The stealth-action genre is one of my favorite genres. I have played most of the good and bad games that revolves around stealth gameplay. From the original Metal Gear game on MSX2 to the recently released Splinter Cell: Conviction on Xbox360. My favorite game on PS3 is Metal Gear Solid 4 (yes not Uncharted 2 or God of War 3) simply because I’m a huge fan of the series and for my love to the stealth action genre. You may wonder why I’m telling you about what I like? I just want everyone to know, when I say that Conviction redefined the genre, it’s coming from someone who play and adore this genre.
 
 

I have been playing the newest Splinter Cell game for the past three days. I have finished the story mode two times. My first play-through was on normal difficulty and the second time on realistic (hard). Yes, the story mode is short, and you can finish it in less than 5 hours in your second play-through. I will finish it a third time and maybe more. Why, you ask? Because Conviction has some of the best stealth mechanisms I have ever seen in the genre and most importantly the most fun.
 

Let us begin with the cover system. Conviction has the best cover system in any game. Yes, better than Gears and Uncharted cover systems. It’s easy to use, you simply choose your next cover with the analog stick and press the A button and Fisher will go exactly where you want him to go. It’s easy to use and it’s a lot of fun to watch Fisher’s animations. He’s like a ninja, super fast and badass. There is only one thing missing, Fisher would look more badass if he is wearing a ninja suit. Maybe we will see it (Ninja suit) as a downloadable content in the future? I hope so.
 

Two of the most talked about features in the latest Splinter Cell game is the ability to mark and execute enemies and the last known position. The mark and execute feature really make the gameplay strategic and intense at the same time without ruining the gameplay. Lets say there are five enemies in a room, and you can mark four enemies at the same time. You have to perform a stealth kill to earn the ability to execute the marked enemies. Here’s where the game becomes strategic. Which enemy are you going to take down silently and which enemies are you going to execute? You have to decide and you have to do it quickly. Though this feature isn’t perfect. Once you marked your targets and decided to kill them, the bullets will hit the enemies even if they are located behind cover or behind walls. I hope Ubisoft to fix that with a patch. If you are spotted by the enemies, the game will let you know where the enemies spotted you by showing a white physical appearance of Sam Fisher. The intensity will raise here, and you must disappear from enemies like a true ninja or you will be killed by two or three shots.

The level design is also great in Conviction. The levels do give the players a lot of freedom on how to approach enemies. Also, the gadgets Sam Fisher obtains throughout the whole game are a lot of fun to use and gives the player more choices and freedom on how to approach every situation. This isn’t a review, this is for the people who feared that Conviction isn’t the right direction for the series. I haven’t discussed the excellent co-op mode, the great story and the heart pumping soundtrack. Conviction is the best game in the series and really pushes the stealth genre forward. Stay tuned for our review in the near future.