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[CartridgeBlower]

There are some areas of pure BULLSHIT in this game when playing on realistic difficulty. They just throw you in the middle of a room and then have about 20 guys swarm you. You literally have to just be dropping grenades left and right, blowing shit up constantly.

It also kind of feels like this game plays to few of the strengths of the previous games, and more of its faults. IMO, the shooting engine in this game does not hold up well enough to take down a room full of guards over and over and over again.

And fuck they just talk the story. Dropping so many names, so many locations, in classic Splinter Cell fashion, it's almost impossible to keep up.

Not to mention it seems like they just retconned the entire last game, although I'm only halfway done so who knows if that holds up.

 

[Primethius]

Are you talking about where you first get the sticky cam?

I think that's it. Right after exiting the elevator, stash to the left I think.

 

[Ephemeris]

I think that's it. Right after exiting the elevator, stash to the left I think.

One of my fave parts to experiment. You trying to escape with zero kills? Or simply get by undetected?

In either case, they key to it is the room near the weapons cache.

Spoiler

Jump through the window and climb over to the room they're in. Now it's up to you in regards to however you want to play it out. Assuming you don't mind killing; Pull the first guy out the window before the guy shoots the scientists or you'll be discovered. You can keep going to the other side, but sometimes they see you by the door, sometimes they don't. I recommend going by the window that faces the door of the room nearest to the guy you pulled out the window, and throwing a sticky cam or remote mine on said door.

There's a bunch of ways you could do it. 5 guys in the room. First guy gets pulled out the window, the rest gets the 4 mark with the Five-Seven (fave pistol), and they're done in less than 3 seconds.

I've easily spent over an hour on that part just getting by undetected in numerous ways. :lol I always make it upstairs to the next weapon cache then kill myself to start anew. Good place to work on some challenges too.

Don't feel like killing them? Get ready to use your remote explosives as decoys, and EMP stuff + hauling ass (the Art of Run) to escape from their sight.

It's a shame more people on my friends list isn't playing this game.

 

[JambiBum]

There are some areas of pure BULLSHIT in this game when playing on realistic difficulty. They just throw you in the middle of a room and then have about 20 guys swarm you. You literally have to just be dropping grenades left and right, blowing shit up constantly.

It also kind of feels like this game plays to few of the strengths of the previous games, and more of its faults. IMO, the shooting engine in this game does not hold up well enough to take down a room full of guards over and over and over again.

And fuck they just talk the story. Dropping so many names, so many locations, in classic Splinter Cell fashion, it's almost impossible to keep up.

Not to mention it seems like they just retconned the entire last game, although I'm only halfway done so who knows if that holds up.

I never came upon areas of pure bullshit on my realistic playthrough. Hell I never used a frag grenade. Used remote mines though because they are fun.

Also what's wrong with the shooting mechanics? Haven't heard anyone else who has had problems with it so I would like to know what yours are.

 

[AwesomeSyrup]

After playing the flashback level I'm really excited for the new Ghost Recon. :lol

 

[CartridgeBlower]

I never came upon areas of pure bullshit on my realistic playthrough. Hell I never used a frag grenade. Used remote mines though because they are fun.

Also what's wrong with the shooting mechanics? Haven't heard anyone else who has had problems with it so I would like to know what yours are.

They're just too loose. They don't have the precision of a Gears of UC2 (unless you're getting headshots every time). And that would usually be fine for past Splinter Cell games, but again, this one FORCES you to go to your weapons on numerous occasions with 10-12 guys rushing at you from multiple angles.

Or what about the times where you have to move up a stairway or wall pipe to a second story and there's no other way to approach it, yet there are 4-5 guards just waiting for you in that room? Don't know how you didn't use grenades in a situation like that, but you did say you used remote mines, so it's pretty much the same thing. I don't know if you're trying to brag or not when you say you never had trouble, but I find that hard to believe with the way some of the levels are designed in terms of forcing you to confront high numbers of guards in a confined space, with no other option but to blast your way straight through.

I guess it comes down to that fact that I'm just not enjoying being forced to kill in my Splinter Cell games, at any point. I know that's the direction the series seems to be taking now, but I'm not sure I'll be on board with it from here on out.

