Splitscreen support: the best way to see two bad guys getting a beat-down at the same time.
The co-op campaign stands on its own, both in length and entertainment. The story is less intricate than the single player mode, but the same great level design transfers over to co-op very well. John (Mrxknown_JG) and I relished in the moments that were specifically included for two players, such as two-man breaches and co-op Mark and Execute room clearing (incidentally, either player can Execute the other player's Marked enemies - this comes in handy). Getting downed results in a 60-second bleed-out where the downed player can either stay still or sit up with their pistol armed. Sitting up will grab enemies' attention and risk a quick death, but can be very advantageous at times. Some enemies can also put you in a chokehold, rendering you unarmed until your partner can save you. It's great fun, and two players confident with the controls can perform some awesome gameplay moments. The other co-op modes are basically extensions of the co-op campaign, using the same maps - good for short matches with high replayability. Best of all: all of the co-op modes support matchmaking.
Splinter Cell: Conviction sits right alongside my copy of Army of Two: The 40th Day - ask me to join you in a two-player co-op campaign, and I'll be equally pleased to suggest either one. With only two-player co-op modes, it doesn't top the list of co-op friendly games, but in terms of general value: I'm a fan. The close quarters combat is brutal and satisfying, the shooting elements are more than passable, and the overall appeal of two operatives fluidly climbing, sneaking, and attacking in lethal fashion together is very high.
Verdict
Co-Op Score
Overall
The Co-Op Experience: Splinter Cell Conviction features a 6 hour co-op campaign that sets up the story of the single player campaign. Also included is "Deniable Ops," a four player online co-op mode with a few challenge modes.Hunter - wherein the objective is to clear the map of enemies.Infiltration - wherein you clear the map without being detected.Last Stand - the co-op survival mode wherein you protect an EMP from waves of enemies.Face Off - wherein players go head-to-head alongside teams of customizable AI characters.
Co-Optimus game reviews focus on the cooperative experience of a game, our final score graphic represents this experience along with an average score for the game overall. For an explanation of our scores please check our Review Score Explanation Guide.