Where Did They Go Wrong? Volume I, Splinter Cell

OXCGN:

"It’s a simple question we all find ourselves asking about franchises across all mediums: where did they go wrong?

The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway, “Pablo Honey” by Radiohead, Michael Bay-directed adaptations of established stories, excellent games choosing to appeal to broader audiences; all things that can go awry in a manner nearly imperceptible.

In our modern industry, gaming truly has risen from the foam to sit beside other forms of entertainment as a more socially accepted medium, but with that change of class comes ramifications that deeply affect die-hard fans.

This series of articles will cover the direction of – and attempt to pinpoint – franchises that caused fans to roll their eyes, hang their heads in shame, and silently shed tears for their fallen virtual heroes.

Today, the spotlight shines upon the ballad of Sam Fisher, and how he was forced to appeal to a broader audience."

[gaminoz]

I really think that these days devs will struggle to sell games based on pure stealth. I often hear complaints about 'stealth' sections of games, and that isn't even a whole game.

Yet making a stealth franchise all action oriented makes the game almost industinguishable from all the others.

The answer is what MGS4 did. You could try and play it COD style, but there were open enough environments to find other sneakier ways around it and not die so much as a reward.

Conviction didn't offer as much opportunity for choice of approach.

A game like Thief 4 or Hitman would suffer if action became the main focus over sneaking, taking out lighting, stealth kills, and disguise.

[Proeliator]

You forgot that in Hitman Absolution there's a cover system, lower difficulties can see enemies through walls, and forced action segments; the stealth genre is dead. It's simply not profitable.

Conviction as a video game was excellent, but as a Splinter Cell title, it was very disappointing.

I do agree with your stance on Metal Gear Solid 4, though.

[Eske]

I don't know if MGS4 is the answer. Playing that game stealthily was just...awkward. I found myself doing that goofy "inchworm crawl" across whole football fields-worth of open ground.

On topic: I think there's a ton of untapped potential in stealth games. We need to see some improvement in AI behaviors, though. Watching enemies repeat endless patterns of behavior and movement is immersion-killing.

[OhMyGandhi]

very nice article! and completely agree with everything you wrote.

I wrote a similar piece, lol.

http://www.digitalvideogame...

[jc48573]

never liked any of the Splinter Cell or Tom Clancy's games.