 

[ToyMachine228]

My copy arrived today. I'm very impressed. It's better than I expected. I played the demo several times, but the final game is definitely awesome stuff.

Spoiler

During the opening when those guys break into Sam's house, and he takes them out...So fucking badass. My mouth opened.

 

[Ephemeris]

To me they're just too loose. They don't have the pop of a Gears of UC2, and that would be fine, but again, this game FORCES you to go to your weapons on numerous occasions with 10-12 guys rushing at you from multiple angles.

Or what about the times where you have to move up a stairway or wall pipe to a second story and there's no other way to approach it, yet there are 4-5 guards just waiting for you in that room? Don't know how you didn't use grenades in a situation like that, but you did say you used remote mines, so it's pretty much the same thing. I don't know if you're trying to brag or not when you say you never had trouble, but I find that hard to believe with the way some of the levels are designed in terms of forcing you to confront high numbers of guards in a confined space, with no other option to blast your way straight through.

I guess I just don't like being forced to kill in my Splinter Cell games. I know that's the direction the series seems to be taking now, but I'm not sure I'll be on board with it from here on out.

I find that a great number of the times there's usually a way to avoid fighting and sneak past. Sneaking is harder in this game than in the previous SC's, but it's definitely in there. Don't get me wrong, they are some parts where you *have* to kill to pass

Spoiler

the room where you're protecting the PC upload, and possibly Iraq

, but most of the time there are [apparently :lol] secret ways to sneak around some battles.

 

[indigo-cyclops]

Does anyone know when people who preordered from Amazon are getting the Infiltration mode code?

I'm not even sure but I ended up "buying" it on Uplay. Perhaps there is a difference?

I played most of the first co-op story level with some random 12 year old, which wasn't so bad. It was loads of fun once he turned his mic on and we started dropping intel to each other. I really dig the co-op stuff, and like how you can play it solo (hunter modes etc). There's also a lot more "customization" for the characters than I thought, if you want to call it that. Better than nothing I suppose.

Anyone want to co-op?

 

[JambiBum]

They're just too loose. They don't have the precision of a Gears of UC2 (unless you're getting headshots every time). That would usually be fine, but again, this game FORCES you to go to your weapons on numerous occasions with 10-12 guys rushing at you from multiple angles.

Or what about the times where you have to move up a stairway or wall pipe to a second story and there's no other way to approach it, yet there are 4-5 guards just waiting for you in that room? Don't know how you didn't use grenades in a situation like that, but you did say you used remote mines, so it's pretty much the same thing. I don't know if you're trying to brag or not when you say you never had trouble, but I find that hard to believe with the way some of the levels are designed in terms of forcing you to confront high numbers of guards in a confined space, with no other option to blast your way straight through.

I guess it comes down to that fact that I'm just not enjoying being forced to kill in my Splinter Cell games, at any point. I know that's the direction the series seems to be taking now, but I'm not sure I'll be on board with it from here on out.

If you are walking up a stair case into a room filled with guards then you are more than likely doing it wrong. I don't even remember walking up a stair case into a room full of guards. I always found other ways around it. I didn't use the mines as a get out of jail type thing, I used them because I had fun setting traps for people.

Also I never had any problems shooting people. Didn't feel loose to me at all. Aimed for the heads of everyone and had no problem hitting my targets.

I'm not trying to brag or anything. I know it may sound like I am but I'm not. The only time I even felt like I was being forced into a confrontation was in the (might not want to read this because it's later in the game)

Spoiler

3E building and at the white house

but since you said you're not even halfway done I don't even know how you can be running into these situations. Care to explain what level you are on?

 

[CartridgeBlower]

I find that a great number of the times there's usually a way to avoid fighting and sneak past. Sneaking is harder in this game than in the previous SC's, but it's definitely in there. Don't get me wrong, they are some parts where you *have* to kill to pass

Spoiler

the room where you're protecting the PC upload, and possibly Iraq

, but most of the time there are [apparently :lol] secret ways to sneak around some battles.

Yeah, the PC upload level in general bothered me. Too many 'forced shootout' moments, and not enough multiple ways to handle them. Some fights did, but it seemed to me most didn't.

 

[indigo-cyclops]

Yeah, the PC upload level in general bothered me. Too many 'forced shootout' moments, and not enough multiple ways to handle them. Some fights did, but it seemed to me most didn't.

