140°

Shaking up a franchise? Take nothing away, says Splinter Cell dev

Ubisoft Toronto game designer James Everett has one piece of advice for any developers trying to do something new with an established franchise: don't take stuff away. Speaking with GamesIndustry International at last month's Montreal International Game Summit, Everett said that was one of the key decisions the studio made when it set to work on Splinter Cell: Blacklist.

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-Foxtrot3810d ago (Edited 3810d ago )

Really after what's happened to Splinter Cell...it's went from a proper stealth game to an over the top action game

The advice should be if you want to do new things....create a new franchise.

NYC_Gamer3810d ago

They ruined Splinter Cell by going the Hollywood route with tons of actions

-Foxtrot3810d ago

Exactly

Someone tell me why they couldn't make a new IP where it's a Hollywood styled action fest with stealth elements.

Not turn Splinter Cell from a stealth game into an action fest game with small stealth elements....oh and the removal of Ironside, that killed it for me.

If he died in real life I would understand but the excuse about him not being able to do the motion capturing was just silly to me.

Resident Evil did the same

Why couldn't Capcom not make a new IP to go after the COD crowd. Why ruin your franchise and that goes to any developer. Another good one is EA with Dead Space.

Even Kojima at the moment is slowly turning MGS into something it's not. Removal of iconic features like rations to the removal of a great voice actor.

DoctorJones3810d ago (Edited 3810d ago )

To be fair they actually turned things around with the new spinter cell, it's probably the best Splinter Cell in the series.

The stealth was back on the agenda and they had a load more content than pretty much any Splinter Cell ever made.

Shadonic3809d ago

-_- i didn't play it but from what ive seen the stealth is not there it went from unique and in depth stealth experience to the standered copy and paste of a lot of so called stealth in other games. We went from carefully moving the thumbstick afraid of moving to fast to just pressing b and moving like a Ninja Cheetah. Really after replaying splinter cell chaos theory sp and online I can safely say that the series back then was at its highest point and it went down with conviction.

SaturdayNightBeaver3809d ago (Edited 3809d ago )

I agreed, but.. Hardest mode and minimal hud elements made it quite decent experience for me. Also in majority of time you choose what way its done .. stealth or cover-shooter. I also think that new voice actor is pretty ok , could have been lot worse no? Old one is ofc better.

On taking stuff away from games i think Kojima made mistake to go with health regen instead of traditional health bar in new MGS.

UncleGermrod3809d ago

I get what you are saying, though I still love the franchise. Anyways, I think what he means is that devs shouldn't take out feature that people loved just to make way for new ones...but instead should try to make some room for both old and new styles, so to speak. At least that's what I take from this.

Side note: I think blacklist was a step back in the right direction after conviction.

Shadonic3809d ago

Conviction was a step back itself.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 3809d ago
MadLad3810d ago (Edited 3810d ago )

I never understood streamlining. Cater to the fans of the games themselves, they will be your marketing. The players will be the ones to sell the series to new players.
You build upon your past releases. Simplifying games going forward just doesn't make sense. Your core audience already have their head around your mechanics and are looking for you to expand upon them.
To take away is to weaken the product as a whole.

Shadonic3809d ago

Exactly I see the players selling the sires example in COD every year !!! and its not because its offering bigger explosions and speed its because its offering an experience that they cant find anywhere else that they enjoy. That is where 343 messed up for example they tried so hard to try to focus on selling it to new players and speeding it up and adding all this flash from other games while trying to play it off as if it was so different from other FPS games but ended up disappointing the millions of dedicated fans who still tried to support them and while it sold very well it still bombed considering how fast people left the game.

Benchm4rk3810d ago

I loved blacklist. Rather than be pure stealth it gives you the option to play how you want to. Who doesnt love more freedom.

Shadonic3809d ago (Edited 3809d ago )

You could play how you wanted in the older ones too it just wasn't flashy and filled with slow mo stuff. The older splinter cells offered something that was its own style of stealth that delivered an experience that kept gamers constantly coming back for more and with the new ones we don't get any of it save for the small features that really don't help all that much when the main thing being the actual slow pace of movement from stealth doesn't return seeing as its just the usual crouch and your quiet stuff like in 100 other games. Really its just like with halo 4 it went from gameplay that's still loved today ( i brought some COD fanboys into Halo 3 and played for 3 hours major fun and it was on limited gamemodes) and went for the same stuff we've seen in EVERY OTHER SHOOTER!!!

