One of my favorite genres to play is stealth games. The first stealth game I played was "Thief: The Dark Project", released in 1998. Thief was the first stealth game to use sound and light as gameplay mechanics, and the first to use a first person perspective. Later series that picked up on this include Hitman, and Splinter Cell. We will dive into those two games in just a minute.
I remember loading "Thief: The Dark Project" onto my Dad's computer in 1998. Jumping into the first level, I stared at the screen, blown away by the graphics, and how the lighting was used in such a realistic way. The game used a stealth technique where shadows made you ghost-like, walking among the enemy ranks. The enemy would remain calm unless bumped into, or if they heard your footsteps. This made slow movement essential. Because light was one of the main mechanics used for cover, Garrett, the main protagonist in Thief, was equipped with a glass tipped water filled arrow. When shot at a torch, the glass would shatter, putting out the torch.
Garrett was also equipped with arrows that would create a mossy pathway when shot at the ground, making it easy to walk by enemies undetected. If things got loud, there were fire arrows to take out enemies quickly. If Garrett got into a situation where he needed to escape quickly, he could throw a flash bomb to stun enemies. Since Thief is based in the middle ages, it made sense that Garrett carried a broad sword in case enemies got too close.
I can remember walking down a street, sticking to the shadows, pulling out my blackjack, and knocking an enemy unconscious. Since the NPC's in this game had a patrol most of the time, you were allowed to pick up an enemy body, and hide it in the shadows so it would not be discovered later on. There is also a meter on your Heads Up Display (HUD) that indicates how "lit up" Garrett is.
Thief was groundbreaking for the stealth genre, but in 2001, "Hitman: Codename 47" was released. Hitman is played in third person perspective. The main character is referred to as "47", or "Agent 47." Agent 47 is a bald man, with a bar code tattooed onto the back of his head. He wears a black suit, white dress shirt, and a red tie. He’s a test subject trained strictly in the methods of murder. Upon escaping a test facility, Agent 47 is hired by a European contract killing organization called "The Agency". Throughout the game you are tasked with completing assassinations for people that have hired "The Agency"; taking out targets throughout the world. Most of these targets are public leaders, or wealthy people.
In Hitman, there is the occasional nighttime setting for a mission, but for the most part Agent 47 is walking around in broad daylight. Because of this, 47 must rely on killing the enemy, and taking their clothing to blend into restricted areas. Each mission begins with 47 in his standard attire, and is tasked with figuring out which enemy to take out in order to get behind enemy lines without causing alert. Agent 47 has two silver .45 caliber pistols called "Silver Ballers". Early on in the game, you only have one of these pistols, but eventually upgrade to the dual "ballers".
Because Agent 47 is an assassin, he must be silent in all that he does. If an NPC is alerted by your presence, a meter on your HUD shows their suspicion level, and will begin to flash red when they are at a full alert that you are an assassin. You use many weapons in the game, including random items such as a golf club, a shovel, and a kitchen knife. Other weapons include, sniper rifles, machine guns, and sub machine guns. I loved Hitman because it was always a challenge to figure out how to sneak around without getting caught. The fact that you are walking around in broad daylight made it very difficult to plan your next move. Some guards had higher access than others, which meant 47 would have to find a way into those areas by killing one of these guards, or sneaking in undetected.
I could write an entire article dedicated to this series in the future, so I won't go into much detail. The next game that changed the way stealth games were played, was "Splinter Cell". This was the first game since Thief, that used lighting and sound as it's main game mechanic. It did so in a real, and artistic way that hadn't been done before. The environment was rich and detailed, as well as the lighting effects being flawless. Not only were the graphics very real, but so was the gameplay. It felt natural to play as "Sam Fisher", the main character in Splinter Cell. He could crouch, jump, climb, lean against walls, and peak around corners. Even though these movements sound familiar, Sam Fisher is an ex-navy seal, hired by a U.S. Government agency known as "Third Echelon", and had access to the most up-to-date equipment known at the time.
If Sam were to approach a door, and needed to see what was on the other side, he could pull out a "Snake Cam" which would slide under the door, and show him what laid ahead on his Palm Pilot. Similar to Thief, Splinter Cell also uses light as a means of getting to the objective while remaining undetected. Splinter Cell also uses a meter on the HUD, which indicates how much shadow Sam is in. Sam can knock out enemies in a number of ways. He can walk up behind an enemy and knock them out. He can also use an "FN F2000" assault rifle which has an under-barrel attachment used to shoot things larger than bullets such as a gadget called a "Sticky Shocker", which when shot at an enemy, would send an electrical current through his body knocking him unconscious.
My favorite thing about Splinter Cell is feeling like you are the best there is. Walking around undetected in high profile places such as the Chinese Embassy, and the Central Intelligence Agency's HQ. I could go on forever about this game as well, but will save it for another article. I wanted to give you an idea of what the stealth genre is all about. If you haven't picked up one of these games, I would highly suggest it. They have the ability to immerse you in a world you can only wish to be apart of.
Until next time, keep on gamin' on!
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