Plot and themes The first game explains that "Splinter Cell" refers to an elite
recon-type unit of single covert operatives (such as Sam Fisher) who are supported in the field by a high-tech remote team. In the first three games (
Splinter Cell,
Pandora Tomorrow,
Chaos Theory), terrorists are planning attacks, usually by use of
information warfare, which Fisher, an operative for Third Echelon, a secret branch of the NSA, must prevent. The missions range from gathering intelligence to capturing and/or eliminating terrorists. In the fourth game,
Double Agent, Fisher assumes the identity of a wanted criminal in order to infiltrate a terrorist ring. The fifth game,
Conviction, begins immediately after
Double Agent. Having abandoned Third Echelon, Fisher discovers that the death of his daughter Sarah had not been an accident (as had been purported at the beginning of
Double Agent), leading him to strike out on his own in search of those responsible, until his investigation uncovers a conspiracy within his old agency. In the sixth and most recent game,
Blacklist, Third Echelon has been disbanded by the President of the United States. A new outfit, Fourth Echelon, is formed by the President and placed under the command of Fisher with the mission of stopping the 'Blacklist' attacks and the Engineers, the organization behind them.
Blacklist deals with the morality of war and how far Fisher and his team go in order to prevent these plots against America.
Characters The characters of the games, as well as the organization Third Echelon, were created by
J. T. Petty. The main recurring ones are: •
Sam Fisher is the main protagonist of the series. • Irving Lambert, director of Third Echelon, serves as the player's guide by leading Fisher through the games' missions, until he is killed by Sam in
Double Agent. • Anna "Grim" Grímsdóttir is portrayed as an official Third Echelon hacker and analyst, who helps Fisher when technical obstacles need to be overcome. In
Conviction she takes over the role of guide from the deceased Lambert; her character also becomes the source of dramatic tension in the story. In
Blacklist, she is the technical operations officer and butts heads with Sam over morality, ethics, and Fourth Echelon's operating parameters. • Sarah Fisher, Sam's daughter and sole family member. She was presumed to be killed in
Double Agent, but
Conviction revealed her murder to be a deception.
Gameplay The stealth element of the game allows Fisher to hide in the shadows and become almost invisible. Guards may be assassinated by unsuppressed or silenced weapons, gadgets, or hand-to-hand combat. However, the encouraged way to progress through the first three games is to remain hidden, select non-obvious routes, and utilize diversions to pass guards. The
first game in the series only features a single-player mode.
Pandora Tomorrow introduces a two-on-two multiplayer mode.
Chaos Theory further develops that mode and introduces a cooperative mode. Cooperative mode plays similarly to the single-player mode, but adds situations that can only be overcome as a team. The cooperative storylines in
Chaos Theory and the
sixth generation version of
Double Agent parallel those of Fisher's actions in the single-player modes, letting players act on information he obtained or provide support in the field. In
Double Agent, Fisher may now receive conflicting objectives from his superiors and the terrorists. For example, the terrorists may order him to bomb a ship while the NSA requires him to prevent the bombing. This creates a delicate balancing act between gaining the trust of the terrorists and fulfilling the mission assignments. Fisher must not expose himself as a double agent (e.g., let himself be seen with an NSA gadget); otherwise, he will lose instantly.
Conviction utilises a much faster and more violent form of stealth action gameplay than previous games in the series. It retains the cooperative multiplayer mode of the two preceding games. The weapons that Sam Fisher uses are based more accurately on real-world firearms. Each weapon may receive up to three upgrades, which manifest as a
silencer,
gun sight, upgraded ammo, or
laser attachment. After completing a hand-to-hand kill, the player is provided with a bonus that allows the player to mark two to four targets (depending on the weapon selected), such as enemies or objects, and dispatch them all swiftly in a slow-motion sequence. Interactive interrogation cutscenes where Fisher beats up a target for information do not require the player to do anything other than press [Interrogate]. If the player is near an interactive object, such as a television or table, Fisher may use that to alter the standard animation.
Blacklist consolidates the playstyle of all previous games in a point-based system. The player gains points toward one of the three available styles: The Ghost style requires absolute stealth and no enemy deaths. The Panther style favors stealthy killing. The Assault style demands loud firefights and high-explosive grenades. Points earned toward each style can be spent on weapons and equipment suitable for that style. The game retains the execution system from its predecessor, but allows the player to mark up to three targets, regardless of the weapon. ==Development and history==