Benchm4rk3809d ago

Yeah the older ones were great. Chaos theory is still the best. I think the older ones did stealth alot better then blacklist but in blacklist if you wanted to play assault style it was alot better in the ways of your loadouts and armor. You were more vulnerable in the older games so it made you want to avoid detection and be stealthy

Shadonic3809d ago

I;m glad to see that your experienced in the older games but your supposed to want to avoid detection that's the point of being a splinter cell I can understand them streamlining to make the combat shooting wise more smooth but they took it way overboard and lost the vision of what the Sam fisher series was first and foremost. I can understand wanting freedom and stuff i mean choosing loadouts and stuff wasn't exactly new to the series as it is in chaos theory just to a lesser extent. The thing is that everything besides the whole in depth choice of loadouts thing(which I agree can stay and still work )doesn't really work much with what the fans have been coming to the series for in the first place. I want to think twice about my next step not think about my next mark and execute clearing attack.

Benchm4rk3809d ago

Yeah ive been with the series from the start. Its my 2nd favorite franchise. When you put it that way I can see your point. With the original games I was so methodical in how I approached every level. Hiding every body and striving for perfection. The new one is much more forgiving. When I played through blacklist first time I did it on perfectionist and got the no killing achievement. When I went back through it I used my 5th freedom and you could tell thats how the developers designed the game to be played. Levels were designed for the mark and execute to be used. I think every fan of the series wants another Chaos theory. Just dont think we will get it

3809d ago Replies(1)
130°

Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell - A Decade in the Shadows

Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell has been out of action for a decade, so it's time to look back at 2013's Splinter Cell: Blacklist.

CoNn3rB261d ago

Sam Fisher is evidently the most skilled stealth operative because no-one has seen him in his own game for years

kevco33261d ago

10 years, in fact. He must be, like, 60 by now?

phoenixwing261d ago (Edited 261d ago )

why make an inspired game that takes effort when you can half ass it with multiplayer gaas games and filler filled assassins creed games?

That question up there is the reason you don't see splinter cell games

zarbor261d ago

Yup, another example that Ubisoft has no idea what they are doing.

MIDGETonSTILTS17261d ago

The entire mark and execute system belonged in another game.

It’s cool, but the polar opposite to how Sam Fisher initially handled.

The original trilogy made shooting very, very difficult, yet a viable option, which ultimately motivates stealth.

The mark/execute system makes shooting stupid easy, to the point of why would you even bother trying stealth as an alternative?

FYouDad260d ago

Because Ghost is the method fans of the series actually prefer? IMark and execute is never forced upon the player you liiterally never have to bother using it even once throughout Blacklist.

Tody_ZA260d ago

The sad part is that I actually really enjoyed the last game, Blacklist. It may have lacked the iconic voice but the gameplay was excellent, and blended stealth, action and a mix really great compared to most games, where none of the three options felt like the wrong way to play. I really hope they either produce a remake of the original game or a proper sequel.

Rikimaru-00260d ago

Isn't UBI Soft remaking splinter cell.

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70°

Ranking the Splinter Cell Games From Worst To Best

The stealth icon has gone too stealthy of late, but the best Splinter Cell games still rank among the best games ever made.

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160°

Sam Fisher Deserves Better

Alex S. from Link-Cable writes: "Ubisoft, we need to chat. Please, have a seat. Thanks. Ok, so I think you know why you’re here. No it has nothing to do with all those game delays, we’ll talk about that later. What? No it’s not about the Skulls & Bones and Beyond Good & Evil 2 falling off the face of the Earth, just listen. We need to talk about Splinter Cell. Don’t give me that look, you know this conversation needs to happen. The way you’ve treated the series, its fans and poor Sam Fisher himself is sad, infuriating and just plain disappointing and it needs to stop."

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link-cable.com
Fist4achin1500d ago

The Fish!!!

I'd love to see a remastered edition of those games as well as something new. It's about time.

UltraNova1500d ago

MGS is done, at least as we know it so it's now or never Ubi, give Fisher the reboot it deserves. And for Gods sake, don't you dare turn Splinter Cell into another Division/Ghost reckon online abomination instead of a SP focused steath action game!

Psychonaut851500d ago

You know they will though. This is Ubisoft we’re talking about

zachyBROosevelt1500d ago (Edited 1500d ago )

I would love a new splinter cell, maybe even a reboot at this point. Sam Fisher deserves it

Profchaos1500d ago

I think reboot the entire franchise the games were great but every time they try to make him human like a father or something it comes of as unbelievable

hiawa231500d ago

They added damn near every SC game to Xbox1X back compat enahnced list. That is a lot of Sam enhanced and I am loving it, but Sam deserves a new next gen game.

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