Poll: Stealth or Combat? Your preference.

[happyninja42]

So I've been dusting off some games in my library for a while and replaying them. And I noticed a fairly consistent trend in them, or at least how I play them. When given the choice in methods to accomplish my goal, I almost without fail, choose the stealth approach.

Now I don't have anything against combat games with violence and destruction, and joyfully play ones that focus on it, but I have noticed, that games like Dishonored, or Deus Ex, etc, I'm picking the stealthy build without fail.

I just enjoy the patience and timing of it. Sitting there stalking my enemy, then striking from the shadows to take them down, and then slip away undetected. It's very gratifying personally.

So which do you prefer? Why?

 

[Elfgore]

Almost in every game I play a combat-based character, especially if there are skill points involved. Like in Skyrim or Oblivion, all I level up are combat-based powers. I don't know why, but I've always just preferred going in loud. The only game with skills I've played stealth in was Alpha Protocol because the soldier class was fucking terrible.

But in games like Watch_Dogs, Assassin's Creed, Killzone, etc. that give me the option to try at stealth. I'll generally try and kill as many enemies as I can without firing a shot or swinging a sword. Sometimes I do just go in guns a blazing though if the mood strikes me.

 

[Zhukov]

I go stealthy when given the option.

After all, if I want to play a combat oriented game I can close my eyes and throw a bloody rock. Chances are, it'll hit a combat oriented game.

I'm not sure I'd say I prefer stealth though. It tends to make for slow pacing. Not just slow, but all slow all the time. Which gets dull.

I've actually come to dislike game that try to combine the two. The stealth ends up being pointless because there's no reason to avoid being discovered since you can just shoot/stab everything that moves. On the flipside, the combat tends to be ridiculously easy because all the enemies are evenly spread out with their backs to you intently staring at walls.

 

[Vern5]

I'm a big fan of the Direct Approach. Walking out in the open, bringing superior force to bear, and rarely resorting to guile even though guile is generally more efficient. For example, playing Dishonored is really messing with my head. Sneaking is so much more efficient than just slicing my way through my opposition. The thing is, I really enjoy the slicing and sneaking past my enemies does not feel as rewarding as simply striding right up to them and crushing them like insects.

 

[Netrigan]

I love the current trend of allowing stealth as it usually requires more open maps and allows me to recon a proper strategy... I rarely stealth my way through situations, but stealth allows me to get the lay of the land and that makes for far more interesting encounters IMO.

 

[OneCatch]

I'm a big fan of the Direct Approach. Walking out in the open, bringing superior force to bear, and rarely resorting to guile even though guile is generally more efficient. For example, playing Dishonored is really messing with my head. Sneaking is so much more efficient than just slicing my way through my opposition. The thing is, I really enjoy the slicing and sneaking past my enemies does not feel as rewarding as simply striding right up to them and crushing them like insects.

In that game you can always go for the 'Guerilla-ish' approach. Open combat, but also running away at times to set up another 'noisy' attack from a more advantageous position. Plus it can be rather rewarding to predate on individual enemies while a group hunts for you.

On topic, I prefer stealth. I'm a bit of a perfectionist and stealth generally seems... cleaner.

 

[Thebazilly]

Depends on the game, how stealth and combat mechanics work, which plays better, and the rewards or penalties given for each. In Skyrim I usually prefer to hit things with a giant axe, but Batman: Arkham Asylum lends itself more to an even mix of stealth/combat, and Far Cry 3 has huge rewards for completing side missions without being detected.

 

[dyre]

Both/Depends (the proper response to most of life's questions!)

I generally prefer stealth but sometimes I get into a situation in which all the pieces seem in place for an awesome battle ("I just have to put a few traps in that chokepoint, block off that tunnel with some boxes, and oh look, some soldiers standing conveniently near an explosive barrel, and is that an immovable mounted machinegun? Time to kick ass..."). Unfortunately most of the time that happens, it's in some game that penalizes me for engaging in actual combat...bleh

 

[Lieju]

Depends how well stealth works.
And how much you can mess with the enemies heads, if you can distract them, or my favourite, make them fight each other or get destroyed by the environment.

In general, I like using the environment to my advantage the most of all, whether I'm going stealthy or combat.

I guess I like guerrilla warfare?
Even more if you can actually make a guerilla eat your enemies.

 

[Goliath100]

Can I just choose Stealth Combat? You know, you go open with a silencer and melee.

I guess I like guerrilla warfare?

Too bad there is yet to be a good open world game actually about it.

 

[Roofstone]

Stealth followed by combat usually. First you make them fear you, then you confirm their fear.

...Shadow of mordor is basically gonna be the first coming for me.

 

[MysticSlayer]

I almost always go stealth. I'd like to say that it is because it feels better, but I think has more to do with the fact that I suck at combat in most games and stealth is an easy way to avoid it.

 

[Ghost1800]

Achieving your objective is generally a good thing.

Achieving your objective without anyone knowing that you achieved it is infinitely more useful (not to mention satisfying) in the long run. The confusion you can cause at critical moments or being able to catch someone off guard at a later time can be a game changer next time around.

Stealth.

 

[spartan231490]

I tend to take stealth when the option is presented, but that's more because when I pull out one of those games, I want to play stealth. Which I really prefer depends on my mood, I just choose a different type of game when I want action

 

[Greg White]

It depends on how big of an effort/reward it is to use stealth.

In Warframe, for example, I just roll in guns blazing because stealth is kinda pointless unless you're using Loki. In games like Metro, on the other hand, I take great pains to go as stealthy as possible because enemies are dangerous and ammo is scarce as all hell.

I have too bad a habit of losing patience and running in guns blazing, preferably while firing the biggest guns possible because screw this, I didn't pick up an atomic artillery cannon only to have to sneak past some random mooks.

 

[josemlopes]

Figured out the hard way that it is stealth with me.

In Wolfenstein TNO you can go however you like and while stealth is serviceable, it simply isnt as fun as blowing shit up, the problem is that once you are spotted you cant hide so there was always this feeling at the start of each section that if I was spotted I lost an advantage that I couldnt get back. Only near the end of my first playthrough I said fuck it and simply went shooting everything, then I started a second continuing to simply shoot everyone at first sight.

 

[Username Redacted]

If the stealth mechanics are well implemented then stealth all the way baby. I am the unseen apex predator. I want more games like Dishonored.

 

[PG]

I go with stealth, though in Skyrim I had to refrain from a couple of the archery perks that turn the bow into a wooden cannon.

 

[Crayven]

While i like to go in, kill everything and look good doing it, with stealth you can get extra story, there's more challenge and it can be more cost effective.

But mostly more story, i mean hearing guards talk about something random or useful, or hearing the fear when they cant find there other buddy's, that's a cool aspect.