There are the occasional nods in that direction graveyards, morgues, etc , but that's all they are. Ghosts put in an appearance, but these are for the purposes of the story rather than as another foe to avoid. In fact one of the more thoughtful levels, is where you're taking a trip through a pagan forest and as you stumble across one murdered corpse after another, their fates are depicted by ghostly after images.
The goals of each level are more intricate this time although there's still plenty of booty to nick - you mustn't forget your roots after all. Framing police officials, escaping ambushes, blackmailing, and so on. They still play a bit too much along the linear 'get from point A to point B then go to point C' line, but at least they're challenging enough to make you work hard to reach them. Thief always had an odd look about it.
Almost as though the whole game was being viewed through a very slight fisheye lens. It was always a little too 'angular' as well. A bit too straight-edged. The Dark Engine has undergone some improvements here and there, but this is still a problem. In its favour though, it now has much nicer atmospheric effects. The clouds in the sky are very nice taken directly from the Flight Unlimited technology we understand and the various weather effects, such as rain and fog, look great.
The biggest thing about Thief though, is light, or rather the lack of it. True a vast amount of the game is spent in murky darkness, which makes the lighting and the flaws therein so much more noticeable when it's there. A good example of what we're talking about is when you're in a fairly well-lit room, you open a door into a dark corridor and there's no light spilling out.
Whether this is a limitation of the Dark Engine or a deliberate design policy we can't say. What we can say is that it tends to give each environment a sort of 'false' quality, and it does tend to show up the Dark Engine's limitations. The sound aspect still works a treat in this game. The Thief series remains one of the few that fully explores the use of sound as an active part of the gameplay and we're pleased to say that Thief II continues the tradition admirably.
We're sure it's deliberate but every noise you make seems to be amplified by ten and simply opening a creaky door while you're trying to stay unnoticed is enough to put the willies up you.
The guards are still comical -except when they're trying to put a sword through your neck, of course. The amount of speech has been upped significantly, so there's less repetition in their mumblings. Sometimes you just want to sit in a comer for ten minutes or so and listen to what they have to say about food standards, how their lot isn't a happy lot and how the Mechanists always have more reliable torches a nice touch that last one, and an indication of how adaptive some of the AI routines are since he'd commented on a torch that was burning until we doused it with a water arrow.
Thief IIstill has enough atmosphere to immerse you, still makes you sit on the edge of your seat as a guard walks inches in front of you, and still makes you breathe a sigh of relief when he passes on without spotting you.
It knows its stuff from the first game and it hasn't lost any of its nervy appeal. However, the truth is, despite all the nice touches and solid atmosphere, Thief IIstill feels more like an expansion pack than a full-on sequel, especially when you look at how little has actually changed.
It's true that giving players what they want is no bad thing, the games industry moves at such a pace that the games need to be constantly re-inventing themselves in order to stay ahead. The obvious example of this trend is the Tomb Raider series. So far Core has offered us four games that, aside from slight graphical enhancements, have been pretty much the same. We were yelling from every rooftop following the second title that we needed to see something new, and each time we were ignored.
Only now, at the fourth attempt, has the public backlash really begun and Core and Eidos know that they won't be able to pull off more of the same for a fifth title. The same is true here. The original Thief was a bold, fresh entrant into the first-person arena.
At the time no one had explored stealth tactics in such a game. It was all run-frag-jump-frag-kill. Thief was a breath of fresh, sneaky air into a testosterone-filled genre. Since then we've had 'stealth' games galore.
Granted, most of them have been on the side of goodness. But as each one has come along it has taken hold of the softly, softly aspect, worked with it and tweaked it about. For instance, Rainbow Six allowed you to plan out tactics in advance, MSOgave you third-person perspectives. Everyone has built upon Thiefs initial skeleton. So for Thief 2to just ignore the competition, to pretend that the intervening year and a bit hasn't happened is, well, criminal ho ho.
But that's what Looking Glass appears to have done, as Thief II constantly feels identical to its predecessor. Not to say it isn't a good game - it is. The first game was great and this is just as good. But that's all it is. What it no longer has is the freshness and the originality that the first title showed. Hence you come away thinking it's somehow lacking.
So what's the lesson here for Looking Glass? They listened to us about the zombies after all, so there's no reason to think they're not paying attention now. Quite simply this: don't fall into the Tomb Raidertrap. If you are going to give us a Thief III, then it needs to be much more than just bigger levels with the same engine. Aesthetically, the Dark Engine has gone about as far as it can.
