Stealth Boom Boom: A Stealth Video Games Podcast

We’re going back into the shadows and listening out for footsteps on tiled floors, as we revisit a series that all of us enjoyed back in season 1. We’re going back 25 years to 2000 to look at a massively influential first-person stealth game. We’re talking Thief II: The Metal Age.On this episode of Stealth Boom Boom, we chat a little bit about the architecture of Meet Joe Black, co-operative thieving, and crunching to hit the release date. We also look at a trailer that Eddie Vedder (and by extension John McEnroe) would be happy with, some of the hopes developer Looking Glass Studios had for the franchise, and the closure of the studio only months after launch.Here are some of the things you’re gonna hear us chat about in our review: staying in the pitch black shadows and extinguishing flames with your water arrows; walking on carpet and shooting at tiled floors with your moss arrows; the Stealth Strepsil; the guards that never shut up; many different ways to move; new magic potions; the Scouting Orb and whether there’s a need for it; the golden rule: get behind ‘em; a glitchy romance; cameras and big robots with faces; combat is punishment for being spotted; Dishonored; praise for quick save functionality; more objectives for higher difficulties; framing a lieutenant at the local police station; Kevin Keegan; a fondness for worldbuilding rather than plot; Blood Omen 2; sarky Garrett; religious texts; Karras as played by Droopy Dog; one of the best arguments; a UI that didn’t please Josh; and a specific sound that pleases everyone.After all that, we take you through what some of the critics were saying about the game around the time it came out, and then we give you our final verdicts on whether Thief 2: The Metal Age is a Pass, a Play, or an Espionage Explosion.For those who would like to play along at home, we'll be discussing, reviewing and dissecting Metal Gear Acid on the next episode of Stealth Boom Boom.IMPORTANT LINKS TO THINGS🎧 Subscribe to Stealth Boom Boom🌤️ Stealth Boom Boom on Bluesky🐦Stealth Boom Boom on Twitter

Who knew that a Jack Nicholson-sounding extra-terrestrial in a Grand Theft Auto-like would become a cult classic? We’re going back 20 years to 2005 to look at a third-person action-adventure game that spawned more sequels than you realise. We’re talking Destroy All Humans!On this episode of Stealth Boom Boom, we chat a little bit about Pandemic Studios family-friendly game that accidentally led to a violent, angry alien blowing things up. We also look at the original E3 trailer and whether this game was going to be sneakier, a banger track for the Japanese audience, King of the Hill and some theremin.Here are some of the things you’re gonna hear us chat about in our review: looking like a human thanks to the easy-to-use (but also limiting in some ways [but also not difficult to circumnavigate those limitations]) Holobob; becoming more mentally powerful via the thoughts of others; being aware of nearby, pesky Majestic agents; a GTA wanted level system that mostly works but is not without jank; hypnotising, if it takes your fancy; a little bit of something; answering questions as the Rockwell mayor; yearning for a stealth brain extraction; getting all the benefits of a probe (and the rest of your arsenal); the fluidity of your giant flying saucer; flinging folks around with Psi-Ops-like telekinesis; playing boring repetitive side missions just so you can progress; satirising pretty much everything about 1950s America; very easy company; the wonderful duo of Crypto and Pox; After all that, we take you through what some of the critics were saying about the game around the time it came out, and then we give you our final verdicts on whether Destroy All Humans is a Pass, a Play, or an Espionage Explosion.For those who would like to play along at home, we'll be discussing, reviewing and dissecting Thief II: The Metal Age on the next episode of Stealth Boom Boom.IMPORTANT LINKS TO THINGS🎧 Subscribe to Stealth Boom Boom🌤️ Stealth Boom Boom on Bluesky🐦Stealth Boom Boom on Twitter

