It seems the developers of the new Splinter Cell are pushing the series to a new level. With Double Agent, players got to juggle the trust of both a terrorist organization and Third Echelon. With Splinter Cell: Conviction, the story takes another twist. As a friend in Third Echelon falls into trouble, Sam comes back to lend his expertise and right the situation. Intelligence from inside Washington seems to be corrupted, and this will impact Sam, who he trusts, and the equipment that he receives throughout the game. Another advancement will be Sam emerging form the shadows and spending most of his time in daylight and in populated areas. The game will still focus on stealth, but it will redefine the series. Sam will blend into the crowd, and be able to use objects and the surrounding environment as weapons. As a long time fan of the series, it took me a little while to warm up to Double Agent, but with this new twist in game play, Conviction could take the series to a whole new level of espionage thrills.