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Splinter Cell Blacklist reviews

S

spekkeh

Banned
Screaming Meat said:
I see what you're saying. Personally, I think it is more thrilling to nearly be caught. Hiding in the high grass in MGS3 and having a patrol wander mere inches away, unaware of your presence, is much more tense than actually getting caught.
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Yes, which is why I was arguing it would be best to have both ;).
I guess getting through undetected is simply super bad ass. Do you think it would be as much of an issue if there wasn't a scoring system for it...?
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For me I'd prefer that, but you can already see in the comments here that the notion of having to be able to finish the game undetected is too engrained for many, that even losing the scoring system wouldn't make much difference. Besides I don't really want to argue taking away player autonomy either.
 
S

Screaming Meat

Unconfirmed Member
spekkeh said:
Yes, which is why I was arguing it would be best to have both ;).

For me I'd prefer that, but you can already see in the comments here that the notion of having to be able to finish the game undetected is too engrained for many, that even losing the scoring system wouldn't make much difference. Besides I don't really want to argue taking away player autonomy either.
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I guess it is the ideal win state, like not getting hit in a fighting game.
 
S

SpoonyBard

Banned
You guys should read Edge more, sometimes even a 5/10 means the game is basically good but flawed, like Lego City, The writer was just more full of himself than usual that day. These days big publishers seem to be able to pressure even Edge to give good scores AAA titles, so the quality of the magazine has dipped quite a bit. It used to be fantastic compared to any other magazine, let alone web sites.

I'm kind of interested in getting the Wii U version, the gamepad gameplay seems interesting... but I'm not sure about paying the full price.
 
H

Hank Scorpio

Member
I hope the PS3 version holds up against the 360. Ubi's PS360 games have generally ran and looked better on 360. Don't want to have to get Xbox Gold to play Spies v Mercs.

Is there any solo Deniable Ops style mode in this game? Probably enjoyed playing that mode solo more than the main game in Conviction.
 
F

Fabrik

Banned
You shouldn't take only in consideration the Edge review.
Basically you should form your opinion (other than playing the game yourself of course) with the Eurogamer/GamesTM/Edge reviews. They are the only one consistent with a real editorial line. (Gamekult as well if you are French). Moreover, they are harsher than the others so if a game please them then it's really really good.
So back to BlackList, a 8 and 6 score, it means it's probably a very good game but don't expect the classic Splinter Cell gameplay.
 
D

demolitio

Member
TheRedSnifit said:
You wouldn't give RE4 a 6/10 because it doesn't play like its predecessors, would you? It's the same deal here: you should judge Blacklist based on its merits (or lack thereof), not because it doesn't play exactly like CT.
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They said the same thing about SOCOM 4. It tried to walk the line between getting the mainstream audience and pleasing their fans and all they did was lose a lot of their fans while never capturing the broad audience because it still isn't their type of game. Not every game is going to magically appeal to everyone and you risk losing the people that supported your franchise from the beginning by making too many huge changes. Some reviews compared it to previous SOCOMs while others compared it to the likes of COD. How are major changes to a long-time series not worthy of being brought up in a review? How are they not allowed to complain about too many action sequences in a game known for its stealth just like action shooters that have typical stealth segments shoehorned in their game get negative comments about that in their reviews? It's no different than anything else and reviews should compare it to previous games so people know as it's quite helpful.

No one said it might not be a good game for what it's trying to, but that doesn't mean they have to like it and think it's a good game for the SERIES. RE4 is a good game that still appealed to RE fans and got a lot of new fans, but SC should never be compared to that game just because RE4 was such a different scenario and market . There's a lot more failures when it comes to "evolving a series (dumbing it down for the mythical mainstream)" than there are successes.

Both sides are allowed to be vocal on the changes afterall but old SC fans obviously have more of an interest and overall concern with what the series has become, especially changing the one thing most old fans were excited about in SvM by making spies more lethal and ruining part of the asymmetrical gameplay that made it so unique. SvM Classic was even more insulting to people.

