Not really sure what's going on with that trophy...

It’s that time of year again; that wonderful time when we place an arbitrary crown on a single video game for rising above all the rest and demonstrating what video games should be. But before we recap the year that was 2010, I’d first like to continue an InsaneBear tradition and re-evaluate 2009′s Game of the Year…Alright, and with that re-evaluation process completed, I’ve decided to amend the scores of Batman: Arkham Asylum and Borderlands from Good to Great and Great to Good, respectively. That said, Dragon Age: Origins retains the honors of GotY. It certainly has some interface problems and the combat is a little clunky, but the world and cast of characters are sublimely rich and the Origin stories are a thing of beauty. Few games have allowed me to embrace real role-playing so readily, and for that, Dragon Age: Origins lives on in my mind. Let’s just hope the sequel is as good.

With that out of the way, we can move on to the lineup of 2010 contenders. Once again, I’m ashamed to have no insights on the many great PS3 and Wii titles that came out this year, but I am what we would call a poor college kid. Feel free to dig into those deep pockets of yours and make a donation. And yes, if I had any faith that any of you would actually make a donation I’d totally go through the effort of putting a fancy link on “donation” that would allow direct deposits into my the InsaneBear bank account. Hmm, I wonder if I can write this site off as a business expense? I really just want to say that I’m writing things off…

Alan Wake – This game makes a pretty bold move in casting a washed-up writer as the protagonist, but those elbow patches on Mr. Wake’s jacket grew into my heart and convinced me that Remedy has created one of the most interesting new characters of the year in Alan Wake. The supporting cast is equally strong, and the story is a unique one for video games. The cinematic presentation really allows for the game’s interesting light mechanics to shine (get it?) and the atmosphere is startlingly alive.

BioShock 2 – This game takes all the mechanical aspects an all-time classic in BioShock and makes them better. More weapons, more plasmids, and more enemies combine with smoother combat for some truly intense and unique FPS action, and it’s all brought to life by phenomenal art direction, graphics, and sound design. Against all odds, Rapture manages to maintain its mysterious allure and keeps players coming back to explore more of the seafloor city’s ecology. Plus, 2K Marin provides a fun multiplayer offering full of unique BioShock twists.

Costume Quest – Double Fine’s first stab at the downloadable market rode its adorable visual design and Halloween theme all the way from my hard-drive to my heart and I can’t wait to see what the studio brings to the table next. A quirky story infused with plenty of laughs is the main draw, but the turn-based combat is a blast too. I’m still in awe of the snazzy costume design; I mean, that french-fry arachnid thing is a thing of terrifying beauty.

Fable III – Lionhead’s third entry in the Fable series maintains the charming audio and visual direction of the franchise while amping up its signature humor to side-splitting magnitudes. The combat is super smooth and the story is probably the most interesting Lionhead has produced so far. Oh, and co-op is fully functional this time around.

Halo: Reach – The Halo formula has defined FPS gaming for the better part of a decade and is still just as addictive today as it was in 2001. What makes Reach so exceptional is that it dares to build on that formula in a meaningful way with the concept of armor abilities, which really allow you to approach combat however you choose. Beautiful visuals and sound complement an infinitely replayable collection of game-modes that accommodate loners, competitive types, co-operative buddies, level-builders, and machinama-makers. Each mode is further enhanced by dozens of customizable modifiers which are contained within amazingly simple and intuitive menus. From a gameplay and value perspective, Bungie’s final Halo effort is the pinnacle of a series that many consider to be the greatest FPS franchise of all time.

Mass Effect 2 – Without a doubt the most polished game BioWare has ever put out, Mass Effect 2 is a game that transcends genre. While the choice-driven dialogue trees scream of WRPGs, the shooting is so astonishingly smooth and intense that it can compete with any Third-Person Shooter on the market. The cast of wonderfully voiced characters occupy a distinct universe which is inspired by the classic aesthetic of sci-fi giants like Blade Runner, and the narrative is good enough to go toe to toe with most sci-fi greats. But what’s most impressive is to see the grand scope of the franchise when your choices from Mass Effect 1 show up in this greatly improved sequel. If Mass Effect 3 can rope it all together, then Commander Shephard’s space-faring trilogy will go down as one of the greatest in the history of video games.

Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit – 2010 could go down as the best year ever for the Racing genre, what with titles like Gran Turismo 5, Split/Second, Blur, and more. But in my mind, this Hot Pursuit reboot is the best of them all (keeping in mind that I haven’t actually played any of the others…I just like cop-chases). Whether you’re racing the computer, talking trash online, or desperately trying to top your friend’s best time, drifting through a corner at high speeds in a $2,000,000 Bugatti is immensely satisfying.

Perfect Dark – An HD face-lift and online capabilities for one of the best games of all time? It’s hard to imagine Perfect Dark for Xbox Live Arcade being anything but good. Sure enough, the core gameplay is just as fun now as it was in standard definition ten years ago. The ridiculous number of weapons, all with secondary functions, the superb enemy animations, the programmable multiplayer bots, the insane amount of stat-tracking, the plethora of different game-types, all of that makes for one of the deepest and most fully realized FPSs of all time. Add in an unforgettable soundtrack and a really good story, and you have to wonder why more developers aren’t copying Perfect Dark. Oh, and did I forget to mention the local split-screen options? Thank the gaming gods for allowing this remake to be made.

Red Dead Redemption – What can I say? Rockstar’s take on the wild west successfully creates the single most organic game-world I’ve ever experienced. When you’re purposefully ignoring fast-travel just so you can take in the awesome beauty of the world around you, you know the developers are doing something right. Add in a cast of supremely written characters, a classic Western tale, an innovative and daring ending, great graphics and sound, as well as a robust multiplayer feature, and you’ve got the ingredients for one hell of a game.

Splinter Cell: Conviction – Sam Fisher’s latest tale of espionage boldly goes where no stealth game has gone before and rewards players for being aggressive “predators” instead of the ghosts of the past. The innovative “Mark and Execute” system keeps the pace charging ahead on all cylinders and consistently has you feeling like a bad ass. The dedicated co-op campaign is a welcome addition too.

Honorable Mentions – Games that I should have played but didn’t…

Civilization V – It’s supposed to be the most accessible Civ game yet but it doesn’t sacrifice any depth to achieve that. I’m almost afraid to play it for fear of becoming addicted.

Donkey Kong Country Returns – Classic Platforming at its finest and a great aesthetic to go with it. And I hear that the challenge certainly gives you your money’s worth.

God of War III – There’s never been a game with such visual scale as this grandiose beauty. The seamless zooms from the back of a Titan to the mountain he is climbing and back again are astonishing. Kratos’ third bloody adventure is undoubtedly one of the best looking games of all time.

Heavy Rain – Quantic Dream’s daring interactive thriller is unquestionably the most unique AAA title of 2010 and is worth playing simply to experience something different. Everybody who’s played it seems to say that it’s got some of the most memorable moments of the year.

Kirby’s Epic Yarn – Is it possible for something to be so cute that it locks you into a permanent smile? Probably not, but Kirby’s fabric-fueled adventure can’t be accused of not trying. This title definitely has the most appealing art style of any game I’ve seen this year.

Limbo – Looking back, I’m sort of surprised I didn’t get this game. I’m thinking I’ll probably correct that situation over the next few days, because countless critics have cited this as the most emotionally engaging and thought-provoking game of 2010. But forgetting all of that artsy stuff and looking at it from a practical standpoint, those puzzles are supposed to be devilishly satisfying.

Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker – Dude, it’s MGS. Does anything more need to be said?

Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty – I’ve never been one to go nuts over RTSs, but I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that Blizzard’s sequel to one of the all-time greats looks really fun.

Super Mario Galaxy 2 – This follow up to Mario’s Wii Debut essentially takes everything that made that game a GotY contender (in 2007!) and makes it better. Miyamoto-san knows how to do one thing above all else and that’s how to make fun video games. SMG2 is supposed to be the pinnacle of 3D Platformers.

Vanquish – This futuristic Third-Person Shooter from the creator of Resident Evil has been winning a lot of “Best Game Nobody Played” awards for its ultra-intense shooting and jet-sliding mechanic that always has you on the offensive. There might not be much more to it than shooting, but that shooting is supposed to be some of the best this year.

And now for the awards…

Best Biceps – I really wanted to pick Clay Matthews III here, because, well, the man looks like he could murder you with his bare hands. But Madden NFL 11 doesn’t quite do my favorite Green Bay Packer justice, so I decided to give it to a fictional character who does murder people with his bare hands, Kratos.

Look at those things bulge!

Mass Effect 2‘s Grunt and the really big bandit who smokes cigars in Fable III were also in the running.

Game of the Year Runner-Up – Mass Effect 2.

