Splinter Cell: blood and downloads

Splinter Cell producer Mathieu Ferland has been fielding questions about the game on Ubi Soft's official forums, answering questions about blood, animation and downloadable content.

According to Ferland, Splinter Cell is not devoid of claret as some had reported. "There are light splashes of blood when Sam is shot," we're told. "There are also traces of blood in some levels, especially animal blood in the slaughterhouse level. However, this game isn't 'gore' at all and isn't based on shooting at everyone. You can even walk through the game without killing anybody (except the final bad guy...). To me, there is no need for blood to create a realistic game. Other games like MOHAA proved it and so will Splinter Cell."

Ferland also explained that contrary to rumours, motion capture techniques were not used to illustrate Sam's actions. "We've tested motion capture in an early stage of development, but it didn't felt like what we wanted to accomplish... It's like acting. Sometimes actors need to exaggerate a movement or a facial expression to communicate a feeling properly."

Perhaps the most interesting news though is that Splinter Cell will support downloadable content via Xbox Live. "Yes, there will be downloadable content at Xbox Live," says Ferland. "What and when... will be announced in upcoming weeks."