SneakyEerok
05-27-2004, 01:54 PM
Summary-
Thief fans rejoice, this game rocks! An amazing game that keeps the core of what was great about the first two games and makes many subtle (and a few not so subtle) improvements.
The Details -
**Graphics**
I got the PC version yesterday and have played through the tutorial and the first mission. I've read all the published 'official' game reviews from the various sites. From reading these reviews I was so totally expecting a crappy game with horrid graphics...and maybe that worked to my advantage. Let me tell you Thief fans...this game has AMAZING graphics.
Now I've never played Farcry and maybe there are a few FPS games on the market with even better graphics, but if you are like me the bar you compare this game to is the PREVIOUS THIEF GAMES. Compared to Thief I and II the graphics are spectacular. The NPC animations are superb. Guards stretch, sneeze, sigh and look around, and add many other subtle 'believability' improvements from the previous games. Yes, they occasionally do 'stutter' but man you have to be unbelievably picky to seriously knock the game engine for such a minor flaw.
The atmospheric graphics...from the moonlight streaming in from windows, to the torches casting flame as a guard carries it down the hall...are all top notch. The castle from the first 'real' mission is small but very well designed, believable, and looks great.
**The Sound**
I'll talk less about the sound because most reviews do a good job of giving props here. It is excellent...even better than the first two games. The guards and other NPC's are VERY observant about noticing torches and candles being snuffed out and mention it. They also notice when loot is missing. On 'normal' difficulty level they don't do much other than comment on 'hmmm, where did that go' or 'I'm not gonna relight that...its not my job!', but on higher difficulty levels it actually triggers the 'suspicious' AI routine and they start looking around.
**Other ways Thief:DS is an improvement over I and II**
First off, I feel like in DS Garret is actually a nimble thief! In I & II, although he was excellent at hiding in shadows, actually running and leaping and other 'dextrous' maneuvers could be quite a chore...part of it due to the clumsier interface and others just due to engine limitations...ie poor Garret could easily get stuck on a chair or bench. In DS, he feels much more nimble, and his default movement is a sort of 'stealthy run' which works out really well. He can jump much better and generally feels more acrobatic.
Second, I really really give props for the new lockpicking interface. I'm not saying its 'realistic' by any stretch, but much less clumsy than the first two games. First, you no longer have to manually select the tools, pull them to the 'front' and then click on a door. The lockpick interface just automatically comes up if you try to open a locked door or chest, and it goes away quickly if you right click. This makes for some GREAT tension moments if you are trying to lockpick a door in between guard patrols, as its quite possible to jigger the first tumbler away, hear footsteps getting closer, and step back into the shadows. This 'lockpick & duck' routine was much tougher to pull off in I & II simply because the interface was clumsy.
Third...WOW I really LOVE the 'up against the wall' feature that has been added! It works amazingly well and looks supremely cool. I've mapped the hotkey for it to one of my extra mouse buttons, so its very easy for me to scamper from wall to wall, quickly pressing up against it for safety as an NPC passes, and so forth. It REALLY adds to the gameplay...surprisingly so. If you are stuck in a narrow corridor and an NPC unexpectedly comes your way (hope they don't have a torch), you have options other than turning and running. There is a good chance you can press against the wall and still be unseen (if its dark enough of course)
Fourth...the engine, not just the graphics, is just superior. The physics of the game world are much easier. Garret can mantle and climb much more nimbly. He does not get stuck on gameworld objects. He can crawl through windows (discovered this by accident on the way out of the first mission...would have made my entry a lot easier hehe). I've committed to not using the 3rd person view to 'cheat' (view around corners) but I certainly like doing it frequently just for the coolness factor. Garret looks great. (tip...use 'up against the wall' feature and swithc to 3rd persion view and then move around. Too cool). Also, I have a 'mid-range' comp (2ghz) with a good graphics card (9800 pro) and it runs very smooth at 1280x1024 with full graphics pizzaz turned on. I bumped it up to 1600x1200 but the graphic difference was practically unnoticable and it did run considerably slower, so I dropped it back down.
Fifth...backstabbing...oooh for you assassin types (I'm more into avoidance) this is just too cool and has to be seen. My 12 year old son just cackles with glee its so cool.
6th...you can kill cats. How many games let you kill cats?
