Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Blacklist (Steelbook) (PlayStation 3)

Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Blacklist is the 6th official installment in the Splinter Cell video game series. It is Ubisoft Toronto’s first released game, and the sequel to 2010’s Splinter Cell: Conviction. It is the first Splinter Cell in which Michael Ironside is no longer the voice actor for Sam Fisher.

It follows Sam Fisher and members of 4th Echelon as they fight terrorism across the globe to stop a threat known as the Blacklist. The game features a single player campaign, co-op missions, and marks the return of the fan-favorite adversarial multiplayer mode SPIES VS MERCS. All games modes can be accessed through a central hub called the SMI on 4th Echelon’s private plane, the Paladin. On the Paladin, the player will also be able to upgrade Sam Fisher’s gear, to select gadgets before embarking on a mission and to talk to various members of 4th Echelon such as Grim or Charlie.

The single player campaign allows the player to control Sam Fisher and to choose between three different playstyles: Assault, Panther and Ghost. This allows players to play missions the way they want to, either by choosing to confront enemies directly, to kill them silently or to remain completely undetected. Perfectionist mode, the highest difficulty in the game, was added for diehard fans of the series who prefer pure stealth and the higher difficulty of older Splinter Cell games, compared to Conviction. While the Mark & Execute feature is back in Blacklist, it is disabled in Perfectionist mode.

The co-op missions let two friends play together as Sam Fisher and Briggs, either locally or online. However, it is to be noted that local co-op is missing from the Wii U version of the game, but that the co-op missions can still be played online.

Splinter Cell: Blacklist brings back adversarial multiplayer to the series, with a new and upgraded SPIES VS MERCS multiplayer mode:

• 2 vs 2 Classic Mode – In this mode, the levels are darker and the spies can easily lurk in the shadows with their night vision goggles. The mercs will have to find and hunt them with the help of their flashlights. This mode is the one that is most similar to SPIES VS MERCS in previous Splinter Cell games, hence the name, Classic.
• 4 vs 4 Blacklist Mode – The Blacklist mode is a completely new twist on SPIES VS MERCS. This mode pitches 4 spies and 4 mercs against each other, complete with your choice of gadgets, gear and vision modes. You’ll be able to get upgrades and customize your load-outs to fit your favorite play style.