Stealth, gunplay define 'Conviction'

In "Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction," secret agent Sam Fisher's humanity is demolished, leaving nothing but an emotionally frail and agitated shell of a man. He lost his daughter. Everyone he trusted betrayed him. He's teetering on the edge of madness, and his thirst for revenge is the only thing driving him.

"Conviction," published by Ubisoft for the Xbox 360, follows Sam as he wrenches answers from those who have wronged him. His methods are brutal, often making Jack Bauer's interrogations look like relaxing massages.

Artfully constructed flashback sequences bring Sam's darkest days into full frame, giving the hunt ahead a twisted sense of justification. The plot races forward with the urgency of a Jason Bourne film and skirts most of the clichés associated with revenge stories.

"Conviction" is not a slow-moving stealth game, nor is it a fast-paced shooter. Ubisoft finds the happy medium, with solid gunplay and intuitive movement at your fingertips. Gunplay is highlighted by Sam's new "mark and execute" ability, which uses cinematic slow motion to frame the brain-bursting shots.

The game's only glaring oddity is the logic that enemies exhibit. They empty clips and toss grenades with the best of gaming's foes, yet are overly vocal in their pursuit of you. These "Chatty Cathys" yell taunts so frequently that you're always sure of their location. They feel more like Dr. Evil henchmen than believable adversaries.

The game's stylistic visuals also produce mixed feelings. I love how mission objectives and memory sequences are projected on the game world, but the transitions to black and white -- an effect used to tell the player they are hidden from enemy sight -- are jarring. I know Ubisoft's intent was to reduce the reliance on a heads-up display, but I'd much rather look at a stealth meter than have the game's gorgeous visuals fade to shades of gray.

The single-player campaign for "Conviction" is a finely crafted thrill ride that puts Sam front and center. The game's second campaign (yes, there are two completely different stories) focuses on two characters named Archer and Kestrel. This co-op-only experience is heavy on action, pumping out adrenaline-filled "they're everywhere, man!" sequences almost every step of the way. Coordinating mark and execute maneuvers with a friend to combat the onslaught is a gaming moment I'll cherish forever. While light on narrative, this campaign is every bit as good as Sam's.

But the game's multiplayer mode disappoints outside of the co-op, which might surprise longtime series fans. Ubisoft has included a one-on-one, spy-vs.-spy competitive component, but it lacks the flair and depth of previous installments.

"Splinter Cell: Conviction" isn't the series' high point, but it does get the Tom Clancy franchise back on track. Fans who have been at Sam's side from the beginning should walk away with a sense of closure and optimism for future installments. At the same time, this is a great jumping-on point for newcomers. The fiction includes all the relevant plot points of the series' past without the Clancy techno-babble that bogged down previous entries.