Stealth Boom Boom | A Stealth Video Games Podcast

A quarter of a century ago, we got some real stealthy classics – some of which have already been covered on this very podcast. Today we're looking at the game from that year that introduced many to the fact that video games can also be a lot like movies. We're going back to 1998 to take a look at the third game in one of the genre's most beloved (and maligned) series. We're talking Metal Gear Solid.On this episode of Stealth Boom Boom, we talk about how director / producer / writer Hideo Kojima, who wanted to make films from a young age, broke into the games industry. We also discuss some of the very explosive, '90s ways this game was marketed. We chat about pre-launch press coverage too, which includes some Resident Evil and Lego mentions, a research trip to see a SWAT team, and some chat on the influence of Yoji Shinkawa.In our review, you'll hear some chat on the excellent Soliton Radar (and why it needs to be excellent, because the game has a fixed camera), fading footprints in the snow, chaff grenades, hiding in cardboard boxes, disappearing enemies, F.R.E.E. (full reactive eyes entertainment), Benny Hill, floopy-doop weapons, mostly great boss fights, Psycho Mantis reading your mind, that opening hour, how anti-war this war game is, Meryl's codec number on the back of case, the briefing tapes, the Yakuza / Like A Dragon games, some of the most verbose and melodramatic people ever, "press the select button," and the alert noise.After all that, the lads take you through what some of the critics were saying about the game around the time it came out, and then they give their final verdicts on whether Metal Gear Solid is a Pass, a Play, or an Espionage Explosion.For those that would like to play along at home, we'll be reviewing Outlast on the next episode of Stealth Boom Boom.IMPORTANT LINKS TO THINGS🎧 Subscribe to Stealth Boom Boom🐦Stealth Boom Boom on Twitter📸 Stealth Boom Boom on Instagram🎵 Stealth Boom Boom on Tiktok🌤️ Stealth Boom Boom on Bluesky Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

22 Aug 20232h 46min

What do you do after you've already rebooted a series and have effectively gotten everything you can out of it? Well, you reboot it again and give it another go. We're going back to 2013 to take a look at the first entry in Lara Croft's third (?) series under the same name. We're talking Tomb Raider (2013)... to be specific... but obviously it's just called Tomb Raider. Yeah!On this episode of Stealth Boom Boom, we talk about how Batman and James Bond inspired developer Crystal Dynamics to have another go at creating a new Tomb Raider series. We discuss the marketing hype behind this game, which was partly fronted by Shazam actor Zachary Levi... sadly. We also chat about the press coverage, which includes some discussion on the protagonist apparently being relatable now because she wears trousers, an "attempted rape" scene that dominated the narrative around this game, and the sexualisation of a female video game character.In our review, you'll hear some chat on scripted stealth (and something about a quiet rollercoaster), context-sensitive animations (that some enjoyed and some hated), the bow and how it's the best weapon in the game, pretty needless hunting, how the action is really frantic, an assault rifle from Splatoon, being able to literally curve Lara around objects like a bullet in that film Wanted, climbing that involves you, dated concepts like QTEs and set-pieces, rubbish tombs (that some didn't mind), awful secondary characters, a shoddy plot, a failed attempt to humanise the lead character, the fetishistic punishment that Lara goes through, and DELICIOUS LUDONARRATIVE DISSONANCE.Colm doesn't test the gaming knowledge of Adam and Josh in another edition of Who Am I? this week. We're gonna take a little break with Who Am I? for a bit. We may get back to it down the line. So, at the end of the episode, the lads give their final verdict on whether Tomb Raider is a Pass, a Play, or an Espionage Explosion.For those that would like to play along at home, we'll be reviewing Metal Gear Solid on the next episode of Stealth Boom Boom.IMPORTANT LINKS TO THINGS🎧 Subscribe to Stealth Boom Boom🐦Stealth Boom Boom on Twitter📸 Stealth Boom Boom on Instagram🎵 Stealth Boom Boom on Tiktok🌤️ Stealth Boom Boom on Bluesky Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

8 Aug 20232h 44min

Developer Ubisoft Montreal was given one job: make a game like Metal Gear Solid, but better. And they decided to make something a bit like MGS, but also a bit like Thief. We're going back to 2002 to look at the first entry in one of the most celebrated stealth-action series of all time. We're talking Splinter Cell... specifically Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell... just in case you find one done by someone else...On this episode of Stealth Boom Boom, we talk about how Splinter Cell came from a sci-fi third-person shooter called The Drift, which was almost a James Bond game. We discuss Michael Ironside basically insulting the script, how it was important for the team to make Splinter Cell feel realistic, and did we mention Splinter Cell was going to take Metal Gear Solid's lunch?In our review, you'll hear some chat on the astonishing light and dark system (and how you can create darkness by shooting out lights), hopping on the spot, the blend of silliness and Tom Clancy realism, excellent gadgets like the optic and diversion camera, some frustrating trial-and-error design, an unnecessary split jump, satisfying shooting, THE SC-20K, goggles (both night-vision and thermal), a divisive CIA office, Kombayne Nikoladze's coup, glitchy news broadcasts, a reluctance to look at The Fifth Freedom, Sam Fisher, Faithless, and THAT'S THE NAME OF THE GAME.Colm tests the gaming knowledge of Adam and Josh in another edition of Who Am I? And then the lads give their final verdict on whether Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell is a Pass, a Play, or an Espionage Explosion.For those that would like to play along at home, we'll be reviewing Tomb Raider on the next episode of Stealth Boom Boom.IMPORTANT LINKS TO THINGS🎧 Subscribe to Stealth Boom Boom🐦Stealth Boom Boom on Twitter📸 Stealth Boom Boom on Instagram🎵 Stealth Boom Boom on Tiktok🌤️ Stealth Boom Boom on Bluesky Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

25 Juli 20232h 50min

What does a publisher do after they've successfully resurrected a series that was laying dormant for years? Well, they put it on iPhone and iPad, silly! Or, at least that's what Square Enix did about a decade ago with Deus Ex. We're talking immersive sim-lite Deus Ex: The Fall (and also some Deus Ex: Human Revolution, because it's hard not to in relation to this).On this episode of Stealth Boom Boom, we talk about New Jersey-based developer N-Fusion Interactive and how they really found their niche, in the mobile games space, in the early 2010s. We discuss how they got the gig to take care of this Deus Ex spin-off, as well as how fans of Adam Jensen were a bit cross The Fall wasn't the PC and console sequel they were anticipating.In our review, you'll hear some chat on how – in 2023 – the only way to play this mobile game is on PC, inconsistent AI in The Drug Den, "prescribed verticality", vanishing bodies, how cloaking is OP, hacking and why it's brilliant or confusing (depending on who you ask), absolutely dreadful shooting, shit font, cool takedowns that transport you to the middle of the floor, Nutri-Grain bars, an oddly laid-out shop / inventory, a spider-bot on a rooftop, Panama City, a drug conspiracy, boring Ben "don't call me Jean Reno" Saxon, a pleasant sci-fi score, and how The Fall shows glimpses of Deus Ex-y-ness.Colm tests the gaming knowledge of Adam and Josh in another edition of Who Am I? And then the lads give their final verdict on whether Deus Ex: The Fall is a Pass, a Play, or an Espionage Explosion.For those that would like to play along at home, we'll be reviewing Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell on the next episode of Stealth Boom Boom.IMPORTANT LINKS TO THINGS🎧 Subscribe to Stealth Boom Boom🐦Stealth Boom Boom on Twitter📸 Stealth Boom Boom on Instagram🎵 Stealth Boom Boom on Tiktok🌤️ Stealth Boom Boom on Bluesky Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

11 Juli 20232h 22min

It all began in darkness. He awoke to a world of pain. Eric… Eric Bane. The name shot through his head like a bullet… it was his name These words will stay with you for the rest of your life once you've listened to this very episode of the Stealth Boom Boom podcast. We're going back a decade for this deep dive, as we discuss the stealth-action vampire game DARK (and definitely not Dark).On this episode of Stealth Boom Boom, we talk about German developer Realmforge Studios and how they really wanted you to know that their game about bloodsuckers is nothing like Twilight. No sparkly fanged creatures here. No way. We also chat about why they chose a cel-shaded artstyle, as well as why they decided to make a stealth game in the first place.In our review, you'll hear some chat on no-nonsense line-of-sight, how players of DARK are rewarded for being sneaky, the act of sucking necks dry, the top-of-class shooters of M17, the interesting idea for a save system, some motion-detecting museum exhibits, vampire abilities that favour the more aggressive players, the RPG trappings that fall flat, a shoddy version of Blink from Dishonored, a never-ending song, and some of the most memorable video characters we've come across in quite a while.Colm tests the gaming knowledge of Adam and Josh in another edition of Who Am I? And then the lads give their final verdict on whether DARK is a Pass, a Play, or an Espionage Explosion.For those that would like to play along at home, we'll be reviewing Deus Ex: The Fall on the next episode of Stealth Boom Boom.IMPORTANT LINKS TO THINGS🎧 Subscribe to Stealth Boom Boom🐦Stealth Boom Boom on Twitter📸 Stealth Boom Boom on Instagram🎵 Stealth Boom Boom on Tiktok Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

