A Better Kind of Stealth Games General: The Darkness is your Friend

[Morph Bark]

One reason I love RPGs is because you can take on any sort of role, become any sort of character. Outside of RPGs, I love this as well, which is why I find it awesome when a game lets you disguise yourself to get to places you otherwise couldn't, or get other kinds of benefits. This is why I'm kind of sorely tempted now to buy Hitman: Absolution on Steam while it goes for 75% off, but I'm hesitant.

Are there any other games that allow you to do this? (On more than one occasion, that is, because just once doesn't count to me - like with the many games have it pop up just once in extremely limited fashion, even Dark Souls and Skyrim.)

[Winthur]

>Disclaimer: I'm writing from the position of a Hitman fan who has beaten every game in the series numerous times, seen each mission in every single one of them through in many ways and has done highest rating playthroughs on the highest difficulty level that doesn't allow any save games. Tl;dr: I have a massive neckbeard<

Hitman Absolution is garbage in comparison to the rest of the series. In essence, it feels like a bad version of Splinter Cell. Some of the levels force you to go from A to B while marking checkpoints in the form of quicktime events. Essentially mashing buttons for gameplay. It's easy to abuse the mechanic of distracting guards with thrown objects. A certain infamous way of achieving a "stealthy" rank isn't stealthy at all, namely

The execution of Sanchez

In the end Hitman Absolution is a flop in my eyes, and doesn't capture the spirit of the originals at all. At one point I remember being *forced* to kill a guy in a specific way, and that was bad.

If I were to suggest babby's first Hitman game, Blood Money offers all of the freedom of the Hitman series and the most ability to be creative, while not being as difficult as Hitman 1 or 2. I'd say that all of the original four Hitman games are definitely worth playing, but the first game is a little archaic, can feel "wooden" in control and execution, and stealthy elimination of enemies isn't actively encouraged by the game. Hitman 2: Silent Assassin set many of the classic elements of the next Hitman games in stone, but is also probably the hardest game in the series. Hitman: Contracts is polished missions from the first game + some extras - basically improving Codename 47 and encouraging stealth. Blood Money for most is the best game because of how much it offers while sticking true to the formula.

Other stealth games you should try out are definitely the Thief series.

[Maxios]

I agree with Winthur. Blood Money is much, much better then Hitman: Cutscene in nearly every way.

Dishonored (at least, on the hardest difficulty setting) has pretty good stealth.

Thief is, like Winthur mentioned, also a very good series.

Currently I'm playing Fallout 3 (which is normally not a stealth game) with a large amount of mods that enhance the stealth mechanics, and add in new features encouraging the player to be sneaky.

[KillianHawkeye]

Well you spend the last quarter of Far Cry 3 disguised as an enemy privateer which allows you to walk among them unmolested (except in certain areas where they shoot anyone not supposed to be there).

[psilontech]

I'm going to go ahead and throw Deus Ex & Deus Ex: Human Revolution into the hat for Stealth games. You don't get to dress up as an enemy and go undetected (Closest you can come is more or less having 'permission' to be in a place via either social engineering or hacking).

[Tebryn]

Mark of the Ninja. How has this not been mentioned even this early in the thread? It's cheaper than the listed games, even when most of them are on sale, helps an indie company along and just looks and plays great.

[Weezer]

I'm going to go ahead and throw Deus Ex & Deus Ex: Human Revolution into the hat for Stealth games. You don't get to dress up as an enemy and go undetected (Closest you can come is more or less having 'permission' to be in a place via either social engineering or hacking).


The only problem with that are the boss fights for DE:HR that all boil down to "shoot big bad lots of times", and don't offer a stealth solution

[Thanatos 51-50]

The only problem with that are the boss fights for DE:HR that all boil down to "shoot big bad lots of times", and don't offer a stealth solution

The first and last boss both offer stealthy/alternate solutions. You still have to get your murder on, but you can throw knock-out barrels at the firs and get around the latter's godmode armour, negating the majority of the fight.
The second boss becomes trivial with EMP shielding and the Typhoon, and the third boss basiacally requires player reflexes and EMP grenades.

[RagingKrikkit]

The first and last boss both offer stealthy/alternate solutions. You still have to get your murder on, but you can throw knock-out barrels at the firs and get around the latter's godmode armour, negating the majority of the fight.
The second boss becomes trivial with EMP shielding and the Typhoon, and the third boss basiacally requires player reflexes and EMP grenades.

As I recall, the boss fights go something like...

1: Grenade spam

2: Typhoon, rifle mag, shoot the power

3: Typhoon forever (actually a challenge the other way)

4: Run, shoot, punch wall, hide for 2 minutes.

