Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction

 Xbox 360
  • Publisher: Ubisoft
  • Release Date: Apr 13, 2010
  • Also On: PC
Metascore
85

Generally favorable reviews - based on 90 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 84 out of 90
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 90
  3. Negative: 0 out of 90
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  1. Total Video Games
    70
    There's a sense that in an attempt to appeal to a wider audience, i.e accessibility, Ubisoft has appealed to the lowest common denominator. We enjoyed the Splinter Cell series for its complexity, but like Ghost Recon and Rainbow Six before it, such elements have been removed completely.
  2. Eurogamer
    70
    At its best, Conviction is played as a high-stakes puzzle game, taut and thrilling when everything is going your way. But when cover is broken, the floodlights go up to reveal a mediocre shooter. Perhaps the greatest irony of all is that Splinter Cell: Conviction appears brightest in the dark.
  3. Gamestyle
    70
    Overall Splinter Cell: Conviction is a let down for long time fans of the series, but as a game in its own right it is worthy of your attention.
  5. Gamekult
    70
    It would be sad to ignore this new Splinter Cell for its small flaws, because the game is unquestionably fun.
  6. GameShark
    67
    As for the solo game, Conviction is likely to appeal to more people than any Splinter Cell game to date, which is a shame because UbiSoft has replaced the heady silent stealth play with a middling third person shooter.
  7. Absolute Games
    65
    Conviction is just a casual-oriented actioneer with simplistic gameplay mechanic and big-budget production values.

Awards & Rankings

26
#26 Best Xbox 360 Game of 2010
13
#13 Most Discussed Xbox 360 Game of 2010
16
#16 Most Shared Xbox 360 Game of 2010

User Reviews

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User Score
7.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 693 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 486 out of 693
  2. Mixed: 119 out of 693
  3. Negative: 88 out of 693
  1. Watermelon789
    Jul 11, 2011
    9
    No one will stop Sam Fisher, nor do you. Slick control is perfect for stealth and combat, strong voice acting gives life to the awesome storyNo one will stop Sam Fisher, nor do you. Slick control is perfect for stealth and combat, strong voice acting gives life to the awesome story and the flashy black and white ( in the shadow) adds cool effect to it. The multiplayer is appealing, i set more with the co-op mode, versus is sometimes frustrating , but it adds tension. Conviction never felt so good… Full Review »
  2. HarrisB
    Apr 19, 2010
    3
    Look at all these Xbox Mags. They always give Big Points to fairly hyped games, no matter how bad they are. Even the Xbox Gamers dont care Look at all these Xbox Mags. They always give Big Points to fairly hyped games, no matter how bad they are. Even the Xbox Gamers dont care about this stupidity. Maybe they are just glad to have another shooter game of its kind. If you are a demanding gamer stay far away from this one. It will be underwhelming for you if you are 10 years of age or older.… Full Review »
  3. Motsie
    Feb 24, 2012
    5
    I have been a massive fan of the Splinter Cell series, beginning with the first title that was released for the original Xbox. My play throughI have been a massive fan of the Splinter Cell series, beginning with the first title that was released for the original Xbox. My play through with Splinter Cell: Conviction was, to say the least, average. It's the kind of game where developers take 1 step forward and 2 steps back, despite their passionate effort in 'reinventing' the genre. Length: "Splinter Cell: Conviction's" story mode will last the average player an upwards of around 6-10 hours, depending on the difficulty (mind you, this is not the same "lengthy" duration they claimed and boasted in their interviews. The Co-op portion of the title will last approximately 3-4 hours, again, depending on the difficulty. The rest of the multiplayer length is relatively subjective, because it really depends on the person playing and whether they truly enjoy it or not.

    Controls: Excellent. Some issues with trying to climb up and some such but other than that, the controls were very solid.

    Sound: Again, also excellent. Single Player Story: Not too much peep out of me for this part of the game. It's a pretty interesting storyline, but I wish they did a few things differently. In short - and without spoiling too much - it's just obnoxious playing as Sam Fisher one moment, and than being thrown into Diwaniya, Iraq as a completely different person. It just derails the narrative focus of the game for the sake of telling a side story that is completely irrelevant to the main plot of the game. Co-op Story: Interesting to say the least. It really reveals a lot of the interior motives of a certain someone in the single player story, but only if you play the co-op campaign first. The ending was truly a disappointment although my friend and I had a pretty good laugh the first time we played the ending. Gameplay and design: Now, this is where it gets really nitty-gritty. The game-play and overall design of Conviction is quite clear, it's meant to be played as a run and gun, Jason Bourne on speed style game. There are a huge amount of key and refining features missing that made the originals so damn good. The knife, whistling, controlling your light exposure and movement speed, Night/thermal vision goggles, moving and hiding bodies, hallway split jumping, etc. Big and small things like the ones I mentioned above are just completely eradicated from Conviction, all for the sake of making it fast paced, something the Splinter Cell series is *not* known for. Enemies are just thrown into each section of the level, each one being in a convenient spot for players to make full use of the Mark and Execute feature. So much is sacrificed for one feature, and quite frankly, it's just disgusting to see a title stripped of it's roots and garnished with mediocrity.

    The exclusion of key features is one thing, but the illusion of the stealth in conviction is also another. I couldn't shake the feeling that Conviction was not designed with the originals in mind. For all intents and purposes, Ubisoft felt it would be a good idea to force players into unavoidable gun fight scenarios with little hope for pure stealth. The addition of the Sonar Goggles is more of a burden than it is a boon. Special enemy types are later equipped with these very same goggles, further eliminating the use of stealth mechanics and forcing players to draw their guns and mark/execute their way to victory. These same goggles also completely eliminate the use of one such gadget, the sticky camera (which had it's smoke feature replaced with the explode feature).

    I can go on about how this isn't a true sequel to the Splinter Cell series but this review has to stop at some point and I'm just sick of having to juggle why Ubisoft felt it necessary to try and reinvent the wheel. For me, this title in the series is a 5/10. In short, as a Splinter Cell title, Conviction is complete trash that spits in the face of it's predecessor in hopes of garnering the undivided attention of the fast-paced shooter crowd. As a 3rd person shooter with some stealth elements, it's an average game. Make of that what you will.    … Full Review »
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