Grand Theft Auto 5

Rockstar Games’ most successful title, Grand Theft Auto 5 redefined how detailed and lifelike open-world games could be. On top of its gorgeous visuals and intricate world, it pushed the boundaries of the franchise’s established formula with three protagonists, heists, activities like sports, hunting and racing, and memorable side stories. The fact that it achieved all of this on seventh-gen console hardware is a feat, that too without considering GTA Online.

Red Dead Redemption 2

Rockstar Games’ Red Dead Redemption 2, much like any other open-world from the developer’s portfolio, is chock full of content to engage with, secrets to find, treasures to hunt, and so much more. Red Dead Redemption 2 does a wonderful job of stitching swaths of content seamlessly into its vivid and varied open world. The tale of Van Der Linde’s gang on the run is in perfect harmony with the game’s focus on exploration. It’s not uncommon to see players spending hundreds of hours hunting down each nook and cranny in search of many of its secrets to achieve the coveted 100% completion rate.

N – Pokemon Black and White

In many ways, you have to feel for N. Orphaned at a young age and raised by Pokemon, he would have very little interaction with humans aside from Ghetsis (who would claim to be his father for his own nefarious ends). Though he doesn’t have much animosity towards the player, a lifetime of seeing Pokemon hurt by humans skewed his perceptions. N dreamed of having separate worlds for both species, letting Pokemon live in peace without any interference from humanity. Unfortunately, this was all a ploy by Ghetsis to get Zekrom/Reshiram on his side and reign over the world. Despite being the one manipulated, N would eventually apologize and return in the sequel to help the player out.

Note that we’ve kept entries in the feature to one game per series, so don’t go expecting seven Metal Gear Solid games (even though that sounds like a pretty great list).

So with all that said, let’s begin.

METAL GEAR SOLID 5

Might as well kick it off with a Metal Gear Solid game, right? And what a game it is. The Phantom Pain certainly has its issues, of that there is little doubt, and these issues do a lot to bring down its overall quality as a finished product, or as a satisfying entry in the series. But purely from a gameplay perspective, viewed purely on the merits of its stealth mechanics, The Phantom Pain is nearly flawless. Making use of a complex web of systems, MGS5 delivers dynamic, reactive, and emergent stealth gameplay the likes of which we haven’t seen in many games. It is, plain and simple, a stealth masterclass.

OCTOCAMO (METAL GEAR SOLID 4)

You might have thought to yourself as this feature began, “there’s going to be a lot of Metal Gear talk in this one.” And, well, you were right- the first few gadgets and tools we will speak of are all from Metal Gear, starting with MGS4’s OctoCamo. In keeping with the conceit of Old Snake being a wizened, experienced man who has been through the wringer, he also had some of the best gear helping him out, and OctoCamo was the best of the best. The suit gave him the ability to immediately camouflage and blend into the environment as soon as he came in contact with any surface, while also protecting him from thermal imaging. As far as utility goes, it’s hard to think of stealth-oriented tools that are more useful.

Well, there is one.

Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory – Panama Bank

Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory had its fair amount of action but the Panama Bank level is where stealth reigned supreme. Your mission was to steal $50,000,000 in bearer bonds, which must be done by authorizing vault access from three different panels in the building. Getting into the bank is going to be your first obstacle – the only real option is through the roof and once inside, you’ll need to deal with laser sensors, cameras, motion sensors and guards. Though Chaos Theory wouldn’t end a mission if an alarm was triggered, Panama Bank was still nerve-wracking in its own right.

Mercenaries – Assassin’s Creed Odyssey

The Mercenaries in Assassin’s Creed Odyssey may not be the toughest foes you face. However, they can be pretty annoying without the right builds, especially when more than a few show up. What’s a Misthios to do? Critical assassinations. Critical assassinations for days. Spec into assassin damage and watch those Mercenaries fall, even if it takes a few strikes. It might not be the best option for tanking and fighting several foes at once but for picking them off one by one in the early going, you could do worse.

Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain

Yes, the story-telling was uneven and the ending was kind of disappointing. However, Kojima Productions’ Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain absolutely delivers on the promise of systemic stealth gameplay. Guide a robot arm into a guard’s face. Sabotage convoys with horse dung. Wait till dark for more cover and exploit every aspect of the environment to succeed. All of this only scratches the surface of what’s possible with Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain.

Klei Entertainment’s stylish Mark of the Ninja: Remastered is now available for Xbox One, PS4, Nintendo Switch, and PC. Boasting enhanced visuals, new content, and much more, the action stealth title still retains its addictive gameplay.

Along with in-game art that’s been re-exported in HD to full 4K (depending on the hardware you’re using), Mark of the Ninja: Remastered also sees increased resolution for backgrounds and re-exported characters. Reanimated scenes with additional details that have been exported at 4K are also included, and the result is more intricate details than before.

Dosan’s Tale is also available for those who finish the story. It brings a new character, new items, a new story level, and developer commentary nodes for the base game. If you own the original Mark of the Ninja and also happen to have the Special Edition DLC, then Mark of the Ninja: Remastered is actually free. Those who own the base version will still receive a discount on the remaster, so it’s worth checking out.

If you’ve never experienced the magic of stylish stealth murder in Klei Entertainment’s Mark of the Ninja, now’s your chance. The remastered version with high definition visuals will be releasing on October 9th for Nintendo Switch. Check out the release date announcement trailer below.

Of course, aside from improved audio (with a new 5.1 Surround Mix) and visuals, Mark of the Ninja: Remastered also includes a new story level, new items, developer commentary, and a brand new character. After initially releasing in 2012 for the Xbox 360 and PC, the base game has received strong critical praise for its cutscenes, art direction, gameplay design, and overall approach to stealth.

The sheer speed of the gameplay, along with the ability to set traps, bait, and confuse enemies, and so much more looks even better in high-definition. For those awaiting the PS4, Xbox One, and PC versions of the remaster, they’re still set to release in Fall 2018. Stay tuned for more information in the meantime.