Stealth Boom Boom | A Stealth Video Games Podcast
Colm Ahern, Josh Wise, and Adam Carroll chat about the sneakiest of interactive media: stealth video games. On each episode, the former Rock Paper Shotgun and VideoGamer critics go in-depth on one stealth / stealthy video game from history and discuss whether its stealth and its boom boom are up to snuff. Metal Gear Solid, Splinter Cell, Assassin's Creed, Dishonored and Hitman: Stealth Boom Boom covers it all. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episodes
In the late 90s, John Romero convinced Warren Spector to join his studio in order to make the game of his dreams. This game was something Spector had been thinking about since 1993. It had a couple of names over the years – Troubleshooter being one, and Shooter: Majestic Revelations being another – but one thing remained the same: it was ambitious. We’re going back to 2000 to take a look at a first-person shooter, that is also a st...
In 2005, filmmaker Christopher Nolan was about to become mainstream with the first movie in his superhero trilogy. Meanwhile, a group of developers in Derby were working on a video game tie-in for said movie that wouldn’t turn out to be quite as popular. We’re taking a look at an action adventure game that was neither a precursor to a game based on The Dark Knight, nor The Dark Knight Returns. We’re talking Batman Begins.
On...
Imagine a game so successful that during the making of it, you actually end up coming up with three games. That’s what Capcom did when they were prototyping Resident Evil 4. They got that, they got Devil May Cry and they also got the game we’re talking about on this podcast. We’re going back to 2005 to take a look at a survival horror that didn’t get quite as many sequels as those other series just mentioned. We’re talking Haunting...
After the launch of Don’t Starve, Canadian developer Klei Entertainment was on solid ground in every way. They’d put their hand to many genres and had been successful in pretty much all of them. We’re going back to 2015 (or 2013, if you want to include this game’s EARLY early access launch) when they revisited sneaking, but put a different spin on what they’d done before. We’re talking Invisible, Inc.
On this episode of Stea...
What do you do when you have a brand new handheld console coming out? You turn to a series that is synonymous with your home console. We’re going back to late 2004 (or early 2005… or late 2005, depending on the region you’re in) to look at a turn-based strategy spin-off. We’re talking Metal Gear Acid (or Metal Gear Ac!d, however you’re meant to pronounce that).
On this episode of Stealth Boom Boom, we chat a little bit about...
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 t...
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 blo...
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 m...
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....
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 ...
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! T...
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 la...
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 s...
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 ...
How many Slack conversations have you had that have been life-changing? If you answered anything other than “zero”, you are a liar. OR you are a member of the team that made the game we’re talking about on this podcast. We’re going back to 2019 to look at a stealth-puzzle game that became a phenomenon. We’re talking Untitled Goose Game.
On this episode of Stealth Boom Boom, we take a look at developer House House’s confusion...
There were a lot of big games out 20 years – many of those games we’ve reviewed on this podcast, this year. But this game involving a raccoon, a turtle and a hippo is a special game for us, as it is the first time we are going back to a series for a look at a second game. We’re going back to 2004 to look at a 3D platformer that has big Ocean’s 11 energy. We’re talking Sly 2: Band of Thieves.
On this episode of Stealth Boom B...
A decade ago, a small indie developer called Dynamighty got a phone call (NB: don't know if it was a phone call.... could've been an email, a fax, carrier pigeon, or many other multiple means of communication) from a large publisher called Sony. And a game about the cold war was born! We're going back to 2014 to look at a 2D stealth-action game about a spy that infiltrates superpower bases. We're talking CounterSpy.
On this ...
Murdered: Soul Suspect Review | Join The Dots Detective Work, Boring Demon-hunting; A Walking Fedora
Independent developer Airtight Games partnered with Square Enix around a decade ago to prove that the hardest murder to solve is in fact your own. In many ways, that is a factual statement. In relation to this game, however... not so sure. We're going back to 2014 to look at a third-person adventure game about a ghost detective. We're talking Murdered: Soul Suspect.
On this episode of Stealth Boom Boom, we take a look at Air...
20 years ago, Starbreeze Studios was going through some tough times, and they were looking for one of their games to be the hit they needed. Across the water, Hollywood actor Vin Diesel was looking to get into video games with his new company called Tigon Studios. So, they decided to come together, and they launched a stealth-FPS in 2004. We're talking The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay.
On this episode of St...
25 years ago, a PlayStation-exclusive was released that required a new peripheral called the DualShock It had not one, not three, but TWO ANALOG STICKS. So, this one definitely made an impact at the time. We're going back to 1999 to look at a 3D platformer chock full of puzzles and monkeys to collect. We're talking Ape Escape.
On this episode of Stealth Boom Boom, we take a look at how Japan Studio had to communicate how pla...
Popular Podcasts
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Introducing… Aubrey O’Day Diddy’s former protege, television personality, platinum selling music artist, Danity Kane alum Aubrey O’Day joins veteran journalists Amy Robach and TJ Holmes to provide a unique perspective on the trial that has captivated the attention of the nation. Join them throughout the trial as they discuss, debate, and dissect every detail, every aspect of the proceedings. Aubrey will offer her opinions and expertise, as only she is qualified to do given her first-hand knowledge. From her days on Making the Band, as she emerged as the breakout star, the truth of the situation would be the opposite of the glitz and glamour. Listen throughout every minute of the trial, for this exclusive coverage. Amy Robach and TJ Holmes present Aubrey O’Day, Covering the Diddy Trial, an iHeartRadio podcast.
Come hang with Amy Poehler. Each week on her podcast, she'll welcome celebrities and fun people to her studio. They'll share stories about their careers, mutual friends, shared enthusiasms, and most importantly, what's been making them laugh. This podcast is not about trying to make you better or giving advice. Amy just wants to have a good time.
The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show. Clay Travis and Buck Sexton tackle the biggest stories in news, politics and current events with intelligence and humor. From the border crisis, to the madness of cancel culture and far-left missteps, Clay and Buck guide listeners through the latest headlines and hot topics with fun and entertaining conversations and opinions.
Listen to 'The Bobby Bones Show' by downloading the daily full replay.