7th...AI/NPCs. Much better than previous games. MUCH. Doorways are no longer 'invisible zones' where you can stand and they won't see you. They notice a much broader range of 'odd things' to alert them, but they search more realistically...they no longer seem to hone in on you as easily as they did in the first two games. And the amount of dialogue they seem to have so far is amazing. Hopefully its not repeated endlessly throughout the game, but for the first couple of levels the NPC's really seem to have a huge range of comments they make that are situationally dependant, as well as scripted dialogues that are funny and useful.
Ok, things that didn't thrill me
You know, I only put this in because I don't want to be too fanboyish...but honestly the stuff that I didn't like is so nitpicky its insane. Thief I and II had way many more annoyances (although different ones) and I still loved the heck out of those games. Anyway here we go:
Sort of hard to tell what is loot and what isn't. objects light up so brightly when they are targetted its hard to see the 'loot sparkles'. For instance, there are candles in the first mission that are just worthless junk, and some are actual loot. Kind of hard to tell the difference unless you sit and stare at them for a bit to see the 'loot sparkle'
I can't see the blackjack swinging. In I & II it was very visceral...you raised your blackjack, held it steady, then gave a mighty 'whump' as it came down on your opponents head. In DS, you raise your blackjack automatically when you get in striking range and click to swing...but the swing animation is either too fast for me to see or its just not that good...not sure which, but its not the greatest either way. The dagger works under a similar concept but you can clearly see yourself driving the dagger into the victem's spine, so its much more satisfying :)
The eyezoom is much neater graphically, but actually not as useful. Its much grainier...a realistic touch but does reduce its functionality for me.
The map no longer has a 'blue' area to indicate where you are. Again, more realistic but less user friendly.Also doesn't show multi-levels well, so can be confusing (hey...there should be a corridor here...oh wait, thats on the first level)
I did have one situation (so far) where two NPC's got stuck in a door way (each walking the other direction) and would not leave the area.
*************Final Word**************
How this game is only getting scores in the mid-8's is mind blowing to me. Unless it goes significantly downhill after the first few levels, I would rate this game as a solid 9+. I AM biased towards medieval low tech settings, but even still it is so superior to Hitman/Pandora that its not even close. I've only played the first couple levels and I'm already DREADING the day I finish the game! I've never done that before...I was that impressed by it. For the sake of the future of the franchise (I want to see Thief 4) I hope the reviews start to come around and true Thief fans get the word out!!!!!!
Thief fans rejoice, this game rocks! An amazing game that keeps the core of what was great about the first two games and makes many subtle (and a few not so subtle) improvements.
The Details -
**Graphics**
I got the PC version yesterday and have played through the tutorial and the first mission. I've read all the published 'official' game reviews from the various sites. From reading these reviews I was so totally expecting a crappy game with horrid graphics...and maybe that worked to my advantage. Let me tell you Thief fans...this game has AMAZING graphics.
Now I've never played Farcry and maybe there are a few FPS games on the market with even better graphics, but if you are like me the bar you compare this game to is the PREVIOUS THIEF GAMES. Compared to Thief I and II the graphics are spectacular. The NPC animations are superb. Guards stretch, sneeze, sigh and look around, and add many other subtle 'believability' improvements from the previous games. Yes, they occasionally do 'stutter' but man you have to be unbelievably picky to seriously knock the game engine for such a minor flaw.
The atmospheric graphics...from the moonlight streaming in from windows, to the torches casting flame as a guard carries it down the hall...are all top notch. The castle from the first 'real' mission is small but very well designed, believable, and looks great.
**The Sound**
I'll talk less about the sound because most reviews do a good job of giving props here. It is excellent...even better than the first two games. The guards and other NPC's are VERY observant about noticing torches and candles being snuffed out and mention it. They also notice when loot is missing. On 'normal' difficulty level they don't do much other than comment on 'hmmm, where did that go' or 'I'm not gonna relight that...its not my job!', but on higher difficulty levels it actually triggers the 'suspicious' AI routine and they start looking around.
**Other ways Thief:DS is an improvement over I and II**
First off, I feel like in DS Garret is actually a nimble thief! In I & II, although he was excellent at hiding in shadows, actually running and leaping and other 'dextrous' maneuvers could be quite a chore...part of it due to the clumsier interface and others just due to engine limitations...ie poor Garret could easily get stuck on a chair or bench. In DS, he feels much more nimble, and his default movement is a sort of 'stealthy run' which works out really well. He can jump much better and generally feels more acrobatic.
