What The Hell Happened To The Stealth Genre?!

Sneaking As A Way Of Life

You don't need me to tell you of the runaway success of Kojima's first PlayStation foray, let alone how well received the Tenchu and Thief series was. The seed planted in the eighties had finally started to bloom, and its roots began to spread far and wide into new IP's.

The turn of the century brought IO Interactive's Hitman series into... well, not the spotlight, that would be the antithesis of sneaking. Agent 47's first outing may have been a bit rough and warmly received, but it certainly had ambitious intent that would one day grow. The same year also saw the start of the Deus Ex series, and whilst not predominantly a stealth game, that it offered that option saw it praised by fans of the genre.

Metal Gear Solid continued its success with Sons of Liberty in 2001, but that was regarded as more of an action game with stealth elements. Fans wanted something in the same world of high tech espionage, and Ubisoft were the ones to deliver a year later with Splinter Cell.

Sam Fisher's breakthrough hit was just what console and PC gamers alike needed to cement their faith in the genre. Much like Thief, the emphasis was definitely on the quiet side, as going gung-ho would see you crumble like wet bread.

The early 2000's were a resounding success for the genre, what with the likes of Manhunt, Chronicles of Riddick, cartoon attempts like Sly Cooper and parody games like No One Lives Forever all coming out to positive reviews. With a new generation of consoles coming mid-2000, something need to happen lest the format get stale.

And something did, but it may not be what fans were expecting.