We’re living by honour and killing by stealth… again. For only the second time ever (although it will be happening a lot more throughout this season), we are returning to a series. We’re going back to 2000 to look at a third-person stealth-action game. We’re talking Tenchu 2: Birth of the Stealth Assassins.On this episode of Stealth Boom Boom, we chat a little bit about Rich spending his 18th birthday making levels in the mission editor, Josh’s fondness for Tekken 3 (oh that volleyball was classic, wasn’t it?), and bent coppers. We also get an apology for the lack of a PS2 version, word of 21 new stealth techniques, and a note on regional differencesHere are some of the things you’re gonna hear us chat about in our review: trying to judge how far away enemies are with the Ki meter without seeing them; differing opinions on the brilliance of guards’ eyes and ears; a very sneaky and very slow crouch; movement that some people love and other people don’t like one bit; a redundant right stick; movable corpses that have new items (none of which is mentioned in the game); manuals; (inverted) throwing poisoned rice on the floor; a white sheet washed with Daz that turns you invisible; combat that could do with with a lock-on; zero checkpoints; chucking grenades bosses; the sound of blood pouring out of your enemies; a returning grappling hook that’s been tweaked and thus divides the crowd; a tutorial that grated for some; Silent Hill draw distance that stands out more in the new daytime levels; hiding in the water with a bamboo reed; an involved, interweaving three-campaign story; the lack of more lads like Genbu; the MGS connection; and an owl hooting instead of banging music for some reason.After all that, we take you through what some of the critics were saying about the game around the time it came out, and then we give you our final verdicts on whether Tenchu 2: Birth of the Stealth Assassins is a Pass, a Play, or an Espionage Explosion.For those who would like to play along at home, we'll be discussing, reviewing and dissecting Destroy All Humans on the next episode of Stealth Boom Boom.IMPORTANT LINKS TO THINGS🎧 Subscribe to Stealth Boom Boom🌤️ Stealth Boom Boom on Bluesky🐦Stealth Boom Boom on Twitter

On this episode of Stealth Boom Boom, we take a look at a lead character’s striking resemblance to a West Bromwich Albion fan and Guardian columnist (see: the bust on this episode’s cover art). We also take a look at the origins of a small, independent, Japanese developer called Capcom, and how these big fights actually happened IRL. Crazy, right?Here are some of the things you’re gonna hear us chat about in our review: Dr. Otto Octavius as played by Alfred Molina; a surprising level of sophistication in relation to the sound you make and the guards can hear; Assassin’s Creed social stealth; Hitman disguises and the multiple choice quiz you might have to take when someone’s suspicious; holding items behind your back; being punished for not completing stealth sections in a very specific way; the pain of an accidental jog; connected environments to can creep around; picking up coins to furnish your flat; Dead Rising; the chaos of battles being you vs LOADS; the balancing act of both the nasty and the silly when it comes to the violence; the Salvos scoring system fitting the theme perfectly and encouraging you to try different weapons; another game that’s just too long; Road Rash B.C. (otherwise known as Rome Rash); a difficulty that ramps up and up; escort missions from a certain era; a fake brother called Sextus; pointless chats with trainee gladiators; Yakuza / Like a Dragon; an engaging whodunnit around the assassination of Julius Caesar; Maecenas Oven Chips; a pacing problem; Gladiator II (and also The Pope’s Exorcist); the majesty of Agrippa; and how Ryse: Son of Rome is probably the closest thing to a Shadow of Rome 2.After all that, we take you through what some of the critics were saying about the game around the time it came out, and then we give you our final verdicts on whether Shadow of Rome is a Pass, a Play, or an Espionage Explosion.For those who would like to play along at home, we'll be discussing, reviewing and dissecting Shadow of Rome on the next episode of Stealth Boom Boom.IMPORTANT LINKS TO THINGS🎧 Subscribe to Stealth Boom Boom🌤️ Stealth Boom Boom on Bluesky🐦Stealth Boom Boom on Twitter

