Sam Fisher
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Rumor: The reasons behind Ironside's Splinter Cell split
The Sarcastic Gamer gang has been slipped another round of supposedly "inside" info regarding the rumored nixing of actor Michael Ironside as the voice of Splinter Cell's Sam Fisher. Rather than simply more "he's gone" talk, this time there are actual (rumored) details concerning the (also rumored) split, which comes during what has been a turbulent development process for Splinter Cell: Conviction.According to the latest hubbub, Ironside was given the boot for being generally difficult to work with ... and asking for more compensation than publisher Ubisoft deemed sufficient for his work. Bear in mind that Ubisoft still hasn't commented on the situation, so all of this is just as plausibly deniable as one of agent Fisher's missions.[Via X3F]
Rumor: Ironside no longer voicing Splinter Cell's Sam Fisher
There's an enormous void in our brains where Splinter Cell: Conviction should be. It wasn't long ago that the Xbox 360-exclusive spy simulator used to occupy a significant chunk of the quadrant reserved for games being released in 2007 but, after several increasingly vague reports – not to mention the game's total absence at the recent Ubidays event – we're having a hard time remembering it ... this was the one where Sam Fisher goes totally emo, right?Well, he was totally emo last time we saw him but who knows what state the game's gravelly voiced protagonist is in now. If a rumor on Sarcastic Gamer is to be believed, the hero's distinctive voice – heretofore provided by star of stage and screen and Scanners, Michael "Ironside" Ironside – may be replaced for this latest version with who the hell knows. We've put our feelers out but, as long as we've got you all here, let's do some brainstorming. We all realize David Hayter will be missing those Solid Snake checks pretty soon and, assuming this rumor is true for just 7 seconds, Ubisoft may need a leading man('s voice) pretty soon. David, Ubisoft. Ubisoft, David. Imagine it: Sam! SAM! SAAAAMMMMMMM!
Rumor: Conviction loses voice of Sam Fisher
An interesting rumor coming from our chums over at Sarcastic Gamer tells us that, according to their "people", they've been informed that voice actor Michael Ironside (the iconic voice behind Splinter Cell's Sam Fisher) has been axed and will not voice Fisher in the upcoming release Conviction. Sarcastic Gamer's tipster didn't give any reason for Ironside's dismissal, but we have a feeling that, if this turns out to be true, the almighty dollar would be to blame. Let's just hope this rumor ends up being hogwash, because we think we can all agree that Sam Fisher isn't Sam Fisher without Ironside behind the mic. Ubisoft, with fury in our eyes and fists clenched, we're warning you. Don't you screw Conviction up like this.
Rumor: Splinter Cell Conviction delayed until 2009-10
(Cue The Incredible Hulk "Lonely Man" theme after the break) According to CVG, the latest issue of Xbox World 360 states that Splinter Cell Conviction is going dark until late 2009 or Spring 2010. The magazine speculates Conviction was sent back to the drawing board after games like Ubisoft's own Assassin's Creed made it seem outdated.Ubisoft's response to the story has been to pull a "no comment" and say that the news piece is pure speculation. Videogaming 247 states the last press release about the title (from last Summer) had Conviction hitting retail in late 2007. Some answers on Conviction's fate may be revealed at Ubisoft's UbiDays event in Paris next weekRead -- Splinter Cell Conviction 'back to drawing board'Read -- Ubisoft refuses comment
Ubisoft preps for a Tom Clancy-themed MMO
Not less that two hours ago we were discussing the ways that FPSes have co-opted the trappings of MMOs, and now this. Ubisoft has announced that, as part of an IP-purchasing deal with spy-genre mogul Tom Clancy, they'll be working to create an MMO based on his works. We're just guessing what the gameplay might be like above, but company CEO Yves Guillemot seems determined to get one out the door. The game isn't even in the works yet, as Ubisoft has little experience in the post-WoW MMO marketplace, but Yves thinks they already have the technology in-hand to make the game. He also noted the abundance of options they have as regards setting: "You have Splinter Cell, Sam Fisher, the Rainbow [Sixes], the GRAWs and all the other new creations we have. So this [IP acquisition] will make that [MMO] product a really big product." This was apparently a foregone conclusion from some time ago, according to Yves. They were merely waiting for the right opportunity to jump in. It getting a might crowded out here for anyone else?