The fact that so much of Thief II is spent in shadows and perpetual twilight has helped to disguise the wrinkles to some extent, but you can only push it so far. What's even more important though, is the nature of the gameplay. Sequels need to constantly reinvent, not just repeat. Make the city in which Garrett works feel like a real city. Make it live and breathe, a la The Nomad Soul. In fact, while playing Quantic Dreams' under-appreciated epic we kept thinking how great it would be to have first-person titles like Thief make use of this kind of world.
Or why not have the levels merge seamlessly like Half-Lif? You managed it with System Shock 2 after all. Anyway, this is turning into a rant against mistakes of the future, rather than a review of the present. What it has given us is a game that's still very good, still very atmospheric and still very playable, but one's that is not setting our world on fire as much as the first one did. A more clear-cut case of sequel-itis there has never been. The best thing about It was the 'bionic eye' feature, a small telescope affair in the back of his head that allowed you to spy on your friends and made you look as though you had your nose stuck up the doll's arse which makes the previous name clarification doubly important.
We only mention it because one of the new features of Thief 2 is Garrett's own 'bionic' eye and its zoom function, which is all it does incidentally. Some of you may have been reading various reports about heat and night vision functions. Sadly, these appear to have been the ramblings of a diseased mind as there's no sign of them in the game.
Oh, it does have one other function, it can be linked to a handy remote camera device that Garrett can chuck around comers and over walls. Of course, it would have been more comedic if Garrett actually had to take out his eye and hold it around walls and the like. But then, no one ever asks us Pausing only to retrieve his withered arm from the floor, he continued: "To remove our presence from this sequel is a direct slur on our members' good name and those of us with working legs won't stand for it.
Furthermore, the inclusion of non-corporeal and nonunion ghosts is an insult to every hard-working member of the living dead. They're taking the brains right out of our mouths. Knowles immediately called for a cessation of all moaning, shambling and being shot in the head activities and declared that necessary decomposition was to be kept to an absolute minimum.
The long-term effects of this action are yet to be determined with Looking Glass Technologies so far declining to comment on the action. Concerned representatives from CapCom, however, are believed to be flying in to act as mediators in the negotiations.
About 18 months ago Thief: The Dark Project blew us away. However, it wasn't rocket launchers, miniguns, plasma rifles and all that childish tomfoolery that tickled our fancy. No, no, no - that would be too easy. Thief managed to stun us all into appreciative silence by turning the first-person perspective action game on its head: Thief controversially encouraged players to avoid combat, concentrating instead on sneaking about stealing other peoples' belongings.
For some, this was just plain boring. For others, Thief was a breath of fresh air and a benchmark in gaming realism. The only thing it lacked was the ability to nick a car and ram raid it into the nearest Post Office. That aside, Thief pioneered a new genre. What genre? The 'sneak 'em up'.
Garrett has vanquished the Trickster and the town has moved into a more prosperous era. Royalty and nobility lord it up on a daily basis, while Sheriff Gormon Truart keeps crime at a virtually non-existent level; the slightest hint of criminal activity and guards swoop in to administer instant decapitation. The trouble is with all these rich folk poncing about there's a lot of loot lying around just waiting to be pilfered, so any self-respecting thief will take the risk to reap the rewards.
Our Garrett is no exception, except for him things are slightly different: for some unknown reason the new Sheriff wants him dead. Gratitude for saving the town from Pagan rule one year ago doesn't even enter into this vile policeman's head. Garrett won't stand for it, of course, so he sets off to discover why his head is wanted on a plate. One thing leads to another and it's not long before our master thief stumbles into a plot of corruption and betrayal that goes beyond mere thief persecution.
Once again, politics play a huge part in the story. The game contains three main rival groups; the mysterious Keepers; a technological sect known as the Mechanists; and the Pagans. Their contempt for each other runs deep, so as far as sub-plots go, expect plenty.
Thief II does contain one very welcome change from the original: you can forget about zombies, ghouls and all that other undead lark. Looking Glass has decided to keep Thief II 'real', as project director Steve Pearsall explains: "Garrett will be operating mostly in die city itself, so the missions will be set in more of an urban setting.
You'll see missions in places you'd expect to find in a city - mansions, museums, banks, warehouses and churches. That's a huge relief for those of us who found ourselves floundering in the underground crypt stage on the original game.
Furthermore, Thief II spans 15 gargantuan stages. Associate producer Lulu Lamer jokingly implies that one particular level is almost as big as the whole of the original game. A slight exaggeration possibly, yet playing the single level demo on this month's cover disc will give you an idea of what she's getting at. There's also a hell of a lot more variety this time round. Instead of simply ninning around nicking stuff, you can get involved in a whole host of nefarious sidelines. One stage sees our world-weary thief plan and execute an after-hours bank robbery, and you can also try your hand at framing somebody for a crime they didn't commit.