Second, I really really give props for the new lockpicking interface. I'm not saying its 'realistic' by any stretch, but much less clumsy than the first two games. First, you no longer have to manually select the tools, pull them to the 'front' and then click on a door. The lockpick interface just automatically comes up if you try to open a locked door or chest, and it goes away quickly if you right click. This makes for some GREAT tension moments if you are trying to lockpick a door in between guard patrols, as its quite possible to jigger the first tumbler away, hear footsteps getting closer, and step back into the shadows. This 'lockpick & duck' routine was much tougher to pull off in I & II simply because the interface was clumsy.
Third...WOW I really LOVE the 'up against the wall' feature that has been added! It works amazingly well and looks supremely cool. I've mapped the hotkey for it to one of my extra mouse buttons, so its very easy for me to scamper from wall to wall, quickly pressing up against it for safety as an NPC passes, and so forth. It REALLY adds to the gameplay...surprisingly so. If you are stuck in a narrow corridor and an NPC unexpectedly comes your way (hope they don't have a torch), you have options other than turning and running. There is a good chance you can press against the wall and still be unseen (if its dark enough of course)
Fourth...the engine, not just the graphics, is just superior. The physics of the game world are much easier. Garret can mantle and climb much more nimbly. He does not get stuck on gameworld objects. He can crawl through windows (discovered this by accident on the way out of the first mission...would have made my entry a lot easier hehe). I've committed to not using the 3rd person view to 'cheat' (view around corners) but I certainly like doing it frequently just for the coolness factor. Garret looks great. (tip...use 'up against the wall' feature and swithc to 3rd persion view and then move around. Too cool). Also, I have a 'mid-range' comp (2ghz) with a good graphics card (9800 pro) and it runs very smooth at 1280x1024 with full graphics pizzaz turned on. I bumped it up to 1600x1200 but the graphic difference was practically unnoticable and it did run considerably slower, so I dropped it back down.
Fifth...backstabbing...oooh for you assassin types (I'm more into avoidance) this is just too cool and has to be seen. My 12 year old son just cackles with glee its so cool.
6th...you can kill cats. How many games let you kill cats?
7th...AI/NPCs. Much better than previous games. MUCH. Doorways are no longer 'invisible zones' where you can stand and they won't see you. They notice a much broader range of 'odd things' to alert them, but they search more realistically...they no longer seem to hone in on you as easily as they did in the first two games. And the amount of dialogue they seem to have so far is amazing. Hopefully its not repeated endlessly throughout the game, but for the first couple of levels the NPC's really seem to have a huge range of comments they make that are situationally dependant, as well as scripted dialogues that are funny and useful.
Ok, things that didn't thrill me
You know, I only put this in because I don't want to be too fanboyish...but honestly the stuff that I didn't like is so nitpicky its insane. Thief I and II had way many more annoyances (although different ones) and I still loved the heck out of those games. Anyway here we go:
Sort of hard to tell what is loot and what isn't. objects light up so brightly when they are targetted its hard to see the 'loot sparkles'. For instance, there are candles in the first mission that are just worthless junk, and some are actual loot. Kind of hard to tell the difference unless you sit and stare at them for a bit to see the 'loot sparkle'
I can't see the blackjack swinging. In I & II it was very visceral...you raised your blackjack, held it steady, then gave a mighty 'whump' as it came down on your opponents head. In DS, you raise your blackjack automatically when you get in striking range and click to swing...but the swing animation is either too fast for me to see or its just not that good...not sure which, but its not the greatest either way. The dagger works under a similar concept but you can clearly see yourself driving the dagger into the victem's spine, so its much more satisfying :)
The eyezoom is much neater graphically, but actually not as useful. Its much grainier...a realistic touch but does reduce its functionality for me.
The map no longer has a 'blue' area to indicate where you are. Again, more realistic but less user friendly.Also doesn't show multi-levels well, so can be confusing (hey...there should be a corridor here...oh wait, thats on the first level)
I did have one situation (so far) where two NPC's got stuck in a door way (each walking the other direction) and would not leave the area.
*************Final Word**************
How this game is only getting scores in the mid-8's is mind blowing to me. Unless it goes significantly downhill after the first few levels, I would rate this game as a solid 9+. I AM biased towards medieval low tech settings, but even still it is so superior to Hitman/Pandora that its not even close. I've only played the first couple levels and I'm already DREADING the day I finish the game! I've never done that before...I was that impressed by it. For the sake of the future of the franchise (I want to see Thief 4) I hope the reviews start to come around and true Thief fans get the word out!!!!!!