Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Blacklist

 PC
User Score
7.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 976 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 657 out of 976
  2. Mixed: 195 out of 976
  3. Negative: 124 out of 976
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  1. Squicker
    Oct 26, 2013
    4
    I can't see what all the fuss is about for this game. The characters are unengaging, it's padded with tedious cut scenes, the graphics are so-so and the controls are awful and will result in regular death.

    This is a like a 5 or 6 year old game, avoid.
  2. Nimbus1701
    Oct 24, 2013
    8
    If you enjoyed Conviction, you will enjoy this edition of splinter cell as well. Sam Fisher's movements are more refined and the environments present a few different ways of approaching a challenge. Character animations are nicely done as well. There are niggling AI issues where they can get stuck behind an object (just waiting to be killed), but broadly they can get pretty challenging. BeIf you enjoyed Conviction, you will enjoy this edition of splinter cell as well. Sam Fisher's movements are more refined and the environments present a few different ways of approaching a challenge. Character animations are nicely done as well. There are niggling AI issues where they can get stuck behind an object (just waiting to be killed), but broadly they can get pretty challenging. Be careful with the Heavy Soldiers.… Expand
  3. nitai007
    Oct 19, 2013
    0
    this game is good though i expected it to be better. the game really lets you feel like a spy, and you have a lot of cool gadgets. some levels are big which give you a lot of reason to come back and play them. the story is pretty good, though i preffered convictions story.characters are also pretty good. a really good thing is the talks with sara(his daughter) between missions. the stealththis game is good though i expected it to be better. the game really lets you feel like a spy, and you have a lot of cool gadgets. some levels are big which give you a lot of reason to come back and play them. the story is pretty good, though i preffered convictions story.characters are also pretty good. a really good thing is the talks with sara(his daughter) between missions. the stealth mechanics are solid, and you can hide bodies(which you couldnt with conviction.) the game also lets you choose how to play (most of the times) and gives you a lot of options and tools for every playstyle.
    the game does have some problems. first of all, the graphics arent good. theyre a bit below average. faces also look pretty bad.lip syncing is also an issue. the game also has some technical issues like prompts not appearing. the port for the pc feels clunky and unresponsive. also a problem is that sometimes the game forces you to a style of play, like assault style. this moments are annoying and bad, because the shooting mechanics arent good enough to support these moments. the multiplayer is ok, nothing more than that.
    overall a good game. i expected it to be better. its too bad that it technical shortcomings take it back.    … Expand
  4. Abarn279
    Oct 16, 2013
    9
    Welp, I made an account just so I can write this review.

    Splinter Cell: Blacklist impressed me in a way I couldn't believe. The general consensus of the "positive" reviews seems to be that this is an ample mix between the fast paced action of conviction, and the strategy of its predecessors. If you are looking to play a game like chaos theory, go play chaos theory! Ubisoft cannot    Welp, I made an account just so I can write this review.

    Splinter Cell: Blacklist impressed me in a way I couldn't believe. The general consensus of the "positive" reviews seems to be that this is an ample mix between the fast paced action of conviction, and the strategy of its predecessors.

    If you are looking to play a game like chaos theory, go play chaos theory!

    Ubisoft cannot continue to release the same product over and over again. They chose to take the series in a different direction, and they have done a great job doing so. The story is intricate yet understandable, the gameplay is incredibly smooth, and the graphics look beautiful, unlike anything I've seen for a long time. If the game crashes for you, update your video driver... Worked for me on my gtx 670. Other than that, it's incredibly smooth and seemed very well optimized to me.

    I've been a longtime fan of the splinter cell series. I've played every game, and enjoyed the hell out of them. Needless to say, when this came out, I had to buy it. I was not disappointed

    TL;DR

    Pros:
    Beautiful graphics
    Smooth Gameplay
    Driven storyline
    Tons of unique weapons/gadgets
    Coop

