didn't feel like a splinter cell game at all, but just another action game that incorporated stealth in some areas to compete with the SC series. Many problems for the PC version made it annoying to play but I felt like I had to because I needed to continue through the SC franchise even though this one was a bit of a disappointment but not so bad that it was a bad game. It still is great just doesn't feel like a SC game which is why I think this game still deserves a positive score. Expand
  17. Aug 2, 2014
    6
    Potentially great game completely ruined by one single poor design decision: Not allowing Player to save whenever. Having to replay from checkpoint over and over again led to some very very frustrating game play . After a while I felt like just run and gun (which worked great), just to finish the game. It wasn't worth my time trying stealth approach over and over again and fail becausePotentially great game completely ruined by one single poor design decision: Not allowing Player to save whenever. Having to replay from checkpoint over and over again led to some very very frustrating game play . After a while I felt like just run and gun (which worked great), just to finish the game. It wasn't worth my time trying stealth approach over and over again and fail because Sim fails to act as I want.

    Lots of gadgets but felt useless because AGAIN it's not worth the time to experiment with gadgets, screw up and having to restart from checkpoint.

    Another problem that downplays stealth is that Sam Fisher moves so slow when moving a body. It's entirely not worth hiding body because AGAIN if you are spotted, you are sure to be shot to death before you can put the body down and back to checkpoint again. And you will be spotted very very often on harder levels.
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  18. Mar 13, 2014
    7
    Gameplay and platforming is almost as good as previous SC games but the plot is too cliché. The story does get interesting at some points but overall its....let's just say nothing compared to conviction.
  19. Mar 9, 2014
    5
    I am glad I got this game for free or I would feel upset at the waste of money. The stealth feels unsatisfying. Control options feel less than intuitive. And going loud and proud though the game doesn't work until you unlock moderate armor. I can't count how many times I've been locked down by enemies shooting at me leaving to just wait until I die since the controls wouldn't let me atI am glad I got this game for free or I would feel upset at the waste of money. The stealth feels unsatisfying. Control options feel less than intuitive. And going loud and proud though the game doesn't work until you unlock moderate armor. I can't count how many times I've been locked down by enemies shooting at me leaving to just wait until I die since the controls wouldn't let me at least limp away from open fire.

    On the plus side, getting money doesn't feel too terribly difficult as long as you spend it wisely. Some of the dialogue is humorous. The customization is neat. Still, as my first foray into the world of splinter cell, I am left wondering what made this series so great when games like this are produced.
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  20. Feb 23, 2014
    5
    Turns out they not only removed Sam's voice, but his soul as well. If the guy in this game is Sam Fisher, then I am James Bond and I am not even British.
  21. Jan 4, 2014
    5
    Game is sleek and looks pretty, but it felt shallow, barely an echo of the older Splinter Cell titles. If you want a single player experience similar to the first games in the series, don't buy Blacklist, cause this isn't it.

    Developers clearly tried to make it do too much stuff including disparate features copied from other successful games. But those have little to do with Splinter
    Game is sleek and looks pretty, but it felt shallow, barely an echo of the older Splinter Cell titles. If you want a single player experience similar to the first games in the series, don't buy Blacklist, cause this isn't it.

    Developers clearly tried to make it do too much stuff including disparate features copied from other successful games. But those have little to do with Splinter Cell and they felt out of place here.

    They were better off starting or buying another IP if they wanted to try that stuff and continue SC with its own tradition. Too bad, I was hungry for another SC.
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  22. Nov 24, 2013
    7
    Overall Blacklist is a worthy addition to the Splinter Cell series.

    The game will definitely appeal to those that enjoyed the original trilogy (Splinter Cell, Pandora Tomorrow, and Chaos Theory) but found Double Agent and Conviction too different from the norm. The stealth gameplay is back in all its night vision, gadget toting glory with the key difference being much more open
    Overall Blacklist is a worthy addition to the Splinter Cell series.

    The game will definitely appeal to those that enjoyed the original trilogy (Splinter Cell, Pandora Tomorrow, and Chaos Theory) but found Double Agent and Conviction too different from the norm. The stealth gameplay is back in all its night vision, gadget toting glory with the key difference being much more open environments populated with plentiful enemies.

    What holds Blacklist back from being a fantastic Splinter Cell game however can be attributed to five distinct elements...

    1. Unfortunately Michael Ironside does not reprise his role as Sam Fisher, and despite the virtually unknown Eric Johnson's earnest attempt at it, Sam just doesn't feel the same. Ironside's voice work carried a unique grittiness and weight to it that spoke volumes to Sam's experiences, hardships, and no-nonsense attitude which Johnson just can't replicate. Johnson's Sam may have worked for a younger, more brash version of the character but it doesn't fly here.

