Splinter Cell Blacklist gameplay preview part 4 – Assault equals fun

Hi I’m Rob Cram and today we’re taking a look at Splinter Cell Blacklist in our series of preview videos focusing on the core gameplay. In this video we’re taking a look at the assault style of play which in the past has been a no go but seems to have more tools available now for those players wishing to utilize the many weapons on offer.

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For some (us included) the Splinter Cell series has always been played in a covert manner where being caught and getting into firefights simply means we failed at being a stealth agent. The idea for the early games was to slowly sneak through the levels and only using weapons as a last resort. Since the series has progressed and the tastes of modern gamers, there’s been a distinct attempt at keeping the stealth aspects in tact, but also adopting more assault. The previous games have all featured a selection of assault weapons, and again, for some, these are tools that never get used.

Blacklist’s approach at offering three ways to play means all those shotguns and rifles are there for the taking and means players can go on the offensive and yet at the same time, sneak back into the shadows where necessary.

In the past the assault aspects of the game have perhaps played second fiddle to the stealth, especially in the first two games. Now gamers can prepare for an assault prior to the missions by spending their cash on suitable attire and equipment for the task. There’s a wealth of upgrades to Sam’s suit, making him less sneaky and more tank like when the bullets begin to fly.

The game really does change pace where there’s little regard for collateral damage even on the toughest setting we’re playing on now although a few shots and tougher enemies and we’re still downed pretty easily. As a cover style shooter, the mechanics work well enough and are in fact quite enjoyable, but it’s setting up traps and using the gadgets  such as gas grenades that bring some real fun to proceedings.

Purists are not going to pay much attention to earning combat points to their end of level score breakdown and will ignore quite a large part of the game as many of the collectibles – such as black market weapons are mostly centered around assault, the same goes for the upgrades to the gadget stockpile.  The game does make it easy for players to pick and choose by having three slots available for custom load-outs which means one for each style if needed.

To surmise. Blacklist is a stealth game and in its own way this is where specific input is required of the player. However, the options to mess around with other methods is perhaps the game’s greatest asset as it accomplishes the transitions with relative ease. Assault style might not be for everyone, but as an option to mess around with, it’s a good there’s an accomplished shooter on offer here as well. Whatever way you play Splinter Cell Blacklist, it’s certainly a game that’s a step forwards for the series and one that most definitely has gamers interests at heart.

Written by: Rob Cram

Rob Cram has hundreds of video game reviews, thousands of articles under his belt with years of experience in gaming and tech. He aims to remain fair and free from publisher/developer influence. With his extensive knowledge, feels his gaming opinions are valid and worth sharing. Agreement with his views are entirely optional. He might have a bias towards cyberpunk.