Best stealth video game?

[Choyrt]

So, which game on console or computer had the best stealth? Consider the following bullet points before making a suggestion:


Was the stealth plausible?
Did I feel rewarded for the stealth?
Where the controls solid?
Was the mechanic consistant?
Did I have a feedback system of some kind it indicate the height of my presence?


It doesn't have to be a combat game either, technically. I remember the best stealthing experience I've had in gaming was when I came and went in Thief and not a soul knew I had been there. I imagined that someone would open a vault and just find it empty.

Another example of pure awesome was in Crysis (I think) when I went through a North Korean checkpoint and killed every soul except for the one guy by the radio who was napping. I left him be because the irony of sparing the most vulnerable was interesting to me, and I rather enjoyed the thought of him waking from his rest some time later only to wander around finding his brothers in arms strewn about, viscera splayed on the ground.

So, what is the best stealth gameplay for you? What game NAILED stealth?

[factotum]

Thief and Thief 2. No question about it, they launched the stealth'em'up genre and have never been equalled, much less surpassed. Honourable mention goes to Dishonored, which is about as close as you can get these days to a Thief game.

[Winthur]

To be honest no other game really even tried to surpass Thief's classic stealth where you stick to the shadows and remain completely unseen. Hitman is a good series, one of my favourites, but disguises make the feel overall different ("hide in plain sight") one and the game isn't designed to be beaten suit only (though you can, but most of the time it requires some exploits).

Metal Gear Solid focuses on narrative.

[CarpeGuitarrem]

Blaaaaaarg. I need to finish my in-progress game of Prince of Persia so I can fire up the Thief games, which I just got via GOG.com.

[Phase]

Best stealth game is, for me, without any semblance of a doubt, Mark of the Ninja. The motion is just so fluid, the dynamic between light and dark so all-encompassing. You always know where you are, you can always plan ahead, and when your plans inevitably go awry, unless you're pumped full of lead, you can always make yourself scarce, try again, with your new knowledge.

The stealth is consistent, always operating on the same basic mechanic, but the ways in which it becomes varied as the game progresses are masterful. Will you focus on going unseen? Being a shadow? A Ghost? Or will you rely upon the ninja's innate ability to strike fear into the heart of his opponents? A spectral hunter in the shadows, feeding on your terror...

I played on the PC with a keyboard and mouse, but I imagine that with a controller it would be even more fluid. That, to me, epitomizes stealth. Fluidity of motion, slipping from one shadow to another, keeping yourself always in motion, then lying in wait for the perfect time to strike.

[Psyren]

Mark of the Ninja is a really good indie stealth game on Steam (and I think XBLA). To quote the Extra Credits crew from one of their "Games You Should Try" episodes, "This game is stealth done right."

EDIT: And how appropriate, I failed my spot check vs. the ninja post above me.

[Togath]

As strange as it sounds, in addition to the suggestions above, Skyrim is surprisingly good when played as a stealth(y) game. Combat-wise anyway.

[Mordokai]

From what I recall, Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory was really good at stealth. Sam had the option of getting to the target, whether it was person or an object virtually undetected and get away much the same. Doing a mission with no casualties(other than the ones designated by mission) was totally possible.

It did require some skill and a lot of patience though.

[Cespenar]

I'm not saying it's the best per se, but Far Cry 3 really was refreshing because of how it succeeded to implement a proper outdoors stealth system, without any of the "you're invisible when in shadows, visible when not" stuff. Tall grass, bushes, and trees all were hiding places yet weren't Hiding Places(tm) like it is in Assassin's Creed where it granted you direct invisibility if you get one centimeter into them.

My vote otherwise would probably go to the Thief series as well.

[Hiro Protagonest]

I wasn't going to say Mark of the Ninja, since it's the only stealth game I've played (unless Ghost Recon counts), but... yeah. Great game. New Game+ is actually easier since you have all the stuff you unlocked previously, including the teleportation ability that lets you go right past lasers and guards, in exchange for... not being able to see behind you, not having the indicators for the guards' (incredibly short) range of vision, and not having the rings that tell you how far sounds go (which doesn't really matter at this point, since you should already know how much noise running and using the grappling hook makes, and it still tells you what guards are going to hear it if you aim a dart at something in focus mode). Which, as an experienced player, shouldn't matter.