    Meh:
    Multiplayer

    Cons:
    Not the same game as Chaos Theory
    Ironside isn't the voice actor

    Try it out!    … Expand
  5. AliStark
    Oct 13, 2013
    2
    the game is just too boring. I played it and after three missions I had enough. The missions are monotonous, the weapons are no good, the storyline is just too bogus and other like that. Good for kids, for adults.
  6. Zombidrogado
    Oct 12, 2013
    10
    Muy buen juego, la jugabilidad es excelente y sus gráficos también. Cabe destacar la historia, sus misiones eran muy entretenidas, la modificación de armas y estilo de asesinato estuvieron a un buen nivel de juego, sobre todo las dificultades y la forma de interactuar con los demás personajes, simplemente genial.
  7. Cr1tical
    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
  8. Kenmei
    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
  9. World88
    Oct 6, 2013
    9
    The best splinter cell after Chaos Theory. Don't trust people who says is too easy or something similar. Play it at the maximum difficulty and you will have the execution feature disabled, sonar goggles which doesn't pass through walls, more reactive enemies and you get one-shotted. Try to play it stealth, like a splinter cell must be played as.
    I also suggest you to avoid upgrading your    The best splinter cell after Chaos Theory. Don't trust people who says is too easy or something similar. Play it at the maximum difficulty and you will have the execution feature disabled, sonar goggles which doesn't pass through walls, more reactive enemies and you get one-shotted. Try to play it stealth, like a splinter cell must be played as.
    I also suggest you to avoid upgrading your base with the radar map and using the Tri-rotor drone, which results in a way to easy run.
    I agree with you that is way too easy if you play it in "assault mode", killing every enemy with a weapon and passing to the next one. It can be done like that, but you will not enjoy the core of the Splinter Cell saga. It's like playing GTA without killing people or steal cars (you can even play like that but it's not the way a GTA should be played)
    You surely can't complain about the ways missions can be played because you can do every move and options of the past games. In addition, maps offers an extremely variety of passages.
    The main plot follows the one of the saga, starting after Conviction. It's solid, the only complaint is that Sam's personal relationships aren't so much expanded    … Expand
  10. HiP0L
    Oct 6, 2013
    9
    This is my first Splinter Cell game and for sure not the last one. I love it. There is so much stuff in this game... Campaign itself is long and big enough, but you have plenty of side missions you can play solo or in coop. Some very easy, some extremely hard even on normal difficulty. Animations, gameplay, locations, music and details level are very, very good. There is high replay valueThis is my first Splinter Cell game and for sure not the last one. I love it. There is so much stuff in this game... Campaign itself is long and big enough, but you have plenty of side missions you can play solo or in coop. Some very easy, some extremely hard even on normal difficulty. Animations, gameplay, locations, music and details level are very, very good. There is high replay value for each mission, cause you can play it in 3 different ways. Mastering your skills and weapons for sure many people will play it again to get better score. Coop missions are awesome, multiplayer is little hard for me due very quick dying, but can be that it will change when i get used to it, didn`t play MP much yet. Didn`t have too much problems with optimizing PC version. Sometimes i have sound issues but restart solves the problem and i had graphics problems, but these were caused by old drivers. After updating it everything works fine. Recommend this game to everyone … Expand
  11. LegitN00b
    Sep 29, 2013
    3
    Bought the game. Started it up. Instantly greeted by a forced cutscene and mission. No time to configure options, nothing. Alright. Play through the 30 minute intro. That's fine, I didn't want to actually start playing a real game. Start up Spies vs. Mercs, which is primarily what I bought it for. Play first round as a Merc. Sensitivity is absolute garbage and feels sluggish no matterBought the game. Started it up. Instantly greeted by a forced cutscene and mission. No time to configure options, nothing. Alright. Play through the 30 minute intro. That's fine, I didn't want to actually start playing a real game. Start up Spies vs. Mercs, which is primarily what I bought it for. Play first round as a Merc. Sensitivity is absolute garbage and feels sluggish no matter what. Spy must be better, right? Nope. Want to take cover? That's nice, as soon as you exit cover you're sprinting no matter what. And how do you stop sprinting? I don't know, not with the sprint key, that's for sure. Oh, and while sprinting, you automatically leap over obstacles and run up any walls you come across. "I'm just gonna walk up to this cover and... alright, just jump into the Merc's sight, that's cool." Every single action is bound to the same button as another action, so have fun trying to convince the game that you want stab people and not hack a terminal. The controls were obviously designed for a controller, not a keyboard and mouse, so just plug in a controller, right? Wrong: it'll read your controller for about 5 minutes, then decide it doesn't like it anymore. This game just angers me beyond belief.

