DAY 260 / GAME 260 Splinter Cell: Conviction

DAY 260 / GAME 260

Splinter Cell: Conviction

      Continuing backward through the Splinter Cell series, we come to the second most recent release from Ubisoft, Splinter Cell: Conviction.  Up until the release of Blacklist, this was easily my favorite of the series.  It was cinematic, offered a new-fresh look at the series without breaking from the formula too much and was considerably easier to control compared to the previous title, Double Agent.  

    Some would say Conviction strayed too far from it's roots as an espionage action game and I'd tend to agree.  But for me, it felt like a trivial issue easily forgotten among many new advances in gameplay.  Splinter Cell games were always some of the most fantastic on any console,  always pushing the graphical limits and really showing you what each one was truly capable of.  Conviction stepped it up from Double Agent by a large margin, of course, it was released 4 years later and DA was one of the first titles on the Xbox 360, so it was expected.  I'll always remember one of the opening sequences that starts as a cutscene where you find yourself interrogating someone in a bathroom.  The switch from cinematic to gameplay was so seamless and the real-time rendered cutscene looked so close to a pre-render that I was caught off-guard and the game was sitting, waiting for my input.  This would not be the first time I've had that happen on the Xbox 360.

    Conviction pushed this fantastic new feature where mission notes and hints were 'projected' onto the walls and other surfaces as a way to keeping you immersed in your environment without forcing you to open a text window.  More and more menus were eliminated and controls were simplified to compliment.  Conviction also added this incredible target marking system.  The idea was that you could 'mark' your enemies as you watch them from the shadows and watch as the markers still show after the target walks behind a wall or other obstruction.  After earning a 'takedown' by silently incapacitating an enemy, you could press a single button and Sam Fisher would quickly gun down each of your marked targets in range, up to 4 different ones at once depending on the weapon.  Very handy in a pinch, strategically, or just for the cinematic look of it all.

  Splinter Cell: Conviction felt like a long time coming for me.  Ubisoft announced it shortly after Double Agent's release and showed of a short sequence of gameplay and some new designs.  Sam Fisher looked like he had been out of it for a while.  He was disheveled, with his long hair, he hardly looked like himself.  He had a backpack and was out in broad daylight in a park.  Ubisoft was showing how they were going to make a big change and instead of hiding in the shadows, his new thing was that he was going to blend in and hide within crowds.  Tailing a target and then eliminating it.  If this sounds familiar, it's because it's because it's pretty much how Assassin's Creed turned out when it was released a short while later.  After which, Ubisoft decided to rework Conviction completely and push it back a couple of years.  I guess the two titles ended up becoming too similar to release so close to each other.  

   Splinter Cell: Conviction I actually played through again very recently.  After completing Blacklist, I started making my way back through the series and even repurchased the first three games in an HD remake.  And though Conviction didn't look as great as I remember in comparison to Blacklist, it sure was a unique title out of the lot and even going back I enjoyed the hell out of it.  Not to mention, nothing compares to the scene in Conviction where Sam snaps and walks his way out of Third Echelon, seeing red as D.J. Shadow's Building Steam with a Grain of Salt plays in the background as he takes down anyone in his way without a second thought.

DAY 259 / GAME 259 Splinter Cell: Blacklist

DAY 259 / GAME 259

Splinter Cell: Blacklist

      Another fantastic series that I adore, Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell.  I covered Splinter Cell: Double Agent which was on the Xbox 360 previously, so I'm going to go through the rest of them now.  I'm also doing to do something different than usual, I'm going to go through them in reverse chronological order.  Usually the first one or two games in a long running series tend to be my favorite, or at least the ones that I have the most feeling for since they got me into the property to begin with.  In this case it's not that Splinter Cell was not a powerful series to begin with, but I wasn't nearly as awed by it as I was once it started rolling; or as much as I was by the most recent title: Splinter Cell Blacklist.

