Sam Fisher sneaks into Ghost Recon Wildlands this week
Three alarms and the mission's over
Poor Sam Fisher really deserves a break, but Ubisoft's grey and grumpy stealth agent is coming back via Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Wildlands this week. Confirming the first operation of Year 2 as being Splinter Cell themed, Fisher is going to be teaming up with the Ghosts to stop a rogue CIA agent from selling intel to the Bolivian cartels. Wildlands' rules of engagement being what they are, I doubt this mission will involve much sassy dialogue with soon-to-be-knocked-out guards.
I know that the last couple games in the Splinter Cell series tried to re-brand Sam Fisher as a darker, more inherently violent alternative to Solid Snake, but the trailer below for this new mission just feels wrong. Sam Fisher was the guy who always had something witty to say to the guard he had in a chokehold. I also remember Sam slitting a lot fewer throats. Still, this is Wildlands, so wanton violence is order of the day, and when stealth fails, you can always call in a gunship to strafe the complex.
Last week, Ubisoft confirmed that Wildlands was going to be receiving another year of content updates split into four Operations, each one with both free and paid components. Operation 1 is now officially confirmed as being Splinter Cell themed, with all players receiving the new co-op mission free, as well as a Counter Strike-esque new PvP mode called Sabotage, which includes several new multiplayer maps.
Those who buy the new season pass will find themselves with instant access to the new Echelon multiplayer class, who can use sonar pulses to see enemies through walls at short ranges. They'll also get a variety of new bits of gear and costume pieces, which will presumably be unlockable through extensive grinding for in-game currency a few weeks after season pass holders have had their fun.
This update for the game will be going live on April 10th, accompanied by a free weekend immediately afterwards on April 12th through to the 15th. You can see the full patch notes for the planned update here.