I Admit it: I am Stealth-Impaired

When it comes to gaming, well, me and stealth don't get along too well. OK, truth be told, in no area of my life does stealth play a significant role in anything I do. I am a klutz, I move like a pregnant yak and I stick out like a sore thumb wherever I go, so naturally, my gameplay style reflects that. I don't try to stay quiet, I don't hide. Sure, I play a little bit strategically, but quiet and slow progress are not my way.

I remember playing those old Medal of Honor games back on the Playstation which rewarded you for killing 95% of the enemies in a level, even if it one that was predicated on wearing a disguise. Now if that isn't discouraging stealth play, I don't know what would.

When I compare my play style with the kind of experience that is being marketed by the makers and advocates of the tactical shooters, I am discover that in the end, I am quite simply a butcher, as the makers of Hitman were so eager to tell me after a few levels. For example, it is rare for me to leave a field of operation in SOCOM relatively unscathed, though there are a few levels that because of the nature of the mission, and only because it was a requirement of the mission, that I've maintained a zero body count. I started playing a Metal Gear Solid game and as soon as the word sneaking came up, I groaned because I knew I didn't have what it takes(patience) to do that, and the less said about the brutal rampage of Sam Fisher in my hands, the better.

I guess the reason I play like this is mainly because I am so used to the Unreal Tournament way of doing things and first-person shooters in general that it just seems easier to make oneself the last man standing by dictating the terms on which I am going to fight using advantageous terrain rather than getting caught in a situation where I am highly exposed. After all, a dead enemy is far less likely to fire at me than one that is alive and behind me as I am approaching an objective. I mean, it seems like the most logical and sane way to accomplish things to me, but I guess in reality, it isn't the best strategy. If it was, then every operation between small groups of operatives and larger entities would always end up being a massacre, and after watching series like Navy SEALS: The Untold Stories, I know how wrong my approach is for real life.

In short, Stealth is the course of last resort for me, not the first, and I am sure there are a lot of other players out there that have a similar style. Anyone else willing to admit that they are stealth-impaired?

Tags: socom, tactical shooters, unreal tournament, stealth, hitman, medal of honor, sam fisher, navy seals, untold stories, gaming, first person shooters, tom clancy, sneaking, solid snake, metal gear