Topic: Splinter Cell: Blacklist

So who's getting this Tuesday? I've had it pre-ordered since last E3 and am really looking forward to finally getting the chance to play it. Looks like a nice return to form after Conviction, which while great (and one of my favorite releases this gen), was not really a 'Splinter Cell' game.

I'm putting consideration into picking up Blacklist, which will make it my first Splinter Cell experience. Corrected, I did spend a few weekends with Spies vs. Mercs when that first became a thing, but I never touched the single-player. The only thing standing in my way, is time.

Maybe you could let me know if it's an okay starting point for a first-timer, or if I should do some backtracking first?

I'll definitely post some thoughts, probably not Tuesday though because I plan to be playing the game most of the day. Honesty though, even if this is a good entry point, I'd still recommend playing Pandora Tomorrow and Chaos Theory, just because they're fantastic games that still hold up well.

Thanks, man. No rush - I don't think I'll have the time to pick the game up this week, even if I wanted to. And ya know, I might actually have Pandora Tomorrow somewhere around here! I'm sure I owned it at one point, but its been AGES since I've come across it.

Just about to settle in and give the game a go now, in preparation for my review.

Looking forward to the review, just got back from the store with my copy today as well as a copy of Saints Row 4. This is going to be a fun day off from work.

You're going to need more hours in the day!

I just won't sleep. Once Sony's Gamescom press conference ends I plan on firing up Splinter Cell.

Haha. That's the way to do it!

@Gamer83 - So dude, how's the game?!

It's awesome, and what I really like, it seems like it's giong to be a long game. I think there's only 10 or so main missions (going off the list of 'secret' achievements)but the settings are big and the missions I've played have taken me just under an hour each. Then you have side missions from the people working with you, so a good amount tasks to take care of. The gameplay is great, I think both fans of old school Splinter Cell and Conviction will be happy. I actually enjoy both styles so I really like what they did. You have the option to go in guns blazing though I definitely don't recommend it. It's also tough to make it through completely unnoticed and in a non-lethal way, so I use kind of a mix of both gameplay styles. If you're an action person though, the mark-and-execute, a feature I like in both Conviction and Ghost Recon: Future Soldier, is back and is a great help in tricky situations. And lastly, the story is, as always in these games, very interesting and I find myself looking forward to what will hapenn next. Also, the new guy voicing Sam Fisher, while not Michael Ironside, does an admirable job.

I won't make a full judgement yet because I don't even think I'm halfway through (I play games slowly, like to see everything the environments offer) but I will say that aside from the screen tearing during cutscenes and the only slightly above average graphics, there's really nothing I can find that would be worth mentioning as an 'issue' if I were doing a review.