[huttj509]

The only problem with that are the boss fights for DE:HR that all boil down to "shoot big bad lots of times", and don't offer a stealth solution

Wait for the Wii U version, they fix that.

[psilontech]

As I recall, the boss fights go something like...

1: Grenade spam

2: Typhoon, rifle mag, shoot the power

3: Typhoon forever (actually a challenge the other way)

4: Run, shoot, punch wall, hide for 2 minutes.

Nope. EVERY boss fight done right:

1) Shoot with stun gun. //Boss is now stunned.
2) Shoot with magnum. //Add explosive rounds for extra fun!
If Boss != Alive then END
If Boss = Alive then START FROM 1

[Thanatos 51-50]

DX:HR Boss Fight Katas:


Boss One

Cloak
Pick up Green Barrel
Throw Green Barrel at Boss
Hide in the ammo lockers until energy recharges
Repat Until Boss is Dead


Boss Two

LOL Typhoon


Boss Three

"I wanted to Spring the trap"
Have Magnum with explosive rounds and good eyes
Hammer the fire button whenever something that looks remotely like the boss shows up
Repeat until Boss is dead
"Obvious Trap was Obvious"
Hunt Down Boss with your advanced motion tracker
EMP Grenade and/or Stun Gun
Explosive Magnum Headshots


Boss Four

My Laser Cannon goes through your shield

[Negativethac0]

I agree with Winthur. Blood Money is much, much better then Hitman: Cutscene in nearly every way.

Dishonored (at least, on the hardest difficulty setting) has pretty good stealth.

Thief is, like Winthur mentioned, also a very good series.

Currently I'm playing Fallout 3 (which is normally not a stealth game) with a large amount of mods that enhance the stealth mechanics, and add in new features encouraging the player to be sneaky.

Both Thief and Dishonored are very, very good stealth games. Although the graphical side of the first two thief games might put you off a bit, even though they are, in my personal opinion, the best.

Also, when it comes to dressing up and appearing like someone else, none of these seem to hold that much in the terms you seek. As in; you want to pretend to be someone else and infiltrate them that way. Even though Thief 1 featues one mission in which you go undercover as someone else, both games are really about not being seen entirely. Still, they are certainly worth a try and some of the best stealth games I've ever played.

If you're into that sort of thing, you might also consider Vampire Bloodlines. The stealth isn't great, but it sure can be played in a rather subtle way; plenty of hacking, reading and sneaking to do. Just be aware that its quality takes a massive drop around the final acts.

[Morph Bark]

I agree with Winthur. Blood Money is much, much better then Hitman: Cutscene in nearly every way.

Most people so far have focused on Absolution or Blood Money in this thread when talking about Hitman. How do the others games in the series compare? (At least, the ones featuring disguises.)


Mark of the Ninja. How has this not been mentioned even this early in the thread? It's cheaper than the listed games, even when most of them are on sale, helps an indie company along and just looks and plays great.

Mark of the Ninja looks like a great game, and it's certainly on my (pretty long) wishlist of games. Does it feature disguising though? From what I've seen, you shouldn't be seen at all throughout the entire game, so it doesn't fit the letter of the thread, though it does fit the spirit. (While I'm looking primarily for games with disguising like described in the OP, I love stealth games in general. I kind of feel like they're the opposite of adventure horror games.)


I kind of regret not picking up the Thief collection on Steam a few weeks back when it was on sale.

[Winthur]

Most people so far have focused on Absolution or Blood Money in this thread when talking about Hitman. How do the others games in the series compare? (At least, the ones featuring disguises.)


Okay, from my standpoint:

Hitman Codename 47: It *might* be a game that you can only like nowadays if you have played it before and didn't mind the archaic mechanics. For instance: there's a button for running AND for walking (making me use a weird WSXAD setup myself) and the interface is weird as well. It doesn't actively reward you for a stealthy approach, there's no rating or anything, you can kill as many guardsmen as you want, you only lose money if you take down civilians and policemen. The "stealth" in the game is mixed at times; once you pick up an appropriate disguise, you can just run around the entire place and as long as you don't shoot people or walk into Super Restricted Areas Nobody Has A Right To Be In (not many of them in game), you are going to be free to explore. It's really the game that is an experiment with the stealth genre - it throws around freely many ideas and as the series progresses uses the good ones. With all that in mind, the only reason you might want to pick this one up is for the sake of completion - Codename 47 walks you through Agent 47's beginnings in the trade of an assassin. It really feels more like a "hired gun" kinda game at times, but stealth approaches are possible.

