Back in Blacklist

Hell, Yeah! Sam Fisher is back for his sixth appearance in Splinter Cell: Blacklist. Set for release in the Spring of 2013, Fisher will sleuth through digital battlefields on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC. 


Blacklist picks up after the events of Conviction. With Third Echelon in shambles, the U.S. president tasks Fisher as the head of a new government agency, according to August edition of Game Informer. Sam, along with a new crew of specialists, including everyone's favorite behind-the-scenes tactical voice, Anna Grimsdottir, is in charge of keeping America just a bit safer through the new, improved and aptly-named Fourth Echelon.


The GI article notes that the members of Fourth Echelon will serve a bigger purpose than simply being the receiving end of Sam's headset. Given different circumstances, players can call in a nuance of favors from the Fourth Echelon team. Those gamers who wish to leave a trail of bloodied bodies may call in an air-strike, while stealth-players may take the quieter route and ask the team to hack a system of electrical grids.

Fourth Echelon. 

Like Splinter Cell: Conviction, Blacklist will expand on the mobility and lethality of Sam Fisher. The top-tier U.S agent can now seamlessly flow through combat and movement with the greatest ease. Ubisoft's Creative Director Maxime Béland called Sam's deadly talent "killing in motion" at the Blacklist E3 demo showcase. "After mastering Sam's abilities, you can move efficiently through the environment while taking out targets, quickly and fluidly" Béland added.


Here's a delicious demo of what we can expect next year (instant action begins around the two-minute mark):

According to the article, there are promises of multiplayer. Specifically, "Spies versus Mercs is returning." Detail about this mode and other multiplayer modes, however, are scarce. Ubisoft, like Sam's shift to a more versatile, and mobile individual, also plans to streamline the main menu.

Back in Blacklist

The SMI, or Strategic Mission Interface, will "tie together all the elements of the game. 'We have this concept of the SMI and blurring the lines between co-op and adversarial . . . We're not making three games that are separate.'"

Following the nuances of the series' progressions since the very first Splinter Cell, I am, as always with a new release from this particular franchise, excitied. However, even at the top of my excitement, I am saddened to say Michael Ironside will not reprise his role as Sam Fisher. The gruff, sardonic yet sarcastic tone Ironside has establish will be replaced by Eric Johnson, which according to imdb.com he played Steve Gordon of the 2007 Flash Gordon T.V. series. I think it's too early to tell whether we see an entirely new Sam Fisher or a re-imagining of the character, but I still feel Splinter Cell has damaged some of its aesthetics.

If your mug isn't filled with enough Splinter Cell, feel free to visit the official Splinter cell: Blacklist website.

Stay tuned for Subculture!