[Choyrt]

As strange as it sounds, in addition to the suggestions above, Skyrim is surprisingly good when played as a stealth(y) game. Combat-wise anyway.


Stealth archery in that game is amazingly rewarding. Same with the anti-material rifle in Fallout New Vegas.

I've really enjoyed Mark of the Ninja a lot, as well. The feedback regarding sound and sight is highly intuitive.

What about Stealth Bastard? Anyone play that one?

http://i1.ytimg.com/vi/7VH7JDj7mn0/hqdefault.jpg?feature=og

[IthilanorStPete]

Stealth archery in that game is amazingly rewarding. Same with the anti-material rifle in Fallout New Vegas.

Oh, you think the anti-materiel rifle is good? Try out Christine's COS silencer rifle - it's ridiculous. I've assassinated NCR officers in Forlorn Hope, then walked up and started chatting with the people next to them, with nary a consequence.

[Choyrt]

OMG I didn't even know that rifle existed!

[Shadowy]

While mark of the ninja has good points, another good indie game I'd put forward is Gunpoint. Somewhat implausible stealth, but really well designed levels, fantastic writing, and flexible mechanics.

There's just something so satisfying about knocking a guy out with a door then luring his friend over to knock him through a window.

[Hiro Protagonest]

While mark of the ninja has good points, another good indie game I'd put forward is Gunpoint. Somewhat implausible stealth, but really well designed levels, fantastic writing, and flexible mechanics.

Yeah, I hear it's really good, but... I can't get past the description of the main mechanic. I'll probably buy it, but it'll be in spite of that.

[factotum]

What about Stealth Bastard? Anyone play that one?

http://i1.ytimg.com/vi/7VH7JDj7mn0/hqdefault.jpg?feature=og

I played it back when it was free...to be honest, it doesn't really *feel* like a stealth title; it feels like what it is, namely, a puzzle game. To my mind, a proper stealth game needs to have multiple possible routes to achieve your objective, whereas in Stealth Bastard there's only ever one.

[The Mentalist]

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/content/games/yahtzee/artoftheft

I liked this one, not the best but very difficult to get perfect.

[Brother Oni]

I'm surprised nobody mentioned the Tenchu series.

As old as the Thief series (both launched in 1998), it's a third person stealth game where you're ninja in feudal Japan.

Multiple routes to achieve your goal, with use of ranged weapons to assassinate targets and luring devices (including poisoned rice to get rid of guard dogs).
It also include an alertness proximity detector as some sort of semi mystic ninja 'Spidey Sense'.

It emphasises stealth as it's very difficult to fight alerted foes (in part due to the clunky mechanics), but the later games have kinda let the series down.

Still, if crawling around rooftops in period Japan is your thing, there isn't anything to beat it.

[Eldariel]

I'll just repeat Thief: The Dark Project. It's honestly a brilliant game that really focuses on stealth and where you don't want to kill every guard. You get to play with the light, sneak and there are no psychic guards or such to mess the game.

[DigoDragon]

As strange as it sounds, in addition to the suggestions above, Skyrim is surprisingly good when played as a stealth(y) game. Combat-wise anyway.

I haven't played much at all for stealth-based games, but I do think Skyrim has a very nice stealth system, so I agree with Togath.

[Tengu_temp]

Metal Gear Solid focuses on narrative.

And yet the gameplay is smooth, fun and exciting. I actually liked the first two MGS games more than the Thief series - they don't pretend to be realistic, everything is very arcadey, but it just works so well!

MGS3 is overcomplicated, though, and MGS4 is a mess in general. They're not as good.


I haven't played much at all for stealth-based games, but I do think Skyrim has a very nice stealth system, so I agree with Togath.

Yeah, Skyrim's stealth system is good only in comparison to other non-stealth games with a shoehorned in stealth system. It doesn't hold a candle to games that actually focus on stealth.

