5 Great (And 5 Not So Great) Stealth Video Games

Stealth and horror often go hand in hand. Lately, we've had a revival with many first person efforts like Outlast, SOMA, Call of Cthulu and Alien: Isolation.

Back in the PlayStation 2's heady days of 2003, Sony Japan released Siren (or Forbidden Siren in PAL regions), a heavily stealth emphasised game taking influence from films like Ring, Dark Water and Grudge. Steeped in traditional Japanese horror, in that the scares were less jump and more lurking, Forbidden Siren should have tapped into a new vein of putting people on edge.

Whilst combat was there in drabs, the main draw was a unique mechanic: sightjacking. This feature allowed you to see through the eyes of nearby shibito (think living zombie), so you could gauge your position to try and plan a route through. There was nothing more terrifying than trying to see where the enemy was, only to see one looking at the back of your own head.

As pant-filling as it was, the game was a bit hampered by technical issues. Real face-mapping looked a bit ropey at points, and collision/climbing detection could unwittingly hinder an escape.

Kudos to SCE Japan for trying something new though, as it wasn't a complete flop. Spawning a sequel and "reimagining" for the PS3, there was an audience for it. But with nothing new since the latest offering in 2008, it's unlikely we'll get anything more from the series.