It's Back: Splinter Cell Blacklist's Spies Vs Mercs Multi
Credit where credit's due: Splinter Cell: Blacklist is looking significantly more like classic SC than Conviction or Double Agent - except, you know, when it's really, really not. There's pitch-black darkness and rainy atmosphere and the option to play without killing anybody (though non-lethal roughhousing is, sadly, quite encouraged), so that's a good-ish sign. But what of multiplayer? Conviction mystifyingly abandoned the series grimly satisfying, intriguingly asymmetrical Spies vs Mercs showdowns, so it's good news indeed to hear that clandestine game of cat-and-mouse-and-AK-47 is making a return. Catch it after the break (courtesy of IGN) before it throws down a smoke bomb and places a not-so-gentle hand around your tenderest of neck regions.
Yep, looks pretty Spies-vs-Mercs-y. Spies still rely on light, shadow, and a bottomless bag of agility and gadget-based tricks while Mercs burn through the dark in an attempt to track them down. This time around, the latter apparently have access to rather mobile (and, you know, explosive) drones as well, so it'll be interesting to see how Ubisoft tips the balance to keep everyone on even-ish footing.
Also definitely of note: it's not just two-vs-two anymore. That's make it a whole new ballgame, and it was already a pretty weird ballgame to begin with seeing as there were no balls and mostly guns.
Splinter Cell Blacklist will ruin all of your lights in August. I'm still a bit hesitant to let Sam Fisher re-infiltrate my heart, but the return of Spies vs Mercs definitely has me feeling more open to the idea. What's your take at this point?