    2. *SPOILER* The main antagonist of the game, Majid Sadiq, has all the trappings of a great villain and is perfectly acted by Carlo Rota. Like some of the best spy thriller bad guys he comes off as intelligent and charismatic but also brutal and violently committed to his extreme global/political views. However by the end of the game we see this great character fall to pieces and turn into a whimpering moron, seemingly going against all characterization established in most of the game's story. If the writers believed that the audience would applaud this change as a form of comeuppance or resolution they were sadly wrong.

    3. During the course of the game the player is given the option to pursue a number of side missions offered by the game's four supporting characters (Grim, Charlie, Briggs, and Kobin). Grim and Kobin's missions fit perfectly into the game with levels dedicated to being stealthy and carrying out snatch and grab missions and the like. Charlie's on the other hand feel terribly out of place due to them being standard "survive X waves of enemies" and Briggs' tasks are co-op ONLY missions. Out of the two of them I was most disappointed with Briggs' as restricting them to co-op feels a little strange for a singleplayer campaign and not completing them makes you feel like you're missing out on the whole experience. At the risk of sounding like an anti-social room troll, I personally have no interest in playing a game like Blacklist with another human being. In my experience there is nothing that breaks immersion and pace more than doing so.

    4. In one of the final levels of the game you end up switching between Sam and Briggs for certain periods of time. For some ungodly reason the developers used this opportunity to completely change the gameplay and force you into a first person shooter version of Splinter Cell when you take control of Briggs. The controls feel clunky, the game clearly wants you to run and gun, and the result of this totally goes against the fact that in the story-line Sam has just come around to respecting Briggs and seeing him as an effective, dependable, and highly skilled agent.

    5. While not entirely a negative aspect to the game (i.e. it doesn't necessarily harm the end product) I did find myself wondering: why does this game even exist? Whether you liked Conviction or not the fact remains that that game was a good ending point for Sam Fisher's story. Sure, it may have deviated pretty far from where it all started but the only ones clamoring for a Splinter Cell revival were the most rabid of fanboys who just couldn't let Conviction be the LAST of the series. Match this with the fact that the developer chose to not bring Michael Ironside back and you're left wondering why they even needed to make a new game.

    Last but not least, I've seen a couple of user reviews on here giving the game 0s due to the fact that the game was a "crappy port", "terribly optimized", or just "didn't work". Don't get the wrong idea. Obviously there are issues on those users' end but its really not a universal issue with the PC version of the game. My PC is by no means a cutting edge gaming rig (GTX 660, 10 GB, and a horribly outdated 2.5 Ghz processor) but after shifting the game from DirectX 11 to 9 I could run it on nearly maxed settings and get fantastic visual fidelity with butter smooth performance to boost.
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  23. Nov 17, 2013
    7
    This review is just for singleplayer. The game's plot and gameplay aren't perfect but aren't bad at the same time, they are just ordinary. It's really simple. the enemies are a bit stupid. It's worth playing, if you like such sort of games.
  24. Oct 27, 2013
    6
    Somewhat good game but terrible PC optimization. The graphics are noticeably very good but I get poor framerates out of the blue especially during multiplayer. The story is very forgettable with undeveloped characters. This game brings back the flair of the original splinter cells but forgets most of it and goes back to conviction gameplay. I went non lethal for all the missions but feltSomewhat good game but terrible PC optimization. The graphics are noticeably very good but I get poor framerates out of the blue especially during multiplayer. The story is very forgettable with undeveloped characters. This game brings back the flair of the original splinter cells but forgets most of it and goes back to conviction gameplay. I went non lethal for all the missions but felt robbed as Sam would always just kill in each of the cutscenes.

    Controls are sometimes infuriating and can easily be the death of you. (I played this on realistic) Multiplayer can be fun for an easy 6 hours. Singleplayer seemed like an average time to beat, but then again I was playing on realistic w/ non lethal and died every 10 min.

    High production values, low originality, and tries to appeal to a wide audience with its customization. But still unless your looking for this type of gameplay this will not be your cup of tea. Reason for the 6/10 is for all of the PC problems and it's major and minor flaws. This game appeals to many people, as much as it doesn't. Not high replay value wait for it to get cheaper. Good for 20-40 min a day as it comes in bursts.
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  25. Oct 11, 2013
    6
    This game as far as PC is concerned is full of potential. Currently the game has no chance of escaping its port from console issues such as a jumpy cover system, terrible menu system and some large multiplayer faults. To highlight the current major downfall of multiplayer is the ability for opponents to quit at the point a win becomes very slim, and rather than awarding you victory theThis game as far as PC is concerned is full of potential. Currently the game has no chance of escaping its port from console issues such as a jumpy cover system, terrible menu system and some large multiplayer faults. To highlight the current major downfall of multiplayer is the ability for opponents to quit at the point a win becomes very slim, and rather than awarding you victory the game will attempt to migrate the host; fail to do so and send you back to lobby giving you no experience or even a win. As for developer support the most recent change was making the hack/resupply key space-bar by default, so not very promising as far as issue priority. I want to sink more time into the game, but when me and my spy vs merc partner are about to land a win we have been disappointed on multiple occasions by the quitting to prevent a loss attitude. Simply changing this aspect for multiplayer would do the game massive good. If your buying this game for the mulitplayer, stay back until further notice. Expand
  26. Oct 8, 2013
    7
    I was really hoping that this game would turn the direction this series started to head after the last two games back in the direction of greatness. What I got was a decent game that nowhere near lives up to the legacy of the first 3 games in the series. Alot of the talk has been about the change of the Voice Actor for Sam in this game. It wouldn't really bother so much if this new guyI was really hoping that this game would turn the direction this series started to head after the last two games back in the direction of greatness. What I got was a decent game that nowhere near lives up to the legacy of the first 3 games in the series. Alot of the talk has been about the change of the Voice Actor for Sam in this game. It wouldn't really bother so much if this new guy wasn't so much of a complete Everything he says is a jab at someone else or just a complete snarky comment. The old Sam was never like that and I definitely don't like it. Fortunately most everything else in the game is done very well. The story missions are very fun with alot of intrigue, even if they did go back to the old "one alarm and you lose the mission" crap the old games tried to throw at you. On the PC, you're forced to go through Ubisoft's Uplay service and, while it'll never be as good as Steam, it's got a few things going for it so it's definitely not bad. The issue is with alot of the bugs and technical problems. I have a system that is only a little over a year old and this game was buggy, never could run at a decent framerate no matter what I did, and just never could catch up to the action it felt like. I always had to play on the lowest framerate and I have never had to go below Ultra on any game with this system. Overall, I had a good experience with this game but it wasn't enough. Splinter Cell is one of the true Stealth games on the market today but it's disheartening that the developers have decided not to listen to their fans. Instead they have decided to make a game that could have been great had a few things been changed up. In the end, I definitely wouldn't recommend playing this on the PC. Opt for the console version if you really want to play this game. Expand
  27. Sep 25, 2013
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Great game, nice stealth and combat, nice gameplay, good repeatability. Story is good till the half of the game, but when we get close to the ending it's became every moment more bad, then we got the ending... a fast one that make me think they had hurry to finish the game. Also it seems that the real last ending will be a DLC... major letdown here.
    If the ending were better i would have given a 9.
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  28. Sep 19, 2013
    7
    Esta es una crítica SUBJETIVA tras haber finalizado el juego.

    LO BUENO: los diversos gadgets de los que Sam tiene que hacer uso a lo largo del juego, el sistema de mejoras para el Paladín/equipo y ciertas situaciones que te hacen recordar buenos momentos de sus antecesores. LO MALO: puede resultar fácil incluso en niveles avanzados de dificultad, quizá más corto que los anteriores.
    Esta es una crítica SUBJETIVA tras haber finalizado el juego.

    LO BUENO: los diversos gadgets de los que Sam tiene que hacer uso a lo largo del juego, el sistema de mejoras para el Paladín/equipo y ciertas situaciones que te hacen recordar buenos momentos de sus antecesores.

    LO MALO: puede resultar fácil incluso en niveles avanzados de dificultad, quizá más corto que los anteriores.

    No aporta gran cosa a la franquicia y seguramente hay otros mejores dentro de ella, pero eso no quiere decir que haya sido mal juego, al contrario, Splinter Cell: Blacklist ha sabido cumplir (como no hacía desde hace un tiempo) con un juego con el que te sientes estar en la piel de un agente secreto. Habiendo varios estilos de juego para acabar cada una de las misiones, toda acción será importante, pues el jugador será recompensado con puntos en función del método escogido para acabar las misma; dichos puntos podrán emplearse en mejoras para el avión (centro de operaciones) o el equipo. Además el jugador tendrá a su disposición misiones secundarias (tanto para uno como dos jugadores) con las que conseguir más puntos o simplemente pasar un buen rato (personalmente a mí no me han llamado tanto la atención pero pueden ser divertidas para los que quieran jugar en compañía). Eso es lo único nuevo que aportas el juego (las misiones y las mejoras).

    En definitiva, Splinter Cell: Blacklist es un juego que te gustará tener (si no ahora, cuando se rebaje el precio) si te gusta la saga en general y que sin ser mejor que Chaos Theory o Pandora Tomorrow tampoco se queda muy por detrás.

    *NO HE PROBADO EL MODO COOPERATIVO Y POR LO TANTO NO HABLO DE ÉL
    *LOS PROBLEMAS DE LA VERSIÓN DE PC EXPERIMENTADOS POR OTROS JUGADORES YO NO LOS HE TENIDO.
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  29. Sep 14, 2013
    5
    This is the first time I have played a Splinter Cell game having got it free through one of the NVIDIA codes. Having gotten the game free, I didn't bother doing anything with it until the last couple of days when I decided to give it a go, so I was fortunate enough to play for the first time post patches. Thus far I'm about five hours into the single player campaign, but I'm not sure ifThis is the first time I have played a Splinter Cell game having got it free through one of the NVIDIA codes. Having gotten the game free, I didn't bother doing anything with it until the last couple of days when I decided to give it a go, so I was fortunate enough to play for the first time post patches. Thus far I'm about five hours into the single player campaign, but I'm not sure if I'll go much further.

    I see a lot of people on here claiming that the graphics are terrible, or conversely that the graphics are amazing. The majority of the professional reviews I had read prior to playing the game said that the graphics were merely passable, and I think that's the assessment I tend to agree with. Whether the underwhelming nature of the graphics is the result of a shabby console port I can't say, but either way I'm not bothered as the visuals aren't the be all and end all of a game.

    However, I do have to add my voice to the list of other reviewers on here complaining about the controls, which are not at all good. I completely understand why people are saying it's due to a lazy port. I frequently found my key presses resulted in me doing something other than what I intended due to certain keys fulfilling multiple roles. I'm not saying the wrong thing happened with every press, but it happened often enough to have me yelling in frustration on more than one occasion. On top of that I also found a few times that my key presses did nothing at all, which was also incredibly frustrating. Even when everything was working as intended, I found the controls a little clunky.

    Though the controls are my main gripe and the reason I probably won't play much more of the game, I have to agree that the plot and characters are also a bit flat and uninspiring, and it's far from difficult to pick holes.

    I can't comment on the multiplayer game as I haven't tried it, but I wouldn't recommend the game as a single player from my own experiences thus far.
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  30. Sep 13, 2013
    5
    I really want to like this game, I really do. But there are two jarring things that are repeatedly ruining the experience for me.

    1. The controls more often than not do something that I don't want to do and things I don't care about doing. For instance, why do I care about opening a door 5 feet away and why can't I interrupt it? Or how come when I'm pressed against the wall, "pick up
    I really want to like this game, I really do. But there are two jarring things that are repeatedly ruining the experience for me.

    1. The controls more often than not do something that I don't want to do and things I don't care about doing. For instance, why do I care about opening a door 5 feet away and why can't I interrupt it? Or how come when I'm pressed against the wall, "pick up enemy gun" takes precedence over "pick up body"? I've had to restart from the last check point because for whatever reason, use decided to do the exact opposite I wanted it to do.

    2. Ubisoft for the life of them can't create a working online infrastructure for which to play on. If having yet "another Steam" on top of Steam is bad, then it's the fact that I can't join my friend's game and vice versa. And I'm not alone on this issue. And when Ubisoft's solution to the problem includes "disable all starting programs", I've lost all faith they can even create a multiplayer infrastructure worth beans.

    Other than that, the game's great.
    Expand
Metascore
82

Generally favorable reviews - based on 13 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 13
  2. Negative: 0 out of 13
  1. Jan 22, 2014
    80
    With Conviction, the Splinter Cell series seemed to be veering off course, but Blacklist thankfully grabs the wheel and gets it back on track.
  2. Dec 12, 2013
    80
    Splinter Cell Blacklist is one of the better entries in the long lived spy-saga. It offers great gameplay choices and sneaking is heavily rewarded. On top of that the multiplayer is also confidently crafted. The one thing lacking is the banal story with flat characterization that hinders Splinter Cell Blacklist from reaching any narrative high points.
  3. PC PowerPlay
    Sep 25, 2013
    80
    Though it lacks the subdued intelligence of Chaos Theory, there's still some cracking good sneaking to be had. [Oct 2013, p.92]