If that's not devious enough for you, how about kidnapping someone? Interestingly, you also get the chance to sneak aboard and stow away on an enemy boat. And in a strange twist of fate, you're also called upon to investigate a murder site. Poirot anyone? Basically, there's an entire city at your disposal, almost every major building in the game plays an important part in the story at one point or another.
And, as you can see from playing the demo, you can traverse the entire city via the rooftops, or as it's known in the trade - 'the thieves' highway'. Thief II uses the third revision of the Dark Engine. The second version was used in System Shock 2 incidentally, so graphically things look pretty hot, if a little on the dark side. And get your head around this spark of brilliance: you can actually hide in the fog. This is a world first, and rest assured it's a spine-tingling experience.
Imagine it: you're hiding in the mist, you can see out, but your enemies can't see in. Talk about a thiefs best friend. The potential for mischief is limitless. As in the original game a 'lightometer' at the bottom middle of the screen informs you how visible you are to prying eyes.
When the meter is dark you are safe and cannot be seen. When it lights up you are visible and in danger of being rumbled. There are no changes at all in that department apart from the fact that the light density spectrum has increased, meaning there are even more levels of shade.
You'll also notice the appearance of coloured lighting, something that was strangely absent from the original game. Another little quirk of inspiration comes in the form of variable translucency. In other words, expect to see muddy water as well as crystal clear water. Yet again this has the potential to help some of the more cunning thieves, especially if you can find a way to stay underwater for a long time As a special bonus Looking Glass has used the cloud routines from the Flight Unlimited series to create an authentic-looking sky.
And guess what? They've also gone and put bloody weather in there as well. Rain lashes down or even sideways due to some cool wind physics , as does snow. Certainly one thing we never counted on was being caught in a blizzard. Is there nothing these guys can't do? Another pleasing, yet underrated, aspect of the original was the wonderful use of sound. Amazingly this has been improved upon.
Guards mutter even more gibberish to themselves, and shout more absurdities while trying to detect you. You can also eavesdrop on private conversations, many of which contain important clues as to the whereabouts of valuable items and other stuff. You can even listen at doors and windows to find out if anyone's lurking behind them.
Much of the banter is actually quite amusing, it's almost as if the developers have decided that if we're going to have to listen to this medieval drivel, we might as well be amused by it. Ambient sound has also been improved. Music from street performers wafts through alleyways, and the clamour of a busy marketplace echoes across the rooftops. Languages :. English and 7 more. View Steam Achievements Includes 37 Steam Achievements. View Points Shop Items 3. Points Shop Items Available.
Franchise: Thief. Share Embed. Read Critic Reviews. Add to Cart. Bundle info. Add to Account. Browse all 6. See All. Package info. View Community Hub. As an uprising emerges, Garrett finds himself entangled in growing layers of conflict. The revolution is inevitable. Garrett never paid the price for anything… until now. The most challenging heists, the most inaccessible loots, the best kept secrets: nothing is out of your reach.
What storyline there is to speak of feels stitched together from the tattered remains of earlier versions, keeping to the shadows feels performative as opposed to encouraged, and The City is so washed out and bland that it's hard to muster any interest in its fate. The closest thing to fun I had was earning enough Cheevos to push my Gamerscore over 30K--which, honestly, who cares? Wow, you two gents don't like your girls on the sassy side, eh?
While I actually enjoyed Thiefs goofy narrative in a weird way--including spunky klepto sidekick Erin--sneaking, stealing, and sidling all proved exercises in extreme frustration. The denizens of The City either stood there, glassy-eyed, or they'd react to the slightest finger twitch.
I know you're a Blacklist tan, Josh, but I will say that I found Thief s button-press interactions more responsive than that game--but that's about all it's got on Sam Fisher.
Use the flashlight at night to highlight all the valuables in sight and places where you can expect them to be. Turn off the GPS trackers, disconnect all the devices from the internet and erase serial numbers. Disassemble a stolen car and sell parts on the internet. Prepare phones and tablets before selling in a pawn shop by removing their security. Look around for any useful items. They will save you some time on lockpicking or hacking. Key near a window or purchase receipts in trash bins.
All those things can make life of an aspiring thief so much easier and reduce your burglary time even by a half. Be careful! In some houses you can meet unexpected guests. If they catch you in the act, they will call the police. In this case hide and wait till they stop looking for you or you can always leave the loot and run away as fast as possible. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Notify me of new posts by email.
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