I feel guilty when i just blast my way through levels in stealth games, hitman, deux ex, splinter cell. I know they are genuine options but i feel like such a bastard XD
Same here. I've beaten Dishonoured quite a few times, and not once have I just blasted my way through the enemies. It just feels like a lazy and crude way to go about the game, especially when there are so many different stealthy approaches to take.
I've been caught a few times in a situation where I need to fight my way out, as even upgraded mid-game Corvo isn't that tough or fast. I once got killed because not only was I cornered, but they physically boxed me in so I couldn't blink out. The fact that you have to essentially fight like real life (no specific "counter" button, no warning someone's attacking other than actually seeing them swinging, surrounded by enemies who attack you all simultaneously, etc.) means that unless you're very good and clever, you're doomed.
Usually my preferred escape is to just sprint away, slamming doors behind me and dropping springrazors or throwing grenades at my pursuers.
Speaking of stealth, one thing I adore in Hitman: Absolution is how the stealth meshes with the gunplay. Enemies remember your last position (like in Splinter Cell: Conviction, but without the marker showing your last know position), so they suppress and flank the spot where you used to be if you manage to sneak away from their fire. It's surprisingly easy to mix stealth and shooting together by sneaking around, firing a few shots, and slipping away while they keep shooting into an empty room. At least until they charge in and find that you're missing, at which point they spread out and start casing the area.