[IthilanorStPete]

I played it back when it was free...to be honest, it doesn't really *feel* like a stealth title; it feels like what it is, namely, a puzzle game. To my mind, a proper stealth game needs to have multiple possible routes to achieve your objective, whereas in Stealth Bastard there's only ever one.

That's what Mark of the Ninja feels like to me, honestly. There are multiple ways to tackle things, but the setpieces often feel fairly contrived; it doesn't feel like I'm using my skill to overcome a challenge so much as going through the steps that are laid out for me.

[Terraoblivion]

And yet the gameplay is smooth, fun and exciting. I actually liked the first two MGS games more than the Thief series - they don't pretend to be realistic, everything is very arcadey, but it just works so well!

MGS3 is overcomplicated, though, and MGS4 is a mess in general. They're not as good.

I agree with the assessment of the relative quality of MGS games. I kinda wonder why I even bothered getting MGS4 after not liking 3 very much. I guess that I was just influenced by people going on about how amazing it was back when it was new.

I don't agree on the comparison to the Thief games, though. Thief 2 is still the best stealth game I've ever played, thanks to the open, sprawling environments that encouraged the heart of stealth games, figuring out the proper path through them. On top of that, it had a good sense of aesthetics and a knack for properly balancing cynicism with enough light to make it worth it in the setting. I highly prefer Metal Age over Dark Project, though. It was more confident in what it was doing and largely had better level design in my experience.

[Tengu_temp]

I actually never played Thief 2. Just 1 and 3. Wouldn't be the first time I missed the second and best part of a franchise (hello Star Trek).

[factotum]

Thief 2 is generally acknowledged to be better than Thief 1 (although they removed the rope arrow, which was all sorts of fun!), yes...if you haven't played it, get thee hence and do so now!

[DaedalusMkV]

Splinter Cell the first was really very good, if utterly unforgiving. You either be very, very patient or be ready for a total trial-and-error approach to everything. Unlike some other games, in this one when you're 'hiding in shadows' it's more like utter pitch blackness, so it makes a bit more sense. Plus, the majority of the game was about managing lines-of-sight and learning safe areas and patrol routes by careful observation, so it's probably the best pure-stealth game I've played.

On the other hand? The sequel Chaos Theory's multiplayer is the best stealth gameplay of all time. A couple of dudes with pistols, gadgets and ninja clothes trying to get past a squad of mercs armed to the teeth with weapons and combat gear to achieve their objective. The mercs are played by real humans in first-person-shooter mode, and will mercilessly butcher you if they spot you. No artificial idiocy, no obvious success routes (because the very first thing they did was wire all the best approaches with cunningly hidden trip mines and motion sensors). Your only advantages are superior situational awareness, acrobatics, having genuinely low visibility against the right background and the ability to fit into tight spaces. Winning a game of multiplayer as an agent against a halfway decent team in SC:CT made you feel like a total badass. Of course, that's now defunct (there are maybe four people still playing PS2 games online...) and the newer games are somehow nowhere near as good at it, probably because they try to be 'fair', when 'the odds are stacked horribly on the guards' side, so I hope you're ready to outsmart them at every turn' is so much more rewarding.

[Yora]

I really like Metal Gear Solid 1 and 3 as great stealth games. They are admitedly rather quirky games and probably only about half the play time is stealth, but being someone who likes to try a section over and over until I get it right and don't try to just kill all the guards when I get spotted, I had huge fun lying in the same bush for ages waiting to see what the movement patterns of the guards are. Who also happen to wear camouflage uniforms. And the huge amount of gadgets you get in the later games to deal with landmines, tripwires, laser barriers, surveilance cammeras, and so on.
In Normal and Easy mode, there's a HUD radar that tells you where nearby guards are and in what direction they are looking. On Hard mode, you have to rely on your hearing to figure out if anyone is there and where they are moving a lot of times.

It's a Japanese game with huge amounts of cutscenes. If you're not one of those people who runs screaming away from games like that, and you have a PS3, get the PS3 collection that's just been released. (Or if you have a PS2 with a PS1 memory card, you can also get the first three games in their original versions.)