2010 Game of the Year – Halo: Reach. In a three-way race between Reach, Mass Effect 2, and Red Dead Redemption, Bungie’s final effort on the series that made them a house-hold name emerges as the all-around best game. RDR‘s game-world is more technically astounding, and ME2‘s story and characters are far more memorable, but Reach has the least flaws while managing to still be innovative. It doesn’t hurt that this game is more fundamentally fun and has more value than anything else that came out this year.

And that’s that for 2010, a relatively disappointing year for video games. But the future looks mighty bright in 2011. I’m looking forward to evaluating the ridiculous number of great looking games at the end of the year. Until then, let’s focus on more important things, like Most Serenading Voice of 2010.

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When studying Microsoft’s entry into the console race, people often point to Halo as the sole reason for the Windows maker’s success. I’d certainly say that the Master Chief and friends played the lead role in Microsoft’s rise to power, but one franchise that often gets over-looked is Splinter Cell. The high-tech espionage practiced by Sam Fisher and Third Echelon gave Microsoft a viable competitor to one of Sony’s most successful series, Metal Gear Solid. So it is with high regard that people look back on Splinter Cell and with great anticipation that they’ve looked forward to the several years-in-the-making reboot, Splinter Cell: Conviction. But as shadowy government operations tend to do, everything goes horribly wrong in Sam Fisher’s latest outing and we’re left with an underdeveloped, quasi-stealth game who’s only saving grace is a good co-operative mode.

The visuals in Conviction are serviceable enough, but are by no means eye-catching. There are some nice animations to be seen and lighting/shadow effects can be interesting at times, but for the most part everything is pretty mundane. That description aptly applies to the environmental art direction and variety as well. Nearly every level looks like the same concrete jungle with no truly memorable set pieces. And the range of foes is just as pathetically unvaried and lifeless, what with Merc 1, Merc 2, and Merc 3 satisfying the enemy quota for pretty much the entire game.

The most striking visual aspect of Conviction is its mission interface, which projects objectives and other information as boldly lettered phrases on the surrounding environment. This innovative technique is also utilized in certain situations in order to play out cut-scene-like memories on the walls around Sam, all in game. I applaud the concept, as I am the type of gamer who hates invasive cut-scenes or briefings, but the idea is terribly mishandled in this game. For starters, the developers completely undermine the purpose of the technique by including traditional cut-scenes anyways. In the instances where “movies” are played out on the environment, they’re often too difficult to decipher anyways. Most of the writing is redundant or could have been communicated just as easily through dialogue, but without the imaginary letters painted on buildings which break immersion in the game-world. And on the few occasions where the phrases actually attempt to make you feel like you’re in Fisher’s head, they tend to backfire and make you feel insulted that the game is telling you what emotions to feel. All and all, the “projection” presentation is a daring idea, but one that ultimately contributes little to the game and is nothing more than a distracting novelty.

The audio department fares a little bit better, as the score generally supplements given scenarios well, even if it isn’t particularly memorable. All of the guns sound good enough, but your neighbors definitely won’t be mistaking your game nights for war-movie night. It’s also a bit disappointing that so many of the guns sound so similar. That’s certainly not as disheartening as their overly-similar feel and usefulness, but worth noting nonetheless. The star of the auditory arena is probably the voice acting, which while not on par with the intensity of the media Conviction so freely barrows from (the Bourne trilogy, 24), manages to convey enough emotion to keep the player engaged. Michael Ironside’s Sam Fisher is still top dog, but there are a few other stand outs. None of them stand out as much as the obscenely awful henchmen, however. It is honestly distracting how unnecessarily vulgar and down-right stupid sounding enemies in this game are, and that is not something that should be coming up in a review.

Then again, I suppose the meat-head dialogue spoken by all of your paint-by-numbers assailants is becoming of their (artificial) intelligence. If enemies aren’t standing around doing nothing then they’re listlessly patrolling the same predictable path over and over. In the event that you’re spotted, rather than actively seek you out, they’ll just rush to your last known position (with no regard for cover) and stand there wondering aloud where you might have gone.

Given the mental capacity of these mercenaries, it’s highly probable that their bosses purposefully group them in packs in the hope of piecing together enough brain power to hoot at mysterious noises and panic at the sight of corpses (because we can no longer move our victims). So instead of feeling like a stealth predator who picks his prey off one by one (hey, didn’t another recent game called Batman: Arkham Asylum do that well?), we’re often forced into combat with large groups of hostiles. Maybe I just really suck at stealth games, but I was constantly confronted by hordes of semi-retarded man-children who would rush out after trigger events, which typically left me in open space and vulnerable to fire.

