Tom Clancy's 'Splinter Cell' series looks to be going into a new, visceral direction with the latest entry into the series, 'Conviction'. We were there for the rAge gameplay presentation of 'Conviction'.

The intro opens up in a men's bathroom, with the awkward silence replaced by a thug and series protagonist Sam Fisher going at it, with Sam smashing the dude's face into a urinal and mirror — which is all very cringe-worthy and brutal. After being interrogated, said thug reveals the whereabouts of Sam's target — the guy responsible for killing Fisher's daughter, Sarah.

The sequence then switches over to Sam walking down a busy street and it's here that the game truly begins. Sam's objective is to get into a nearby mansion and find Sarah's killer.

The first thing we noticed is that the game is much more populated than previous entries, with many NPCs (non player characters) going about their daily business; all without a framerate hitch. The game presents players with a variety of ways to move forward as evident by the first problem: how to get into the mansion.

As Sam walks down the street, we notice action prompts, allowing you to set off car alarms in an attempt to distract the guards from their duties. But the player has another idea and simply hangs off the side of the bridge leading to the mansion and sidles his way to the guards. Waiting for one guard to walk away, through the door, Sam deftly grabs the other standing nearby and in one quick motion flings him off the bridge, with the poor soul landing awkwardly in a dumpster down below. With one guy out of the picture, Sam now moves to the door entrance, but not before scoping out the situation.

Sam's situation is clearly evident by the use of a car's rear-view mirror instead of a snake camera to look under doors. And it's also here that the much-vaunted 'Mark and Execute' feature makes an appearance. Sam scopes out the entrance room using the mirror, then marks a target or two, and after a few button presses, bursts into the room, popping two guys and knocking out another.

It's all very seamless and lasts for about three or four seconds, though you only have a few opportunities to use it per stage.

Graphically, the game retains the dark, washed-out look of its predecessors. And much like its predecessors, the lighting effects are top-notch as the next room shows.

After proceeding to the next room, Fisher finds himself in the unlit main room of the mansion, with a huge staircase down below and a few balconies overlooking the area. Fisher climbs a pole, which runs across to a balcony and edges slowly toward it, undetected. With three guys standing directly underneath a huge chandelier, the player opts to shoot a humongous chandelier out, causing it to come crashing down in a cacophony of sound and smoke.

This brings out the guards and their torch-equipped guns. The lighting effects are showed off in this section as the light dances off the walls and into the distance. It all looks very impressive, with the light bathing the surroundings realistically and numerous shadows being cast.

It's at this point that we are treated to the new method of showing objectives, with the words being projected onto the environment — a smart move in that it helps immerse the player in the game and not wade through endless menus.

Moving to the next section, it's hard to miss the headstone in a wall by the staircase proclaiming, "Here lies Sarah Fisher". This follows on to the next bit, as Sam decides to climb out of a window and creep around the building. Using the Mark and Execute feature again, Sam takes out a few goons and then gets Sarah's killer in his mitts. But a SWAT team and a few helicopters spoil the party and this brings our demo to a close.

'Splinter Cell: Conviction' seems to have benefitted from the extra development time, and it shows. With the trademark stealthy action and the new features, Conviction looks to be a must-have title when it launches in February/March 2010.

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