[Surfing HalfOrc]

My favorite stealth game was the first Manhunt game.

You had a mix off weapons, but the highest score came from using silent weapons: knives, plastic bags, bats and billy clubs, and shards o glass. Firearms were available, but gunfire usually brought other hunters.

The storyline was pretty basic, you were a convicted and (supposedly) executed prisoner, set loose by a movie producer who made snuff films. Your goal was to survive the hunters he had stationed around the enclosed area of the city.

Manhunt 2 followed the same basic premise, but there were more weapons, more use of environmental elements to kill the hunters, and a twist to the main character. I actually enjoyed the first game more than the second.

[illyahr]

Also going to agree with the Thief games. Thief: The Dark Project was the grandfather of all modern stealth games, including Assassin's Creed, Metal Gear, and others. The whole "get through areas without being seen or be good enough to not have your @$$ whooped" style of play originated here. Because, you know, Moss Arrows.

Note to all lovers of the Thief games: a new one is in the works for PS4, XBOX One, and PC. Just thought you should know. :smallsmile:

[GolemsVoice]

It's different from what has been mentioned, but the Commandos series of games are hards as all hell, and you better be quick and stealthy or you won't get nowhere.

[Psyren]

I'm surprised nobody mentioned the Tenchu series.

As old as the Thief series (both launched in 1998), it's a third person stealth game where you're ninja in feudal Japan.

Multiple routes to achieve your goal, with use of ranged weapons to assassinate targets and luring devices (including poisoned rice to get rid of guard dogs).
It also include an alertness proximity detector as some sort of semi mystic ninja 'Spidey Sense'.

It emphasises stealth as it's very difficult to fight alerted foes (in part due to the clunky mechanics), but the later games have kinda let the series down.

Still, if crawling around rooftops in period Japan is your thing, there isn't anything to beat it.

Tenchu Z is a lot of fun, I recommend it. You can also customize your ninja quite a bit.

[Triaxx]

No one has mentioned Deus Ex yet? That was the most awesome stealth game. Multiple Routes, all the awesome ways you could sneak around.

I really enjoyed the Stealth in Skyrim and the Fallout games. But Oblivion was my favorite. Get to 100 and you're invisible. Combine that with the acrobatics and athletics and the awesome tricks you can perform... There's a spot in the final mission for the Thieves Guild where you're supposed to activate a stair case, and climb that, but maxed acrobatics and some boots let you skip it. As well as being able to jump to high places to avoid guards. It's awesome.

[ScrambledBrains]

No one has mentioned Deus Ex yet? That was the most awesome stealth game. Multiple Routes, all the awesome ways you could sneak around.

QFT. While my experience was with Deus Ex: Human Revolution rather than the original, I completely agree with the above assessment.

[Brother Oni]

Tenchu Z is a lot of fun, I recommend it. You can also customize your ninja quite a bit.

Unsurprisingly, the hannya mask was my first purchase. :smalltongue:

I keep on vacillating between the anime-esque bare chested look or the more practical clothed version though.

[Winthur]

No one has mentioned Deus Ex yet? That was the most awesome stealth game. Multiple Routes, all the awesome ways you could sneak around.

Honestly Deus Ex is a non-stealth game which has stealth elements that... aren't necessarily that great. There's quite a lot of routes to get around, to be sure, but that's just a byproduct of how there's many ways to achieve the end of each level in this game. The guard AI isn't smart, the ability to stun enemies from behind was confusing as hell (some guards just fall to the baton or prod with one hit, some don't, even if they're of the same type), no one reacts to bodies left around, and so on.

Sure a stealthy playthrough is fun and plausible, but I'd say it's mostly because the game is fun. :smalltongue:

[Choyrt]

When I posted, I intended for games that used stealth as their primary gameplay mechanic. I wasn't trying to limit it, per se, but Deus Ex, Fallout Tactics, and Skyrim are all games that have multiple play styles, some of which cater to stealth. For instance, I am 100% about stealth in Skyrim. Stealth archer = win.

With that said, Deus Ex had descent stealth but it felt clunky when compared to the amazing Thief 1 and Thief 2. Human Revolution had a much improved stealth mechanic, however.