I get the feeling that the developers intended for me to utilize the very awesome “Mark and Execute” feature in these situations, but I feel as though that too was mishandled. See, the feature allows you to mark a certain number of targets depending on the weapon you’re using (and the upgrades you’ve purchased for said weapon), and when they’re all in your line of sight you can press Y to let loose a salvo of precision bullets that eliminate your problems before you can say “super-soldier.” This feature does a pretty great job of making you feel like a complete and total bad ass, especially when you mark targets from behind a closed door by peeking under it with your mirror and then bashing it open for a slow-motion opera of death. Problem is that you can only activate the feature by dispatching an adversary in hand-to-hand combat. This serves to balance Mark and Execute and keep you from abusing it (although there is one sequence in the game where the ability is unlimited and you feel fantastically unstoppable), which I can respect. But in my case, I found the levels to be designed in such a way that I’d always end up using the ability right before a big room full of potential targets, thus forcing me into a clunky and unresponsive shootout.

I couldn't find any screens of Mark and Execute, so just imagine Sam is about to merc all those dudes.

Maybe I just didn’t play the game right, but it seemed to be structured so that I was exchanging fire with mooks more than I was avoiding them and/or hunting them. The fact that there are more shooting features than stealth features in Conviction further emphasizes this point. And if that weren’t enough, there’s a massive arsenal of upgradeable weapons that serve almost no purpose. Without exaggeration, the difference between your starting pistol and Third Echelon’s most advanced firearms is negligible. So that basically means the entire weapon upgrading system is a useless waste of time. And that goes for the game’s many cool gadgets as well, considering you’re almost never encouraged to use them (remember when Arkham Asylum integrated gadgets into the core gameplay?). And in the few instances where you find a creative use for a gadget (I tried to blow a chopper up with a remote mine) the painfully linear game-world refuses to work with you. Splinter Cell: Conviction really boils down to a strictly linear shooter with bad shooting, dumb AI, poor level design, and mishandled features.

It should come as no surprise that the game’s story is just as ineffective in its efforts to evoke excitement. Basically, it’s some cliched and predictable romp about government conspiracy that ends with you SPOILERS***rescuing the President and seeing your daughter again, who was presumed to be dead.*** I really don’t feel to bad about giving plot points away considering how unoriginal they are. And like I said before, they’re not even delivered in an original way because traditional cut-scenes are the driving narrative force. The only real spot of narrative innovation is in the interrogation feature, which sees us taking some poor sap and bashing his face into just about every hard surface we can find until he tells us what we want to know. Unfortunately, this opportunity is fumbled too, as the interrogations amount to one-button Quick Time Events that rob the player of any sense of control. Why not just show a cut-scene?

By now you’re probably getting the vibe that I despise this game and that you should too–while that may be true to a degree, Conviction does have a few redeeming qualities. The first of these is the Deniable Ops mode, which offers the Hunter and Last Stand game types. Last Stand focuses more on defending a bomb with the game’s unnatural shooting, so that’s not as fun. But Hunter is the most entertaining solo experience you’ll have with the game. Essentially, it throws you into one of several maps taken from the co-op campaign and tasks you with eliminating all threats. These levels are designed in a much more stealth-friendly way and generally had me kicking ass and taking names to the tune of four-tango Mark and Executes from the safety of a human shield. If only the campaign could have been designed in such a way.

Now that's team-work!

The best part of the game is without a doubt the dedicated co-op campaign. In the interest of full disclosure I’ll admit that I haven’t finished it yet, but what I have played was a blast. The prequel story seemed just as throw-away as the core campaign one, but the mode is essentially Hunter with a friend. Granted, team-work isn’t actually required, as one player can safely clear a room by himself and only requires his partner’s aid for those pesky locked doors, but everything’s always better with a friend. Not to mention, co-op has some awesome moments that simply aren’t possible in single-player, like when the hostage I was interrogating pulled a gun, shot my partner to the ground, took me as a human shield, and then received my elbow to his face and my downed ally’s bullet to the chest all in an instant. Good times. But yeah, if you know me then you know that I’m a huge advocate of more co-op in games, especially if it’s a dedicated campaign. This mode is the only reason you should even consider buying Splinter Cell: Conviction.