Vampire Rain downpours July 3rd
Well, if you're a little pissy about not getting the demo in your area, at least you won't have to wait long for the retail to be released. Microsoft just sent out a release stating that Vampire Rain will be shipping July 3rd for $59.99. Not only that, but a Fan Site Kit can be downloaded at the www.vampirerain.com. So, does the idea of merging Buffy the Vampire Slayer with Sam Fisher from the Splinter Cell series interest you, or does it run a little dry?
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.
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).
Splinter Cell Double Agent getting the females
Fans and community members of the Splinter Cell series have been worried for a while about the upcoming content for Splinter Cell Double Agent. There has been a nasty rumor floating around that only the PS3 version of the game will include female multiplayer skins. Bummer right? But fret not, because that evil rumor has been debunked! On the Ubisoft forums Rhoulette, Ubisoft community manager, confirmed that the new female skins will indeed be available on the Xbox 360 version too. It'll come in the form of downloadable content, but they'll be available none the less. So stop worrying about the female skins and get back to playing, you know, the reason you bought the game.[Thanks, j10jep2]
360 Splinter Cell: Double Agent at 1080p? Ubisoft: yup [update 1]
[Update: Looks like the pissing contest ain't over, folks. GamePro circled back around and contacted that yay-saying Ubisoft repper who "apologized for the confusion, noting that the game currently supports only 1080i." Whoops! The GamePro pros are still trying to figure out why 1080p was enabled on their debug units. Just the software upscaler maybe?]The Good Ship Microsoft has come about a full 180 degrees over the whole 1080p issue. First they laughed at it and called it impossible, then they embraced it and, and now Ubisoft's Splinter Cell: Double Agent will be the first game to run in 1080p on the Xbox 360.1080p support has been the most contentious point between the two consoles, with Sony constantly waving their banner "True HD" and touting 1080p as something that only their console will have. They've fired more shots back and forth about what 1080p actually means, harking back to Clinton saying, "It depends on what the meaning of the word 'is' is" during the whole Lewinsky affair.If the whole sordid world of HD gives you a headache while you sort it out, it gets more complicated. Shane Kim told us that while the software patch could upscale all content to resolutions as high as 1080p, Microsoft Game Studios themselves had no plans to produce gaming content taking advantage of this ability. He was similarly convinced that very few other developers would see the value in producing 1080p games, with the singular exception of Sony's first-party studios, eager to validate the value of the capability. We're not sure if Double Agent is being rendered in 1080p natively or if it's taking advantage of the Xbox 360's upcoming upscaling ability. We've asked Ubisoft for clarification, since our drinking buddy Sam Fisher has stopped returning our calls.[Thanks, Jdaman]
Splinter Cell coming to the Wii
As if Ubisoft hadn't done enough already, they've added yet another game to the "launch window" release. Splinter Cell: Double Agent is currently being developed by Ubisoft's Montreal studios for a quick release on the Wii. Let's use our psychic powers to predict the future, shall we? There will be no online component for the Wii version. The programmers have utilized the Wiimote to create a special, unique control scheme. Some missions will remain exclusive to the Xbox 360 version of the game. Sam Fisher will star in some government-oriented espionage action. (goes to look) Oh my stars, look at that, we're precognizant. On the less skeptical side of things, this looks to be one of the better-looking Wii titles, and Splinter Cell doesn't often disappoint, so chalk this up as another minor victory for the fledgling console.[via Joystiq]
Double Agent web site launches
Ubisoft has launched the official Splinter Cell: Double Agent web site in anticipation of the game's September release. You could say the French publisher is a little late to its own party, as some people started celebrating last week by selling used copies of the game.