The rushdowns in the final level(s) were utter bullshit, but yea, that one sucked too.

 

[Ephemeris]

Yeah, the PC upload level in general bothered me. Too many 'forced shootout' moments, and not enough multiple ways to handle them. Some fights did, but it seemed to me most didn't.

I attribute that to the fact we're usually too busy trying to live/not be detected, than check out the paths for evasion :lol . There's one part on the

Spoiler

White House

grounds that I accidentally found a path *around* the platoon that I usually shot (in an undetected fashion) my way through. It was hidden in darkness and appeared to be out in the open, when in fact it's the best way to sneak past.

With that said, I never figured out how to evade the guys to get to the

Spoiler

Garden door

and ended up killing them all in an awesome shootout, Modern Warfare style.

But I'm sure there's a way to do it. I'm both happy & sad there's no achievement for sneaking through all the stages. :lol

 

[indigo-cyclops]

I attribute that to the fact we're usually too busy trying to live/not be detected, than check out the paths for evasion :lol . There's one part on the

Spoiler

White House

grounds that I accidentally found a path *around* the platoon that I usually shot (in an undetected fashion) my way through. It was hidden in darkness and appeared to be out in the open, when in fact it's the best way to sneak past.

With that said, I never figured out how to evade the guys to get to the

Spoiler

Garden door

and ended up killing them all in an awesome shootout, Modern Warfare style.

But I'm sure there's a way to do it. I'm both happy & sad there's no achievement for sneaking through all the stages. :lol

I think I know exactly which path you're talking about. And there is a way to sneak past the last wave before that door. I happened to do it tonight after dying multiple times. Sometimes though you don't always have a chance to look around for new ways, which kind of sucks.

Honestly though UbiMon has some of the best animators in the business. I love how Fisher moves.

 

[Darkmakaimura]

Thanks. Do you have any info about the length of the co-op? The replayability of it?

I just played the Deniable Ops Story Mode with matchmaking online. I've only gone through three stages with this person, but each one was pretty long - about 45 minutes each, I would say. Lots of fun!

 

[zero margin]

I restarted on realistic, much better.

 

[Lunchbox]

I'm pretty sure he's dead.

but so was

Spoiler

sarah

he's the main villain in conviction2

believe

 

[Ephemeris]

I think I know exactly which path you're talking about. And there is a way to sneak past the last wave before that door. I happened to do it tonight after dying multiple times. Sometimes though you don't always have a chance to look around for new ways, which kind of sucks.

Honestly though UbiMon has some of the best animators in the business. I love how Fisher moves.

I played that part for ages trying to figure it out. By the time I shot it out and killed everyone, I didn't bother with checking out the route. If you remember feel free to let me know.:lol

And yeah, the animation is really good in the game. Especially with the hand-to-hand stuff.

but so was

Spoiler

sarah

he's the main villain in conviction2

believe

:lol
Only reason I said he was, is because

Spoiler

Sam

did him in.

And Sam's pretty damn good at what he does.

 

[popsicle_sundays]

So what's the overall view on this game? Good? Great? Amazing? I doubt it will dethrone my precious GOTY: Deadly Premo son!

 

[zlatko]

So what's the overall view on this game? Good? Great? Amazing? I doubt it will dethrone my precious GOTY: Deadly Premo son!

For me it's about a 7.5-8.0 out of 10. Nothing to write home about that really excels here that hasn't been done better elsewhere.

Most of the game is EMP this EMP that, but don't forget about EMPs and that guy who got an EMP stuck up his EMP. That's all you hear for objectives and threats. Giant EMP orgy. A few rip offs from Modern Warfare 2, and it's easy to note what they are. Pretty repetitive on gameplay to, go in a room clear it out, next room repeat, with only a few variances. Story was dull, short, and filled with little to not stand out moments. Although Sam does have a way with the ladies and his strong pimp hand. :lol

I wrapped up Co-op campaign too with a buddy and we liked it, especially the ending, but it was far too short. Only 4 levels, and again more EMP this EMP that with some more EMPs.

Mark and Execute is a great system and the voice acting is top notch, but the rest of the game is hard to like. I also found the controls to take me out of the experience often and some minor bugs/glitches are also annoying. Targeting on doors is also dumb since you can peek under, open doors, etc and sometimes you accidently open it up even though you aimed to peek under.

