No, no, no, don't cry, Sam! Oh, now look, you've ruined your mascara. It appears emo Sam Fisher is going to be sitting on the sidelines a little longer as Ubisoft announced today that Splinter Cell: Conviction is being delayed until the company's next fiscal year. For those who don't tell time through corporate fiscal calendars, that means Conviction won't be released until after April of 2009.
Rumors of Conviction's delay have been floating around for months, kicked into overdrive by the game's no-show at Ubidays and E3. Back in May, the development team said it would be showing the game in "forthcoming months." Well, there's still Tokyo and Leipzig ...
Ubisoft is being very cloak and dagger about the status of Splinter Cell Conviction after its no-show at Ubidays. The publisher tells CVG that the time frame for Conviction is this fiscal year, which would be sometime before April '09; meanwhile, Ubisoft tells Eurogamer that the team is currently "polishing" the title, but wouldn't give a time frame for any further Conviction information.
Ubisoft maintains that rumors of Conviction's delay until late 2009, or possibly 2010, are purely speculative. The company wouldn't elaborate, but did say that Splinter Cell is one of its major IPs and it won't release it until its perfect ... and "it's not yet perfect."
Source -- Ubisoft "not ready to be more specific" about Splinter Cell Source -- Conviction "not yet perfect", says Ubi
Despite a recent GAME typo that listed Splinter Cell Conviction for PlayStation 3, Ubisoft has already cashed Microsoft's blank check, er, reaffirmed its "deal" with Microsoft to keep the console version of the sneaky sequel bound exclusively to Xbox 360 – and besides, PS3 can't render Sam's new beard, right? "This is just a mistake by the retailer. The game is not coming out on PS3," an Ubisoft spokesperson told VideoGamer. The representative also dismissed GAME's suggested April 1 release date, stating, "We're sticking to the original announcement." Last we heard (and confirmed again today), the next Splinter Cell is scheduled for the company's coming fiscal year (April 2008–March 2009).
Sad news for people who stifle their tears only long enough to sneak up on terrorists and choke them to death: A recent UbiSoft fiscal report says that Conviction isn't due until the fourth quarter of UbiSoft's fiscal year (read: Between January and March of '08). More of the financial report is available here, if you're interested.
We weren't terribly surprised that we wouldn't be getting to play Conviction this year, as we assumed Microsoft would have been trumpeting it in its all-2007 lineup at E3 if possible. We are, however, still a little sad that we won't get to gather around the Yule Log and experience the inner torment of emo Sam Fisher.
All Ubisoft wants is for Splinter Cell fans to give emo-Fisher a chance. It seems reaction has been quite strong to Sam Fisher's new look and the departure from the light-and-shadow gameplay. 'Cause, you know, Splinter Cell without light and shadow is basically that other famous stealth action game (except you'd need to add a healthy dash of eccentric characters -- really eccentric characters). Speaking with GI.biz, Splinter Cell producer Mathieu Ferland says, "We've been working very closely with the fans from the beginning ... Their first reaction was, 'What's going on? Where's Sam?' And then they discovered these new possibilities, this new mechanic and they said, 'That looks awesome. I want to play it."
Ferland goes on to say that if the game doesn't do well that they'll go back to the darkness and shadows that Fisher called home for so many years. It looks like Conviction is trying to do for Splinter Cell what Blood Money did for Hitman, by making the controls less complex and more intuitive. The game is still expected to release later this year and we don't expect Sam Fisher to release a book of poetry before then.
Ubisoft's Ubidays event in Paris spawned almost as many video trailers as it did announcements. Thanks to the wonders of embeddable streaming video, we're able to put them all in a single post for your viewing pleasure and/or displeasure, depending on the game.
Naruto: Rise of a Ninja (Xbox 360)
Loosely based on the 837,212 episodes of popular anime, Naruto, this cel-shaded action game seems to strongly encourage you to leap through trees, punch older men and generally behave like a ninja who's under the constant scrutiny of kids. No sudden decapitations like that other guy.
Hey, it's Joystiq. Sorry to bother you, we just needed to get something off of our chests. Do you remember when we made fun of you for going totally emo? We just wanted to say we're sorry. It was short-sighted and just plain mean and we sincerely hope we can still be friends.
