Sam Fisher gets a personality

Welcome to part two of our week-long Splinter Cell Conviction preview. Yesterday we looked at how the gameplay was changing to become a morereactive experience. Today we look at how Splinter Cell's main character, Sam Fisher, is getting a personality.

While Splinter Dell Double Agentwasbeginning to give the series more of a plot and some motivation for Sam, it was still very much a stealth game from the traditional mold. But that's all changed. New Splinter Cell demands a more human approach than that of the the techno-savvy agent of yesteryear.

According to Mary De Marle, narrative designer on the new game, "Sam is [usually] identified as a guy in a black leathery bodysuit, with three green dots on his head. This is very heroic and high tech and was perfect to perform light and shadow stealth in an oil rig in the middle of the Caspian Sea. However, when wandering in a Washington DC park on a sunny afternoon, this may not be the stealthiest gear to wear."

Of course, the news that the green headgear and black sneaking suit are unlikely to feature heavily (if at all) will come as a blow to long-term Splinter Cell fans. But Mary insists that a half decision "always leads to half success," so it looks like we're going to have to trust the team on this one.