27 Juni 20232h 21min

There's no doubt about it, this one was a bonafide success. The series may lay dormant now, but there was a time when this game was as important to its publisher as Tomb Raider. We're going back 25 years to the year of stealth, once again, as we discuss the real-time tactics game Commandos: Behind Enemy Lines.On this episode of Stealth Boom Boom, we talk about the fledgling games industry in Spain, and the developer that was leading the charge over there: Pyro Studios. We chat about the movies its creative director was pulling from, the emergent gameplay elements the studio was looking to implement, and whether or not they knew they had a hit on their hands.In our review, you'll hear some chat on two-tone vision cones, covering the green beret in snow, a clear map, some sturdy rules, the spy being good at wearing clothes, observant enemies, a tricky multi-cam set-up, aqua-based stealth with the marine, how tough the missions on larger maps are, blowing up buildings (by blowing up barrels), dissenting opinions on the driver, the shooting feels like you're clicking a mouse because you are), camera-panning issues, a different kind of D-Day, History Channel-esque presentation, endearing (if stereotypical) voices, spikey briefings, and some beautiful visuals.Colm tests the gaming knowledge of Adam and Josh in another edition of Who Am I? And then the lads give their final verdict on whether Commandos: Behind Enemy Lines is a Pass, a Play, or an Espionage Explosion.For those that would like to play along at home, we'll be reviewing DARK on the next episode of Stealth Boom Boom.IMPORTANT LINKS TO THINGS🎧 Subscribe to Stealth Boom Boom🐦Stealth Boom Boom on Twitter📸 Stealth Boom Boom on Instagram🎵 Stealth Boom Boom on Tiktok Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

13 Juni 20232h 11min

Nobody cared about this game when it first launched. And then, two years later, a pandemic happened and it became a phenomenon. It mightn't be the biggest video game in the entire world anymore, but it's still pulling in pretty good player numbers in fairness. We are going back five years (but also kind of three years), as we discuss the social deduction game that spawned many others, Among Us.On this episode of Stealth Boom Boom, we talk about the humble beginnings of Innersloth on Newgrounds, how they almost canned one of the biggest games of the last decade, and its rise via streamers and content creators. We also touch on the burnout the team felt bringing the game to consoles, as well as the benefit the studio has being independent.In our review, you'll hear us chat about the wonderful tension that playing against human players can create (and GTA: Liberty City Stories, obvs), trying to convince people of your innocence in the discussion phase, the terrible quick chat radial wheel, menial tasks (and Zombi U, obvs), superfluous roles, the fleeting enjoyment of Hide n' Seek, the Flash visuals, the lack of music, and trying to play catch-up with an established online multiplayer game.Colm tests the gaming knowledge of Adam and Josh in another edition of Who Am I? And then the lads give their final verdict on whether Among Us is a Pass, a Play, or an Espionage Explosion.For those that would like to play along at home, we'll be reviewing Commandos: Behind Enemy Lines on the next episode of Stealth Boom Boom.IMPORTANT LINKS TO THINGS🎧 Subscribe to Stealth Boom Boom🐦Stealth Boom Boom on Twitter📸 Stealth Boom Boom on Instagram🎵 Stealth Boom Boom on Tiktok Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

30 Maj 20232h 6min

In 2013, after shinier games like Crash Bandicoot and Uncharted, Naughty Dog decided t try their hand at something a bit more serious. And then it became such a success that they did a sequel and then a HBO TV show. You probably know by now, but this episode of Stealth Boom Boom features lots of chat on 2013 stealthy action-adventure, The Last of Us.On this episode, we talk about the hype machine that Sony were building around this game, with lots of dev diaries and featurettes on pretty much every aspect of The Last of Us. We also touch on the confidence that the development team were exhibiting in interviews with the press - they said they were gonna "change the f**king industry" in one.In our review, you'll hear us chat about how good the Clickers are, Joel's magical ears, how the game pushes you towards a more third-person shooter way of playing, the heft of melee combat, the simplicity of the crafting system, a flamethrower (lol), character-building, incidental dialogue, hundreds of murderings, and The Last of Us TV show (of course). There's a lot to cover.Colm tests the gaming knowledge of Adam and Josh in another edition of Who Am I? And then the lads give their final verdict on whether The Last of Us is a Pass, a Play, or an Espionage Explosion.For those that would like to play along at home, we'll be reviewing Among Us on the next episode of Stealth Boom Boom.IMPORTANT LINKS TO THINGS🎧 Subscribe to Stealth Boom Boom🐦Stealth Boom Boom on Twitter📸 Stealth Boom Boom on Instagram🎵 Stealth Boom Boom on Tiktok Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

16 Maj 20232h 49min