Mathieu Ferland (Ubi Soft) on Splinter Cell

Interview - Ferrago talk at length with the Producer of Tom Clancy's most anticipated game yet.

With the recent clamour of interest surrounding the latest Tom Clancy game from Ubi Soft, Ferrago decided to have a few words on the title with Producer Mathieu Ferland. So onto Splinter Cell it is, a game for the PC and Xbox rapidly developing something of a following since an impressive showing at E3.

Ferrago: I gather that with Splinter Cell, you aim to progress the stealth-action genre, from a third-person perspective. What new advancements will the game include that will add to the sense of realism that Clancy’s games have always strove for?

MF: Splinter Cell introduces a brand new way of playing into the Tom Clancy universe. Other titles of the franchise like Rainbow Six or Ghost Recon were FPS emphasizing team combat and tactics. In Splinter Cell, there is no room for a whole team as most of the missions have to be done secretly, without leaving a trace. It is a much different ground of actions and the fight against terrorism occurs at a higher degree on the field of national security. Sam Fisher sometime needs to wait and think about how is going to make his next action, and how he’ll achieve his next objective…

“Realism” is a global concept that affects all areas of a game: story, graphics, sounds, animation, etc. But still, this is not enough… in Splinter Cell, the main objective is to bring the universe even more alive by making it fully interactive. A proper use of the gadgets available is needed… but the way the player interacts with the environment can make the difference between success and failure.

Ferrago: How will the plot evolve as the game progresses, and what geo-political intrigue can we expect to become embroiled in over the course of the game?

MF: Like previous titles in the Tom Clancy franchise, Splinter Cell is using the concept of “missions” to progress in the game and in the story. The terrorists are using Information Warfare - technology empowered terrorism and propaganda in the US.

During the game, Sam Fisher gets critical information that will finally lead him to the real threat. There will be cut scenes, scripted events and around 17 minutes of pre-rendered cinematics that will guide the player into the plot. But don’t worry, they’re won’t be more movies than gameplay and you’ll be able to skip them if the story is not your main interest.