Last Known Position Interview HD http://www.gametrailers.com/video/last-kno...nter-cell/62918 Co-Operative Mode Interview HD http://www.gametrailers.com/video/co-opera...nter-cell/62920 Two of a Kind Archer and Kestrel (representing the American Third Echelon and Russian Voron agencies, respectively) are the stars of Splinter Cell: Conviction's numerous multiplayer modes. In the co-op story mode, which serves as a prologue to events in the single-player game, Third Echelon learns of a rogue element in the Russian military looking to offload some warheads. Archer and Kestrel are sent in to find the broker--a Russian gangster--for the sale and prevent the warheads from being sold on the black market. The two agents have to work together in various ways to accomplish a mission that spans four areas with individual sections that take anywhere from 20 to 30 minutes to complete within each of those areas. In addition to the prologue, there are four other multiplayer modes, including Hunter, Last Stand, Face-Off, and Infiltration. In Hunter, you have to move through the map and eliminate all enemies. If you're detected, the remaining guards will call for backup, upping the remaining number of enemies you have to kill. Similar to Gears of War 2's Horde mode, Last Stand puts you in a confined space where you take on wave after wave of enemy soldiers while simultaneously defending an EMP generator from attack. Face-Off pits Kestrel and Archer against each other in an agent-versus-agent mode, but it's not just a one-on-one affair--enemies patrol the area as well, and they can be killed to increase your score. Lastly, in Infiltration, you have to clear an area of enemies without being detected. All of these multiplayer modes, with the exception of Face-Off, can also be played solo. Silent and Deadly The first mission in the prologue takes Archer and Kestrel to a Russian bath house where they have to track down a contact list. This area has plenty of overhead lighting and small rooms for guards to hide in, but taking out these lights and extensively using Archer or Kestrel's sonar goggles (which allow them to see through walls) makes this particular area easier to deal with. In this shot, Archer takes cover behind a corner while Kestrel takes out an enemy patrolling the far end of the hallway. There's a good chance the guard coming out of the door will see Kestrel if Archer doesn't peek from cover and make a quick headshot or melee kill. Death from Archer and Kestrel are in a similar situation here, where Archer might get spotted if Kestrel doesn't make a quick kill from above. Here we see Kestrel taking the shot, but if you press the left trigger, he can also perform a death-from-above melee move. This move lets Kestrel automatically drop from the pipe and onto the unsuspecting guard. In fact, that's probably a better option, since melee attacks automatically give you one mark-and-execute token, one of the new gameplay features in Splinter Cell: Conviction. Take 'Em Down Every multiplayer mode in Splinter Cell: Conviction can be played via two-player split-screen as we see here, but this shot also shows how mark and execute works. The number of mark and executes at your disposal depends on two things--how many tokens you've earned to use them as well as how many your weapon is capable of holding. As previously mentioned, you can earn tokens by performing melee kills, and you can upgrade your weapons (when you come across weapon lockers scattered at various points) so that you can store more marks. When you're ready to use a mark and kill, you simply get into range of an enemy, mark him using the right bumper (which appears as that red arrow), and then press Y to automatically kill the marked target. If an enemy moves out of range, or if you don't have any tokens, the arrow that appears above an enemy's head turns gray. Quick Kills Archer and Kestrel can also perform dual mark and executes. When one player marks the targets and begins the execution, the other player has a brief window of time to also press the Y button and make a kill on a marked target that might be out of the other player's range. It might not seem all that useful in close-quarters situations--as the one shown here--but dual executions are invaluable for paving a clear path for Archer and Kestrel. It's also worth noting that you can also mark enemies when peeking under the door with the fiber optic camera--another useful option if too many enemies are swarming an entrance. Smashing Third Echelon and Voron's respective superspies have plenty of weapons in their arsenal. Both can carry up to two primary weapons at once--ranging from pistols and shotguns to small machine guns and assault rifles--and they can pick up weapons from fallen enemies. But they also have access to a variety of grenades as well as a portable EMP device that briefly takes out surrounding lights and momentarily stuns enemies. Still, even with this arsenal, nothing beats the thrill of taking out enemies with a solid melee attack. If you'll notice in the back, Archer slams the head of an enemy into a desk--just one of the game's many contextual kills. Little Help If one player gets gunned down in the cooperative modes, the other player has a brief amount of time before he can run over and rescue his fallen comrade before he dies. But, as Archer shows here, the fallen soldier can still do some damage by sitting up and firing on enemies with the pistol. This is especially helpful if your position is completely overwhelmed with enemy soldiers and the other player has trouble getting into the area to help you get back up. Tight Spot Sometimes superspies make mistakes and get held hostage, which is what has happened to Archer in this scene. The only way to get out of this situation is for the player controlling Archer to press a button that briefly distracts his assailant, giving time for the player controlling Kestrel to perform a headshot. Needless to say, it's a pretty tense situation, but it's cool when you pull it off without a hitch, and it's even cooler if the player who rescues you does so while taking the shot from the gunned-down sitting position. Dropping In Not to be outdone by his multiplayer contemporaries, Sam Fisher can perform just about every action in Archer and Kestrel's arsenal of abilities (with the exception of dual mark and executes, since he doesn't have a partner). In this scene, Sam has entered the wine-cellar-like area of a map called Kobin's Mansion, where he continues his hunt for the killers of his daughter, Sarah. This particular room is interesting because there are a number of ways you can deal with patrolling guards. For instance, you can shoot from behind cover with the brute force approach (the wine barrels will spring leaks if hit by bullets), or you can take to the ceiling and pick them off. The Shield Needless to say, there are times in Splinter Cell: Conviction's single-player game when stealth fails and you need to go toe-to-toe with guards. Fortunately, if you ever find yourself in such a situation, you can grab a guard and use him as a human shield--he can't absorb too many bullets, but it should give you enough time to take a shot on nearby enemies. If you're really desperate, you can take a human shield and then throw the body at your attackers and try to run. Explosions! That's our look at some aspects of Splinter Cell Conviction's multiplayer and single-player modes. Be sure to also check our in-depth look at the Last Stand multiplayer mode. The game is currently scheduled for release on the Xbox 360 and PC on April 13. COPY PASTE FROM GAMESPOT GAMESPOT
