Beautifully Stylized Game
I must admit that I am a sucker for stealth games. I have loved the Hitman series since the first one (and managed to 1000 the 360 game, which took several patient hours), and in this way Velvet Assassin should be right up my alley. Initially the visuals are striking and beautiful, as it gives a real post-apocalyptic morphine-induced veneer to WWII Paris. The nagging thing is the gameplay elements prevent this from becoming more than a passing trial. It is a mindless stealth game in which you watch patrol routes and assassinate Nazi troops when their back is turned to you, and avoids much of the stellar gameplay mechanics that better stealth games like MGS and Splinter Cell truly excelled at. I would have preferred a more Hitman like approach being an assassin, but the reality is that the AI doesn't allow this to happen EVER.