Also, mad props on the original Splinter Cell. That game had fantastic stealth mechanics!

[Triaxx]

Actually they will react to bodies. It makes them look around to see who did the killing/knocking out, but it only seems to happen if they run across the bodies in the normal course of a patrol.

[Winthur]

Actually they will react to bodies. It makes them look around to see who did the killing/knocking out, but it only seems to happen if they run across the bodies in the normal course of a patrol.

Are you sure this is not something that was implemented in the Shifter mod or something of the sort?

I remember being surprised that I don't have to hide bodies the first time I knocked somebody out and when his buddy encountered him he just casually walked past. There wasn't even any verbal cue like "Watch yourselves" and he didn't try running for an alarm, something that sounds like a sensible thing to do even if "a guy in civvies" isn't right in front of you with a gun.

[Triaxx]

Never played that mod, but it might be. I just know I always hide bodies.

[ShadowFireLance]

Anyone mentioned the Awesomeness that is Dishonored yet?

[Winthur]

Anyone mentioned the Awesomeness that is Dishonored yet?

factotum did on the previous page except it's not awesomeness

[Forbiddenwar]

Honestly Deus Ex is a non-stealth game which has stealth elements that... aren't necessarily that great.

The guard AI isn't smart, the ability to stun enemies from behind was confusing as hell (some guards just fall to the baton or prod with one hit, some don't, even if they're of the same type), no one reacts to bodies left around, and so on.


Which Deus Ex? Sounds like the first one.


Actually they will react to bodies. It makes them look around to see who did the killing/knocking out, but it only seems to happen if they run across the bodies in the normal course of a patrol.

This happens in Deus Ex HR, IIRC.

[Winthur]

Which Deus Ex? Sounds like the first one.

That's the one I was talking about.



This happens in Deus Ex HR, IIRC.

I never asked for this.

[Triaxx]

I could absolutely swear it happens in the original. Why else can we move bodies then?

[Starbuck_II]

I could absolutely swear it happens in the original. Why else can we move bodies then?

For fun. Moving bodies is fun.

[Cespenar]

For fun. Moving bodies is fun.

Especially in the original Hitman.

[Landis963]

For fun. Moving bodies is fun.

Well, that's more about the destination than the journey. :smallwink:

[Choyrt]

I remember doing a Thief playthrough with the intention of never killing a soul. I had a guard over my shoulder and I sneaked to a manhole and dropped him in. Two seconds later he drowned!

I was amazed that this game treated the unconscious as living people and not merely objects to be moved.

[Landis963]

I remember doing a Thief playthrough with the intention of never killing a soul. I had a guard over my shoulder and I sneaked to a manhole and dropped him in. Two seconds later he drowned!

I was amazed that this game treated the unconscious as living people and not merely objects to be moved.

DX:HR does the same thing. There's a spot in the DLC where you have to get the drop on the BBEG, and I was annoyed to find out that the heavy I tranqed to get a clear path fell to his death, thereby screwing up my pacifist walkthrough.

[Forbiddenwar]

DX:HR does the same thing. There's a spot in the DLC where you have to get the drop on the BBEG, and I was annoyed to find out that the heavy I tranqed to get a clear path fell to his death, thereby screwing up my pacifist walkthrough.

The original game also had a very difficult section, we you were faced with a choice of a pacifist playthrough or saving the pilot. Doing both was nearly impossible because the soldiers suicided trying to kill you and the piloit (Such as shooting point blank rockets or staying close to an exploding driod), or falling from a 20 foot ledge after being tranqed.

I remember who amazed and proud I was to get through that section with a pacifist and saved pilot victory. It took several hours of attempts to do.

[Landis963]

The original game also had a very difficult section, we you were faced with a choice of a pacifist playthrough or saving the pilot. Doing both was nearly impossible because the soldiers suicided trying to kill you and the piloit (Such as shooting point blank rockets or staying close to an exploding driod), or falling from a 20 foot ledge after being tranqed.

I remember who amazed and proud I was to get through that section with a pacifist and saved pilot victory. It took several hours of attempts to do.

