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The Light and How to Swing It: The shocking truth in Beta
Ok. So Paladins rock in Beta. There are a whole slew of abilities and talents that make life a whole lot easier and a lot more fun. One popular request on the comments has been to test drive the new Wrath Shockadin, with improvements like a 6 second Holy Shock and ranged judgements from Enlightened Judgements, it really does seem like the spec has finally come into its own. Of course, what looks good on paper doesn't necessarily translate into actual gameplay. With the reshuffle of talents and the consolidation of spell and melee crit, what used to be a fringe off-spec with a loyal following might actually turn into the spec of choice... for healing Paladins. Before anything, though, let's make one thing clear -- this is Beta, so everything we'll be taking a look at today might (and is likely to) change by the time Wrath of the Lich King is live.
Splinter Cell: Conviction delayed into 09' ... GASP!
There were rumors floating around and now we can finally confirm the news. Splinter Cell: Conviction is delayed once again. Gasp!In their just released first quarter fiscal report, Ubisoft made mention that Splinter Cell: Conviction is still alive (phew!) and that it has been delayed once again (aww, shucks) possibly into 2010 (wah?). According to Ubi, they've pushed back its release to "bolster the line-up for fiscal 2009-10", meaning that the earliest we'll see Sam Fisher and hear his new voice will be April 2009. We've made the executive decision to place Conviction alongside Alan Wake in the 360's exclusive vaporware catalog.[Via Joystiq]
Splinter Cell: Conviction delayed until at least April '09
No, no, no, don't cry, Sam! Oh, now look, you've ruined your mascara. It appears emo Sam Fisher is going to be sitting on the sidelines a little longer as Ubisoft announced today that Splinter Cell: Conviction is being delayed until the company's next fiscal year. For those who don't tell time through corporate fiscal calendars, that means Conviction won't be released until after April of 2009.Rumors of Conviction's delay have been floating around for months, kicked into overdrive by the game's no-show at Ubidays and E3. Back in May, the development team said it would be showing the game in "forthcoming months." Well, there's still Tokyo and Leipzig ...
Wrath Beta patch notes: Paladin part V - The Retribution tree
I saved the best for last. Best if only because Retribution is the tree I've enjoyed the most while on my Paladin, and because a quick perusal of the new talents show that Blizzard seems to be taking the right steps for the tree. Few class specs have had more stigma than Retribution, mainly because the class traditionally performed better in other trees and also because the Retadin, who could only muster average DPS, provided little by way of raid utility. It doesn't help that Kalgan openly ridicules the class, either, whether or not in jest.Patch 2.3 saw a bunch of awesome changes for Retribution, dealing with threat management as well as some solid PvP-oriented talents. Despite that, few raids brought Retadins along, especially on progression. It's an old stigma that has carried over and has proven hard to shake. The other trees received fantastic upgrades -- you can read my overview of the Holy tree here, and my thoughts on the Protection tree here. You can read the entirety of the patch notes in my first post of this series, and my analysis on the changes to baseline abilities and existing talents in the follow-up.
Wrath Beta patch notes: Paladin part II
When Ghostcrawler mentioned on the closed Friends & Family Alpha that Paladins were the last to receive changes because the entire class was being majorly reworked, he wasn't kidding. The patch notes from the recently opened Wrath of the Lich King Beta revealed massive changes to spells and abilities as well as a shuffling of talents among the three trees. I covered an overview of the changes as well as the new Hand nomenclature for old Blessings in the first part of our beta analysis. It's now updated with the new Paladin talents in all three trees, so be sure to check it out.Before we get into the really juicy things, namely the new Wrath Paladin talents, we'll take a look at the changes to baseline spells and current talents. In some cases, these were totally reworked, and in others they were significantly improved. The first spell that leaps out with a huge buff is the change to Avenging Wrath, which no longer causes Forebearance. Its damage increase has been reduced to 20% (down from 30%), and now increases healing done by 20% (up from 0%).