       Splinter Cell is a series of games created by Ubisoft that are created through the endorsement of and consultation with writer Tom Clancy, as they've done previously with the Rainbow Six and Ghost Recon franchise.  The story follows Sam Fisher, a spy from a secret branch of the NSA titled Third Echelon.  At this point, in Blacklist, there have been a lot of changes since he first started work with this group.  Third Echelon was dissolved due to internal corruption and rebuilt as Fourth Echelon which functions under direct command of the US President and lead by former 3E member Anna Grimsdottir.

     There is so much to love about Blacklist.  The Splinter Cell series is constantly changing it's controls and gameplay to become a much smoother game.  Double Agent especially offered overly complex and somewhat awkward controls, Blacklist however borrows a lot more from the majority of third-person cover-shooters and their easy to use gamepad layout.  This means you're fumbling less during fast-action sequences and making less mistakes when sneaking up behind someone to incapacitate them.  

      Blacklist handles perfect and looks gorgeous.  They maintained the 'projected information' method they established in Conviction for displaying hints and mission information right onto the landscape which was a great choice.  The character designs are full of expression and the cutscenes blend perfectly between gameplay and cinematic.  The musical score, though sadly not produced by the usual Amon Tobin and isn't quite as unique as what we heard in Chaos Theory and yet is still very powerful and appropriate for the game.

      I don't really want to talk to much about the game in this post since I can't focus on everything that makes it such a great experience without going on for pages.  Splinter Cell Blacklist is just such a polished title.  It's a huge jump up from the previous Xbox 360/PS3 titles in the series both graphically and in it's controls.  It begs for replay in both it's various multiplayer modes and it's various array of single-player side missions available both during and after you finish the main story.  Blacklist even allows you to choose how you want to approach each mission; for those who enjoyed Conviction's run-and-gun focus, or those who preferred the strict non-lethal approach of the first games.  You choose how you play and you are rewarded appropriately with points in either Assault, Panther of Ghost play styles.

      I can and will go on about Blacklist forever.  I've been playing it on and off since I got it and it just doesn't get old.  I honestly have no idea how Ubisoft will top this title because it's very close to perfect.  Splinter Cell fans, play this game.

       Actually, everyone play this game.

DAY 258 / GAME 258 R-Type Final

DAY 258 / GAME 258

R-Type Final

      If there's one game I never wanted to be titled as 'final' it was R-Type.  Easily one of my favorite Shoot-em Ups of all time, R-Type was a big enough property that it really should have continued as a series beyond it's final release on the PlayStation 2; with the exception of R-Type Command series on the PSP, which is a different game completely.  

      At a time when most shoot-em-ups were raster-graphics with, at best, multiplaning backgrounds, it was nice to see something that took the power of the PS2 and apply it to a simpler game like this.  It's not the first time, Einhander on the PS1 was the first I'd ever seen and the results were fantastic.  It meant you could create exciting environments for the games to take place in, like flying through wrecked starships in space or overtop and through a city skyline, or even feature camera angle shifts for boss fights or to just change things up.  New elements like this were similar to when developers finally started using 3D game engines for their side-scrolling platformers to change things up as well which then added a new depth to the worlds they took place in.

     R-Type always featured really exciting worlds and these really modular, sharp looking ship designs.  Even if they weren't as detailed back in 1987's standing arcade cabinet when R-Type was first released.  Final featured a story similar to R-Type Command in which you are part of Operation Last Dance, a military strike against the Bydo in order to wipe out what remains of them; the Bydo of course, being the enemy force from every R-Type game.  An organic force that started as a bioweapon which backfired after being abandoned in space and became Earth's greatest threat.

    I've always loved the overall feel of the R-Type games; the pacing, difficulty, game mechanics, the designs and the worlds you travel through.  R-Type even managed to squeeze a half-decent story into the game, which is quite the accomplishment considering you do nothing but shoot the entire game.  
      Final was also pretty expansive for a shoot-em-up.  It featured over a hundred different ship combinations you could use and over 50 different weapon combos.  R-Type uses a system where craft can pick up a pod which can either attach to the front or back of your ship, firing in respective directions; or it can float freely, each variation allowing some strategy to various levels and bosses.