So is Sam Fisher’s latest outing worth $60? Absolutely not. Is it worth $40? Well, I’d probably still say no. I mean, that campaign is pretty bad. I think the best way to explain how boring it is is by imparting you with the knowledge that the longest I ever got sucked into Conviction for was a little over two hours. It just has no power to hold the player’s attention with its misguided direction and fumbled features. Still, there are a few fleeting moments of exhilaration to be had and its one of the very few split-screen co-op adventures out there. When it embraces its stealth roots it’s at its best, but because shooters sell, we’re left with an underwhelming and forgettable experience.

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Let's hope that video game blending is less catastrophic.

So I’ve purchased three full-fledged video games this year and despite the fact that they all hail from very different genres, Mass Effect 2, BioShock 2, and Splinter Cell: Conviction have more in common than one would think. How is it that the RPG, FPS, and Stealth-Action genres, as mutually exclusive as could be just a few years ago, are producing such similar content in 2010? Well, it’s an interesting trend that I intend to examine in this here article. The implications of genre blending are seriously important in regards to what we’ll be playing next year or even ten years from now, so it’s a topic worth talking about.

First I want to elaborate on the similarities between the aforementioned games I’ve played this year. I certainly don’t want to imply that these three games are inter-changeable, but there’s no denying common game-mechanics and gimmicks. As big as dialogue trees and player choice are to the core of Mass Effect 2, the cover-based shooting and biotic powers are arguably just as central to the experience. Not-so-coincidentally, shooting and plasmid powers happen to be the main course of the story-driven BioShock 2. And while Sam Fisher doesn’t boast any super-natural abilities in Splinter Cell: Conviction, he does forgo stealth in the name of bad ass shooting (well, it can be bad ass sometimes). So clearly, despite whatever connotations these genres may have had in the past, shooting stuff and taking on super-human abilities (biotic/plasmid powers, Mark and Execute feature in Conviction) seem to be a similarity.

Of course guns and violence have always been a part of pretty much any video game genre, but these games demonstrate a very deliberate effort to streamline the shooting mechanics and make combat flow as effortlessly as possible. They also share cover mechanics (with the exception of BioShock 2, because cover seems to be about the only difference between an FPS and TPS today), experience/leveling systems, and narratives that take themselves very seriously. It’s also worth noting that both BioShock 2 and Splinter Cell: Conviction feature multiplayer modes despite a sentiment among fans that such a component is unnecessary.

The fact is, simplistic shooters with competitive multiplayer and blockbuster stories sell well, and games like Psychonauts don’t. So naturally, as video games become more and more expensive to make, shooters are going to have more and more influence. On the one hand, this is bad because it dilutes the market into one giant Shooting genre. It’d be like if every movie Hollywood put out from now on starred Bruce Willis. Now I love me some Bruce, but can you even fathom the man in something like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind? Yeah.

Bruce Willis: Professional Bad Ass.

But there’s a silver lining to this as well. The various genres that adopt classic shooting mechanics adapt them to their own roots and make them more interesting. Few straight shooters feature the depth of combat available in Mass Effect 2‘s slick combination of real-time shooting and biotic powers. The super powers just add another layer of complexity to every combat scenario. And the cover mechanics popularized by Gears of War have helped transform the shooting genre from run-and-gun to something a little more tactical. Frankly, the more complex a given situation in a game becomes, the more interesting it is in my mind (assuming that it is streamlined and responsive enough to foster intuitive decision-making).

We can also thank genre blending for the addictive qualities that have been popping up in shooters as of late. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare truly revolutionized the shooting scene when it took the idea of RPG elements in a shooter, which games like Deus Ex had done years before, and trimmed the the concept down to a primal reward system. Modern Warfare is far from an RPG, but its persistent leveling system and the tangible rewards that come with it harness one of the core aspects of a good RPG. Since then, it seems like every game is trying to introduce some sort of RPG-like leveling system that rewards continued or creative play in both single and multiplayer modes.

Taking a step back from the few games we’ve looked at here and pondering the entire gaming landscape, it’s easy to see that this is an industry-wide trend. True, there are plenty of non-shooters out there (just look at the Wii), but it’s this concept of simplistic and accessible gameplay that’s taking the industry by storm. Publishers want games that anybody can jump into, and they want the addictive qualities (stats and leveling, a good story, multiplayer aspect) that keep the disc in a player’s system. DLC is also an extension of this mindset. The entire MMO genre is the epitome of this perspective.

Beware of the future.

