What is the major difference between stealth in action-adventure and rpgs?
 

What is the major difference between stealth in action-adventure and rpgs?
Like the difference between stealth in metal gear solid/splinter cell and oblivion?

I just like action-adventure games more because I hate dungeons :P and those dark creepy places that you almost always have to go in rpgs.



Get Slim Cleanse

That's a good question. I guess the stealth in games like Oblivion and Fallout is more stats-based and less organic while something like Splinter Cell relies on actually using all of your skills and techniques to stay in the shadows and avoid detection.

I prefer the stealth in action games because they're better designed for it, I've never been a big fan of the stealth in an RPG because the A.I. isn't usually good enough for it to work properly. Alpha Protocol is a good example of an RPG pretty much ruined because the stealth is handled so poorly.

SandM is pretty accurate. Stealthy classes (rogue, thief, etc.) in typical RPGs can be as specialized as we want them to be given the complicated customization allowed, but all in all the RPG world is a kind of jack-of-all-games affair, where one style of gameplay usually doesn't outshine all the others.

Dedicated stealth action games, however, deliver a more sophisticated and even nuanced stealth experience, sometimes with light RPG style customization, sometimes with specific m.o.'s (steal, espionage, sabotage, kill, etc.). Some of the finest are the Thief series (first person sneaker, innovative use of light and shadows), Splinter Cell (techno-gadgetry enhanced stealth), and Hitman (real-time assassination strategizing, disguises).

Other titles take it to another level. The Assassin's Creed franchise focuses on "social stealth" (hiding in crowds), acrobatics ("parkour" or free running), and evasion (escaping after the kill), while the original Deus Ex had an unusually sophisticated stealth system for an action RPG of its time (the game was released ten years ago). The upcoming action RPG Deus Ex: Human Revolution even features the option of nano cloaking technology, allowing you move across a room crowded with guards practically unseen.

I've always loved Stealth in Action games, but almost never use it in RPG games. It just feels right in action games, I think it has a lot to do that many of the action games with it are created with stealth in mind. Splinter Cell, Hitman, Assassin's Creed, etc. all have engines and so forth created based around stealth, where (to me) stealth always feels like a tack-on in an RPG (may be due to the fact you have many equally or better routes then sneaking around).

The Hitman series has to be my favorite in terms of stealth games, I can go back and play Contracts (or Blood Money, and sometimes SA, but not as big of a fan of it) often and love it.

As pointed out before, it is a pity the one RPG that could be focused towards stealth, Alpha Protocol, had so many flaws. I think it was not because of the RPG features per se, but because of their actual implementation. (I liked it, nevertheless).

Btw, another example of stealth action-adventure is Beyond Good and Evil.