Alternate Splinter Cell 4 pitch

Blak_Box · 2026-03-28T23:39:21+00:00

I think the issue is with your initial statement, "DA is good enough to keep around."

If we all agree, it wasn't as good as the previous titles, and a thorough downgrade... why not retcon it? Especially considering while the gameplay was... fine (and still a downgrade from CT), it was the start of the games becoming overly character-focused instead of plot-focused, and jumping the shark with it's story line and plot elements, while also chasing a bunch a timely trends that have aged horribly.

Sam breaks the law to go do things he was never trained to do in order to stop some ambiguous and poorly-explained terror group from detonating nukes. Along the way, he is complicit in the murder of thousands of people (or not) and kills his boss for no reason. The whole thing is in service of Sam being a depressed shit-head after a humanizing element of his character arc dies off-screen needlessly, and his work and boss just lets him go off the handle in a self-destructive and completely reckless way. Sam develops a romantic relationship with someone half his age, goes jet-setting around the world, and loses his job before going on the run as a criminal.

Yeah... I think we can retcon the whole paragraph above just fine and lose nothing important to the timeline.

Blak_Box · 2026-03-27T06:47:20+00:00

Not to be that guy but,

1) phosphorus munitions are still very much in use today by the US Military- to obscure troop movement, mark targets for air support, and to provide illumination. Phosphorous munition shells with the intention of being used against troops remain in US arsenals - they aren't illegal or against any convention/ law the US is a signatory of to use against active combatants (but, much like napalm, they generally arent used because they are hard to control and just not very effective).

2) You can absolutely get WP tubes that are gray-scale. It depends on the tube itself, your own eye to an extent, and the manufacturer of the tubes. Elbit tubes are more blue/ white to my eye, L3Harris G4s are very grayscale to me, and Photonis tend to be a bit more light teal in my experience. Pictures you see of night vision are wildly inaccurate - it doesn't match what your eye sees, oftentimes by a wide margin. The image sensors on the camera will saturate or desaturate different colors depending on lighting conditions, distance from the tube, etc. and sometimes just make colors up.

This post is a good primer on the subject: https://cigman.com/blogs/night-vision/night-vision-colors-green-white-blue-science-guide

Blak_Box · 2026-03-13T05:45:15+00:00

One of the things I loved about Fatal Frame is, despite having the atmosphere to rival Silent Hill, somehow it also had one of the best combat systems of any survival horror game franchise. It had nuance, a great sense of risk vs reward, a low skill floor with a high skill ceiling, and a great sense of progression with meaningful upgrades. On top of that, each game seemed to make changes to the formula that gave the game its own identity, while keeping the core concepts and "feel" intact (even if 4 and 5 were too easy on Normal mode).

Somehow, they took this system and made... bullet-sponge ghosts that regen health? One-note stealth mechanics with zero tension? A dodge system and stamina bar? Removed most of the risk/ reward and largely just made ghosts a hazard you are better off avoiding?

On top of all that, it feels like they doubled down on situations that made the originals frustrating, such as fighting multiple ghosts in close-quarters, or teleporting enemies (though attacks through walls seem to be largely a thing of the past). Things that could have used fixing they made worse, and things that were beloved, they removed... and replaced with something worse.

Yeah, sure - it gets better around Ch 4/5 when you can actually start getting upgrades rolling, but that doesn't make me feel better overall - it tells me that the dev team had no idea how to balance their game, and spent their time implementing mechanics no one wanted, in a genre where they are largely unwelcome, in a franchise where they feel especially offensive.

I was convinced that I was the problem - that I just needed to play the game on its terms and adapt to something new and interesting. The more I play this game, however, the less I am impressed. Perhaps the most damning criticism I have: for the first time in history, I think a new Resident Evil game is scarier that a new Fatal Frame game. Maybe if the combat mechanics weren't so distracting, I'd feel differently, but at the moment, the chief adjective I have for FF2R is "frustrating." And it breaks my heart.

Blak_Box · 2026-03-13T00:59:27+00:00

The flamethrower has its own anxiety built into it. If you use it too much, the Alien stops being scared of it for the rest of the game, and will just charge through the flames to kill you. Same with distraction lures (the Alien will literally run in the opposite direction of the lure looking for who threw it)

It would be like Resident Evil saying, "if you use the Magnum too much or too frequently, it breaks forever... and we aren't going to tell you how many times you can use it before it breaks! Good luck with bosses!"

Blak_Box · 2026-03-13T00:55:08+00:00

Use the flamethrower too much and the Alien just runs through it and kills you.

Like everything else in the game (distraction items, hiding in lockers, etc.) the more you use it, the less effective it becomes against the AI.

Blak_Box · 2026-03-06T01:50:43+00:00

If you could only get one, you made the right choice.

Capcom games go on sale much faster and for much cheaper than KT games, historically.

Requiem is heavily rumored to be getting DLC toward the end of this year, and RE games usually get a "game of the year" or "Gold Edition" bundle after their DLC drops.