    CLEARLY DESIGNED FOR PEASANT BOXES.    … Expand
  12. OldManCoot
    Sep 28, 2013
    0
    This game is the second kick in the nuts from Ubisoft after SC:Conviction. It seemed like a half-decent game when I first heard about the Perfectionist difficulty. Now let me tell you why that was complete bull****.
    The whole game is just a big mess they tried to build an actual stealth system on this Conviction-esque engine. Well, it's a drunkard's decision to say the least (probably    This game is the second kick in the nuts from Ubisoft after SC:Conviction. It seemed like a half-decent game when I first heard about the Perfectionist difficulty. Now let me tell you why that was complete bull****.
    The whole game is just a big mess they tried to build an actual stealth system on this Conviction-esque engine. Well, it's a drunkard's decision to say the least (probably Maxime Belland at it again). It just doesn't feel natural at all like the past good Splinter Cell games Yes, even Double Agent feels better.
    The upgrade system seemed like a fun addition, but it's actually redundant. It's a pain in the ass that you have to buy something in order to get the next item on the list available. Also, why the hell does Sam have to buy "nanofiber vector-space quantum-silenator" pants and shoes to sneak up on someone, who WILL eventually just turn around, because the AI 'somehow' heard him coming up from behind?! How the hell did Sam manage to sneak up on guards in Conviction with cargo pants and hiking boots and they didn't even hear him at all?! I can only assume he's gotten so old, that he's got bad knees or some other idiotic reason. But it's hard to believe he's any older than 30 (55 in-game) when he looks like Commander Shepard from Mass Effect.
    The new voice actor is horrible too, he sounds like a depressed teenager. I don't know what the hell were they thinking when they didn't decide to have Michael Ironside as the voice actor again. Mocap seems like a sorry excuse, because it's something that anyone barely notices in comparison to just simple hand-made artificial animations...
    I dealt with everything up to the point where I decided to do a solo/coop mission. The one thing that cost me so many brain cells was the fact that there was no manual saving system. Every time I got caught in the mission, I had to be sent all the way back and do all the menial knock-outs and stealth passes again. I don't even know how it's supposed to be a "fun challenge" when it's just having to do the same trash over and over again. Finally, after wasting more than an hour on it, I get past it and then greeted by another two checkpoints... That means I spent a whole hour doing only one third of the whole mission. And that's where I pretty much snapped If I was about 20 or 30 years older, I probably would've smashed my screen and then proceeded to kill myself via overdose of anger management pills, downed with a bottle of Jack Daniels.
    I hate this game beyond redemption. It is just so bad: gameplay & controls almost identical to Conviction (which means it's bad), the characters and voice actors bland as hell, the sound and music could've been way better, the animations decent, but the fact that mocap meant no Michael Ironside it's horse****, the missions nothing but repetitive objectives, side-missions a ragefest for your brain, enemies agitating and some are overpowered, weapons & gadgets frequently ineffective (waste of all the money), upgrade system redundant, replay value barely any, because replaying it would be boring as hell, checkpoint system satisfactory for the story missions, but a kick in the head for solo/coop missions, graphics they look bad and obsolete (the menus look better than the actual game itself), and finally DLC it can kiss my hole, because I'm not giving away another single cent to Ubisoft after seeing how typically bad they messed up again. Hell, even Hitman: Absolution would be better worth called a Splinter Cell game (minus the gadgets) than this pile of camel vomit.
    Needless to say, the sooner Ubisoft bankrupts, the better off the world will be.    … Expand
  13. Cyberlion
    Sep 26, 2013
    9
    I'm new to Splinter Cell, I don't play much military style games. I have to say I'm very impressed. You'd think sneaking past enemies and waiting for the perfect moment to strike sounds boring but this game makes it so much fun! There is enough of a story for me to pay attention. Main character is pretty bad ass. Supporting characters could be better, the one that attempts comicI'm new to Splinter Cell, I don't play much military style games. I have to say I'm very impressed. You'd think sneaking past enemies and waiting for the perfect moment to strike sounds boring but this game makes it so much fun! There is enough of a story for me to pay attention. Main character is pretty bad ass. Supporting characters could be better, the one that attempts comic relief is pretty annoying, they don't add much.… Expand
  14. Allions
    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.    … Expand
  15. fataardvark
    Sep 22, 2013
    0
    Extremely disappointing. I love stealth games, but I simply can't believe that the enemies are SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO STUPID and yet do crap-tons of damage. You can't outsmart them or lure them on higher difficulties; you simply have to avoid their pre-programmed walking paths. THIS IS NOT HOW A STEALTH GAME SHOULD BE!
  16. daan14acdc
    Sep 21, 2013
    9
    after a conviction we cat a game where you can chose if you wont to play as conviction or chost non lethal or just assoult and this is fukking awsome whit easy gameplay you can mark and kill in motion this looks realy cool the story line is realy good nice charecters and solid voice acting you need to stop the blacklist with nice music and great stealh that is gone be a lot of fun theafter a conviction we cat a game where you can chose if you wont to play as conviction or chost non lethal or just assoult and this is fukking awsome whit easy gameplay you can mark and kill in motion this looks realy cool the story line is realy good nice charecters and solid voice acting you need to stop the blacklist with nice music and great stealh that is gone be a lot of fun the graphic on the other hand are a bit lame futher there is a nice custamasazation that gose realy deep and some nice side missions but the waves mode is realy stupid but futher a must own for sp fans and for stealth action fans… Expand
  17. Makeruco
    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.    … Expand
  18. Apojuice
    Sep 18, 2013
    8
    First of all I want to state that I have a pretty high end set-up, so none of the graphical glitches and slowdowns that others have reported effected me in my playthrough.