       R-Type, like Einhander, is one of those games I desperately want to see in glorious high-definition.  Both of which leave me pretty surprised that they haven't been treated as they should.  Especially so with R-Type which saw an HD remaster which is distributed with both R-Type 1 and R-Type 2.  Which I highly recommend if you've had interest in the series in the past.  Anyway, hopefully, as was the case in the past (Resident Evil 1), my writing about this now will mean the coincidental HD release in the near future!

DAY 257 / GAME 257 Killzone 2

DAY 257 / GAME 257

Killzone 2

      I remember being very excited for Killzone 2.  I was really very happy with the first one on the PlayStation 2.  Though I never finished it due to some very poor level design near the end, I wound up wanting more.  Lucky for me, developer Guerrilla learned from their mistakes and polished up the sequel into a completable game.  Not only did they create a new game that was considerably more playable, but they also went so far as creating one of the most beautiful games I've seen on the PlayStation 3. 

     Though I didn't quite buy it at launch, I would have been more than happy if I had.  In fact, the entire Killzone series to date I've purchased late into it's release.  Killzone 1 and 2 were 'greatest hits' by the time I bought them and Killzone 3 and 4 I actually just purchased now.  Killzone 4 I bought for the PlayStation 4 last week and KZ3 is actually still in the mail.
    

     Though Killzone is a beautiful series that really captures this 'future wartime' feel, that's essentially all I get out of it and is the main reason why I typically don't want to pay full price for any of the games.  I find the characters and the story somewhat lacking.  But I especially care very little for the protagonists.  I've heard people complain about Gears of War, that the main characters are just these big meathead grunts with no personality.  And while I tend to disagree with that I feel similarly about Killzone.  Especially with the manner in which Killzone 2 ends, I realized I really dislike the main protagonists and moreover I disagree with their actions.  And yet, this aside, the entire game is so beautiful and exciting to experience, it almost balances out.  Certainly enough that I want to playthrough each of the games because I know I'm going to enjoy them.

    Killzone 2 was also well known for it's online multiplayer which I've heard is quite comparable to Halo and the like.  I've been meaning to try it forever, but I'm typically put-off by the fact that none of my friends also play.  And typically, I don't have much interest in playing against strangers online.

     Either way, Killzone 2 was a thoroughly beautiful experience and I'm currently enjoying Killzone 4 on the PS4 as I type this.  And soon enough, I'll get a chance to see how great Killzone 3 was.

DAY 256 / GAME 256 Halo 4

DAY 256 / GAME 256

Halo 4

      The most recent addition to the Halo series and also the first, Halo Wars aside, to be handled by a company other than Bungie; Halo 4 has proven to be one of the best of the series.  It took me a while before I could part with the bread, but eventually I was in just the right mood to be playing more Halo and ordered both this game and the artbook to go with it.  Which is something I started doing more and more lately.  Not necessarily buying them together, but having an nice book that shows the development process of my favorite games is just this fantastic, timeless piece for whatever moment I feel like remembering a game that I don't necessarily have time to start playing again.

     I was told Halo 4 was just fantastic by a friend of mine and he was so enthusiastic about this that I knew right away (not that I didn't feel this way already) that I couldn't let this title evade me for much longer.  I recently finished the single player campaign and it's not hard to say that it's the best of the series.  343 Studios managed to get the PlayStation 3 to render characters so lifelike that during the introductory cutscene I really was uncertain whether or not I was viewing life-action footage or rendered content.

     Halo has come a long way and ability of each studio to push it further and further each iteration has easily kept it from becoming stale without having to 'reboot' the franchise or take any other risk that may detract from the series' soul.  Gameplay is equally tight and reliable and 343 Studios continued the Bungie tradition of building beautiful alien worlds.  The Master Chief and Cortana characters have taken a step towards better explaining their past and exposing their more 'human' side which really added to the depth of this narrative over the previous three games.  

      It's funny how the shift of Halo gameplay for me has gone from almost exclusively multiplayer to exclusively single player.  Halo for me had always been about some of the best local-multiplayer events in my life and has really been a staple among some of my best friends.  I guess more responsibility in life means less time to arrange events like this, but I can't say I don't miss it.  I really should make time shortly to see just how much fun Halo 4 would be with some of my old friends.  It certainly makes me excited for the upcoming Halo Anniversary collection that is coming down the pipe on the new Xbox One.

