OK, it is actually on the Saturday before the 4th that I am posting this, but I decided to go ahead and count it for next week nonetheless.
Tenchu: Stealth Assassins-
For those of you who may remember, Tenchu was a game that emphasized stealth-based gameplay that hit prior to Metal Gear Solid. Though Metal Gear Solid was the game that is given the most credit for creating the modern stealth genre, and rightfully so, Tenchu had a lot of elements in it's gameplay design that became mainstays in the genre.
Though stealth is, technically, optional, players were rewarded with easier kills if they took an enemy by surprise. This avoided a lot of hand to hand combat, which could drain your life very fast, and just had a coolness factor. Some of the most fun in the game is the ability to drop in on an enemy, stealth kill them, and then use your grappling hook to zoom away before their friends become aware of your presence. It almost made you feel like a real ninja. Despite the common portrayal of ninjas in video games to this point, ninjas generally attacked in the concealment of night, and took their enemies with stealth.
When you are discovered, the fighting system of the game is adequate, but not spectacular. There is some variety in the moves available, and some strategy to be had in the fights, but the fights can sometimes be frustrating due to the controls of the game. Tenchu's 3D controls mirror the “tank” controls of Tomb Raider meaning that, even for it's time, the controls were difficult to master. The tough controls can sometimes make the game a practice in frustration, and in combat especially where it can lead to many deaths. Modern gamers looking to go back and experience the original game in the series, be warned, you will have to take the time to learn the controls first. Remember, modern control schemes were not born over night, they are the product of years and years of experimenting to find out what works the best.
Overall, despite the controls issues, and some of the other glitchy quirks of the game, Tenchu is still a rewarding game for those who take the time to experience it. I wouldn't recommend it to most of the snot-nosed kids of the modern era of gaming, but if you lived through the PS1 era, and have the patience to go back to D-pad controls for 3D games, and have yet to play Tenchu, I would highly recommend you spending some times with this game.
1998 was the year the modern stealth genre was born, and while I would certainly give more credit to Metal Gear Solid, and Thief (PC), for being the two most instrumental games in forming that genre, I still think Tenchu is definitely worth a mention when discussing the origins of the genre. It didn't have as big an impact, but it should still have an honorable place in gaming history. The series may be nearly forgotten in modern gaming (despite having modern sequels), but many PS1 gamers still hold the first two in high regard.
NOTE: After making the first two Tenchu games on the PS1, the series was taken away from Acquire, the original developer. Acquire later went on to make Way of the Samurai and it's sequel on the PS2 which are both great overlooked games for that system.
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