10 Video Game Mechanics We Can't Believe Were Left To Die

4. Stealth, Stealth Kills & Enemy-Watching Completion Methods

Seen in: Splinter Cell, Metal Gear Solid

An entire genre reduced to "hide in the tall grass!", other than Hitman flying the flag for careful, procedural, rewarding stealth infiltration and execution, I can only point to Assassin's Creed as a notable franchise that still cares about implementing it at all.

And that's a massive shame, because both Splinter Cell and Metal Gear Solid were iconic and successful for a reason.

Yes, MGS - and stealth overall - came from the technical limitations of Hideo Kojima not being able to code a firefight on the ancient MSX hardware, but it became a staple part of any 2000s gamer's diet.

Sticking to the shadows, hanging above enemies, watching guard patterns and even having fun picking off the A.I. one by one. The Batman: Arkham series distilled the latter down to gargoyles and surprising people, but the idea of being a silent predator who expertly slinks from A to B was engaging, intense and memorable as hell.

Ironically, the stealth genre seems to have disappeared.