Fisher has lost his daughter and along with her, he’s lost his fragile grip on the world around him. He’s facing betrayal left and right, and the people that he deems trustworthy he can count on one finger. So what does a man who has nothing to lose do at this point? Well, in the case of Conviction, he wades between monochromatic moments of slithering through the shadows and robust vivid color-filled firefights.

While the title is the fifth in the seminal stealth series, Conviction feels like a breakthrough and a fresh start for the series. What will strike you first is the way in which the narrative is revealed. With a presentation that feels torn from the pages of prime time entertainment, the words will appear across the landscape in clear sight, while visions of the event in question will line the walls.

The urgency smacks you in the face and you feel what Fisher feels as the events cascade around you. And with each revelation that draws you further into the mystery (while doing a pretty admirable job of not being too cliché) you come to a conclusion that is a little bit of a left down. Fisher, to his credit, maintains his aura of “one-man army bent on retribution and unceasing vengeance”, with a slight hint of hope and justice.

Now, as I said, when I first started playing I noticed that the gameplay was monochromatic and at times filled with some breathtaking visuals. Well, when Fisher is unnoticed by his adversaries, victims, whatever you’d like to call them, his world is in a stoic black and white. While each level gives multiple ways for you to take them down, it’s unfortunate that the visuals are rendered so bland when you are operating as the only ninja with five o’clock shadow. I would have gladly traded in that mechanic for some sort of other visual queue, maybe even a status bar or radar. However, Fisher does not start with such gadgetry from the beginning.

No, this is a Sam Fisher that improvises before he gathers his full arsenal. But even in the hands of this vicious agent, a urinal can become a powerful weapon. That’s right. You will wield the power of a urinal to extract valuable information from enemies during interrogation scenes that you will wish lasted so, so very much longer.

Combat outside of the general fisticuffs are a blast too. And with every take down you will gain the ability to use a “mark and execute” technique. Yes, this will become one of the most fun ways to dispatch enemies in the game, as you will mark an enemy and execute a silent head shot in slow motion. Rack up enough of these techniques while continuing to employ stealth methods and the carnage will multiply exponentially. If you had no other reason to tackle these enemies than to find out more about your daughter, it would be to silence what could possibly be the loudest enemies in any video game every created.

There’s absolutely no way I could watch all of my fellow bad guys get picked off and hear screams and still taunt someone who could kill me with a pack of chewing gum.

There’s a flip side to this campaign though, and it is the co-op based narrative that enlists the services of agents Kestrel and Archer. Now, if the Sam Fisher side of the coin is all about finding justice however you need to, than the co-op campaign is all about find the most entertaining ways to scare the living snot out of the enemies that populate these missions. After a while, because of the ingenuity of myself and friends, I tended to try find more replay value in the co-op campaigns than trying to find new ways to help Fisher bite the hands that once fed him.

Splinter Cell: Conviction is a pivotal point in the franchise, allowing for growth while reaching back to what made the series so much fun for fans. The “Fisher Faithful” are going to enjoy this trek through Sam’s deconstruction and will definitely have something to talk about when all is said and done.

Splinter Cell: Conviction was developed by Ubisoft Montreal and Published and Distributed by Ubisoft and Steam. It retails for $59.99 USD and was purchased at a local videogame retailer. The game was played on the default difficult setting and continues to provide more innovative ways to kill a man.