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Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops


The sneaky history of stealth games

Hide and seek through the ages

Words: Shane Patterson, GamesRadar US


Shinobido: Way of Ninja – 2006
Missions in this primarily stealth-based ninja game range from assassinations to theft. You’ll utilize rooftops, sneaking through canals and crouching behind ledges in order to pick off your opponents to even the odds.


Sneak King – 2006
Burger King’s insanely creepy stealth game designed specifically for the Xbox 360. Play as the King and sneak up on people… to give them food.


Family Guy – 2006
During Brian the dog’s levels, you need to avoid detection of those searching for you. Don a disguise and memorize the simple guard patterns in this ho-hum cash-in. Did we mention that if you wait too long to move that Brian will piss on something?


Call of Duty 4 - 2007
An extended segment in this war FPS has you crawl through a grassy field while soldiers patrol alongside tanks. One of the tensest missions ever in one of the tensest games.


The Simpsons Game – 2007
More like a parody of every big-name game ever, The Simpsons Game wasn’t terribly well received. However, you’re here for the stealth info. During the “Medal of Homer” mission, you sneak around a French village and take out guards.


Assassin’s Creed - 2007
Parkour across rooftops, blend in with saints, pick pockets and skillfully toss knives at a guard’s jugular. Play as Altair, a skilled assassin in old-school Jerusalem with a new-school futuristic twist.


Crysis – 2007
From the developer of Far Cry 1 comes another island-stealth-superhuman enemy AI. This time you fight Koreans, but that sneaky stuff disappears once you start floating around an alien spaceship.


BioShock – 2007
Playing like a FPS/survival horror hybrid, you’ll need to sneak past security turrets, cameras and the occasional lunatic in an underwater anti-utopia.


Team Fortress 2 – 2007
One of the nine classes in this ultra-popular tactical FPS is the dreaded Spy. Armed with backstabbing knife, invisibility cloak and revolver, the Spy can impersonate anyone on another team and skillfully pick them off one by one. What an asshole.


Vampire Rain – 2007
Do you like Splinter Cell? Do you like Metal Gear? Good. Go play those games and not this “stealth”-based vampire clunker. Terrible.


Dark Sector – 2008
One ability learned later in the game enables you to go all Predator-like (turn invisible) and creep through a laser-filled room. Hell, you can earn an achievement by killing someone this way!


Fallout 3 – 2008
Bethesda’s work from the Elder Scrolls carries over into one of 2008’s best games. Again, you can basically tackle the bombed-to-shit world any way you want, including doing so sneakily.

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49 Comments
Order Comments: Newest First | Oldest First
John-117  - 9 months 29 days ago 
Fantastic job shane, I haven't played too many of these games but I absolutely love some stealthy action.

Some of these games I never even knew had stealth elements, but I may go play some of them if I can find them cheap.

It's interesting to hear that Uncharted 2 will incorporate stealth into the gameplay because I always felt the first cried out to let you sneak in around the cover.

P.S. MGS series owns them all!(in my opinion :P)
skyguy343  - 9 months 29 days ago 
my friends paid me to do the forsaken fortress for them!

like the joker said, if ur good at something, never do it for free
skyguy343  - 9 months 29 days ago 
and before i forget, another SotC reference!!

WOOOO!!! XD
ELpork  - 9 months 29 days ago 
.......I want to play bioshock
The_Lurcher  - 9 months 29 days ago 
wow an SotC and beyond good and evil reference but granted both are very sexy... anyway awsome article cant wait for the talkradar for this week
jamminontha1n2  - 9 months 29 days ago 
Great list Shane. The only game that I can think of that wasn't on this list is Golden Sun on the GBA when you have to sneak into the thief town by using the shadows.
reyalejandro13  - 9 months 29 days ago 
Garr, i hated the temple of the Ocean King. One i got the ability to kill those guys, i did it with pride!
rocketfuel  - 9 months 29 days ago 
Another game I know is missing from that list is Shadow of Rome. When you took a break from chopping off limbs you'd play as octavian and sneak around hiding from Roman soldiers or killing them and stealing their outfits but otherwise great list. I'm a huge fan of bethesda and the stealth in their games.
AnonymouZ  - 9 months 29 days ago 
gigglesnort* sneakily
KaylaKaze  - 9 months 29 days ago 
You forgot Messiah, too.
climbing wolf  - 9 months 29 days ago 
5 pages!!?!?!?!? :)
jesusfrk15  - 9 months 29 days ago 
yes! i now count three times splinter cell has been mentioned!
WaldoOfWhere  - 9 months 29 days ago 
OMG What About Rainbow Six Vegas or did I miss IT.
Montag  - 9 months 29 days ago 
No System Shock 2?

Good call on Deus Ex tho..... Stealth if you like, not because you have to... nice
cart00n  - 9 months 29 days ago 
Not usually a big fan of "stealth games" - there are far too many other, cheaper ways to aggravate myself! However, BG&E was awesome. Assassins' Creed was a whole lot of fun, too.
Tasty_Pasta  - 9 months 29 days ago 
Hell yeah, Sniper Elite. The AI and sneaking were horrible, but the weapon ballistics were awesome!
Red  - 9 months 29 days ago 
If I had to pick two things that I absolutely hate about games, it would be mandatory stealth sections and mandatory protect the NPC missions. Games that force you to stay hidden AND keep your companions alive/hidden are the wosrt of all.
There's almost nothing more irritating than being almost finished with a mission/level only to turn around and find your dumbass companion standing out in the open. MISSION FAILED.
game-thugsta  - 9 months 29 days ago 
Snake is and always will be the king of stealth... and in general the best video game character ever.
key0blade  - 9 months 29 days ago 
Put down all the stealth games you want to, but Metal Gear *Solid* as a series is, always has, and always will be WIN
AMayer  - 9 months 29 days ago 
I remember I used to play GoldenEye for so long that shotting people in the back of the noggin became second nature.
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