    I found the games graphics to be absolutely stunning on the highest settings, in comparison to the console counterpart. I also played the entire campaign on perfectionist just to see how far I could push myself and I    First of all I want to state that I have a pretty high end set-up, so none of the graphical glitches and slowdowns that others have reported effected me in my playthrough.

    I found the games graphics to be absolutely stunning on the highest settings, in comparison to the console counterpart. I also played the entire campaign on perfectionist just to see how far I could push myself and I have to say I haven't had such a fun time in ages. With multiple routes through every level and some really tough scenarios I had a great time. I also think the equipment progression is a great incentive to do side-missions.

    I had a great time with this title and I hope to help a few people if they're sitting on the fence. Action and stealth fans will find a home hear as both those things are something that SC:Blacklist does expertly.    … Expand
  19. Shruikan
    Sep 18, 2013
    0
    If I look at the critic reviews it is obvious that they were either paid, or otherwise incapacitated. Just installing this game already made me hate it.
    First of all, I had to install UPlay which I really didn't want to I had to wait all day for the 19 gig download (that's fine thats normal) but then I had to actually install it "Oh wait let me download another 800meg of who knows    If I look at the critic reviews it is obvious that they were either paid, or otherwise incapacitated. Just installing this game already made me hate it.
    First of all, I had to install UPlay which I really didn't want to I had to wait all day for the 19 gig download (that's fine thats normal) but then I had to actually install it "Oh wait let me download another 800meg of who knows what." Ok...fine...so now lets play this game "Oh wait! Let me download another 1gig or who knows what." Right...now I'm thoroughly annoyed and completely lost my desire to play.

    I try again the next day I load up the game and instantly I am thrown into an intro video no menu or nothing but oddly enough it's in windowed mode...other than possibly Minecraft, why would a game EVER want to run in windowed mode?! So fine I watch the video cringing at the horrible Sam Fisher voice, crying slightly inside realizing that this marks the loss of what Splinter Cell used to be. Finally when the video is over I can go and change my settings to not be in windowed mode anymore and now I'm ready to play. Oh wait...why is my keyboard not working? I can't move...or look. I have zero control over Sam. I check my settings ok, for some reason all my move keys are unbound. I bind them, still nothing. I restart the game nope. At this point I'm just ticked off and I don't think I'll load up this game again.

    As others have said this is a terrrrrrrible console port and I hate Ubisoft for destroying the one game franchise I actually really loved to play. I am willing to forgive their screw up with Chaos Theory not working on Windows 7 and their absolute lack of caring about it, but this? Sorry guys I may never buy a game from you again. But that's ok because I can tell I won't be missing out on much.

