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NYCC 09: Hands-On Velvet Assassin
Time to Get Stealthy
by Sarah
Velvet Assassin is a game that has been on the radar for a little while. With a World War II backdrop and a heroine based in historical fact, the game tells the story of a young female spy through her flashbacks. As a history nerd, I think the backstory is very cool. However, I’ve made it well known that I am not a fan of stealth games. I really just don’t have the patience. I like to run and gun, I liked to be on the move, and I’m not usually big on crouching and waiting. Despite my own personal tastes, I still wanted to give the stealth action title Velvet Assassin a try on the New York Comic Con show floor.
When I started playing, I was told was that I needed to be seen by no one, and kill everyone. This is absolutely true. There is no being sloppy in Velvet Assassin; as a WWII spy, you need to cover your tracks. You can’t kill an enemy soldier and just leave his body lying there, or else another guard will see it and know something is wrong. The game takes a realistic approach that I can appreciate, even if that does make it more difficult. A challenge isn’t a bad thing.
As Violette, I snuck my way through a war-torn countryside, hiding behind walls and in bushes. At one point, I had to sneak up behind a foe and slit his throat, then drag his body out of the way before the other guard came back, go into hiding, and take out the second guard. Easier said than done. The enemies have great peripheral vision in the game, so if you are standing in their line of sight, they will pursue you. After that, all you can do is try to kill before you’re killed.
Velvet Assassin certainly isn’t the kind of gameplay I’m used to, but I’m willing to branch out. I'm not really sure what it is about this game, but I am curious about the story and I want to give myself a chance to try something different. It may take me longer than most to complete a level because of my childlike impatience, but that doesn’t mean I won’t have fun trying. Fans of stealth will probably want to give this a try when it is released this spring. It's too early to tell whether or not this will be a must-buy, but so far, I'm intrigued. We’ll have a full review in the coming months.
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Comments
So mad I had to be at something else while you guys got to play this. I don't know why I want to play it so bad, but I do.
I'm with you 00.19 - although I know exactly why I want to play it. As a fan of Sam Fisher, I am always looking to immerse myself in a stealth-action character. Package that with World War II, and a nice pair of leather pants, and I'm so in.
yeah, i agree with sarah that stealth games usually translate to boring games (in my opinion, of course) but i love that this game has a female protagonist - and she actually wears clothes! it's like a miracle!