The game isn't challenging to me either on Realistic. A.I is pretty horrendous so that adds to it being not hard.

The redeeming things are the co-op/multiplayer as they are enjoyable, but all around it's not something worth most peoples 60 bucks. You should rent it or borrow it from a buddy.

 

[sinny]

So what's the overall view on this game? Good? Great? Amazing? I doubt it will dethrone my precious GOTY: Deadly Premo son!

For me 7.5 , SC1 and Chaos Theory were 9s.
Good game overall.But not great.

 

[zero margin]

So what's the overall view on this game? Good? Great? Amazing? I doubt it will dethrone my precious GOTY: Deadly Premo son!

Really good. 9 seems like it's about right to me. Playing realistic has me now pushing 8 hours so far and I'm 2/3 through it. You unlock weapon/gadget upgrades as you go through. I played some deniable ops and that looks like it will take up some of my time as well. Looks like it will get some pretty solid DLC support as well.

 

[TheVampire]

Got this today and im loving it!
It feels different but you do get used to it.

 

[JambiBum]

Really good. 9 seems like it's about right to me. Playing realistic has me now pushing 8 hours so far and I'm 2/3 through it. You unlock weapon/gadget upgrades as you go through. I played some deniable ops and that looks like it will take up some of my time as well. Looks like it will get some pretty solid DLC support as well.

DLC every weeeeek. Which is nice considering what most games do.

 

[adelante]

Bought the game and went straight into co-op story with a friend. Completed it last night, took us about 8 hours on Realistic difficulty, thanks to countless retries on certain missions but damn, it was fun. Not a fan of respawning enemies though...looking forward to the SingePlayer campaign

 

[Lunchbox]

just finished co-op story. took almost 6 hours cause some of the parts are pretty hard when you are surrounded. damn at that ending.

singleplayer 8/10
multiplayer 11/10

 

[Najaf]

Damn it! I just went through the co-op campaign with a perfect stranger from start to finish and (major co-op spoiler ahead, and details of a secret achievement)

Spoiler

when we face off against each other at the end, he somehow got behind me and one shots me with a hand to hand move. No survival achievement for me!

 

[mYm|17|]

This is my first Splinter Cell and I am really digging it. I am a few levels in but it's really fun once you get the hang of the controls.

Can't wait to finish SP so my friend and I can do the co-op

 

[cabottemp]

i just finished the demo level. about how much longer do i have to go?

 

[JambiBum]

i just finished the demo level. about how much longer do i have to go?

There are

Spoiler

two

levels after that one. Each of them are pretty lengthy so I would say a couple of hours at least.

 

[Pooya]

co-op story mode is amazing! love it!

 

[cabottemp]

There are

Spoiler

two

levels after that one. Each of them are pretty lengthy so I would say a couple of hours at least.

thanks man.

I really hated the demo for this game, and only purchased it because of the co-op. figured it was something i could do with my friend, seeing as how we don't get to hang out that often. I've warmed up to the changes ubi has made to the franchise. I still think the mechanics would be better for a bourne game but conviction is pretty fun and I can't deny that i've been playing it nonstop. looking forward to finishing this sucker tomorrow and i'll most likely play through again on the hardest difficulty.

 

[sweetvar26]

What is the best pistol in game? I would like to upgrade that first before I do anything else. Any other hints on if I need to save those points for later on in the game?

Just started the game like 15 minutes ago.

 

[Najaf]

What is the best pistol in game? I would like to upgrade that first before I do anything else. Any other hints on if I need to save those points for later on in the game?

Just started the game like 15 minutes ago.

The five-seven for sure. It is the only silenced pistol capable of four mark and executes. The others can only do three.

 

[sweetvar26]

The five-seven for sure. It is the only silenced pistol capable of four mark and executes. The others can only do three.

Damnit, I don't have that yet I think. I only have the first 3.

 

[Net_Wrecker]

I still haven't started the singleplayer or touched anything but Hunter online co-op but this is damn fun. Sure it's not the same Splinter Cell, but it's one of the best, most badass co-op experiences out there. I REALLY wish there was a 4 v 4 adversarial mode. That would've pushed this into a higher tier IMO.

