Sam Fisher is at it again. I remember playing the first Splinter Cell on my Xbox way back in high school (2002) and thought that the game’s concept was very well done. The graphics were amazing, not to mention the lighting was phenomenal. I don’t remember much about the game’s story line though I remember being hooked into the style of gameplay. Then they released Pandora Tomorrow in 2004 and Chaos Theory in 2005. I remember playing segments of Pandora Tomorrow on PC but don’t think I ever finish the game. Same thing with Chaos Theory. Since then they released Essentials, which was released for the PSP and then Double Agent for the Wii, 360, and PS3. I actually played Double Agent on the Wii and thought they did a fairly decent job at incorporating the Wii remote. Now Ubisoft is gearing for the release of Splinter Cell Conviction on April 13.

The new iteration looks like it will be another great game done by Ubisoft. The game caught me by surprise the other day when I found their latest development video. Take a look at it at the end of the post. One of their key features in this game is using the environment to display mission objectives and information. While you are sneaking around, an objective will look like its being projected on a nearby wall. Same with mission vital information. This seems to be very interesting way to drop in game menus to give it a better gameplay flow…

Be sure to check out the video after the break.

So in the May issue of the Official Xbox Magazine there is a load of information about the new Ghost Recon installment: Future Soldier. Here is the list of inclusions revealed by the magazine:

• The game will feature split-screen cooperative play, but it’s yet to be determined if it will be two or four players.
• Soldiers in Future Soldier benefit from “load-bearing leg braces that enable them to move swiftly” even as they’re covered in a ton of heavy technology.
• Gamers can sprint to cover, slide-tackle enemies, and hurdle low obstacles thanks to their new exoskeleton.
• A first for the series, the soldiers will have close-combat takedowns at their disposal.  The takedowns are based on various forms of martial arts.
• The team is divided into four members, each with a different class.  The classes are: Commando, Engineer, Sniper, and Recon.
• Commando is very similar to a standard soldier, using a rifle with multiple components and shoulder mounted rocket launcher.  Engineer has loadouts including a UAV drone which can be steered by the soldier.  Sniper features the main advantage of identifying targets.  Recon features the optical camo (invisible cloak), and will be what most gamers want to play as.  However, when not cloaked, you’ll be quite distinguishable on the battlefield.
• The game begins with “the Russian president being kidnapped by extremists, and instead of breaking out the popcorn for a cutscene, you’ll be in the shoes of one of his bodyguards.  Regardless of how well you may perform during this sequence, you won’t be successful, and the capture of the Russian leader is the flashpoint that kicks off what becomes a truly international campaign.”
• The game will feature quite a few different settings for the game, being much removed from the bland Mexico settings fans were used to.
• Teammate A.I. has been much improved.  Your A.I. partners will move like they have “ten to twelve years of military training”.  Instead of running in front of you, they’re more prone to follow like squadmates should.
• The partners are said to cover your flank and angles you can’t always get to when you move forward.
• With the tap of a button, you can follow your teammate automatically.  Doing this technique will allow you to focus on enemy fire, and keep an eye on your teammates back as you continue forward.  All four players can actually link up at once as well.
• The link-up feature is available in multiplayer too.  Stand close enough to a cloaked squadmate in multiplayer, and you’ll be cloaked.  Future Soldier is aiming to encourage teamwork over everything else.
• The co-op is four players, and completely drop-in/drop-out co-op for the campaign mode.  Multiplayer is said to be 8vs8, and contains classic modes such as capture-the-flag and domination.
• The Persistent Elite Creation system from Rainbow Six Vegas 2 will make its way into the title.  Meaning, your items in the campaign will be synchronized with those items you use in multiplayer along with your character.

Nothing too earth shattering here. The main issue I find is that the concept of the future has largely been identified as not laser wielding robots. Rather, I think the Ghost Recon series is reflecting the subtle changes our armed services will find over the next 75-100 years: cloaking, exoksekeletons, and whatnot. The problem is that, unless artfully done, this may lead to more run-of-the-mill gameplay.

Also, what is that locking on squad mates thing? Like, enable Universal Studios ride mode? I don’t know about that. It sounds like they’re taking a page from Bad Company 2 otherwise. The real deal has yet to be seen, however…

Today is the day you can get your hands on the all new Red Steel 2. This game is not a sequel but rather a new rendition and different story line. We here at Pixel Well remember the first game, the game that was supposed to flaunt the Wii’s capabilities at capturing the motions of the Wii controller. However, the game that was supposed to impress us did not. This time around Ubisoft seems to have brought the game back to life with some improvements thanks to the Wii MotionPlus.

This time around your fighting in a East-meets-West first person shooter/slasher. Ubisoft dropped their attempt at stunning realistic graphics and went for a more cartoonish look, placing you in an environment that resembles feudal Japan and the Old West. Apparently you’ll be fighting cowboy style ninjas complete with southern drawls. Sounds like a Wii-shaking great time to me! Once you obtain your katana, you only know certain moves and have to train and earn the advanced techniques. Along with your sword training you can use the money you earn to purchase better weapons and armor. All of which are hidden in crates and barrels and various other objects, from which you spend a great deal of time breaking open with your katana. Their is a single story driving the game forward however, you can participate in other small missions to earn more money. All in all the game looks like it has made some drastic improvements from the first game. I only hope turning around with pointer isn’t going to be retarded like the last game was. Such a pain when playing multiplayer.