But like I said in the other thread, I hope to get the game for cheap from Ebay but I understand why other fans won't be getting it. Hell, my friend went from hyped to "I'll pick it up maybe at a Christmas sale for cheap" due to the changes and the others I played with don't plan on picking it up either after being soured by Conviction. Meanwhile, they're trying to sell it to other gamers hoping they aren't saving their money up for GTAV, Madden, next-gen consoles, etc.

It's a risk and we're going to have to wait and see how it plays out. I just understand why people believe Edge more after everything we've seen. Being a good action game doesn't mean it's a good SC game by normal SC standards. If they want to create the new SC standard, then people have a right to voice their displeasure with their direction and not buy it. That's their choice but people are allowed to be displease with that choice too, especially when it was one of the few games left in the stealth genre.

Everyone has their opinions but I'm not sure why people aren't allowed being upset by seeing one of their favorite series completely change its identity while people keep proclaiming that it's evolving and that you just have to play it first like the major design changes weren't enough to see and that people have to buy the game to see if they like it or not...

It's one thing to complain about little cosmetic things but it's perfectly valid to complain about major gameplay changes and the overall change in direction for the series and that should be brought up in reviews.
 
C

ComputerMKII

Banned
Is there any game with a big marketing budget that doesn't get an 8 or a 9 on those websites? I don't get the point of professional reviews.
 
denshuu

denshuu

Member
The Not Yet on that Kotaku review made no sense. His issues with the game are its story and its core gameplay. He doesn't actually think those things are just going to be patched into something completely different, does he? Just put No. That's what that's there for.
 
S

Screaming Meat

Unconfirmed Member
denshuu said:
The Not Yet on that Kotaku review made no sense. His issues with the game are its story and its core gameplay. He doesn't actually think those things are just going to be patched into something completely different, does he? Just put No. That's what that's there for.
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It clearly states that he is waiting to try the MP modes before making a final decision.
 
C

Cheese Raptor

Banned
This is why I hate the industry. there's enough action games, quit fucking with the few stealth games left.

You want action go play uncharted.
 
W

WhenItsLate

Banned
So the Wii U version isn't that far behind 360/PS3 (performance wise)?
Would have loved PC textures like NFS:MW but if it just trades Screen tearing for a few frame drops I will get it regardless.
Anyone know if there will be a DF comparison? :)
 
N

Nonexistinghero

Banned
The_Hitcher89 said:
Judging from the prerelease material, Edge's review seems more in line with what I'd expect than the others
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I have to agree with you. I watched several videos of stealth section gameplay, but it just looked boring and uninspired to me. Sneaking around is much too fast and easy, don't need to pay much attention to your surroundings, single button presses to automatically run large distances to cover, much too easy to take enemies out, etc.

Splinter Cell was like playing a modern day ninja in a fairly realistic way. But now the stealth is like MGS1, except worse and easier along with a horribly generic storyline.
 
TGO

TGO

Hype Train conductor. Works harder than it steams.
MJLord said:
Does it not REALLLY bother anyone that Sam should be like 60 by now? But seems to have started ageing backwards Benjamin Button style.
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No it bothers me that Sam has turned into Isaac Clarke though
 
Neuro

Neuro

Member
rmanthorp said:
Edge is the most fucking pretentious outlet alive. I never listen to their shit - I actually cringe reading issues of their shitey magazine.

Oh but good for Blacklist. I never expected this to be any good. Woo!
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I kinda like their reviews cause they justify the money that is spent for the game, most review outlets never have buy a single copy of the game.

If I as a consumer have to choose spending my hard earned money on a game, I'd rather get an honest review and get something else first

I wanted to pick up Blacklist, but now I am going to pick it up after GTA V prolly or save it for a PS4 game
 
D

danielcw

Member
Neuro said:
If I as a consumer have to choose spending my hard earned money on a game, I'd rather get an honest review and get something else first
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So you think that the other reviews are not honest?


EDIT: sorry for double post
expected the thread to move faster
 
R

Raysoul

Member
Still waiting for Wii U specific reviews.

I also want to know the replayability value of the short campaign. If it is still fun, and the 3 playstyles are applicable to all of the missions, then it might triple my play time for the single player campaign.
 
P

PhantomR

Banned
Anyone waiting for a review of the Wii U version needs to wait until the Nintendo sites/publications get a hold of it. That's the only way you'll get a real, fleshed out Nintendo-specific review.