Ubisoft coy about Splinter Cell Conviction delay rumors
Ubisoft is being very cloak and dagger about the status of Splinter Cell Conviction after its no-show at Ubidays. The publisher tells CVG that the time frame for Conviction is this fiscal year, which would be sometime before April '09; meanwhile, Ubisoft tells Eurogamer that the team is currently "polishing" the title, but wouldn't give a time frame for any further Conviction information.Ubisoft maintains that rumors of Conviction's delay until late 2009, or possibly 2010, are purely speculative. The company wouldn't elaborate, but did say that Splinter Cell is one of its major IPs and it won't release it until its perfect ... and "it's not yet perfect."Source -- Ubisoft "not ready to be more specific" about Splinter CellSource -- Conviction "not yet perfect", says Ubi
Rumor: Splinter Cell Conviction delayed way back into 2009-2010
After a much too long hiatus, the rumor mill is back to its rumor mill ways and brings us word that Ubisoft's Splinter Cell Conviction has been delayed ... into 2009 ... or 2010 ... GASP!According to CVG, the latest issue of Xbox World 360 reports that Ubisoft Montreal has gone "back to the drawing board" in regards to Conviction's development after realizing how outdated its gameplay mechanics really were in comparison to Ubisoft's own Assassin's Creed. But for now, the long, long, long delay is just a rumor. Though, with Ubisoft's refusal to comment on said rumor, we can't help but begin to come to the sad realization that our Conviction must wait a few more years. Depressing ...[Via Joystiq]
The Light and How to Swing It: Three easy steps to Retribution PvP
Regular Paladin columnist Elizabeth was crit by an insane amount of work at, well, work and her co-columnist Chris is away completing his own epic quest, so like those duplicitous Blood Elves, I'll be stealing the Light for this week and swinging it around. Since most of the stuff I write on the site concern the one thing I really like to do -- PvP -- I think I'll get into character and write about something that some people find taboo... Retribution PvP. After writing about a few rules on healing in PvP, let's indulge ourselves with a little retributive mayhem. Despite being the most ridiculed spec in the entire game, Retribution can be a lot of fun -- and painful for your opponents -- once you get some fundamentals down pat.Step one: gear upIf you are at all interested in PvP as a Retribution Paladin, you must get geared up. There are no two ways about this. Unless you have the proper gear, you will simply not perform as well as similarly-geared classes and your PvP experience will be diminished greatly. Retribution is one of the most equipment-dependent specs in the game, and you will feel it in PvP. Chris has written an excellent starter guide for all aspiring Ret Pallies, which is an excellent read for learning about the perfect Retribution gear. In order to do some PvP, we'll then need to take the next step and go beyond what Chris suggested and aim much higher as far as at least one piece of equipment is concerned -- your weapon.
Splinter Cell Conviction still an Xbox exclusive
Despite a recent GAME typo that listed Splinter Cell Conviction for PlayStation 3, Ubisoft has already cashed Microsoft's blank check, er, reaffirmed its "deal" with Microsoft to keep the console version of the sneaky sequel bound exclusively to Xbox 360 – and besides, PS3 can't render Sam's new beard, right? "This is just a mistake by the retailer. The game is not coming out on PS3," an Ubisoft spokesperson told VideoGamer. The representative also dismissed GAME's suggested April 1 release date, stating, "We're sticking to the original announcement." Last we heard (and confirmed again today), the next Splinter Cell is scheduled for the company's coming fiscal year (April 2008–March 2009).
Doh! Splinter Cell Conviction gets delayed
Yesterday, as part of Ubisoft's end of the quarter fiscal talk with their investors, they revealed that the 360 exclusive Splinter Cell Conviction is taking longer than expected to develop and has been delayed. Originally, Conviction was planned for release sometime between January and March 2008, but Ubisoft made it clear that the game wouldn't release in that time frame and is now targeted for sometime on or after April 2008. And we know, being the kind heart you are, that your instant reaction to the Conviction delay is to worry about Ubisoft's financials. But don't, because Ubisoft already planned for the delay and their earnings outlook is in check.
No Splinter Cell Conviction until 2008
Sad news for people who stifle their tears only long enough to sneak up on terrorists and choke them to death: A recent UbiSoft fiscal report says that Conviction isn't due until the fourth quarter of UbiSoft's fiscal year (read: Between January and March of '08). More of the financial report is available here, if you're interested.We weren't terribly surprised that we wouldn't be getting to play Conviction this year, as we assumed Microsoft would have been trumpeting it in its all-2007 lineup at E3 if possible. We are, however, still a little sad that we won't get to gather around the Yule Log and experience the inner torment of emo Sam Fisher.
Ubisoft defends Splinter Cell series changes
All Ubisoft wants is for Splinter Cell fans to give emo-Fisher a chance. It seems reaction has been quite strong to Sam Fisher's new look and the departure from the light-and-shadow gameplay. 'Cause, you know, Splinter Cell without light and shadow is basically that other famous stealth action game (except you'd need to add a healthy dash of eccentric characters -- really eccentric characters). Speaking with GI.biz, Splinter Cell producer Mathieu Ferland says, "We've been working very closely with the fans from the beginning ... Their first reaction was, 'What's going on? Where's Sam?' And then they discovered these new possibilities, this new mechanic and they said, 'That looks awesome. I want to play it."Ferland goes on to say that if the game doesn't do well that they'll go back to the darkness and shadows that Fisher called home for so many years. It looks like Conviction is trying to do for Splinter Cell what Blood Money did for Hitman, by making the controls less complex and more intuitive. The game is still expected to release later this year and we don't expect Sam Fisher to release a book of poetry before then.
Ubisoft: Conviction is a risk, but we believe in it
Talking with GameIndustry.biz, Splinter Cell Conviction producer Mathieu Ferland talks about the game revealing that he and the Ubisoft team truly believe in the new direction they are taking their stealth based franchise. In Conviction Ubisoft is switching it up by allowing players to play a different Sam Fisher who's running from the law, blending in with crowds in broad daylight, and using distraction techniques to complete missions. This ultimately changes up gameplay and strays a little bit from the proven successful Splinter Cell formula. Ferland says that they've "been working very closely with the fans from the beginning" and thinks that Conviction will be a welcomed changed to the franchise. But Ferland also let it be known that that Ubisoft is not afraid to go back to its old stealth formula if Conviction were to flop. But for now, they're confident.As fans of the Splinter Cell franchise, do you think Conviction is a creative step in the right direction to expand the storyline and freshen up gameplay? Or are you dead set on being a shadows assassin and reject Sam Fisher's new hobo look?
