Splinter Cell: Conviction will take 12 hours to complete on normal says the game's creative director, Maxime Beland, in the latest issue of OXM. There will certainly be a harder difficultly level for folks that are into trial and error for 30 hours, but the "normal gamers" will get a well-sized adventure. Beland says this was done because he wants people to actually finish the game. That's quite a good idea.

Also, at around 12 hours of gameplay, Badass: The Game won't wear out its welcome -- if it keeps the action going. Of course, there'll be multiplayer to extend the experience, but we likely won't be able to crack skulls in urinals there ... or maybe we will, which would then confirm Splinter Cell as game of the year.

[Via 1UP]

Let's face it, Splinter Cell's Sam Fisher has traveled a rocky road. For a while he completely disappeared from the console scene. Sure, we saw him every once in a while, lurking in magazines or in a few videos (complete with Emo makeover). Now Sam has reemerged from his beloved shadows, and the developers at Ubisoft are here to share everything about his new abilities and the new features in Splinter Cell Conviction.

Check out the video above for a look at the new "mark and execute" feature as well as the "last known position" silhouette. And, of course, you can just admire Sam being a badass. Get to the watching.

In this week's Famitsu, three major Japanese developers discussed this year's E3 and how they feel about the various motion technology displayed. Grasshopper Manufacture's Suda 51, Q Entertainment's Tetsuya Mizuguchi and Level-5's Akihiro Hino all somewhat agree on what they see as the future of gaming. "Hardware-wise, it was all about Project Natal," Mr. Suda said, as translated by 1UP, noting his excitement on the possibility of creating a game specifically based around its technology.

"It's not a shift from 2D to 3D or in the number of polygons, but it's games trying to open up an entirely new door," Mizuguchi agreed, continuing, "I thought it would take longer, but it's happening faster than I expected." Ironically, when the trio chose the most exciting games at E3, the list quickly filled with Western-developed games, from Splinter Cell: Conviction and Assassin's Creed 2 to The Beatles: Rock Band. Could they resist the ubiquitous Final Fantasy name drop? No, no they could not. "The visual quality was so impressive that I doubted it was even a game," Hino said of AC2, adding, "Final Fantasy XIII is the same way." Impressed/interested by the motion technology but still loving AAA-franchise sequels? Sounds like the whole game industry right now.

Now that the third-party playing field is supposedly "level," Microsoft looks to be making a play for the advantage, as Ubisoft continues to insist that Splinter Cell Conviction is "a true Microsoft exclusive title." We've heard this before, of course, but this time it's with more *ahem* conviction, as an Ubisoft UK Forum Manager declares there are "no plans to have Splinter Cell Conviction on other [console] platforms." The sentiment echoes the long drama surrounding Metal Gear Solid 4's exclusivity, and we have to imagine doubts about Conviction's exclusivity won't go down quietly, either.

Just as Metal Gear Solid has been associated with PlayStation (though not always exclusive to Sony platforms), Ubisoft calls Splinter Cell and Microsoft "historically linked," explaining that Conviction's exclusivity is based, in part, on "a 'link of heart.'" Aw, that's sweet -- and so is the check that Microsoft must have cut.

[Via VideoGamer.com]

Despite his comfy Jason Bourne-like turtleneck and new 'tude, Sam Fisher hasn't been able to reinvent himself as far as his aging body goes. Splinter Cell: Conviction will see our stealthy superdude slinking around in his 50s, an age mostly associated with dust and Werther's Originals. "He's pretty old, actually," a game dev told VG247 back at E3, further adding that Fisher would definitely be in his 50's for Conviction. Heck, we could only hope to look that good when we hit our 50s!

So, Sam, what's your secret? Centrum Silver?

E3 was brütal! If you blinked, for a split/second, you missed something. Even if you were trine to keep up, it was a blur -- staying a.wake like that, you only pushed yourself to the brink of your own dark void. That's where Joystiq comes in; to crackdown on the madness; to reach out ... with conviction -- phew! Crysis averted.

We've scoured the dark corners and survived the inferno to piece together this roundup of all things Xbox at E3. Why? Just 'cause we love you. So, draw nier and shift your eyes past the break.

It was no shock to anyone when Splinter Cell: Conviction made an appearance at E3 2009, but the new look and presentation for Sam Fisher's latest action adventure took us all by surprise. Gone is the sulky and in hiding Sam Fisher shown years ago -- replaced by an offensive powerhouse ex-soldier, searching for revenge. Adding elements with appropriate buzzword phrases like projected objectives and dynamic stealth, Ubisoft Montreal hopes to push Sam beyond traditional stealth action titles.

We had a chance to speak one-on-one with Ubisoft Producer Alexandre Parizeau to discuss the evolution of Fisher, how Ubisoft wants to change stealth and to compare Sam to everyone's favorite television hero, Jack Bauer.

When we saw the newest trailer for Splinter Cell: Conviction at last week's E3, we were a bit more than taken aback. A handful of glaring changes have been made to the game since we last saw it, and it's obvious that an enormous amount of time has been spent to mold Conviction into what it is today.

