It isn't all about sneaking around, killing bad guys, and generally kicking arse, the equipment you have access to can play a huge role in the tactics you employ during the game. Some of the levels such as the Lincoln Memorial are based more around a chase sequence than any combat, you'll be chasing, hiding, and getting the hell out of there, all without ever taking down an enemy, unless you want too. Another level involves you not being caught while you plant C4 on two generators, this level in particular is where your remote camera comes in handy since you can plant it on walls, use it to look around through a small video screen and judge your next best move based on the enemies location. About mid-way through you'll also get access to your trademark Sonar goggles, these show you where the enemies are and of any traps in the local vicinity when worn but make navigating a real chore. If you prefer a more explosive approach however then the remote mine is perfect for you, drop a remote mine, lure any unsuspecting foes to its location and detonate it. There are the usual assortment of weapons as well as upgrades for each but the remote camera and mine play one of the biggest roles, unless you prefer to go in guns blazing. That said, at set points throughout a level you'll be able to access your weapons box, this contains all your weapons and allows you to upgrade them if you have the points requirement, these points are simply earned by doing specific tasks which are found through the pause menu, such as getting kills in a specific fashion.
While the campaign is good throughout its relatively short 6 to 7 hours, the game really comes to life when you and another player go through the games co-op feature which is a separate story from the main single player campaign and involves one of the Third Echelon agents and his Russian cohort. Using team work is key here and will pay dividends to the outcome of the mission in co-op, it's an exciting mode with a few fancy features such as dual executions which let one player mark targets and the other perform them. If you're unfortunate enough to be killed however then your teammate has a set amount of time to revive you, you don't just lie there in waiting though, you'll still be able to take shots at any enemies using you as bait. Should you both get killed in the line of duty then you'll be whipped back to the last checkpoint just as you do in the campaign. During your time playing as Sam in the single-player side of the game, you'll be able to grab enemies and use them as human shields, this carries over to the co-op as well, but with a twist. This time, enemies will be able to use you as a shield against your teammate, this puts you into a chokehold with a limited time to be rescued, this requires them to kill your captor, not an easy task for your co-op friend when you're being used as the shield, but you can struggle, thus distracting the enemy for a moment, hopefully giving the other player an opportunity to kill your captor and set you free before you die.
The two player action doesn't stop there thankfully, there's also a Hunter mode which sees you both working your way through a level taking down any unsuspecting bad guys you come across, of particular interest in the Hunter mode is that while you have a set number of enemies to eliminate, should you get caught doing so then reinforcements will be called in, increasing the numbers for you to eliminate. Besides the Hunter mode, you also have Last Stand, which as the name suggests is a wave based objective mode where your task is to hold an EMP generator against hordes of enemies which come in waves, the longer the game, the harder it gets. They're both great game modes but the Last Stand mode does become a bit predictable since the enemies will filter through set points which if you catch earlier enough can be ripe for a few well placed remote mines, thinning the enemy numbers dramatically and making the task much easier.
Conviction only has only one competitive multiplayer mode which is called Face-Off. This competitive mode is similar to the Hunter mode, yet this time you aren't working together. In Hunter you're working to get the most kills over your competitor, and should you happen to come across one another then you get points for killing each other as well. Face-Off can be pretty fun and trying to find and take each other down can lead to some real heart wrenching moments, as you anticipate the other player's moves and prepare to take your shot, only to find they've been doing the same and you're dead before you got to use your opportunity. The competitive does remove the dual executions and the human shield abilities which are a shame, the two features which make co-op so fun, but given the idea of hunting each other down does make competitive quite appealing. On the other hand, if you don't fancy taking the game online then the co-op modes can be played alone if you prefer through the games Deniable Ops feature.
Although Splinter Cell: Conviction does come with a relatively small yet excellent campaign, the multiplayer more than makes up for what it lacks with co-op and competitive. This isn't the Splinter Cell fans of the series might have been hoping for and will probably appeal to newer fans more than the older ones. Sam Fisher has evolved and grown old and this shows throughout the game, both visually and through Michael Ironside's excellent voice work, bringing a stellar performance which is utilised extremely well. Conviction brings excitement and executions to the newest Splinter Cell game and if you have even a meagre interest in the title then its definitely worth picking it up.