    I wish companies would realize that PC gamers are not a thing of the past. When last I checked I think our numbers may actually be growing. Here is a tip create a beautiful game full with goodness, good game design, mechanics etc but create it with a PC in mind. THEN...take your knife and gut the heck out of it to fit on a console. This way PC gamers get your best, and console players won't notice a thing please do this instead of how everyone seems to be currently doing it which is the other way around creating the game as if the whole concept of it has been gutted, and then trying to slap some foundation on it to make it look pretty for the PC players.    … Expand
  20. Basem101
    Sep 17, 2013
    10
    i really can't understand why people are giving this game a bad score this is a great no i think this is the best splinter cell game ever people say it's like call of duty and so why it isn't like that at all unlike conviction there is no action in this game at all except for one mission one mission from over 25 missions is action you get amazing gadgets amazing graphics andi really can't understand why people are giving this game a bad score this is a great no i think this is the best splinter cell game ever people say it's like call of duty and so why it isn't like that at all unlike conviction there is no action in this game at all except for one mission one mission from over 25 missions is action you get amazing gadgets amazing graphics and outstanding atmosphere just play the game and then be honest and say you're opinion don't be a troller and support the developers… Expand
  21. ScantyChunk
    Sep 16, 2013
    0
    The new gameplay is alright, but Chaos Theory was better.
    But that's not the reason for my low score...
    You cannot play this game (or any Ubisoft PC game for that matter). The ports are so terribly done and the team neglects to fix the huge amount of bugs in this game. Blacklist has more bugs than a rainforest. - Launching the game, you have to cross your fingers that it won't    The new gameplay is alright, but Chaos Theory was better.
    But that's not the reason for my low score...
    You cannot play this game (or any Ubisoft PC game for that matter). The ports are so terribly done and the team neglects to fix the huge amount of bugs in this game.

    Blacklist has more bugs than a rainforest.

    - Launching the game, you have to cross your fingers that it won't crash on launch. You have about a 7/10 chance.
    - The loading freezes when first logging on, so the loading time is delayed by 15 secs 1 minute (depending on your computer)
    - You get low FPS. Period. It doesn't matter what your setup is.
    - The online multiplayer is terribly designed. Not the gameplay (arguable), but the general online connectivity and matchmaking system. There is no logical matchmaking. It just throws people together regardless of experience.
    UPlay encourages you to add friends and invite them to your party to play with them. The crappy thing is, you can play with everyone on the internet, except people on your friends list.
    I don't know how Ubisoft could even make that glitch possible... But they did. And they won't fix it.

    Ubisoft makes good games, but doesn't give a sh*t about its online community. This is what consoles have over PC.

