Stealth-games, for and against having combat

Sniper missions are yet another take on the stealth/combat mix. I really enjoyed the long sniper segment way back in Call of Duty 2. (I just realized that whenever possible I tend to play all FPS games stealth-style.)

I'm having a hard time imagining the OP's concept of pure stealth with zero combat opportunity, though. The earlier examples of Thief and Butcher's Bay are both great examples of minimal combat. I think that achieves the OP's goal of raising the stakes. You know your combat capabilities are sub-par, but you know that combat is a possibility and that it probably won't end well. That adds tension. If all you're doing is sneaking around, well, you can add interesting puzzle-like elements or maybe "running away" but it sounds like a missed opportunity to me.

 

Can't believe nobody thought to mention the original Deus Ex -- the only major action or shooter style game I think I've ever seen where it's theoretically possible to play stealthy and win without killing anyone at all.

I was reminded of it because I'm playing through Dex (originally Steam and now on Xbox) and later in the game you can play in a very stealthy style. There's still combat and killing but it reminds me a lot of the original Deus Ex.