Velvet Assassin Preview: Metal Gear Lite (Kotaku 9/2/09)

by **VampiricPadraig** Mon Feb 09, 2009 11:29 am

Southpeak had their very own Violette Summer on hand to pose for pictures with fans. But, I was at their booth to check out their game, not the babe.

What Is it?
Velvet Assassin is a third-person heavily stealth focused PC and Xbox 360 game from Reply Studios. The story follows Violette Summer, a World War II spy who's actually in a coma in a hospital. You're sort of re-living her past events in her mind trying to piece her story back together.

What We Saw
The first two introductory levels for the Xbox 360 on the New York Comic-Con floor. The demo itself took between 15 and 20 minutes to complete.

How Far Along Is it?
The demo was from an alpha build. The game is coming out April 14th for the Xbox 360 and PC.

What Needs Improvement
Gunplay: Aiming and shooting can be a hassle. While I was told they're still making some tweaks for the final game, it seems like it should be an entire overhaul. Violette aims slower than a jar of molasses and it's very hard to aim specific areas of enemies.

Stealth Positions: For a stealth game, there sure aren't a whole lot of options. Violette can only crouch and crouch-run. You can't lie down fully, hug walls, or even crawl.

What Should Stay The Same?
Glow: Violette will have an outer blue-ish glow emit from her as she nears cover. This adds a nice visual touch and will help stop you from constantly thinking if you're in someone's detection line.

Realism: You will die. A lot. You only get a few hits before you drop and most close-range attacks kill you instantly. Don't expect to charge at the enemy and live.

Environments: The environments in this early demo were really full and lush looking. Lots of great color and dynamic lighting can be seen through each area.

Final Thoughts?
There aren't a ton of heavy stealth focus games made anymore. The Velvet Assassin levels I played weren't very complex and more pretty straightforward. Hopefully the final game sees more variety in the way you can approach sneaking around and taking out enemy guards rather than being forced down one path.