The lost-in-development-limbo rundown: After cranking out Pandora Tomorrow, Chaos Theory, and Double Agent like clockwork in 2004, 2005, and 2006, respectively, Ubisoft was set to continue the annual-release pattern with Conviction. The developer even issued a trailer of the game featuring a hippie Sam Fisher, complete with long hair and beard. Perhaps that was the first sign the developers weren't sure about the direction of the franchise.
In May 2008, Ubisoft announced the game was officially on hold. A year later at E3 2009, the "new" Conviction resurfaced with a November 2009 release date before being pushed back to February 2010. When February rolled around, Ubisoft once again bumped the game, this time to April.
Now that Conviction has gone gold, there's no turning back for the developer, and there will be no more delays. Splinter Cell: Conviction will launch in North America on the 13th and in Europe on the 16th.
Sharkey says: If you're a fan of the franchise anticipating the game, definitely check out the demo first. I personally enjoy the mark and execute system and faster pace, but Conviction is a very different Splinter Cell experience.