And for the people talking about Infiltration from U Play, is U Play in the game WORKING? I can't even access anything but my profile, and everything else is "Coming Soon."

 

[cabottemp]

I REALLY wish there was a 4 v 4 adversarial mode. That would've pushed this into a higher tier IMO.

I think this is why i had been so close minded about the game. And I share your sentiments.

 

[Najaf]

Damnit, I don't have that yet I think. I only have the first 3.

You get it pretty early. And, don't sweat too much over the points. The first 10,000 come really quick by just naturally playing the game. Later on, you can start focusing on getting the more quirky ones.

A general tip though; after you upgrade your favorite pistol and secondary, save up around 10,000 points. Like I said, the early points come quick and you can use these ~10,000 to buy all the outfits, then unlock all their upgrades and alternate patterns. After getting the three achievements, you can simply bring up the guide and exit to dash. When you reload, you will have your points back and can proceed to spend them on the things that matter: the guns.

The alternate uniforms for deniable ops are pretty terrible anyway.

 

[Hammer24]

Just finished the

Spoiler

Iraqi Mission.

Which is also the mission so far, that I like the least, as its got nothing to do with Splinter Cell.
Took me about 4h to get this far on realistic, as I try to stealth it as much as possible.
Game is great fun, and the story telling is simply superb, which is one of the most important things for me. Aside from said mission, the game is everything I hoped for.

 

[Net_Wrecker]

I think this is why i had been so close minded about the game. And I share your sentiments.

Really man, these mechanics on maps with 4 players going at another 4 players for Capture the Intel type stuff...OMG that would've been so good. I don't even care for the Spy/Mercs different styles of play. Just give me 4 "Archers" against 4 "Kesslers," and I would've been happy.

 

[Najaf]

For those who are looking to complete the Advanced Stealth challenge for clearing a level with no alerts, I would recommend the

Spoiler

Washington Monument level

. It can be done in ten minutes rather easily. A video can be downloaded here.

 

[JambiBum]

For those who are looking to complete the Advanced Stealth challenge for clearing a level with no alerts, I would recommend the

Spoiler

Washington Monument level

. It can be done in ten minutes rather easily. A video can be downloaded here.

I have all of the Splinter Cell challenges done thankfully. The ones that seem to be the more cumbersome to get are the vanish challenges. Which is unfortunate because I still need to upgrade all of my guns.

 

[Najaf]

I have all of the Splinter Cell challenges done thankfully. The ones that seem to be the more cumbersome to get are the vanish challenges. Which is unfortunate because I still need to upgrade all of my guns.

Yes. I don't like the idea of being 'forced' to play poorly. Running up to a group of guards, getting seen, then dropping a flash bang is not my idea of fun. While I realize the idea is that these will be done naturally over time playing Deniable Ops and co-op, I finished with not one 'flash and escape' challenge. I had to try a bit just to get five. (I was in need of some more points for weapons as well)

 

[kuYuri]

For anyone who preordered through Amazon, just wanted to say that I got my Infiltration mode code about an hour ago. Now I can save those Uplay points for something else.

 

[chris121580]

Wow, Denial Ops alone is worth the purchase of this game. So much fun

 

[painey]

Single player is a bit shite so far.. far too many set pieces and the graphics are pretty damn rough. I do enjoy the rainbow 6 mark and execute though. Also.. unlimited pistol ammo on Realistic difficulty.. odd.

 

[TheApatheticOne]

Wow, Denial Ops alone is worth the purchase of this game. So much fun

Ha, fancy seeing you here.

Having a good time with the single player campaign thus far. Will be digging into the co-op stuff tomorrow evening if I can pry myself away from weekend Bad Company 2 multiplayer.

 

[diss]

This game is awesome. If you don't like it, you are weird and I want nothing to do with you. I hope it sells because I don't want them to go back to old style Splinter Cell. That is all, good day.

 

[Shake Appeal]

Eurogamer 7/10

...which, as a fan of actual stealth games, seems generous to be honest.

 

[MrLobo]

Eurogamer 7/10

...which, as a fan of actual stealth games, seems generous to be honest.

I wouldn't call them fan's of anything stealth related if you base it on their their review of Chaos Theory:
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/r_splintercell3_pc