Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com Joystiq http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://www.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2013 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Splinter Cell: Blacklist aims to take Conviction's promise to the next level and then some]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/09/11/splinter-cell-blacklist-aims-to-take-convictions-promise-to-th/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/09/11/splinter-cell-blacklist-aims-to-take-convictions-promise-to-th/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/09/11/splinter-cell-blacklist-aims-to-take-convictions-promise-to-th/#comments Splinter Cell Blacklist aims to take Conviction's promise to the next level and then some"I'm not going to go into the whole story," says Splinter Cell: Blacklist creative director Maxime Béland during an interview with Joystiq at PAX 2012, "but Conviction was kind of a rescue job for me." As the last game in the Splinter Cell series (that also served as a more action-oriented reboot), Conviction ended up doing fairly well at retail. But Béland says that he and another producer were "brought in because it wasn't going well. We changed the direction and kind of shipped the game in two years. So Conviction is very sweet and sour for me."

Soon after Conviction's release, Béland says he and his team sat down to put together a spreadsheet, going through over 80 reviews of the game and marking out what features were most mentioned, and which were most positively or negatively received. The black-and-white graphics during gameplay weren't well liked, so this past E3 when Béland announced Blacklist, one of the first things he said was that black-and-white was out.

Players felt the single-player part of Conviction "was too short, and the scope of the game wasn't big enough," so growing the world of Sam Fisher has become a priority for Blacklist. And the least-liked feature of Blacklist? Fans really missed the spy vs. mercs competitive gameplay mode. That's why for Blacklist, it's implemented right back in there. "Easiest decision of my life," says Béland.

Gallery: Splinter Cell: Blacklist (E3 2012)

Continue reading Splinter Cell: Blacklist aims to take Conviction's promise to the next level and then some

JoystiqSplinter Cell: Blacklist aims to take Conviction's promise to the next level and then some originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 11 Sep 2012 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ghostinterviewmaxime-belandmicrosoftpantherpax-2012pax-prime-2012pcplaystationps3splinter-cell-blacklisttankxboxTue, 11 Sep 2012 18:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Ten whole minutes of Splinter Cell: Blacklist gameplay]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/08/17/ten-whole-minutes-of-splinter-cell-blacklist-gameplay/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/08/17/ten-whole-minutes-of-splinter-cell-blacklist-gameplay/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/08/17/ten-whole-minutes-of-splinter-cell-blacklist-gameplay/#comments Ten whole minutes of Splinter Cell Blacklist gameplay
Allow Splinter Cell: Blacklist creative director Maxime Beland (and his soothing accent) to walk you through 10 full minutes of Blacklist gameplay, as Sam Fisher infiltrates a terrorist cell on the Iraq/Iran border.

JoystiqTen whole minutes of Splinter Cell: Blacklist gameplay originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 17 Aug 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>gameplaygamescom-2012maxime-belandmicrosoftpcplaystationps3splinter-cell-blacklistUbisoftubisoft-torontoxboxFri, 17 Aug 2012 12:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Maxime Beland on the ghosts and panthers of Splinter Cell: Blacklist]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/06/11/maxime-beland-on-the-ghosts-and-panthers-of-splinter-cell-black/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/06/11/maxime-beland-on-the-ghosts-and-panthers-of-splinter-cell-black/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/06/11/maxime-beland-on-the-ghosts-and-panthers-of-splinter-cell-black/#comments
Are you a ghost or a panther? Maxime Beland, Creative Director on Splinter Cell: Blacklist, explains the game's cross-mode currency system, how Ubisoft Toronto remains cognizant of different player types, and where Blacklist's style fits between Splinter Cell: Conviction and fan favorite Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory.

JoystiqMaxime Beland on the ghosts and panthers of Splinter Cell: Blacklist originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 11 Jun 2012 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>e3-2012maxime-belandmicrosoftpcplaystationps3splinter-cell-blackliststealthxboxMon, 11 Jun 2012 11:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Splinter Cell dev defends Ubisoft's 'always on' DRM]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2010/04/16/splinter-cell-dev-defends-ubisofts-always-on-drm/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/04/16/splinter-cell-dev-defends-ubisofts-always-on-drm/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/04/16/splinter-cell-dev-defends-ubisofts-always-on-drm/#comments Though public opinion is almost unanimously against Ubisoft's current DRM solution, which forces players to have a constant internet connection in order to play the PC versions of the company's games, Splinter Cell: Conviction creative director Max Béland recently voiced his support for the anti-piracy protocols. "We consider that protecting our PC games is vital to our business and will allow us to continue investing in the development of creative and innovative games on the PC platform," Béland explained in an interview with VG247.

To Béland's credit, Ubisoft's new DRM scheme -- which Conviction will implement when its PC iteration hits store shelves April 27 -- has proven very effective at "protecting" the company's PC games. Seriously, we hear they're hard to get into. Like, really hard. Really, really hard.

[Via Big Download]

JoystiqSplinter Cell dev defends Ubisoft's 'always on' DRM originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 16 Apr 2010 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>drmmax-belandmaxime-belandpiracyprotectionSplinter-Cellsplinter-cell-convictionubisoftFri, 16 Apr 2010 19:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Splinter Cell: Conviction (aka Badass: The Game) will take about 12 hours]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2009/07/02/splinter-cell-conviction-aka-badass-the-game-will-take-about/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/07/02/splinter-cell-conviction-aka-badass-the-game-will-take-about/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/07/02/splinter-cell-conviction-aka-badass-the-game-will-take-about/#comments
Splinter Cell: Conviction will take 12 hours to complete on normal says the game's creative director, Maxime Beland, in the latest issue of OXM. There will certainly be a harder difficultly level for folks that are into trial and error for 30 hours, but the "normal gamers" will get a well-sized adventure. Beland says this was done because he wants people to actually finish the game. That's quite a good idea.

Also, at around 12 hours of gameplay, Badass: The Game won't wear out its welcome -- if it keeps the action going. Of course, there'll be multiplayer to extend the experience, but we likely won't be able to crack skulls in urinals there ... or maybe we will, which would then confirm Splinter Cell as game of the year.

[Via 1UP]

JoystiqSplinter Cell: Conviction (aka Badass: The Game) will take about 12 hours originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 02 Jul 2009 17:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>maxime-belandMicrosoftoxmsplinter-cellsplinter-cell-convictionubisoftXbox-360Thu, 02 Jul 2009 17:45:00 EST