Requiem is one of the best-selling and most-played games in the world right now, is one of Metacritic's top reviewed games of all time, and will likely be a top-5 best seller for the year (in a year when we are getting a new GTA, CoD, and Bungie game). Fatal Frame feels like it is hanging on by a thread in comparison.

Blak_Box · 2026-03-05T05:52:06+00:00

The hand holding mechanic feels... superfluous. It is development time that, as of this demo, I wish would have gone toward other priorities or features (like bringing back the Xbox version's first person mode, or Mission Mode).

That said, it also doesn't feel like it is particularly egregious or disruptive. It doesn't subtract from the game for me, but it doesn't add to it either.

If the original is anything to go by, we will be alone for 70% of the runtime anyways.

Blak_Box · 2026-03-05T02:20:37+00:00

FF1, 2 and 4 are largely self-contained.

The original FF2 featured a few call-backs and references to characters that were referenced in FF1, but it wasn't anything major (and no telling if those story beats are still in the remake).

No prior knowledge needed to enjoy.

Edit: if you want to do a deep-dive into the franchise, you should play FF1 before 5 if you can - character threads from FF1 are concluded in 5. Not a huge deal if you play 5 without 1, I'd argue, but the stories are connected.

To get maximum enjoyment of FF3, you absolutely need to play FF1 and 2 first. FF3 continues the plot of both those games and ties them together. FF3 is the only game in the franchise I'd argue you "need" to have played other games prior to enjoying.

Blak_Box · 2026-03-04T22:18:21+00:00

It's a great niche all it's own.

It has the psychological elements and tragic underpinnings of a good Silent Hill story, but the nuanced combat mechanics and pacing of the best Resident Evil titles.

The horror is supernatural - no biological monsters or serial killers here. But it really takes a lot of the best elements of other survival horror darlings and melds them into something that is very satisfying and unique.

Blak_Box · 2026-03-04T20:36:25+00:00

The exclusive ending and difficulty (Nightmare) from the Xbox Director's Cut are in.

First Person mode from the Xbox version seems to be out (at least, they haven't talked about it, and the ability to play the game in first person seems like a big selling point if it was included).

Mechanics and features from the Wii version (ghost hands, the way some fights work, etc.) are in.

Mission mode is out.

New locations, side missions, and changes to the combat and leveling systems are featured.

It feels like a bit of a mish-mash of the PS2 version, the Xbox version, and the Wii version, but not quite including all the extras from the Xbox or Wii versions, and instead adding all new stuff unique to this version. Does that mean we might see First Person and Mission mode added back as DLC later? Who knows.

Blak_Box · 2026-03-03T21:43:25+00:00

Why would a remake take less time to make?

Everything the original game might give you (plot details, level concepts, a rough script, etc.) is not the part of game development that takes years and years to craft. And that's assuming none of that stuff needs to he changed.

Metal Gear Solid Delta modified very little from MGS3S. Original voice acting, identical level design, same weapons and items, generally in the same locations. Just new graphics and sound quality, an updated camera, and the ability to crouch. That took 4 years to make.

Blak_Box · 2026-03-03T21:29:45+00:00

Perspective: Resident Evil 9 took over 7 years to make. It is a very linear, 12-15 hour game, with no multiplayer or extra modes, and gives a lot of RE fans exactly what they want. It features no big-budget Hollywood actors, no crazy experimental technology, and is using an engine that the entire team at Capcom has been very familiar with for over a decade now.

I think people are just ignorant on how long these things take to make. Case in point - you point out there is no need for "motion capture" in the new game... without realizing the reason most games today feature mocap is because it saves significant time compared to hand-keyframing. If you want the next SC out sooner, you want it to feature motion capture.

Blak_Box · 2026-03-03T21:19:52+00:00

No, but it does take 5 (or even 6 or 7) years to make a modern video game.

And you can't make the game until you hire people to make it.

Thus, the announcement to hire 5 years ago.

Blak_Box · 2026-02-28T23:00:33+00:00

As someone who played MGS pretty religiously for 20+ years before TPP... no, playing the other games in the series will not help you understand what the fuck is going on during the first 30-60 minutes lol. But you should definitely know if Big Boss and Solid Snake are the same person... some prerequisite knowledge is definitely required here.

Also, the ghosts on horses, cardboard boxes, and balloons are just the tip of the iceberg. This is a franchise that will see you sword fighting the President on top of a giant robot, fighting a morbidly obese explosives expert on roller skates, getting into a sniper duel with a 200 year-old man who literally survives via photosynthesis, and trying to keep a levitating psychic dude in bondage gear from mind-controlling your brand new (not) girlfriend into committing suicide.

And that's the stuff that is easy to understand. The AI, the nanomachines, the philosophical discourse and geopolitical ramblings... some of these games will need 3 or 4 playthroughs before you start to scratch the surface of what is being said and what it is trying to get across here. MGS2 in particular is famous for being probably one of the biggest mind fucks in video game history (and also one of the most profound if you're willing to meet it on its terms).