What do you do after you’ve had one successful first-person zombie game that is owned by a publisher? You don’t develop the proper sequel in that series and you instead make your own version of that thing. We’re going back to 2015 to look at a first-person zombie action survival game. We’re talking Dying Light.On this episode of Stealth Boom Boom, we take a look at Techland finding their niche in the zombie world with Dead Island, before their relationship with that game’s publisher ended. We also discuss a a very good tagline that was almost definitely inspired by George Clooney; an announcement trailer that was almost definitely inspired by Peep Show; a world-building trailer that was almost definitely inspired by those poetry adverts; Techland’s answer to a housing crisis; and battering punching bags in the car park.Here are some of the things you’re gonna hear us chat about in our review: the vicious, running Volatile zombies give chase at night; GTA 4 police radar; fairly uninteresting nighttime sneaking; waiting hours to rub zombie guts on yourself a la The Walking Dead to blend in; enemies are attracted to sound, but you have no way to regulate the noise the protagonist makes, but you can throw firecrackers; crossbows come in handy with humans; swinging all manner of melee weapons at the heads of the undead; an uninviting crafting menu that makes you wait for your items; no fun human battles; fluid parkour (once you’ve levelled up and bought skills like “slide on the ground”) that gets the David Belle seal of approval; Mirror’s Edge; the grappling hook; the skill trees; slower first-person platforming puzzles; a decent Escape from New York-style setup that is let down by some terribly boring characters; American saviour Kyle Crane and his very quick turn to good; and a contained zombie outbreak.After all that, we take you through what some of the critics were saying about the game around the time it came out, and then we give you our final verdicts on whether Dying Light is a Pass, a Play, or an Espionage Explosion.For those who would like to play along at home, we'll be discussing, reviewing and dissecting Shadow of Rome on the next episode of Stealth Boom Boom.IMPORTANT LINKS TO THINGS🎧 Subscribe to Stealth Boom Boom🌤️ Stealth Boom Boom on Bluesky🐦Stealth Boom Boom on Twitter

Around this time of the year, other video games podcasts will be doing their game of the year pods and talking about games like Astro Bot, Tekken 8, Helldivers 2, Dragon's Dogma 2, Silent Hill 2, Hades II, Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, Metaphor: ReFantazio, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, Balatro, Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth, Animal Well, Lorelei and the Laser Eyes, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, and others. Well... NOT US! This episode is the culmination of the second year of Stealth Boom Boom. And that means this is the 2nd Annual Stealth Boom Boom Awards – Game of the Year 2024.In other words... The Boomies!On this podcast you'll hear us discuss the 20 games we've reviewed on the podcast this year. Over the course of this mammoth 3+ hour episode, you will hear us organise that list of 20 games into a top 20. There are some changes to the format this year, but fans of last year's goty pod needn't worry because one thing had to make a comeback: TOMOTTOM.Once we've gone through the Tomottom phase, we then order each individual group – Bottom 7, Middle 7, and Top 6. Every place matters, of course, but our ultimate goal is to determine Stealth Boom Boom’s game of the year for 2024.These descriptions are often full of episode talking points, but it feels spoilery to even suggest what we speak about on the pod. Instead, here is an alphabetised list of the 20 games up for discussion today:A Plague Tale: InnocenceAlias Alien: IsolationApe EscapeCounterSpyDays GoneHitman GoJames Bond 007: Everything or NothingLeft AliveMini NinjasMurdered: Soul SuspectPsi-Ops: The Mindgate ConspiracyRogue WarriorSecond SightSekiro: Shadows Die TwiceSly 2: Band of ThievesSyphon FilterThe Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher BayUntitled Goose GameWatch DogsWith all that said... please enjoy The Boomies 2024.... Actually, one more thing... a HUGE thank you to anyone that's listened to a single second of Stealth Boom Boom. It's an absolute pleasure to make this podcast and we're so thankful there are people who have made it part of their listening schedule.Whether you're celebrating something this holiday season or not, Colm, Adam and Josh hope you have the loveliest time!For those who would like to play along at home, on the first episode of year three of Stealth Boom Boom, we'll be discussing, reviewing, dissecting... Dying Light.IMPORTANT LINKS TO THINGS🎧 Subscribe to Stealth Boom Boom🐦Stealth Boom Boom on Twitter🌤️ Stealth Boom Boom on Bluesky