Uber Ubisoft Ubidays video roundup
Ubisoft's Ubidays event in Paris spawned almost as many video trailers as it did announcements. Thanks to the wonders of embeddable streaming video, we're able to put them all in a single post for your viewing pleasure and/or displeasure, depending on the game. Naruto: Rise of a Ninja (Xbox 360) Loosely based on the 837,212 episodes of popular anime, Naruto, this cel-shaded action game seems to strongly encourage you to leap through trees, punch older men and generally behave like a ninja who's under the constant scrutiny of kids. No sudden decapitations like that other guy.
A Splinter Cell: Conviction trailer and apology to Sam
Dear Mr. Fisher, Hey, it's Joystiq. Sorry to bother you, we just needed to get something off of our chests. Do you remember when we made fun of you for going totally emo? We just wanted to say we're sorry. It was short-sighted and just plain mean and we sincerely hope we can still be friends.You're probably wondering what prompted our change of heart, but if we're being honest, it started with the above trailer for Splinter Cell: Conviction. See, in our rush to make fun of your long hair and hoodie, we kind of forgot about your tendency to throw tables at people. Oh, and your access to high-power firearms, that totally slipped our minds. And, perhaps worst of all, we neglected to consider your ability to beat a man so badly that his brain throws up. We hope there are no hard feelings, and look forward to hiding from you working with you in the future.Sincerely, Joystiq
Splinter Cell Conviction trailer Bournes it up
Hot on the heels of a new Assassin's Creed trailer comes this new Splinter Cell Conviction trailer from Ubisoft's Ubidays event. The trailer shows off the new social stealth system that will be employed in Conviction, as well as Sam Fisher's new combat capabilities. We've noted before that Sam Fisher now possesses some kick ass maneuvers akin to those seen in the Bourne films and this trailer confirms it. In fact, the whole atmosphere of the trailer seems to take a page from the modern spy franchise, which isn't a bad thing at all. After all, how many times can you play as a guy in a rubber suit? Check out an extended look at the game after the break. Be warned though, the video is a little dark.
Sam Fisher shows his softer side
For his latest adventure in Splinter Cell: Conviction (which appears to have dropped the capital "V"), Sam Fisher has gone positively emo. His face is capable of a wider range of emotions, he's kicking it in the Mediterranean and he's even ... grown his hair out. Mary De Marle, "narrative designer" for the game, told IGN that Sam has always been this way; he's just been waiting for the chance to let his softie flag fly. "Somehow, we are presenting the 'original' Sam, as we have been thinking him since the first days of the first Splinter Cell," De Marle said.To help compliment this new "make love, not war" ethos, Sam has forsaken the tech supplied to him by Third Echelon in favor of the hottest new SC gadget: The hoodie. No, seriously. Sam will be able to pull it up in crowds to make himself less noticeable or to hide the single tear he's crying for his lost innocence. But mainly just the first one. When you combine some of the latest revelations with what we learned earlier this month, the new Splinter Cell sounds like a major departure from the norm -- and that sounds just fine to us.
Ubisoft says Conviction can't be done on PS3
There's been some more sleuthing (Ha! Legitimately unintentional pun, we swear) on the Finnish magazine that had the Splinter Cell: Conviction screenshot scans from Friday. Apparently the interview has some spiffy details about the enemy AI, Sam Fisher's ability to interact with his environment, and most deliciously, Ubisoft giving the PS3 some flack. First, they say that Conviction being exclusive allows them to accomplish things on the 360 that couldn't be done if the title was multiplatform. They even go so far to say that if the title was a PS3 exclusive, they still would not be able to achieve some of these feats. Ouch ... coming from a well respected developer like Ubisoft, that's gotta hurt.
Splinter Cell Conviction scans are purdy
Revealed earlier this week, scans of the upcoming Splinter Cell Conviction have been uncovered by our friends at Xboxygen. It looks like Sam Fisher has forgone his typical bald-headed, grizzled appearance for that of a shaggy hobo. You can see him above sporting some ratty hair, a full beard, and an oh-so-trendy man-purse. Metrosexual flavor aside, the scans show off some impressive visuals. There are civilians everywhere and the environments are incredibly detailed. Splinter Cell has always had top notch visuals, but these shots are damned impressive. One shot in particular shows off the level of detail, as coffee cups go flying when Sam knocks a police officer into a nearby cafe. There are also some sequential shots of Sam's new Bourne-tastic maneuvers.If the gameplay lives up to the graphics, we could be in for a real (Xbox 360 exclusive) treat. Hit the "read" link to check out the scans.
Splinter Cell: Conviction deets revealed
Hey, remember how Peter Moore said the next Splinter Cell would be Xbox 360 exclusive? Remember how it dropped off the face of the earth after that? Well, Splinter Cell Conviction is back in the news again. Finnish gaming magazine, Pelaaja (Player) reveals new details on the game (translated by Gamers Reports).
