Just thought I'd pop my head in and recommend a couple of games.
First off, you've got to try Hitman: Blood Money. If you're into stealty games, this is for you. If you're into bam-bam-blood-and-guts, this is also for you! Each mission (just as in all of the hitman series) can be done a numerous amount of ways. You can go in guns blazing, or you can make your hit look like a complete accident. It's all up to you. Also includes a neat new feature that lets you customize some of your weapons. Scopes, laser pointers, silencers, armor-piercing rounds... Nifty stuff!
Secondly, try to get your hands on The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay. Not only does this game play and LOOK very good, but it's been overlooked plenty of times. I can play this game with maxed out graphical settings and it plays flawlessly. Absolutely beautiful game, in my opinion. As with Hitman, you can either hide in the shadows and wait for the ride time to jump out and slit your enemy's throat, or you can go in guns blazing. It has very nifty melee combat integration. If you're familiar with the Jedi Knight series, you'll get how it works; basically your punches and such are determined by the direction you're pressing as you attack. Works nicely, and gives a real nice feel to the world. For those who are familiar with the movies, this is a prequal to the Pitch Black movie. You get to experience all of Riddick's nifty little adventures and whatnot. Check it out.
Last but not least, an oldie but goodie... Thief II: The Metal Age. This is, for the most part, a complete stealth game. You have certain objectives you must complete, and you use your stealth to get them done. Hide in the shadows and creep in the hallways to get your business done. You could, however, just kill everyone with the arsenal that the game provides you with; a sword, a bow with several types of arrows, flashbombs, and other nifty gadgets. Try this one out. If you don't like it, it shouldn't matter too much -- I think you can grab this one really cheap at your local game store (if you can find it!)
So try these games out, have fun, and feel free to recommend some games to me.
ID:13611
 Jun 12 2006, 11:27 am (Edited on Jun 12 2006, 2:12 pm)
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Deus Ex is da bomb. I continue to install and play it to this very day. It's also fun to try it by challenging yourself to certain criteria: for instance, my latest character is a pistol expert only and absolutely will not carry or use explosives (though if there are explosive objects in the area, setting off secondary explosions with a well-aimed pistol shot are another matter...).
Deus Ex is another of those games where you can play as a loose cannon or a stealthy character. You also have to make moral decisions between killing or incapacitating; sadly, however, killing bad guys has very few negative side effects other than getting the good guys a little upset at your wanton inhumanity. I haven't been able to get into the Thief series as much as other people, because I don't have the patience to have my character just sit and wait in the shadows for hours waiting for a suitable gap to open up in the enemy's defences. Games like that always strike me as being motor vehicles branch queue line simulators. ;-) I disagree with the statement that you can just kill everyone: Thief: Deadly Shadows punishes this behaviour, in particular. | |
Have to try Hitman : Blood money !
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sadly, however, killing bad guys has very few negative side effects other than getting the good guys a little upset at your wanton inhumanity. Yeah, it would have been nice to see a few more consequences. Still, the way the game reacted to your actions was very convincing (if largely faked), and I wish more games would do it. I haven't been able to get into the Thief series as much as other people, because I don't have the patience to have my character just sit and wait in the shadows for hours waiting for a suitable gap to open up in the enemy's defences. Aw, c'mon. It's the tension that makes it fun! Besides, you don't have to wait - have you seen any Thief speed runs? If you're fast on your feet you can actually move through the level quite quickly. Timing is still of the essence, but it's sometimes surprising what you can get away with. Games like that always strike me as being motor vehicles branch queue line simulators. ;-) Hah! I disagree with the statement that you can just kill everyone: Yeah, Thief games don't lend themselves to massacres... though it can be done! Thief: Deadly Shadows punishes this behaviour, in particular. Depends what difficulty level you play at. The original games had much harsher penalties for killing on Expert level; usually you'd just automatically lose the game. It was easier to kill in the original games (the sword helped!), but Thief:DS doesn't punish you as much for doing it, besides the combat damage and the alerted guards. If you use a bow and arrow you can take them out from a distance before they can run for help. | |
In the older Thief games, you can kill as much as you want, depending on the skill level and mission objectives. Sometimes there are rules that you can't hurt anyone, sometimes not. Sometimes it puts a cap on how many people you can kill.
Hitman, however, you can pretty much do anything. I love that game. On pro, evidence can be left behind (such as your weapons, or your suit) and it will count against you. You'll get notorious, and people will recognize you faster and whatnot. You can bribe witnesses to keep their mouth shut, too. I just kill the witnesses and dump their body somewhere, though. Heheheh. Haven't gotten the Silent Assassin rating yet, but I will do so in a bit. I've gotten The Ghost, which is right below Silent Assassin (difference being I killed innocents). If I only sedate/knock out innocents and kill my mark(s), I'll get Silent Assassin. Fun stuff! | |
If you can find it, the System Shock series is also awesome. It's actually based on the same game engine as Thief, so you can play it stealthily if you want to. Not as much as Thief (where it's actually possible to finish the game without being spotted once, and without taking out any enemies), but the ninja approach works really well; sneak up behind them, then attack from close range!
Speaking of the ninja approach: If you haven't played Deus Ex, do it now. (I mean the original - the sequel sucked in comparison.) If you haven't snuck up behind an MJ12 commando and smacked him upside the head with a laser sword, you haven't lived.