@cboye18 - quite the contrary. It respects your skill and persistence as a gamer by not dumbing down your experience. My guess is you're a new gamer and haven't experienced the legitimately hard games of yesterday. Games today are made so that you don't have to try that hard to finish them. Dark Souls respects you more than that. It doesn't go easy on you.
As for the DLC question posed by the author, I liked Enslaved: Odyssey to the West's DLC. It was similar in that it was a side story from another character's perspective but felt unique and independent from the original game. I didn't feel like I was missing anything when I finished the first game but the new DLC provided new gameplay experiences and prequel plot points from a character I enjoyed.
@juress @yearssomuch If that does end up being the case, it will kill windows for me. The whole reason I can't stand apple products is because of how closed they are. I'd like to say Microsoft would never do something so stupid as close Windows but Balmer-era Microsoft seems dead set on making the dumbest decisions possible (Windows RT)
@Nikore While I do think this game, just based on his review, probably deserved an 8 or an 8.5, I agree with you. That's his opinion and he's perfectly entitled to it. As for his writing, it's very clear and detailed and I feel like I can form an opinion on the game based on his review. A lot of people don't understand how review writing works so they complain about everything. I'm with you, I think Gamespot has high quality reviews and I appreciate their opinions.
As much as I dislike Zynga and their business plan, I want to go on record as saying I do not approve of cyber-terrorism of any kind. Anonymous (whoever is using the name now) does not and will never have my support.
I hope there is at least a basic single player experience to be had here since I've been playing mostly online in recent years. Regardless, the Wii U is sounding better and better every day :)
I think it's a fair question but to say that hybridization is certainly diluting the field for stealth games but to say they are dying/dead is a tad extreme.
First, let's talk about games that use stealth although are not stealth at their core. Most action games encourage stealth to a varying degree. Batman: Arkham City, while probably not a true stealth game, uses stealth gameplay as a huge part of the game. Rushing through the predator sections is a sure way to get yourself killed. The Elder Scrolls games can be played heavily using stealth as a viable option. You probably can't get through the whole game on stealth alone but it's still used heavily.
As for stealth games themselves, I admit there aren't many but fortunately, the ones we have seem to be extremely good games. I find it shocking that this video discussion on stealth didn't talk about (at least until the very end in which the series is mentioned) Deus Ex: Human Revolution. I don't think anyone will disagree that the boss fights ruin the effect but the vast majority of the game not only allows a great degree of stealth gameplay, it encourages it. Having played the game multiple times, I believe Deus Ex: HR can only be fully appreciated from a stealth perspective. Also, you say that the trailers for certain games are action-packed to the point where they don't even seem to be stealth anymore but can you really judge that based on a trailer? Hitman: Absolution has had some action-oriented trailers but every bit of gameplay information I've seen stresses stealth more than anything. In fact, I believe the developers even made a point of saying that this is still Hitman at its core and the recently released difficulty levels certainly support that claim.
Stealth games are certainly few and far between but they aren't dead. Personally, I'd rather see fewer games that are well made than a plethora of poorly designed games. I'm a stealth fan and the fact that stealth games aren't as prevalent as, say, FPS's isn't something to be worried about. In fact, I'm proud of it. The genre isn't being diluted by junk but rather, the genre is defined by quality titles like Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Dishonored and Thief among others. So to answer your question simply: I'm okay with my stealth games having the option of going other ways as long as the stealth aspect remains fully fleshed out and entertaining. With the current trend of gaming, I don't see this changing any time soon, either.
@dark_sith_ From what I've been hearing, it sounds like they are making the trailers more action oriented but the game will still have many choices in how to make the hit. It's certainly a worry but I, at least, feel they will follow through with their promises.
If all of their promises are true, I can't wait to get this game but if it does just become another Uncharted clone, I'm passing. Since it seems so awesome now, I'd be really disappointed if that were the case.
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