Velvet Assassin - New Wartime Stealth Game - Female Role

Ostriig on 28/7/2008 at 13:05

I've really developped an allergy to games with WW II settings, regardless of how historically accurate or not they are. After so many iterations, shooting Nazis seems like such a poor excuse to drive gameplay. I think it was back around the time they rolled out Blood Rayne that I got fed up, and to be honest, modern warfare action games don't rank much higher on my list either.

Unless your game's title starts with "Wolfenstein", then it's ok.

IndieInIndy on 28/7/2008 at 15:22

Quote Posted by thiefessa

... and they're pretty gruesome. Ever knifed a Nazi savagely in the groin from behind, then slit his throat as he drops to his knees?

<sigh>

Quote Posted by thiefessa

... letting you stroll up to any guard and brutally execute him.

I don't care if they are Nazis. Why must I be brutal?

Stealth: just another way to jib a mob.

Mortal Monkey on 28/7/2008 at 15:47

I don't think it qualifies as a stealth kill if you blow someone up with a grenade.

Anyway, to me this game just sounds like a bad version of Splinter Cell, but set in the least interesting setting I can think of. From the screenshots, it looks like it can be summed up in three words: Crates, barrels, nazii.

Rogue Keeper on 28/7/2008 at 16:00

Quote Posted by Mortal Monkey

bad version of Splinter Cell

Early Splinter Cells are pretty weak stealths to begin with. Can it get any worse?

thiefessa on 28/7/2008 at 16:01

Quote Posted by Phatose

So, this is essentially chronicles of Riddick, set in WW2 with drugs that give you lingerie-bullet-time?
This is going to involve a 'fuck the nazi for secrets' minigame, isn't it?

Why would you liken this game to Chronicles of Riddick? She just glows in the dark when she is invisible to the enemy - its not that she has special eyes to see in the dark. I think this glow feature is a neat way to display a light meter without having to have some sort of hard dial or bar obscuring the screen/HUD. As I said, it just shows the player that she is invisible.

Hahaha, loved the lingerie-bullet-time quip. :cheeky:
But, from what I've read, the morphine mode can be used to slow time and still tackle the enemy there and then. You don't necessarily end up in the hospital bed. Also, it seems that the character talks to you of her memories and thoughts - I believe this is throughout the game, morphine mode or not. I like that idea... what better way to connect with the emotions of the character at that point of time.

Quote Posted by Ostriig

I don't have such an allergy. A good game is a good game, no matter what period it is set in. I'm a Wolfenstein fan but there were parts of that game I think could have been better... but I'd still play it again. I'm even looking forward to the next WF game that is rumoured to be coming. Yup, I am a WF fan but I wouldn't be biased against other games just because they are set around the same period. You really do have to judge each game on its own merits.

As for "shooting Nazis being a poor excuse to drive gameplay"... I have to disagree. This game is inspired by a true character, after all, and therefore it is only correct that the game is in the right setting and the character engages with the appropriate people.
Also, I wouldn't care if the enemy are Americans/French/Japanese/English/Aliens, etc. It is kind of irrelevant stuff to use as an argument for instantly dismissing a game. Personally speaking, I wouldn't want to judge or dismiss ANY game just based on the fact that it has certain ingredients that can be found in other games. Jeeeez, you could state that comparison with ALL games. There will always be a "group" or "category" that partner certain games together. Correct? Yes! :)
So, you just play the game and then you can offer critique that is more factual, valued and relevant. That's what I prefer to do anyway....
...I'll let you know if Velvet Assassin is crap or cool after I have played it! :D

van HellSing on 28/7/2008 at 16:19

So what's "WF"?

Mortal Monkey on 28/7/2008 at 16:47

Quote Posted by BR796164

Early Splinter Cells are pretty weak stealths to begin with. Can it get any worse?

I didn't think the stealth was that bad. Better than in Deus Ex. For me it was more the extreme linearity that reduced the enjoyment.

Ostriig on 28/7/2008 at 18:28

Quote Posted by thiefessa

[...]
It is kind of irrelevant stuff to use as an argument for instantly dismissing a game. Personally speaking, I wouldn't want to judge or dismiss ANY game just based on the fact that it has certain ingredients that can be found in other games. Jeeeez, you could state that comparison with ALL games. There will always be a "group" or "category" that partner certain games together. Correct? Yes! :)

Why so defensive? You seem to be taking my dislike of the idea rather personally. Or did I get the wrong impression?

And no, it's not at all incorrect to dismiss a game for being centered thematically around a concept you're not fond of. In pretty much the same fashion I can dismiss any football game because I simply don't care about or for this sport, regardless of how well it may handle from a gameplay perspective.

I find that both modern warfare as well as WWII games seem to rely heavily on presenting you with a generic, dehumanized foe whom you aren't supposed to give a second thought about killing by the dozen, despite them being, you know... people. You're not about to tell me that the entire Wehrmacht was a horde of bloodthristy, mentally unstable political zealots, are you? Take a look at games like Thief or Deus Ex which actually do suggest you think twice before brutally murdering some poor sod whose only faults may well be to have a shitty employer and the wrong shift for guard duty. Maybe I'm pushing the line with this comparison, but you get the point. To be honest, I normally don't have a problem with killing generic foes in copious supply, but this particular theme is highly recurrent and leaves me unimpressed. The fact that it's "inspired by this real person" and her deeds does little to make the game more attractive to me.

The other reason I have little love for this sort of games is that they don't present me with a new world to explore, or at least a new take on a world that has existed in the past. I can just flip on the Discovery channel to see a lot of the stuff they have in these games. Again, not very imaginative.

Quote:

So, you just play the game and then you can offer critique that is more factual, valued and relevant. That's what I prefer to do anyway....

Unless I catch word of something entirely awesome to make me overlook what I've stated above, no, thanks. And so far I've seen nothing to qualify as "entirely awesome". I stated my dislike for this sort of games as a result of personal tastes. Doesn't mean I have to share your open view on themes.

ZymeAddict on 28/7/2008 at 18:49

Quote Posted by thiefessa

As for "shooting Nazis being a poor excuse to drive gameplay"... I have to disagree. This game is inspired by a true character, after all, and therefore it is only correct that the game is in the right setting and the character engages with the appropriate people.
Also, I wouldn't care if the enemy are Americans/French/Japanese/English/Aliens, etc. It is kind of irrelevant stuff to use as an argument for instantly dismissing a game.

I don't think it's irrelevant at all. Imagine if a bunch of developers all decided to make games set in the Quake universe for about 10 years (I just finished Quake II last week so that's the first game which comes to mind for me, and besides, I don't find Nazis to be any more interesting of an enemy than the Strogg). Don't you think that after 50 odd games in which you have to kill Strogg, it would be understandable that some people would be getting rather tired of that particular adversary?

That pretty much sums up my feelings when it comes to WWII-themed games.

Wille on 28/7/2008 at 20:46

What if someone made a CoD style game where you could play as Germans? Would that belong to the same WW2 bandwagon?