So I just finished Splinter Cell Blacklist, and I really had a good time. For the most part, the game gives you the freedom to play around the levels any way you want. There are multiple approaches for each encounter, and each is viable depending on your preferences/skill level. The game was actually a bit longer than I was expecting, though the forced combat/stealth sections kinda broke the flow of the game for me. I really liked the final mission, with the exception of the boss encounter, which ended with a confusing/annoying QTE.
The story is completely cliche, and so are the characters, but I think the videogame context allows that to still be fun. Flying around on the Normandy... er... the Paladin is a neat approach to creating a hubworld where players can pick and choose from a set of missions to complete, though I do miss being able to shack up with a waifu.
The cash-upgrade system doles out new toys and features at a nice rate; I always looked forward to the moments after a mission where I would spend my cash to buy new weapons/upgrades. When I settled on a loadout that worked for me, I never changed it. By the end of the game, I wasn't spending any cash because all of my gadgets/weapons were fully upgraded. The cash could still be useful if you want to go back and beat the missions again and complete challenges with other weapons.
Finally, I just want to mention that even though EA and Ubisoft suck for creating another service in between me and my games, being able to return games on Origin is awesome. And UPlay units, no matter how trivial the rewards, is awesome, and how I always felt achievements should be implemented. Rewarding gamers with in-game trinkets is a nice gesture, much more than just a useless e-peen score.