:smallfrown: I was never able to save her. I couldn't drop them all before she does the dying message.

[factotum]

I was amazed that this game treated the unconscious as living people and not merely objects to be moved.

I discovered that while doing an Expert playthrough, where you fail the mission if you kill any humanoid--knocked out a guard, but the only obvious place to leave him so he wouldn't be discovered was in a room that had a foot or two of water across the floor. Left him in there and was continuing on my way when the "mission failed" screen came up!

[iyaerP]

Dishonored has some awesome gameplay and stealth mechanics, but the rewards are in the story and plot, rather than the gameplay itself. Gameplay is much more rewarding of being a psychotic murder-wizard.

[Destro_Yersul]

Dishonored has some awesome gameplay and stealth mechanics, but the rewards are in the story and plot, rather than the gameplay itself. Gameplay is much more rewarding of being a psychotic murder-wizard.

It can be a lot of fun trying to do a total stealth playthrough without knocking any people out at all. There's a couple spots where you absolutely have to, but the vast majority of the game can be done without ever directly interacting with any guards. Sure you miss out on a lot of the toys, but you also have to think very differently about how to approach a situation.

[huttj509]

I really liked doing stealth in Deus Ex: HR (managed the pilot nonlethal).

My favorite stealth moment is in Thief: The Dark Project (thief 1) though. Infiltrating a mansion, waiting to watch the patrols, knock out a guard, and carrying him to a dark corner.

Then another guard rounds the corner across the lawn from me. I duck up against the wall, not sure if it's shadowy enough to hide me, carrying an unconscious body, as the guard walks a few inches in front of me on his patrol.

Then I realized I was literally holding my breath IRL, as if the guard would have heard it. It was awesome. Loved playing that game with headphones. So much based on listening to detect people, since that didn't expose you, and gave you an idea of terrain around the corner. :-)

[Raimun]

Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker.

What can I say, I like Metal Gear Solid-games and this one seems to offer an almost endless amount of MGS-action, stealth or otherwise. Sure, you can always choose to resolve things more like a soldier than a spy but you will always do better if you stealth it up.

Besides, you get to be Big Boss and lead Outer Heaven. The only downside is that at 1974, Big Boss seems to be hands down the best warrior in the world. There doesn't seem to be any man or woman capable of challenging him on equal terms, so boss fights are all against AI-vehicles and normal warmachines backed up by armored infantry squadrons.

[Landis963]

Dishonored has some awesome gameplay and stealth mechanics, but the rewards are in the story and plot, rather than the gameplay itself. Gameplay is much more rewarding of being a psychotic murder-wizard.

Pacing could use a little work though. That and reducing the cardboard-ness of the conversation NPCs.

[SlyGuyMcFly]

Well, that's more about the destination than the journey. :smallwink:

The destination being "piled on top of each other in embarassing positions". Childish, but I can't help but indulge myself every now and again.

[Choyrt]

Huttj509, you totally nailed the feeling of Thief. That post captured the entire joy of that game. Factotum, I totally forgot about all the shallows in that game.

As for Deus Ex: HR, I played totally pacifistic until those soldiers gunned down all those civilians in that cheep cubical hotel. Adam (my version of him) was enraged and left no soldier breathing. I rampaged the rest of the game, achievement be damned.

[Murska]

As for Deus Ex: HR, I played totally pacifistic until those soldiers gunned down all those civilians in that cheep cubical hotel. Adam (my version of him) was enraged and left no soldier breathing. I rampaged the rest of the game, achievement be damned.

For me, the point where I gave up being a pacifist and never looked back was when they were shooting up the pilot. I actually did that as a Pacifist on the toughest difficulty later, but in my initial playthrough I wasn't going for any achievements, I was just roleplaying my way through the game. And at that point my character simply snapped, turned around, ran at the enemies and murdered them all in an extremely quick order.

As for stealth games, I know it was mentioned, but I have to say that Splinter Cell Chaos Theory multiplayer is, hands down, the best one. Not because of its mechanics or gameplay as such, it's because it is the only stealth game that's multiplayer against human guards. It's difficult in a way that no other game, no AI really can capture.

