Splinter Cell: Blacklist – Spies vs. Mercs, co-op details
Update: Added co-op details.
Ubisoft recently held a press event to show off the latest from Splinter Cell: Blacklist. Along with a main Spies vs. Mercs multiplayer mode, the game will also offer a “Classic” alternative. Details about both of these items can be found below.
Spies vs. Mercs
– Play as a spy in third-person view or merc in first-person
– Player count doubled
– Four mercs against four spies
– Includes customization
– Three terminals spread out across a map to be hacked or protected
– Still has the split between the hunters and the hunted
– Can create loadouts from scratch
– Unlock the ability to create these loadouts
– Also a number of presets spread across recognizable classes
– Spies have a saboteur who can disrupt enemy equipment, an intel scout who can tag enemy’s whereabouts and a predator who can disappear out of sight thanks to a digital ghillie suit
– Mercs have a hunter who’s access to a UAV drone that’s got the ability to detonate on demand, a powerful peacemaker who’s in the tank role and a disruptor who can deactivate the spy’s own electronic devices
– Spies vs. Mercs Classic takes away customization
– Also brings the player count down to two-on-two encounters
– Has a larger emphasis on the play between light and shadow as well
Co-op
– Can play 14 missions in co-op
– Each objective seems to last around 10-30 minutes
– Four mission types
– Each relies on who sends you into the field
– Charlie Cole, Kobin, Grim, and Briggs each assign you different goals with varied win/lose conditions
– Ex: Grim wants you to retrieve information without alerting a guard, meaning instant-fail stealth
– Briggs is the other Splinter Cell in the field with Sam
– Briggs is like a palette swap for Sam, similar to Archer and Kestrel in Conviction
– Can customize Briggs’ suit and loadout to the same degree as Sam
– You and your partner can go into the field with different gear
– Mark-and-execute functions differently in co-op than it does in Conviction or Blacklist’s campaign
– Guys with helmets might require a double-tap to the head, so you can both activate the auto-fire mode to take those shots together
– Some missions seem to have unavoidable action sequences with tons of dudes using big, loud guns
– One mission ends with an on-foot escape sequence similar to Halo: Combat Evolved’s finale
