Why our Splinter Cell: Blacklist review hasn't emerged from the shadows

Splinter Cell: Blacklist came out last week. I've been playing it since release and we were hoping to have a review up today, but unfortunately a serious issue with multiplayer connectivity has prevented me from accessessing - and assessing - Blacklist's online features.

It's hard to tell how widespread the problem is, but I get the impression that I'm not alone. Blacklist simply won't connect to the internet: I've installed patches, forwarded the relevant ports on my router, fiddled with firewalls and spent ages on support forums. I'm having this issue both at home and on the connection we use to test games in the office. In my case, the issue is with the Uplay version of the game - but it seems like the Steam version isn't without problems either .

Also, Uplay's cloud saving system seems to have just wiped my save files. So that's great.

Consider this a warning, basically: there are serious issues creeping around and even if they only affect a minority of players there's a chance you'll be one of them. Our full review, which will take these issues into account, will go up when I'm able to put multiplayer through its paces.

By way of consolation, here's my favourite screenshot from the time I've spent with the game so far:

Connection issues or no connection issues, nothing will get in the way of Sam Fisher's quest to euthanise dogs for money.

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Joining in 2011, Chris made his start with PC Gamer turning beautiful trees into magazines, first as a writer and later as deputy editor. Once PCG's reluctant MMO champion , his discovery of Dota 2 in 2012 led him to much darker, stranger places. In 2015, Chris became the editor of PC Gamer Pro, overseeing our online coverage of competitive gaming and esports. He left in 2017, and can be now found making games and recording the Crate & Crowbar podcast.