We need look no further than Holiday 2010 to see some glowing examples of this commercial mindset. Microsoft’s Project Natal and Sony’s PlayStation Move are trying to appeal to the main stream masses with their (supposedly) intuitive motion control schemes. Halo: Reach is branching out from the tried and true Halo formula to offer some RPG-like class structure. Fable III is dismissing experience all together in favor of more visual and visceral representations of power. The next Assassin’s Creed is set to introduce multiplayer assassinating. And gaming executives can’t get over the fact that Farmville has more daily users than World of Warcraft. Games are becoming products that intend to bait the player with accessible and and visceral play while hooking them with addictive rewards, narratives, and social interactions.

Now when I put it that way, this all sounds pretty great, right? I mean, I used the word “visceral.” Hell, I’ll even throw “emergent” in there. And accessible games are great just as long as they don’t sacrifice depth. But that’s exactly what games like Splinter Cell: Conviction are doing. What used to be an intense tactical-stealth experience now forces the player into boring firefights. And the experience rewards in that game have little bearing on gameplay, so they may as well not be there. And I’ve been saying for years how much I hate the “modern realistic” look in games. It’s not that the art direction itself is poor, just that the market is over-saturated with it. I also think we can all agree that BioShock 2 would have benefited had the multiplayer been scrapped in favor of more single-player attention.

It is my personal opinion that genre blending could turn out to be a very dangerous practice in the long-term future of video games. It is true that genre blending has produced some of my all-time favorite games, and I think it would be foolish to shun the practice, but it would also be terribly unwise to go forth without any thoughts of the consequences. The next ten years could very well kill off artistic masterpieces like Shadow of the Colossus (The Last Guardian should be a good indicator of things to come) and transform the gaming landscape into portable MMOs where achievements for walking ten steps backwards fuel harmfully addictive “gaming.” I suppose genre blending is more of a symptom of the greater problem, commercialization, but whatevs.

We may have to rely on the Indie scene for unique games before too long.

The future of video games is literally being decided as we speak. One could argue that we’ve already seen the systematic elimination of stealth and horror games and RPGs could be up next. The key is for RPG developers to find a way to make their craft commercially viable in a market that lusts after everything that critics of our industry cite when debating the artistic worth of video games. Perhaps genre blending, despite the terrifying potential of its pitfalls, is actually the key to helping this medium ascend to the realm of high art. Maybe the next few years will see a golden ratio of engaging story, visceral gameplay, and immersive worlds that could have never been created within the confines of the rigid genres of the past. Or maybe we’ve already seen that and publishers thought there wasn’t enough multiplayer…

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Part 1 of these videos was actually posted last week, but didn’t really provide any new information. Parts 2 and 3 are more interesting. All and all, this is looking like an entertaining co-op experience, although, I have to say I am pissed about the coolest sounding mode, Infiltration, being some stupid pre-order incentive. What ever happened to shipping a complete game on the disc?

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I swear this video tells us absolutely nothing new. It doesn’t show anything new. It’s just some guy talking about things we already know. But still, they tell me this is a highly-anticipated game, so I guess somebody out there will be happy to see this recap of the game’s co-op modes.

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Okay, so maybe that’s not really the name of the trailer, but didn’t you feel like Harrison Ford was about to bust out at any moment shouting those words?

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Yup, still looking awesome, even with that new April release date.

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Word is that the oft-delayed Splinter Cell: Conviction will finally be seeing the dark of night this April 13th. In fact, Ubisoft went as far as to engrave the game’s logo on the front of some rocks and the date on the back before sending them out to major media outlets (they must have lost our address, though). I take it the release date’s set in stone this time?

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“The postponed release dates for Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Conviction™ and R.U.S.E™, which were previously scheduled for the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2009-10, and will now be released in fiscal year 2010-11. Splinter Cell Conviction™ is now expected to hit the stores in April 2010.”

Thanks, Ubisoft press release, for dashing my hopes yet again. I mean, seriously, Conviction‘s been in development for over three years now, with a steady flow of delays seemingly every six months. As awesome as the game looks, I can’t help but feel worried about it at this point. That many delays has to have some effect on a game’s quality. Maybe that effect will be positive, but right now, I’m not so sure.

Ubisoft Delays Splinter Cell: Conviction, R.U.S.E. [Kotaku]

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So we have the traditional single-player campaign, a full fledged co-op prologue, and now this third mode, which sort of sounds like a pure gameplay, challenge room sort of deal. Splinter Cell: Conviction is certainly coming along nicely. Glad to hear that true stealth is possible in the game as well!

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