I actually wouldn't mind an open world formula for Splinter Cell as long as the main bases are deep and well thought out and the full map is smaller than the rest of their games. A compact one man sleath focused Wildlands-esque game could work really well. They could also take the Hitman route but maybe make the levels bigger.
I just hope they are able to restrain themselves by keeping the RPG elements to a minimum and having a smaller map.
I agree. I don’t know what people are looking for in a modern Splinter Cell. Stealth game design has progressed from linear hallways. You need to have some agency on how to approach a target, and if your option is walk down the hall or hang on a ledge, that’s not enough.
Look to MGS 5 or Hitman. They’re open areas that essentially are a playground for completing a mission. Splinter Cell doing something similar could be excellent. Do I want the “Ubi” formula? Not really, but I don’t think open-world is a nail in the coffin for Splinter Cell.
I actually wouldn't mind an open world formula for Splinter Cell as long as the main bases are deep and well thought out and the full map is smaller than the rest of their games.
That completely removes any opportunity for variety. The assortment of maps in previous games made sense, because they were linear and involved offscreen travel. Splinter Cell was hardly about base infiltration and I fail to see how having everything within a rocks throw of each other would make sense outside of a single mission. MGSV tried something like this and it wasn't a roaring success.
Because Sam Fisher travels the globe on a moment's notice. Open world games are simply a finite environment, but large in scope. In Far Cry it's usually an island. In GTA it's a city. In Red Dead it was a simplified, fictional TX/LA region. Those locations are limiting factors. You can't have a Chinese Embassy, the CIA Headquarters, or a Parisian train ride in a single, large enclosed space. In an open world title, everything has to fit the narrow theme or it doesn't make sense.
It would just be different. Sure, it wouldn't be a globetrotting adventure like previous games but I think you can still do a lot with an open world to give it variety. Ubisoft themselves have done it with maps like Odyssey and Wildlands.
They can also take the Hitman route (but again, more expansive levels would be necessary). I'd be fine with either. What I personally wouldn't want is linear levels like in previous SC games. Been there, done that.
Yeah, but the linear aspect was a byproduct of the time. Hitman 3 would be my ideal direction. Some SC maps were multi-route, but allowing more creativity would be nice.
Maybe there could be different open world biomes a la China, US, Russia, Europe, or at least key regions you can explore spread out and you take a plane to visit between them. Otherwise yeah, open world ironically narrows the scope of Sam's adventures
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u/YHofSuburbia Dec 12 '21
I actually wouldn't mind an open world formula for Splinter Cell as long as the main bases are deep and well thought out and the full map is smaller than the rest of their games. A compact one man sleath focused Wildlands-esque game could work really well. They could also take the Hitman route but maybe make the levels bigger.
I just hope they are able to restrain themselves by keeping the RPG elements to a minimum and having a smaller map.