I'm with Ruby.

It's a balancing act. My point isn't that people shouldn't voice their concerns, or even outright criticism when they see something they don't like. I'm extremely vocal about things like that. My problem is how some, inevitably the most notable, will go about it. It inevitably devolves into 'I hate it because...' without ever giving actual reasons beyond "it changed" or "I didn't want a 1.5". It's then those same people who, previously, were mouthing off about all the new things that should be added, or taken away, or things that didn't work. Some people just complain for the sake of complaining. And that's what I grow weary of.

If you want to engage me in a rational, POLITE debate about the changes you do and/or don't like, along with reasons behind them (preferably something more than just "it isn't <game>", though that's a valid complaint at times I'll grant you *cough* ConViction *cough*) I'm all for it. But a lot of people don't do that. Rather than putting forward their grievances, it turns into a shouting match to prove me wrong. That doesn't help anything, it drives people away.

Incidentally, I like the Panther motif Ubi are now going for. As much as I love the older, more sedate, games in the series, it always felt too restrictive to me. It made for a more methodical gaming experience, yes, which is something that always appealed to me. But at the same time, I like that Sam is a lot more mobile now. My one complaint, so far, is the clear move towards set piece fire-fights. That's one I firmly insist does not belong in a Splinter Cell game. Or, rather, not a pre-determined pitched battle. Save them for Metal Gear and Syphon Filter thankyouverymuch

I think if the story of a game series evolves then the gameplay should move along with it. Obviously not removing everything that made the original what it was, but add or remove elements that fit in with how the game's story has progressed.

By the way, could we bigger boxes to type in, like those on the forum, here? To be able to see everything I've written so far without having to scroll up with only about four or so lines visible at a time would be a lot nicer.

Well, of course, you were. If I had more time when I wrote that I might've mentioned several other games that have come under fire from the fans of their series besides Splinter Cell but my point was that the issues fans, particularly long-time ones, are making aren't just "pissing and moaning" about the formula being changed in any tiny way but legitimate concerns that the changes that were made were for the worse; not the better.

The "Don't like it, don't buy it" mentality is obvious (stupidly so, I might add; I have no idea why people shrug off other's criticism with it as if they shouldn't bother complaining at all), and I don't intend to be buying this anytime soon, as I said, but, as a huge fan of the series, I would like to see it reach the peak that was Chaos Theory in the future and, thus far, from what we've seen, I'm pretty confident in saying that this isn't it.

There are people who instantly hate any change but I hardly ever find them any bother because all they want is the same game over and over, and I can't recall any developers who actually caved into such people. But, although I don't know which fans you're referring to, I think those who have bashed some other games that have getting torn to pieces by fans before release, and after, such as those of Hitman Absolution, Max Payne 3, Tomb Raider, XCOM: Enemy Unknown, even Bioshock Infinite, and so many more, have had perfectly fair complaints to make and I have never felt that it was ever purely a matter of "Your Y no longer equals X, fuck this game" in any of those cases, at least not from the majority of their individual fanbases.

Of course, as you said in your first post, it should be judged for what it is alone too; what it does well; etc. But, as a sequel and not a reboot or re imagining, it is going to be compared with the games that came before it, as do all the others that have been torn to bits, and not everyone's going to be happy.

All the pre-release moaning we're seeing just doesn't seem like a big deal to me. Gamers, after all, are a complicated bunch to please and some are more vocal, or have stricter opinions on sequels, than others, particularly long-time fans who have grown used to a series. Change doesn't bother me; but only as long as it's good change.

As much as Convictions was a decent game it wasn't a Splinter Cell game. I understand why companies are trying to go mainstream but I will not forgive it. Also publishers have to understand that without "hardcore" they will never reach mainstream.

I was commenting more on fandom in general, not specifically for Splinter Cell. It isn't the only game people are currently chewing out. I'm just sick of the pissing and moaning that X doesn't feel like Y.

Don't like it? Don't buy it

@Bobfish: There's nothing wrong with taking a new approach at all, or making significant changes to a number of different areas of the game's formula, but I think it's perfectly fine that fans should be outspoken against anything that they feel is particularly out of place in the series or straying too far from what would be acceptable. But suggesting that they either do your a) or b) isn't particularly fair as it is a bit more complicated than that (and those kind of people are a small minority anyway I might add).

The first lengthy piece of gameplay that they showed off is really what stirred long-time fans up, and quite rightly in my opinion. The changes they were showing were a little ridiculous for a Splinter Cell game. For example, the highlight of my surprise was when Sam called in a bloody air strike. Okay. What.

But I think it was good of Ubisoft to try to appease long fans of the series who hated the shit out of Conviction and nearly cried when they saw this. Emphasis on "tried" because, although I'm sure many fans will buy it anyway or were pleased by Ubisoft emphasizing the fact that there would still be a great deal of stealth, I'm personally - although certainly not alone - still not entirely convinced that this is a game in the series worth buying. Not only does the gameplay bother me in many respects but the changes made to voice actors and seemingly the character of Sam himself simply don't fit so far into the series and none of those issues, as far as I'm concerned, is merely some bitchy whining, but the disappointment of a fan of the series since the first game was released.

Also: paragraphing, can it really be you?

This is really starting to piss me off

Try something new: You changed it! We want teh oldness bahk!!!

Keep it the same: It's old, we want something new!!!

Stop fucking whining! Judge the game on its own merits.

/rant