These changes became all the more apparent when we re-watched the original 2007 trailer for the title, featuring emo Sam Fisher in all his polygonal glory. What you see above is the closest approximation we could make of running both trailers concurrently, highlighting the incredible metamorphosis it has undergone in the past two years.

When it was first released in 2002, Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell focused on the military operations of the fictitious government organization, Third Echelon. Since 2006's Splinter Cell: Double Agent, the story of the franchise has shifted from the overall mission objectives to the character of Sam Fisher himself.

During a one-on-one interview with Ubisoft producer Alexandre Parizeau during E3 2009, we asked why the franchise has shifted focus to the character of Sam. According to Parizeau the answer is simple, after dealing with so much trauma throughout the series, Ubisoft Montreal wanted players to see how Sam's methods have evolved, which led to shaping Conviction's dynamic and offensive stealth gameplay. "He's not going to be the same person when he reacts to situations as he was when he was working for Third Echelon. It's a completely different scenario," Parizeau told us.

After the death of his daughter and the loss of others close to him, it seems that Sam Fisher is a man with nothing to lose -- and if the game continues to impress as it did at E3, Xbox 360 and PC gamers will gain a stellar (timed?) exclusive.

Ubisoft Montreal producer Alexandre Parizeau told Joystiq that gamers should not fear Splinter Cell: Conviction's new 'Mark and Execute' feature. Since first showing off the feature during Microsoft's Pre-E3 media briefing, Parizeau says some gamers fear the game will become too easy. "Have no fear at all," Parizeau told Joystiq during a one-on-one interview during E3 2009. "It's an added tool that lets you do the first step when storming a room or area or a situation. But you'll have all the tools that you used to use as well."

The 'Mark and Execute' feature allows gamers to mark enemies for death and immediately snap to the target, taking them out of the equation in one quick action. Parizeau says the feature was included to change the concept of what stealth has traditionally meant for players. "Stealth -- in the past -- has always treated the same way. It was more like a defensive tool," Parizeau said. "What we wanted to do is give tools to the player to be more on the offensive, but remain stealth." Comparing Sam Fisher to Jack Bauer multiple times during the interview, Parizeau says Ubisoft Montreal's overall goal is to make gamers feel like Fisher is the predator players expect him to be. Sounds like Badass: The Game to us.

If anything is clear about the new look of Splinter Cell: Conviction, it's that Sam Fisher is a changed man. After losing his daughter in what was believed to be an accident, Sam learns the tragedy was planned as a personal attack. Cutting all ties with the secret government organization Third Echelon, Sam goes on his own in search of revenge. This is the beginning of Badass: The Game ... Splinter Cell: Conviction.

We had a chance to sit down with Splinter Cell: Conviction and learn the ins-and-outs of Sam's latest adventure. Have questions about what you saw at the Microsoft Press Briefing? Then you have to read this.

If there's one definitive way to push publishers, developers and public relations personnel off balance, it's broaching the subject of console exclusivity. Begin the line of inquiry and you're sure to get darting eyes, an elongated "Wellllll ..." and an answer that crumples in on itself as soon as it's spoken. Perhaps it's appropriate that the topic of Splinter Cell: Conviction's exclusivity is steeped in a cloak-and-dagger mystery.

When asked if the ambitious Xbox 360 and PC stealth title was exclusive in the really real sense, producer Alex Parizeau simply stated, "It's exclusive," and admitted that it was a business arrangement with Microsoft. Prodding about timed exclusivity (a la BioShock and Fallout 3 DLC) didn't yield anything less enigmatic, so we turned to lead game designer Steve Masters. "As far as I know," he said, "this is completely exclusive."

Aha! Complete exclusive confirmed!

"But that may change in the future."

Oh. We suspect the game may make its way to PS3 eventually, but for now ... Wellllll ...

Badass: The Game, aka Splinter Cell: Conviction, is one of the most exciting revelations of E3 so far. The Ubisoft-developed 360-exclusive reinvents the franchise, adding absurd (but insanely cool) lock-on mechanics. The story-telling projections are a clever, inventive, and visually stunning way of adding to the story. Watch this developer narrated video, and you'll get over seven minutes of what's looking to be one of the hottest additions to the Xbox library this year.

The challenge in Splinter Cell games has always been about completing your objectives unseen. In Splinter Cell Conviction, Sam Fisher, now free from the Agency, basically abandons the whole idea of sneaking. Why hide when you can just shoot dudes? Sure, if there's a handy column or whatever to hide behind, okay, but it's not like Fisher seems overly concerned with being invisible.

Unless he's hiding at full speed down that hallway, or in that plate glass window.

Ubisoft has just revealed a web-based service called Uplay, set to come out by the end of the year, that will enable people playing their games to connect up and share media, make purchases, and download game information, all through a standardized cross-game interface. It will premiere in their games later this year and will hope to accomplish Ubisoft's stated goal of "confluence": connecting developers with players and gamers with each other completely inside of the game menus themselves.

We're skeptical, but they haven't pulled back the curtain on what exactly it will offer Ubisoft fans yet. But we'll find out by the holidays, as the first games to support Uplay will be Splinter Cell: Conviction, Avatar, and Assassin's Creed 2.