    Ubisoft, stop porting, or at least spend a little more time/attention to your online community and PC games. It's sad that this is consistent. They make PC games because people will buy it hoping for a product that WORKS. But it's just so the company makes money. Giving a half-a**ed product in return.    … Expand
  22. BigGayAl
    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.    … Expand
  23. GarryRyder
    Sep 13, 2013
    10
    Great sequel for a great game. Clearly this game beats up its successor Splinter Cell Conviction. The graphics are very good. The game mechanics are advanced, well defined and amazing. The gameplay is good. The storyline is nice. That's all i have to say. Great game. Deservedly 10 out of 10.
  24. shuffyioysys
    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
  25. Dreiraben
    Sep 13, 2013
    0
    I must admit I'm new to the franchise so I didn't expect much and yet the game managed to disappoint in almost every aspect. I don't know where to begin! The actual Installation process itself was a pain in the ass! You had to manually update all patches (which would be okay if the game wouldn't require Uplay) I mean where is the point in selling a game over a Downloadplattform when youI must admit I'm new to the franchise so I didn't expect much and yet the game managed to disappoint in almost every aspect. I don't know where to begin! The actual Installation process itself was a pain in the ass! You had to manually update all patches (which would be okay if the game wouldn't require Uplay) I mean where is the point in selling a game over a Downloadplattform when you still have to install everything manually?! The Game has so many issues that, even now after 2 major patches, it is barely playable. The game crashes frequently (especially when you run it in DX11), the graphics are way below average yet the game has random frameratedrops for no apparent reason. And the gameplay especially in coop is just horrible. The controlls are totally up 50% of the time you end up dying its because of the clunky and glitchy controls. There are so many bugs and glitches like: enemies moving without animation, entering an area after a cutscene and falling through the floor, enemies detecting you through the floor or walls, enemies killing you after a succesfull melee animation. You'll end up restarting most of your coop games due to some gamebreaking glitch. The multiplayer is horrid the skins and modells in mp look like a cheap sourcemod and the matchmaking is just broken. The game really has potential and could be fun if it wasn't for the cheap and rushed realisation. I can not recommend buying this game in the state it is in- and i doubt it'll be fixed anytime soon or at all for that matter....… Expand
  26. oilreg
    Sep 13, 2013
    8
    Even thou pretty much everything what Ubisoft released since AC3 was really bad and crappy, SC Blacklist was indeed a good game, therefore i barely understand the lots of negative userscore on this one. Comparing SC Blacklist with SC Convicton the maps and gamemodes are way better now. Pretty much as Ubi did with every release since AC3 they kinda screwed the controls, they where betterEven thou pretty much everything what Ubisoft released since AC3 was really bad and crappy, SC Blacklist was indeed a good game, therefore i barely understand the lots of negative userscore on this one. Comparing SC Blacklist with SC Convicton the maps and gamemodes are way better now. Pretty much as Ubi did with every release since AC3 they kinda screwed the controls, they where better in SC Conviction, however the survival game modes are nice, pure stealth maps, and there is lots to play with it, if they release any good DLC s for it i ll get it. So afterall i am surprised that Ubi is still able to release good games, to be honest i didnt expect it anymore from Ubi. The 8 out of 10 is for the screwed controls, and for the still insane amount of bugs they have within the game. Also the Ubi rewards for that game are rather stupid then usefull.… Expand
  27. Rogyapa
    Sep 13, 2013
    9
    A fine return to form for Splinter Cell.
    I was super mad when Ironside got replaced as Sam Fisher, but I honestly quit caring about an hour into the game because the gameplay was so damn good (the story was enthralling as well). The story was well paced and kept me playing for hours at a time. The side missions are very entertaining as well (especially Kobin's missions where you have to    A fine return to form for Splinter Cell.
    I was super mad when Ironside got replaced as Sam Fisher, but I honestly quit caring about an hour into the game because the gameplay was so damn good (the story was enthralling as well). The story was well paced and kept me playing for hours at a time. The side missions are very entertaining as well (especially Kobin's missions where you have to eliminate whole swaths of enemies without being detected).
    I chose to play most missions either ghost or panther style which excluding a few setpiece moments is a very viable option. There are lots of nooks and crannies to explore (pipes to climb, vents to hide in, sewers to crawl through) as either style. Conviction was a fun game, but didn't have quite as much stealth as Splinter Cell fans wanted. This game does. The melee kills/knockouts are really fun (like always) and the new killing in motion concept was pretty damn cool.
    TLDR: It was polished, controls really well, told a great story, and scratches a stealth junkie's itch. Uplay is kind of and I had some troubles with it, but I turned it to offline mode and no problems since.    … Expand
  28. gabo007x
    Sep 12, 2013
    9
    A great addition to the series and in my opinion probably the best one. The graphics are great, controls are solid, gameplay is fluid and challenging and the multiplayer (Coop and Versus) is a nice bonus to keep you playing after completing the awesome campaign. Ignore the "hurr hurr dis is a shooter, thes es nert splernter cerl" comments, the game NEVER forces you to play a certain way,A great addition to the series and in my opinion probably the best one. The graphics are great, controls are solid, gameplay is fluid and challenging and the multiplayer (Coop and Versus) is a nice bonus to keep you playing after completing the awesome campaign. Ignore the "hurr hurr dis is a shooter, thes es nert splernter cerl" comments, the game NEVER forces you to play a certain way, all missions can be done YOUR way (lethal, non-lethal, avoid enemies completely, go all assault etc). Only thing that changed is that playing offensively is now a valid playstyle (playing stealthily will still award you a higher score). Also, for those who are concerned about the new voice actor for Sam: he does a great job (he fits Sam even better than Ironside in my opinion). Get over it and move on. This. Is. Splinter Cell.… Expand
  29. Trokur
    Sep 12, 2013
    1
    I purchased two copies so I could play coop with my wife. The multiplayer simply does not work. I can't even send an invite to join. I've done everything the forums say to do, and its just plain broken.

    I'm not real surprised though. I've never purchased a single Uplay game that actually worked the first time. There is always something broken with the game because Uplay is such a    I purchased two copies so I could play coop with my wife. The multiplayer simply does not work. I can't even send an invite to join. I've done everything the forums say to do, and its just plain broken.

    I'm not real surprised though. I've never purchased a single Uplay game that actually worked the first time. There is always something broken with the game because Uplay is such a piece of garbage. It completely ruins the experience.

    I submitted a request to UBI for help on the issue two days ago. Nothing.    … Expand
  30. chimera1214
    Sep 12, 2013
    10
    This game may be the best game in the year of 2013,and i think it is. I spent two whole night in a row trying to finish all 4E task in ghost and panther model of perfect .blacklist is really an excited game with too much fun ,not only difficulty.
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Awards & Rankings

39
#39 Best PC Game of 2013
42
#42 Most Discussed PC Game of 2013
39
#39 Most Shared PC Game of 2013

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
82

Generally favorable reviews - based on 13 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 13
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 13
  3. Negative: 0 out of 13
  1. GameCritics
    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.
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  2. Level7.nu
    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.
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  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]
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