Splinter Cell: Conviction was released this past week and all I can say is, wow. Gameloft has struck gold [graphically]with their newest addition to the AppStore. From the onset it is clear that Splinter Cell: Conviction is one of the better looking games on the AppStore. This can be attributed mainly to the amazing level designs and smooth game play. But don't let the game fool you, err, I mean don't let the graphics fool you. The story line, though somewhat engaging, is a little lackluster. The cycling cliches and predictable plot twists keep players at a distance instead of fully immersing them in the game. As with most 3rd person shooters (TPS) in the Appstore, Sam is controlled via a virtual control stick and on-screen buttons. The action buttons are context sensitive and change from firing your gun to grappling enemies when close up.

Breakdown of Splinter Cell: Conviction

Gameplay Mechanics:
This game has some really cool gameplay mechanics that set it apart from any other TPS on the appstore. For one there's the "shooting out street light so enemies can spot you" trick. This is extremely helpful when you are low on ammo and have to resort to your hand to hand combat skills. Shooting out the streetlights, obviously, makes everything dark. Enemies have a hard time spotting you which gives you the upper hand. The Mark and Execute feature is by far one of my more favorite aspects of the game. When this feature is active it places red dots above enemies heads, when prompted an action button appears with a reticule in it. Pressing this action button allows Sam to kill all enemies with dots above their heads with one shot. The Last Known Position feature is my second favorite aspect. When your spotted by enemies a white shadow of Sam is displayed on the screen. This shadow indicates where your enemies last saw you, and naturally the enemies will head toward that position. Knowing this you can stay one step ahead of your attackers.

Sound: The music tracks are outstanding, every music track fits whats happening as it's happening. The gunshots and combat sounds are also amazing.

Entertainment:
Because there is nothing like it on the AppStore I find this game highly entertaining, and it has great replay value


Problems:
There are a few issues I found in this game that hinder the fun I could be having. The main issues is the AI. On the easiest difficulty you can stand right in front of an enemy without him noticing, on the hardest difficulty you can do the same thing (Though not as easily). Casual gamers and even those new to the iDevice platform will find the hardest difficulty the most fun. For me the difficulty should mimic the title. Cadet should be the easiest, Agent should be the middle difficulty, not too hard, yet not too difficult. The Splinter Cell difficulty should be hard, though its not. A simple update that tweaks the AI algorithm can easily fix this issue. The second issue I encountered is lag. The game plays well but ever so often I experience moments of lag that completely ruin any offensive attack i've planned. Now this could be because of the device i'm using (iPod Touch 2g), but I doubt it seeing as how users playing the game on their iPhone 3GS have also experienced substantial lag.

Ratings (Out of 5 's)
Graphics: 
Gameplay: 
Replay Value: 
Sound: 
Entertainment: 
Overall: 

Final Verdict: Though it is a port of the console version this game isn't completely what I was expecting. It may fall short in a few areas but it more than makes up for it in gameplay mechanics and entertainment. The price is set at $9.99 and as of right now this game is worth it. I recommend picking this up immediatley, don't miss out!!


Splinter Cell Conviction on the AppStore

Splinter Cell Gameplay

Screenshots: