Splinter Cell turns the lights on

The big change in Splinter Cell Conviction's gameplay is the dropping of the series' trademark 'light and shadow' gameplay. That's right, no more crouching in shadows and watching your lightness bar. It's being replaced with 'active stealth,' or 'improvisation' according to the game's senior producer, Mathieu Ferland.

So what does that mean? Well, whereas in previous Splinter Cell games the main skill being tested was the player's patience (you sit in shadow, certain you're invisible and wait for your moment to leave cover), the new gameplay will be much more immediate.

According to Ferland, strategy will still play an important part, but now more focus will be placed on adaptation. "We want the player acting in a reactive mode, not a proactive one," he said. There are many ways to go unnoticed, and we are offering a wide variety of them, now, we are pushing you to choose one, and if it was the wrong choice or was badly executed, other means to improvise.

"A real survivor does not only survive the initial threat, but to the ones yet unseen," he beams. It all sounds very much like Metal Gear Solid 4's tagline of 'No place to hide' to us, although a change in gameplay would be a refreshing break from the now standard sneaking fare.

Above: Mathieu Ferland, Senior Producer of Splinter Cell Conviction (and an ill-placed picture of Sam Fisher)