Richard Marcinko was a U.S. Navy Seal, a Vietnam War veteran and an author. And in the mid-00s, Bethesda and Zombie Studios were going to make a video game based on him. And then that changed to Bethesda and Rebellion. We’re going back to 2009 to look at a first-person shooter featuring Demo Dick. We’re talking Rogue Warrior.On this episode of Stealth Boom Boom, we take a look at a video game that we didn’t play over the last two weeks called Rogue Warrior: Black Razor. We also discuss a great box, one single trailer, how Golden Globe and BAFTA-winning actor Mickey Rourke got involved, and much the real-life Marcinko likes knives.Here are some of the things you’re gonna hear us chat about in our review: briskly strolling up behind a blissfully ignorant enemy and murdering him in the most vicious possible way a.k.a. THE KILL MOVE; a knife guy; an irrelevant radar; a hidden, game-changing third-person perspective cover mechanic; Arkham Asylum’s Predator Mode; silenced pistol divisiveness; superfluous night vision goggles; an inadequate Gears of War shooting gallery; hefty weapons; a snowy hedge maze; one of the finest video game objectives ever; a Cold War tale for the ages; a truly astonishing level of swearing; border education; surprise Neal McDonough; the Sons of Liberty connection; Josh’s school; and the greatest credits song of all time.After all that, we take you through what some of the critics were saying about the game around the time it came out, and then we give you our final verdicts on whether Rogue Warrior is a Pass, a Play, or an Espionage Explosion.For those who would like to play along at home, we'll be discussing, reviewing and dissecting… every single game we've reviewed this year on the next episode of Stealth Boom Boom. Because the next episode of Stealth Boom Boom is going to be our Game of the Year 2024 episode, otherwise known as the second annual edition of The Boomies!IMPORTANT LINKS TO THINGS🎧 Subscribe to Stealth Boom Boom🐦Stealth Boom Boom on Twitter🌤️ Stealth Boom Boom on Bluesky

After years of making bloody, adult, violent video games, the Danish video games developer we’re talking about today decided to make something that they could play with their kids. We’re going back to 2009 to look at a third-person action-adventure game featuring some small shinobi. We’re talking Mini Ninjas.On this episode of Stealth Boom Boom, we take a look at the origins of Hitman developer IO Interactive and how that series influenced their family-friendly game. We also discuss the perceived target audience for this, and an animated series that reminds Adam of fake merchandise.Here are some of the things you’re gonna hear us chat about in our review: memorable box art; samurai with impeccable eyesight; turning into a chicken or bear or an oddly-faced monkey; being spotted in the long grass; a discussion on whether you kids of 15 years ago liked being sneaky; being rewarded for murder and thus punished for playing stealthily; boring button-mashing combat (or something slightly different for those on Nintendo Wii); stopping time for a completely over-powered kill move; large, sparse areas of linear levels; a nice enough world to be in; Hiro’s friends feel pointless; Windy Pants and their absolutely outrageous farts; repetitive QTE boss battles; a story that’s merely there; and The Worst Witch.After all that, we take you through what some of the critics were saying about the game around the time it came out, and then we give you our final verdicts on whether Mini Ninjas is a Pass, a Play, or an Espionage Explosion.For those who would like to play along at home, we'll be discussing, reviewing and dissecting Rogue Warrior 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 Bluesky

In 1979, the screenplay of Dan O’Bannon was turned into a movie directed by a fledgling English filmmaker named Ridley Scott, and starring a young actress called Sigourney Weaver. It did alright. There were some more movies, some comics, some books, loads of merch, and even a few video games. We’re going back to 2014 to look at a first-person survival horror game that divided opinion. We’re talking Alien: Isolation.On this episode of Stealth Boom Boom, we take a look at a phone call that lead developer Creative Assembly to working on FIFA International Soccer, all the way to the Sega acquisition. We also discuss how the difficulty was being addressed before the game came out; Harry Dean Stanton’s reaction to how old the original film was when he was being interviewed, and how the team really wanted to distance themselves from Aliens: Colonial Marines.Here are some of the things you’re gonna hear us chat about in our review: a nameless Tesco employee; a strong, scary, smart, stomping xenomorph; feeling absolutely petrified; a rulebook that’s occasionally ripped up; a feeling of vulnerability rather than power while hiding; the risk and reward of the Motion Tracker; patience; simple mini games made stressful; the relief of coming upon a phone box to save your game; peeking at humans; a hefty duration; the Working Joes; thinking about your ammo, location, and loudness before firing your gun; THE FLAMETHROWER; confusing crafting menus; MacGyver; the 1979 sound of the Sevastopol; Tom & Jerry; the San Cristobal Medical Facility; a killer premise that doesn’t deliver on its promise; secondary characters that are merely quest-givers; a fixer upper of a space station; Seegson X Ryanair; Blade Runner; and the split between America and the UK on this game.After all that, we take you through what some of the critics were saying about the game around the time it came out, and then we give you our final verdicts on whether Alien: Isolation is a Pass, a Play, or an Espionage Explosion.For those who would like to play along at home, we'll be discussing, reviewing and dissecting Mini Ninjas 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 Bluesky