DAY 255 / GAME 255 Halo Wars

DAY 255 / GAME 255

Halo Wars

      After the release of Halo 3, but before the release of Halo: ODST Microsoft enlisted Ensemble Studios to create an RTS (Real Time Strategy) spin-off of the Halo series.  It came with mixed reviews as the intention was to create a console-friendly RTS which meant certain elements of the game needed to be simplified for controller use.  Now, for someone who is terrible at RTS games this was right up my alley but for others I suppose it felt lacking.  

      Halo Wars drew a lot of appeal for me since, like StarCraft it's focus is on commanding about ships and other vehicles and one thing I love about Halo is the incredible vehicle and armor designs.  Games like this one have this amazing feeling like you're playing with all your toys as a kid again.  It's a digital version of a big Transformers (or the like) playset.  You've got a bunch of tanks and army guys and you're waging war on the enemy with them.  And since I'm typically quite terrible at these RTS games, Halo Wars takes it a bit easy on me so I can actually enjoy it all.  In fact, even with the complaint that it's over simplified I still get panicky because it all moves too fast for me.

     Though I primarily enjoyed Halo Wars' single player campaign, I had a blast playing the multiplayer skirmishes; which is effectively all I played in StarCraft.  Though I did only ever play versus the computer, over and over again and I'd really love to find someone else interested enough to play with online.  Though, chances are I'd just get creamed since I'm so terrible at RTS games.  

     Halo Wars was just the right kind of spin-off Halo game for me.  With a property this solid and exciting it's really nice to see Microsoft expand it outside of the FPS genre.  It was also smart of them to expand the game into a game type that is still appropriate for multiplayer gaming, since it's such a large component of the Halo series.
     While Halo Wars is the one game in the series I've played the least of, it's still one I really enjoyed and although I have yet to beat it I do plan to return to it one day soon and see it to the end.

DAY 254 / GAME 254 Halo: Reach

DAY 254 / GAME 254

Halo: Reach

      In between the release of Halo 3 and Halo 4 we had a few 'filler' games which strayed from the larger Master Chief storyline.  First there was Halo: ODST which followed a special drop team during the events of Halo 2 and then there was Halo: Reach, which was a prequel to Halo 1.  Like Halo: ODST, Denise was brilliant enough to have purchased this as a gift for me on our wedding anniversary.  (Doesn't matter how many games I own, it's always a great gift.)  Also like ODST, I played this primarily for the single player campaign and only recently got some multiplayer time in on it.      Reach featured a much more cinematic, much more story driven single player portion of the game compared to the first three Halo games and the final sync up between the ending of Halo: Reach and the opening shot of Halo 1 was brilliant.

      Halo: Reach follows the events prior to Halo 1 where Nobel Team, a group of Spartan elite soldiers engage in a mission to transport the Cortana AI to the Pillar of Autumn.  During the game's events your team slowly gets pared down member by member in an attempt to secure Cortana from being captured by the Covenant.  Nobel Team, a team of six is successful, if only at the cost of their own lives.  With that in mind, like ODST there is more of a sense of vulnerability and somewhat darker feeling of the warfront compared to the Rambo-esque Halo trilogy before it.  And with that a deeper darker narrative.  

     Reach also added some really fantastic sequences to the game that I absolutely adored.  During an attempt to aid Reach's population in it's evacuation there is a beautiful, rainy level where you pilot a tilt-rotor helicopter.  A vehicle that is easily one of my favorites in the series and is available in multiplayer as well.   There is also an incredible ending sequence where you pilot a fighter craft into orbit that makes for a very notable ending.

   Halo: Reach sure pushes for one of my favorite single-player Halo games of all time.  Like ODST it is much deeper and more beautiful that the games before it.  Of course, that's exactly how it should be when developing a series of games.  The only downside is that like most Halo games the campaign is quite short.  On the upside, since I'm really looking to play through these stories again, short means maybe I can make the time to do just that.