More stealth immersion while preserving viscerality, brings back the old gadgets and corpse-hauling, adds more!
Blacklist returns Sam and Splinter Cell to full splendor (although I loved Conviction). Sam can again move bodies, he can capture people on-the-fly, the sleeping-gas and electrocution gadgets are back; the world in which Sam lives and thrives is more realistic and holds more depth and breadth than ever.
The game has a challenging learning curve without beating you over the head. There will be a few missions where you get into some sticky spots - but starting again is very simple and happens very fast. The game doesn't waste your time - provided you did the smart thing and installed the game to your console's harddrive.
Cooperative play has been seamlessly integrated into the game via the characters on the Paladin - and that includes all the characters, including brutal rascal Andriy Kobin, who sits in a brig in the back of the plane.
I miss Michael Ironside's voice but I'm getting settled to the new guy. I eagerly await the paperback that should accompany the game, as has been traditional. Perhaps we'll even get two, like we did with Conviction.