Lunchtime Discussion: Stealth

I’ve recently played through Splinter Cell: Conviction and I must say it was fantastic. Whilst it did feel significantly more action based than earlier titles in the series, there were certainly some very nice stealth mechanics featured. When you couple that with the recent information about Blood Stone and my essentially constant state of Batman contemplation; a discussion of stealth seems the only option.

So let’s talk about stealth, albeit in a slightly hushed tone. Perhaps the classic stealth game in my gaming past is the first Metal Gear Solid. I loved the feeling of sneaking through the various areas of Shadow Moses and ocassionally fighting your way out of a tight corner. I remember my younger self being fairly amazed as I crawled forwards on my stomach, desperately attempting to avoid making a sound. Hiding round corners and avoiding the gaze of the all pervasive security cameras was fairly thrilling in a time when I was used to playing platformers.

So strong is my memory of stealth in the first Metal Gear Solid (and in the second to some extent) that the seemingly action based nature of the fourth title in the series has actually put me off it some extent. I’d much rather be crawling through a ventilation duct than crossing a battlefield if I’m playing Metal Gear Solid.

There are other fairly traditional stealth games I could mention, in particular Splinter Cell as it’s now overtaken Metal Gear Solid as my favourite spy series, but I think that Assassin’s Creed deserves a mention. The ‘hiding in plain sight’ stealth mechanics featured in the series give me the same feeling as when I played the first Metal Gear Solid, that excitement of playing something that feels new and fresh.

Finally a quick word on how poor stealth can be. I’ve certainly mentioned this before, but one of the things that I hated in Halo 3: ODST was the use of stealth. There were certainly points in the game where you couldn’t easily fight you way through and seemed to be expected to sneak around the enemies without starting a fire fight. Sadly all you had in the way of stealth was the ability to crouch, no clinging to walls of climbing onto ledges to try and avoid the Covenant presence. It was one of the things I disliked most about the title, and showed just how the term stealth can be misused.

What are your thoughts on stealth mechanics? Do you like sneaking your way through a game, or do you prefer to just run and gun? Is a mix of the two your preference? On top of that what games do it well and what games fall down when it comes to stealth?