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This is one game where the stealth is not a gimmick or an afterthought. And the <i>Thief</i> series does it better than any other. But how's the total package?
<a href="http://www.the-nextlevel.com/reviews/xbox/thief-deadly-shadows/">Read our review of <i>Thief: Deadly Shadows</i> for the Xbox and find out.</a>
Well done, Nick! I don't care much for Splinter Cell or MGS, but I had a blast playing Thief.
A couple of things I think are worth mentioning:
The difficulty levels. Not only is the AI more "sensitive" on Hard and Expert (Normal was far too easy for me), there are more enemies, and you're required to nab more loot during each mission. Too bad there are no extra missions to unlock, or any extras at all, for that matter. It would have added replay.
The loading times are atrocious. Enough so that they negatively affected the experience for me, increasingly so towards the end as you access more areas of the City. I think they drag down the game's overall grade, unfortunately. Same goes for the framerate, but it's not such a big deal because the game's so slow-paced.
Switching between third- and first-person is handled very well. No camera problems as a result.
While the AI isn't the smartest, there are moments of brilliance. In the Overlook mansion's dining room, there was a seated guard and a woman wandering through the room. I wanted to get the guard out of his chair (you can't knock out guys in chairs for some reason), so I picked up a fork and threw it at his head. He leapt up going "What what?" and to my surprise, raced towards the woman, bellowing "Why did you do that?" During the ensuing argument, I snuck to the table and cleaned off the loot.
There's also much fun to be had with the rag-doll physics. Seeing guards slip on oil and fall down a flight of stairs or off a balcony never gets old.
You've gotta be talking about the Cradle. While it is a magnificent level indeed, it seemed like part of a different game to me.Quote:
One area in particular is extra memorable both in its visuals and in the way it masterfully weighs you down with suspense.
Thief isn't perfect (especially technically), and it's not a combat game, but if it's played like it's supposed to be, it's hugely immersive and entertaining. One of the best I've played this year.
Thanks for your comments. I also had a great time with this game. I was going to mention the loading times in the review, but I left it out in the final draft. They do drag and they are a bit too frequent in a few spots where you're running between levels, but I don't think that should scare anyone away. As for framerate, I've never been a stickler for steady framerate if the game is fun and not frustrating. Like you said, this is a slow-paced game.
I hope the review and the additional points you provided will convince people to take a chance with Thief. Like Garrett, it has all the right tools, and I think it's worth a purchase.