Nintendo World Report, Official Nintendo Magazine, and Nintendolife will probably have reviews in a bit.
 
Neuro

Neuro

Member
I played it for 6 hours today at a friends place who gets review copies early, so here are my initial impressions

The game looks quite underwhelming, the outdoor scenes have severe tearing issues and are a sight for sore eyes, get it for the PC if you must

Kinda bummed about the choice of engine they used for the game (Unreal 2.5 as opposed to Unreal 3 or Anvil)

The facial animations look as if its something from the beginning of this generation and Sam looks all plastic with oodles of wax all over his face

The gameplay is kind of a mixed bag so far, there is a detailed loadout sequence which I was pretty impressed with, you can customize Sam depending on your play style that ranges from Last Action Hero to sneak like a cat.

Sections in the game encourage exploration and allow the player to use multiple routes for completing a mission, however the overall gameplay feels more cramped than ever (but this could be beacuse I played only the first few missions in the game)

Everything is linked to "money" for upgrades, the more cautious you are the better your chances of getting more money. Playstyles within the stealth mode can also be varied, from aggressive to knockouts. Aggressive means you kill enemies and knockouts imply that you just put them to sleep

Hiding bodies felt kind of wasted honestly in my playthrough, there was no point in hiding a lot of bodies because you could just leave them there without the AI even noticing what the hell was happening

I moved 3 bodies in front of the AI while he just stood staring at my face and it happened multiple number of times.

I did not feel tense moments which the series was once know for, its fairly easy to predict the enemy AI's pattern in a short span of time, the older games had me think what was happening in the other end of the corridor, this is completely missing

I finished one section in the game just by shimming around the ledges

I would recommend players who enjoy stealth start on the "Realistic mode" present in the game since it adds more enemies, I played one section on normal and switched it to Realistic there were more enemies.

Do not expect anything from the story, its craptacular I dont even know why they put an effort in these stories

I would strongly suggest a rental, there are better stealth games than this out there in the market, this one can definitely be looked over
 
N

NullPointer

Member
Neuro said:
The game looks quite underwhelming, the outdoor scenes have severe tearing issues and are a sight for sore eyes, get it for the PC if you must
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The tearing is really worrying me. In the gametrailers review you can even see severe tearing aboard the plane during a cutscene where they're just talking.

Neuro said:
Sections in the game encourage exploration and allow the player to use multiple routes for completing a mission, however the overall gameplay feels more cramped than ever (but this could be beacuse I played only the first few missions in the game)
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Cramped compared to what?
 
Neuro

Neuro

Member
NullPointer said:
The tearing is really worrying me. In the gametrailers review you can even see severe tearing aboard the plane during a cutscene where they're just talking.


Cramped compared to what?
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They have designed it to be more "exploring" in nature, so semi-open but the few missions that I played through were in a cramped city ,there isnt too much freedom, sometimes the map ends abruptly

Warffighter's stealth sequences are much better and tense, the "exploring" part is actually fun and tense, Blacklist just could not pull me into it.
 
J

Jharp

Member
Wait... so it has terrorist hunt? I might have to dip.

Still pissed about Future Soldier not having terrorist hunt.
 
S

soulassssns

Banned
Reviews look about spot on where I thought it would be.

I got the game free with my GTX 760 anyways so it isn't a waste by any definition for me.
 
Z

zero margin

Member
I only want this for spies v mercs and that alone isn't worth $60, I would like to say I'll wait for a price drop but by then everyone will be gods in SvM so skipping it altogether.

cliffs - skipping it
 
N

NullPointer

Member
This game is *really* good BTW. Lots of content, lots of player choice, lots of replayability, lots of different missions and approaches.

This is a real Splinter Cell game.
 
S

SneakyStephan

Banned
MAX PAYMENT said:
I've got to disagree here. MGS has almost alway been a get seen-you're fucked kind of game in almost all difficulties. If you get lucky enough to escape you could continue, but no way can you take the action approach that 4 allows for.
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Yeah, I wasn't happy when I saw you could play mgs4 like it's gears of war, just covershootbang your way through.
My brother visited and played through most of the game like that, I wanted to slap him.
 
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