In most stealth games, I like it for a while, then the guards being predictable and dumb, not sounding the alarm if one of them goes missing or, in the worst case, even stopping my pursuit after a certain time goes by without seeing me again, breaks the feeling of the thing. I liked the first half of Crysis 1, but that was not for the stealth as such but for the sheer ability to cause mayhem in a rather open environment, punch holes through roofs and so on. I do like the tacked-on stealth mechanics in some games that allow me to eliminate foes in quick order by smoothly moving from cover to cover, popping perfect headshots one after another. But that's not real stealth gameplay. In actual stealth games, avoiding the enemies, it tends to go into 'wait for the guards to start repeating their patrol route, then go past them as they always retrace their steps exactly'. Knocking someone out without killing them /should not/ result in a 'ghost' achievement, that should be reserved for no-one ever knowing you were there, leaving no traces whatsoever, which usually isn't even possible. I prefer the need to think on my feet, to be fast in my reactions, intuitive, to try and predict and outguess the guards who are actively attempting to do the same against me.

Which brings us back to the multiplayer experience of Chaos Theory. The feeling of joy when you trip an alarm near the last computer room on purpose, then leap on top of the guard rushing to check the noise, breaking his neck, and then walk away with the keycard in hand. The feeling of terror when you round a corner straight into a gun-wielding maniac. The grin on your face when you hear the tell-tale 'boom' and a message signifying another dirty thief running into one of your proximity mines. It's so much more than exploiting the routines of an AI.

[Emmerask]

Singleplayer: Thief
Coop: Splinter Cell

Thief always promises coop play for each new title... that then gets cut out... but maybe this time :smallbiggrin:

[Brother Oni]

I suppose the Assassin's Creed multiplayer doesn't really fall under the 'stealth' classification?

[Choyrt]

That is a good point, Oni. Assassin's Creed is more about hiding in plain sight, but I have enjoyed the stealth elements in it. Especially in Creed 2.

I have never tried the multiplayer.

[Brother Oni]

With the exception of goals or bonus objectives where you're forced to be stealthy, the stealth option in AC is very much voluntary since Ezio and Connor could fight so well (Altair was more limited due to the mechanics/engine).
When even Desmond can get away with being non-stealthy in an environment with modern automatic firearms (outside of plot), you know something's wrong.

That said, the stealth option is done fairly well, it's a pity that it's not forced more often (I miss the planned assassinations of AC1 where you have to get and get out in one piece, but with the distinct lack of big castles and increased parkour and swimming options, it makes planning less of a necessity).

I've only played the multiplayer from Brotherhood (Gold subscriptions were significantly less value for money back then so I didn't renew the free one I got) and it's a very much more cat and mouse style of game rather than the 'Spy vs Spy'-esque gameplay that Splinter Cell sounds like:


You and all the other players spawn as a unique character and the level is populated with NPCs who are clones of these characters.
You get a target and you have to hunt down them down while simultaneously avoiding your hunter (who is unknown to you).
All hiding places are available (hiding in groups, sitting on benches, hiding in haystacks, etc).

Using high profile actions within LOS of your hunter marks you out to them, not to mention highlight you as a player (NPCs have fixed behaviours), while doing the same in the LOS of your prey alerts them to your presence.

You have limited defences against your hunter, so most of the time, you're better off out-running him: if he alerts you to his presence, you can try to outrun him - do that and lose LOS for long enough, he fails his mission and you get a new hidden hunter.
He also fails his mission if he assassinates the wrong person, so hiding in a group of NPCs who are all the same character as you is a great ploy, assuming you hold your nerve.

It was pretty fun, but level based ability unlocks and poor match making annoyed the hell out of me (I lost count of the number of times I outran my hunter, only for him to shoot me in the back - that ability is unlocked at approximately level 50, I was level 8), not to mention the overloaded servers and lag turned me off it (it took several minutes to match up enough players for a round, assuming they didn't give up during the process, resetting the matchmaking).

Supposedly the Revelations and AC3 multiplayer is better but I'm still soured from my Brotherhood experiences.