Game Review: Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Blacklist

A screenshot from Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Blacklist

[easyreview cat1title = “Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Blacklist” cat1rating = 3.5]

Ubisoft

PS3, Xbox 360 (Rs. 2999), PC (Rs. 1499)

Everyone’s favorite spy who resembles George Clooney is back in attempt to save the world (what else?). A terrorist group know as The Engineers plan to attack US bases across the world until their demands are met. And this is where you come in. Donning the role of titular hero Sam Fisher, you’ll sneak, run and gun your way across exotic locales as you uncover a plot that’s quite frankly, nonsensical even for the staunchest Splinter Cell buff.

While you wrap your head around the sheer inanity of the story telling, which is a shocker given how well the previous games, Splinter Cell: Conviction and Splinter Cell: Double Agent were narrated, you’ll find yourself at ease with a great control scheme (word of caution: PC users are best served using an Xbox controller rather than a keyboard and mouse) and even cooler gadgets that would make James Bond’s arsenal seem like soft toys. From drones to exploding cameras, it’s all here and it makes everything a lot more fun that it should be.

The single-player campaign is a long, varied affair but the multiplayer modes are far more interesting, especially in co-operative play. Reason being, the missions in co-op are well thought out and require coordination and planning. You and a friend will be infiltrating terrorist camps in Kashmir, sneaking in and out of army bases in Bangalore and raiding a Pakistani embassy in Yemen. Yes, you can relate a lot more to this edition of Splinter Cell and it works.

So if you’re looking for a stealth game that’s packed with high-tech gimmicks and rock solid gameplay, look no further. But if you were expecting a believable plot, look elsewhere.