Tue Dec 13 22:42:00 EST 2005
Thief: Deadly Shadows
OK, so it's been a while since I've made a post (thanks for pointing that out
Dann!) 
So I figured I'd own up to the reason why. I've been wasting away
my evenings playing Thief: Deadly
Shadows and all I have to say is...Wow. This is one hell of a good game.
That is if you can get your head around the fact that you have to sneak around
and not go toe to toe with every foe you see. I know that's contrary
to what the typical game these days trains you for but once you get the idea
stealth games are excellent.
Anyone who knows me knows I've been a fan of the Thief games for ages. Made by the long defunct Looking Glass Studios who were also responsible for the equally incredible game System Shock 2.
Anyway, so far I'm about 75% of the way through Thief: Deadly Shadows and I have to say it lives up to the legacy of the first two Thief games. I still have a special place in my heart for the originals so on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being the best I'd have to give Thief: The Dark Project a 9.5, Thief: The Metal Age a 9.0, and Thief: Deadly Shadows an 8.5. This is mostly because the story line of the first game is so good it sets the standard for the series. And, while the stories of the sequels are very very good, they aren't as good as the original. I don't mean that as a bad thing. It's just that the first is a tough act to follow.
I think the reason it came out so good is because, according to rumor, Ion Storm managed to get together the majority of the original design team that worked for Look Glass Studios along with the original voice for Garrett. I've also been picking up on sounds from the original game being reused which is nice for the familiarity of it all. As far as game play goes it's pretty much the same except for subtle things. For instance, the game has fully dynamic lighting. This means individual object cast shadows. In the original games the shadows were static and sometimes didn't make any sense. If you were in a dark room for instance and the room on the other side of a door had a light source in it the light wouldn't spill into the dark room which is something I used to my advantage. However, now the light flows in and makes it more realistic. You can even get caught if a light source is behind you and a guard sees your shadow. Pretty cool stuff. The lock picking system is different but usable. In a way it's more realistic than the original, but how realistic can one make something as complex as picking a lock in a computer game and not kill game play? Oh, and be sure to blackjack the guards in the back of the head. The originals didn't care where you got them as long as they weren't aware of you. Now it matters.
So, there ya have it. The reason I've withdrawn into my cave. My wife even asked me not to start a new game for a while when this one is done so she can actually see me again.
Now, excuse me while I get my blackjack and
water arrows ready. I've got some thieving to do!
So I figured I'd own up to the reason why. I've been wasting away
my evenings playing Thief: Deadly
Shadows and all I have to say is...Wow. This is one hell of a good game.
That is if you can get your head around the fact that you have to sneak around
and not go toe to toe with every foe you see. I know that's contrary
to what the typical game these days trains you for but once you get the idea
stealth games are excellent.
Anyone who knows me knows I've been a fan of the Thief games for ages. Made by the long defunct Looking Glass Studios who were also responsible for the equally incredible game System Shock 2.
Anyway, so far I'm about 75% of the way through Thief: Deadly Shadows and I have to say it lives up to the legacy of the first two Thief games. I still have a special place in my heart for the originals so on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being the best I'd have to give Thief: The Dark Project a 9.5, Thief: The Metal Age a 9.0, and Thief: Deadly Shadows an 8.5. This is mostly because the story line of the first game is so good it sets the standard for the series. And, while the stories of the sequels are very very good, they aren't as good as the original. I don't mean that as a bad thing. It's just that the first is a tough act to follow.
I think the reason it came out so good is because, according to rumor, Ion Storm managed to get together the majority of the original design team that worked for Look Glass Studios along with the original voice for Garrett. I've also been picking up on sounds from the original game being reused which is nice for the familiarity of it all. As far as game play goes it's pretty much the same except for subtle things. For instance, the game has fully dynamic lighting. This means individual object cast shadows. In the original games the shadows were static and sometimes didn't make any sense. If you were in a dark room for instance and the room on the other side of a door had a light source in it the light wouldn't spill into the dark room which is something I used to my advantage. However, now the light flows in and makes it more realistic. You can even get caught if a light source is behind you and a guard sees your shadow. Pretty cool stuff. The lock picking system is different but usable. In a way it's more realistic than the original, but how realistic can one make something as complex as picking a lock in a computer game and not kill game play? Oh, and be sure to blackjack the guards in the back of the head. The originals didn't care where you got them as long as they weren't aware of you. Now it matters.
So, there ya have it. The reason I've withdrawn into my cave. My wife even asked me not to start a new game for a while when this one is done so she can actually see me again.
Now, excuse me while I get my blackjack and
water arrows ready. I've got some thieving to do!