Hitman 2: Silent Assassin: This game set most of the tropes of the series in stone. It has the first form of knocking out enemies without killing them - an anaesthetic. It has a stealth rating which rewards you; Silent Assassin is the ultimate accomplishment you can achieve, and you unlock weapons for missions you get the rank in. However, the game is MUCH harder, and Codename 47 wasn't exactly a walk in the park; particularly with paranoid guards that WILL see through your disguise if you bumble around too much. It also has an extremely buggy mission arc in Japan, which makes your Silent Assassin's attempts rely basically on a coinflip - a bug that invalidates Silent Assassin rank happens randomly, and the mission itself requires a ton of precision to pull off flawlessly. However, past that hiccup, it's a really good game - it's challenging, there's a variety of missions and it's overall a good mental workout.

Hitman Contracts: It reworks most of the missions from Codename 47 as a form of 47's flashbacks. It gives them justice; allows you to do the assignments from C47 in a more appropriate, stealthy way. Layouts of all old levels are expanded and improved. Overall, a good game in its own right, though a tad bit short.

[Scarch]

The Hitman series is great, buit I've never played Absolution, it doesn't sound worth playing either.

The Tenchu series is another stealth series that I like. Gameplay varies quite a bit from game to game. I haven't played the latest one though.

Mmm, this makes me want to go and play Hitman right now... too bad I don't have one here with me now...

[Tebryn]

Mark of the Ninja looks like a great game, and it's certainly on my (pretty long) wishlist of games. Does it feature disguising though? From what I've seen, you shouldn't be seen at all throughout the entire game, so it doesn't fit the letter of the thread, though it does fit the spirit. (While I'm looking primarily for games with disguising like described in the OP, I love stealth games in general. I kind of feel like they're the opposite of adventure horror games.)


Don't quote me on this because I really haven't followed the game closely, it's not particularly my brand of game, but I -hear- that the DLC/Remastered/Creators Choice version of the game that's coming out is going to have a new character/path that you can play that is more along the lines of disguises and non-lethal take downs. The game is still good however, so I felt I should at least promote it more. If you want to play a good Adventure/Survival Horror game with stealth elements...I suggest Amnesia: The Dark Descent.

[factotum]

I kind of regret not picking up the Thief collection on Steam a few weeks back when it was on sale.

You can get all three Thief games on either Steam or GoG for less than $30. That's three awesome games* for half the price of a crappy modern AAA title, and you need them to be on sale so you can get them for even less? :smallwink:

* Note that Thief 3 is still an awesome game by the standards of any other series. It just pales a bit compared to its more illustrious forebears.

[Morph Bark]

You can get all three Thief games on either Steam or GoG for less than $30. That's three awesome games* for half the price of a crappy modern AAA title, and you need them to be on sale so you can get them for even less? :smallwink:

Hey, when you're earning only a few bucks a week with hours of work, every penny counts! Besides, if I can't get at least two hours of gameplay for every little euro I've spent on a game, it's not really worth it to me. If I can get at least four per euro, then it's a steal. And with a game by the name of Thief, that's just too fitting. :smalltongue:

[Flickerdart]

There are three words you need to familiarize yourself with right now if disguise-based gameplay is your thing. Death. To. Spies.

[factotum]

There are three words you need to familiarize yourself with right now if disguise-based gameplay is your thing. Death. To. Spies.

...so long as you don't mind a level of difficulty that makes old Nintendo games look like walks in the park!

[zegram 33]

you can get the hitman trilogy (blood money, contracts, and silent assasin) for around £17 in store (so....20-ish euro's, if my conversion is right?) its a bloody good series and as stated, the disguise aspect is better in the old games (although silent assasin is still pretty difficult)

[Tebryn]

It's not out yet, but I would also suggest Monaco: What's Yours is Mine that's coming out on Steam sometime this month. It's a co-op/single player bank heist game that you can disguise yourself during certain missions.

[Kudaku]

While you can't use disguises in Mark of the Ninja, it really deserves a mention in the stealth game genre. It is definitely one of the best stealth games I've ever played.

[Raimun]

Metal Gear Solid has the ultimate disguise: the cardboard box!

Apart from that, there are often some disguises involved. Still, hiding and moving silently are the main forms of sneaking.

[mangosta71]

Alpha Protocol is another game that does stealth fairly well, if you want to go that route. You can play as the villain in a slasher flick, sneaking through shadows and slitting throats. You can be a pacifist, staying undetected and using non-lethal takedowns. The downside is that, against most of the bosses, stealth is just a tool for getting into position to shoot. You can also just charge in with guns blazing. Or play as a grenadier.

