You think they are playing it down becuse it is coming for 360 and they are Sony fanboys?

Well... Here is the verdict given by a Blizzard fanboy:

IT IS A SPINOFF! And don't try and pretend that it's not!

Yeah....I mean, before, it was "MGS isn't even a game, it's just an interactive movie. The PS3 can keep it." Now that it's on the Xbox, they feel they should defend it...even though it's not even an MGS if it's not stealth. They're basically defending a whole other game that just happens to take place in the Metal Gear universe. <---And then now, MGS is the bee's knees to them. That's like the PS3 getting a platformer called "Gears of War: Level's Peak" (lol at the name) and then giving the 'me too' response of "look, we have Gears also".

On another note, I was trying to subside the whole "spin off" thing in another thread, by calling it a "side story" instead, because it's canon, but not featuring the main character. Well, since this takes a completely different course for what MGS is, it is indeed a spin-off. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. An MGS without stealth is not an MGS.

If you believe that Rising isn't a spin off, then Halo Wars isn't a spin off, despite not even being an FPS. I'm still buying this game though. I happen to like hack and slash.

I'm starting to think that people aren't even reading the damn OP. It's entirely speculation! Maybe I should make my own topic to divert people from this one!

Read this earlier post: http://www.vgchartz.com/forum/post.php?id=2301099

I will eat crow if this game is like MGS2 (gameplay wise (aka stealth and what not, just with Raiden) not storywise).

But if this game does indeed take a new direction and is hack and slash, then my comment is justified

It's too early to make such claims; they could surprise us. Just look at the new Castlevania. I will admit, God of War 3 looks great.

How come the two most popular stealth franchises, Splinter Cell and Metal Gear, have taken a more action oriented route? Is stealth just that unpopular?

I agree it will be amazing for both versions. Now let me wait till i get quoted at least 5 times.

For starters, it is a bit early to be making any assumptions on design decisions made for the game, but I suppose this is just for the sake of argument over a game that likely won't be seeing the light of day for another two plus years at the earliest.

Closer to three years would be my guess. That's when we'll be playing any MGS on the Xbox.

Even if Kojima Productions could manage to release the game on a shortened development cycle, what would that say about the likely quality and depth of the finished product?

But since this is all somewhat speculation anyway, I don't see why a game starring Raiden wouldn't have plenty of close combat blade and sword action as opposed to shooting mixed with stealthy movement.

Of course if they're sticking with the whole "cyborg ninja" theme seen during MGS4 and at the tail end of MGS2, it would seem a bit more natural to focus on learning new techniques and abilities for Raiden, rather than focusing on amassing access to a huge arsenal of small arms weapons.

And besides, what could be stealthier than ninjas? Especially cyborg ninjas?!

Chuck Norris.  But he doesn't need stealth, people pretend not to see him when he is out and about.