You're probably wondering what prompted our change of heart, but if we're being honest, it started with the above trailer for Splinter Cell: Conviction. See, in our rush to make fun of your long hair and hoodie, we kind of forgot about your tendency to throw tables at people. Oh, and your access to high-power firearms, that totally slipped our minds. And, perhaps worst of all, we neglected to consider your ability to beat a man so badly that his brain throws up. We hope there are no hard feelings, and look forward to hiding from you working with you in the future.
For his latest adventure in Splinter Cell: Conviction (which appears to have dropped the capital "V"), Sam Fisher has gone positively emo. His face is capable of a wider range of emotions, he's kicking it in the Mediterranean and he's even ... grown his hair out. Mary De Marle, "narrative designer" for the game, told IGN that Sam has always been this way; he's just been waiting for the chance to let his softie flag fly. "Somehow, we are presenting the 'original' Sam, as we have been thinking him since the first days of the first Splinter Cell," De Marle said.
To help compliment this new "make love, not war" ethos, Sam has forsaken the tech supplied to him by Third Echelon in favor of the hottest new SC gadget: The hoodie. No, seriously. Sam will be able to pull it up in crowds to make himself less noticeable or to hide the single tear he's crying for his lost innocence. But mainly just the first one. When you combine some of the latest revelations with what we learned earlier this month, the new Splinter Cell sounds like a major departure from the norm -- and that sounds just fine to us.
See what they've done with the "V"? Clever ... sorta. Finnish gaming mag Pelaaja ("Player") has the scoop on Xbox 360's console-exclusive, Splinter Cell V -- er, Splinter Cell Conviction (the title remains unchanged since it was leaked last September).
GamersReports has compiled the first Conviction gameplay details, allegedly translated from the Pelaaja article. Apparently, dear old Sam will be forced out into daylight and, taking a cue from his Ubi-cousin Altaïr, will stick to the crowd instead of the shadows. An internal threat within Third Echelon has supposedly forced Sam to defect from the agency (like, for realz this time) as he attempts to save coworker Anna Grímsdóttir. Two HUD gimmicks will form the backbone of the gameplay: the "hero instinct" gives Sam the ability to track his enemies Predator-style (in infrared); while the "danger meter" acts sorta like Spidey-sense, minus the tingle (then again, Ubisoft could utilize rumble).
Close quarters combat is said to be a lot more "Bourne" this time around, as Sam has apparently shaken off his stiffness through yoga (Downward Dog FTW!), in addition to the training he's received from the alien peacekeeper and pesky webslinger. Coupled with an upgraded physics engine that lets Sam use numerous environmental objects (not just soda cans) to his advantage, Fisher oughtta make short work of that "dynamic" AI. No mention of what's in store for multiplayer -- but we sorta have this hunch...
Note for future lawyers: "The games made me do it" defense isn't going to work. Patrick Morris, 19, was found guilty in the 2006 shotgun murder death of a 15-year-old boy and sentenced to life in prison.
Morris' mother, Irma Espitia, said she tried to connect with her son but, "He would just go into his room and play those video games." Morris' attorney defended his client with the video game defense, also adding a history of emotional and behavioral disorders -- oh, and use of mind-altering Mario mushrooms. Prosecutors said the drugs and emotional disorders were probably a greater influence on Morris' disturbing behavior and decision to murder than the video games.
Posts with tag conviction
All Ubisoft wants is for Splinter Cell fans to give emo-Fisher a chance. It seems reaction has been quite strong to Sam Fisher's new look and the departure from the light-and-shadow gameplay. 'Cause, you know, Splinter Cell without light and shadow is basically that other famous stealth action game (except you'd need to add a healthy dash of eccentric characters -- really eccentric characters). Speaking with GI.biz, Splinter Cell producer Mathieu Ferland says, "We've been working very closely with the fans from the beginning ... Their first reaction was, 'What's going on? Where's Sam?' And then they discovered these new possibilities, this new mechanic and they said, 'That looks awesome. I want to play it."
Note for future lawyers: "The games made me do it" defense isn't going to work. Patrick Morris, 19, was found guilty in the 2006 shotgun murder death of a 15-year-old boy and sentenced to life in prison.
_thumbnail.jpg "i am 8-bit: 2008")