The real appeal of Alpha Protocol, though, is that it's a fantastic RPG.

[CarpeGuitarrem]

There are three words you need to familiarize yourself with right now if disguise-based gameplay is your thing. Death. To. Spies.
"This is Scout; rainbows make me cry!"

[Flickerdart]

"This is Scout; rainbows make me cry!"
Not that kind of Spy. Death to Spies and its sequel put you in the shoes of a Soviet spy behind Nazi lines, and you must skulk around their bases without being detected. Stealing people's clothes will get you access to some places, but if you go where you're not supposed to or do anything else too suspicious, you'll get shot very quickly.

[Hylleddin]

Not that kind of Spy.

Though, if the OP is specifically looking for disguise based gameplay, Team Fortress 2 isn't a bad option. It's mostly an FPS, so it tends to be much more fast paced then something like Dishonored, but Spy class is all about infiltration, assassination and sabotage. And your testing your sneakiness against actual people. My usual problem with stealth games is limits on guard AI.

[KillianHawkeye]

Alpha Protocol is another game that does stealth fairly well, if you want to go that route. You can play as the villain in a slasher flick, sneaking through shadows and slitting throats. You can be a pacifist, staying undetected and using non-lethal takedowns. The downside is that, against most of the bosses, stealth is just a tool for getting into position to shoot. You can also just charge in with guns blazing. Or play as a grenadier.

The real appeal of Alpha Protocol, though, is that it's a fantastic RPG.

Having just finished playing this game, I can say that the basic stealth engine is indeed decent, especially for an older game. Sadly lacking in disguises, though.

[Thanatos 51-50]

The Saboteur has a disguise mechanic, and I remember finding it useful/nigh-on necessary to use, but I don't remember the exact details of it.

As a plus, it's a sandbox game! Although, like most sandbox games with a territory control element, the endgame becomes dreadfully boring really, really quickly.

[Drascin]

Mark of the Ninja looks like a great game, and it's certainly on my (pretty long) wishlist of games. Does it feature disguising though? From what I've seen, you shouldn't be seen at all throughout the entire game, so it doesn't fit the letter of the thread, though it does fit the spirit. (While I'm looking primarily for games with disguising like described in the OP, I love stealth games in general. I kind of feel like they're the opposite of adventure horror games.)

No disguises, I'm afraid, but it IS basically the best mechanical implementation of "don't be seen" type stealth I've ever seen. It's great.

[factotum]

No disguises, I'm afraid, but it IS basically the best mechanical implementation of "don't be seen" type stealth I've ever seen. It's great.

If it's a better implementation than Thief 2 it must be the most awesome game ever... :smallsmile:

[Morph Bark]

Talking about Thief, Thief 4 (http://www.geeky-gadgets.com/thief-4-out-of-the-shadows-first-game-trailer-released-video-02-04-2013/) is coming up soon.

Considering the great replies so far, perhaps I should just change the title of the thread to Stealth Games General: The Darkness is your Friend. :smallsmile:

[mangosta71]

Mark of the Ninja rewards you for not being seen by allowing you to live. Momentarily, at least. :smallamused:

[Winthur]

Considering the great replies so far, perhaps I should just change the title of the thread to Stealth Games General: The Darkness is your Friend. :smallsmile:

You don't need darkness when you have swag.

http://i.imgur.com/kHFuprR.jpg

47's vision is augmented.

[Morph Bark]

You don't need darkness when you have swag.

what

get out


I'm kidding, please stay. I just hate that phrase. The picture is very appropriate to the original topic, though!

[AgentPaper]

I'm going to second (third? fourth?) Mark of the Ninja. I played that a bit after buying the latest Assassin's Creed, and I was everafter no longer able to take Assassin's Creed seriously, because of how **** the stealth is in that game compared to Mark of the Ninja.

Specifically, it's very up-front about what's going on. You don't need to guess about where the guards can or can' see you, you're either in light or you're not. You also don't make any sound unless you run, and all sounds create a circle on-screen that shows exactly who can hear it. This, combined with the very very smooth controls that make you actually feel like a ninja.

There's a good review here (http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/editorials/reviews/9984-Mark-of-the-Ninja-Review).

[Winthur]

I'm kidding, please stay. I just hate that phrase. The picture is very appropriate to the original topic, though!
:smallconfused:
Sorry, my glasses are screwed up and I can't make out exactly what you just wrote.
You want appropriate pictures and hate?
http://i.imgur.com/cJAZvlY.jpg

Here you go. Have the controller. I'm off to have fun.

fun (http://i.imgur.com/2QSJG.jpg)