Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Blacklist is a multi-platform stealth action computer game developed by Ubisoft Toronto with the assistance of Ubisoft Montreal and Ubisoft Shanghai. The global publisher is Ubisoft. In Russia and the CIS countries, the publisher is “Nовый Диск.” The release of the sixth game in the Splinter Cell series took place in August 2013 on the following platforms: PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Nintendo Wii U.
The fifth installment of the popular franchise, released in 2010 (Splinter Cell: Conviction), was decent, but it resembled a stealth action game far less than all the previous games in the series. The game felt more like an average action movie with stealth elements, where we could roll, hide from enemy fire, shoot back, and also kill five to ten enemies in open combat as if that was the norm. Naturally, this approach did not please the true fans of Splinter Cell who loved the series for the stealth mode, allowing them to complete missions without killing anyone and without raising alarms. In Conviction, however, players were literally pushed to complete levels in 'attack mode', leading to claims that the concept of 'stealth action' in Splinter Cell was definitively dead.
When the announcement of Splinter Cell: Blacklist was made, many were quite skeptical, thinking that yet another shooting game was on the horizon, but after the game's release, it became clear that their soul-wrenching fears were unfounded. Yes, mass shootouts, as well as episodes better suited for the Call of Duty series, have disappeared completely and irreversibly, but Blacklist did not turn into another action film in the Splinter Cell series. Unlike Conviction, Blacklist is more in line with the earlier parts of the franchise – the game's action, barring the initial levels, primarily takes place at night, and enemies can be bypassed rather than eliminated. Blacklist even encourages gamers to play stealthily, introducing various tasks that can only be completed in 'quiet mode'.
In Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Blacklist, players once again take control of Sam Fisher, who, while not elderly, is certainly no longer young. As usual, peace is merely a dream for him. The United States is once again under threat, and the villains this time are a group called 'The Engineers' – terrorists who demand that the U.S. withdraw its troops from the countries where 'democratic intervention' was previously performed. As a lever of pressure, the extremists have devised a so-called 'Blacklist', listing all the terrorist acts that will occur if the U.S. does not heed their modest opinion. It’s a tough situation, but entirely solvable, since the U.S. has Sam Fisher, albeit one who has retired and already has the status of a pensioner. But as everyone knows, there are no former spies and agents. Fisher is given carte blanche and full freedom of action, as long as he saves the bulwark of democracy from terrorism while also uncovering who is behind all the dark dealings.
'Third Echelon' has ceased to exist following the events described in Splinter Cell: Conviction, hence 'Fourth Echelon' was created, led by Fisher himself, who became the head of the newly established organization. The 'Echelon' headquarters is located aboard the 'Paladin' aircraft, filled from top to bottom with advanced technology. The 'Paladin' somewhat resembles the Normandy from Mass Effect: as Fisher, players can wander through the compartments, interact with specialists, gather equipment for upcoming missions, and so on. However, if all one does is run around the 'Paladin', the enemy will not be defeated, and Fisher, even though he is the Echelon leader, must still descend from the heavens to the earth – after all, no one fulfills the task better than him. As mentioned earlier, all missions can be completed quietly without drawing attention, just like in the good old days, but if desired, players can also engage in shooting – the influence of Conviction is indeed felt. In addition to the single-player mode, Blacklist features co-op as well as a very decent multiplayer mode with the well-known 'Spies vs. Mercs' mode.