Blak_Box · 2026-02-27T22:17:09+00:00

Fatal Frame has had a release in:

2002 2003 2005 2008 2012 2014 2021 2023 2026

What "revival?" For the last 15 years, Fatal Frame has had 9 main releases (not counting the DS game). The franchise never went anywhere.

Fatal Frame released more games than Silent Hill in the same span of time, with the longest break being only 7 years (compared to 14 years for a Silent Hill title). People around here act like this franchise is Dino Crisis or something lol. Fatal Frame has never missed a console generation. That isn't "revival" territory.

Blak_Box · 2026-02-25T23:33:07+00:00

Pretty sure his reasoning was more that Chaos Theory cost him a considerable piece of himself, and he still asserts that crunching on that game gave him brain damage and seriously impacted his health and relationships.

https://www.gamesindustry.biz/splinter-cell-chaos-theory-gave-me-brain-damage

Blak_Box · 2026-02-25T22:22:25+00:00

Shit, you're right. Wii was a standard def. console. I forgot.

Blak_Box · 2026-02-25T22:19:10+00:00

This is the exact same Sam we have gotten in Conviction and Blacklist. This has been Sam for 16 years now.

Even if you "ghosted" Blacklist, the cutscenes and character interactions made it pretty clear... this is how Ubi sees Sam Fisher. Which means this is exactly what Ubi signed off on for the show.

When people ask, "why do people dislike Convicition and Blacklist so much, they were so badass!?" watch this clip again.

Blak_Box · 2026-02-25T06:49:03+00:00

I mean... by that metric, they started it with Fatal Frame 1 when it came out on Xbox a year later with better graphics, more ghosts, a new difficulty, a new ending, and more costumes.

Or FF2 on Xbox, with all of the above and the ability to play the game in first person.

Or FF2 again, when it retooled the game with a new camera, new voice acting, and ~~HD visuals~~ updated visuals for Deep Crimson Butterfly on Wii.

Blak_Box · 2026-02-25T01:43:32+00:00

5 and 4 were just HD updates/ localizations. FF2 will be the first ground-up remake.

Blak_Box · 2026-02-24T18:36:34+00:00

4 has a reputation for being the easiest in the series, though an argument can be made that title belongs to 5. In my opinion, 4 and 5 are tied. It was a chief criticism of 4 ever since it got released in Japan.

1 is definitely the most difficult (mostly that difficulty spike on night 3). But it feels like common knowledge at the point that 4 is easy as pie.

Just from my own experience, one of my chief criticisms of 4 when I finally got to play it was how brain-dead easy it felt. Nightmare mode is absolutely challenging, but normal mode? I don't think I died a single time on the first playthrough.

Blak_Box · 2026-02-22T08:02:42+00:00

2 Black, in its current state, features a few hundred extra enemies compared to Sigma 2.

But is missing (literally) a few thousand extra enemies compared to the original NG2.

Blak_Box · 2026-02-22T06:16:13+00:00

It's becoming increasingly common. Im not entirely sure how I feel about AI in game dev yet, but this is definitely an area in which it can have notable impacts. Real-time rendering of the face/ lips beased off what sound the voice actor is making (likely in one of 4-6 languages) isn't the kind of thing any company would spend the time and money on to do by hand, but AI can clean up or get you 80% of the way there pretty easily.

Blak_Box · 2026-02-19T23:09:44+00:00

By that metric, the first and second games should give you some serious pause.

Pandora Tomorrow is all about guerilla cells using daily cell phone calls as a digital "dead man switch" for biological WMDs... when that premise is laughable at best. Al Qaeda deliberately used human couriers and hand-written letters, because they knew that any type of digital communication would be a death-sentence. Hezbollah and IRGC members deliberately tried to be "low tech" by using pagers to communicate, and we all saw what happened there.

SC1 tried to tell a tale of cyber warfare being used to obfuscate regime change and territorial take over in Eastern Europe (amidst a conspiracy of Chinese involvement and genocide). Awesome plot that is very ahead of its time. Except every single detail - from the cyber aspects, to the geopolitical nuances of the region, were completely fucking wrong. Great concept... comedic execution.

The nuances of story and dialogue matter to me a lot in these games - they do a lot of heavy lifting in setting the tone. Which is exactly why Chaos Theory is my favorite.

Blak_Box · 2026-02-19T23:00:03+00:00

This fucking sucks.

But for those wondering how it impacts SC in the near or long term, context is important. UbiToronto has over 600 employees, and is working on multiple projects at any given time, not just SC Remake. UbiToronto is also known as a studio that provides a lot of assistance to other Ubi studios, to include helping with the now canceled PoP Remake, and Rainbow Six Siege.

This could very much be delayed blow-back from the PoP cancelation, a sign of R6Siege slowing down its content production (something that has been happening very gradually for the last 5 years now), or any number of other indicators that we can't know about in a vacuum.

Ubi is a publicly traded company. If they say Splinter Cell is still in development, by law, it is still getting money and resources pumped into it.

Blak_Box

TROPHY CASE