Talon65
06-09-2004, 11:35 AM
well, I've had the game now for a couple weeks - finished it once on Normal setting and am part way thru it again on Expert, and I have to say a few things both good and bad about it so far :
lets start with the good,
upon loading the game and hearing Garrett's voice I smiled - it had been so long, I was overjoyed at finally getting a chance to "be" Garrett again, the world was well rendered, the lighting was top notch, the overall moody look and feel was perfect, the music was right on the money, the sounds were immersive and well done.... I was pleased....until I started playing it through.
now the bad:
first off, as a fan of the thief games since the beginning, I was frankly dissapointed in this game - is it terrible ? no, will I keep playing it? probably, but in my opinion it did not live up to the standards set by the first 2 games.
why ?
well first off, its buggy as hell - I dont need to repost what others have already said about that issue right here on these forums, and on many others, but the fact remains - its simply not in what I would consider a "finished" state, <I play everquest, I know a bit about buggy games lol>.
secondly, while I admit to being one that looks for an "immersion factor" in all my games I realize that this style may not fit everyone, and I recognize that my criticisms may not hold water with those people, so the following might just be "nitpicks" but for me they greatly effected my enjoyment of the game :
body crumple - from a "believability" standpoint it fails miserably - a knocked out person does NOT fall to their knees bent over backwards off the ground, arms and head flopping around like a dead fish - sorry - this is my #1 complaint in the game and really ruins it for me all by itself.
AI - for all the talk about "improved AI" - I just dont see it, yes they say some new things, and they do act a bit different than in the first 2, but again from a believability standpoint it falls short.
guards simply do not act like guards SHOULD act :
a guard that notices an open door that should be locked, should lock it again, if a torch has gone out and he has a lit one in his hand, he should light it again... moss on the ground should be noticed when walked on or seen, etc....
settings : the game is simply too easy - even on expert, I do not get the same satisfaction from beating this game as the others - it took far less effort, time, strategy and THINKING to finish this game than the ones that came before it - fewer missions, smaller maps, less obsticles, all are issues that lead to this.
lack of secrets : a big dissapointment for me, I expected a thieving game to be FULL of hidden secrets of all kinds... I expected puzzles, secret rooms, tricky levers and buttons, etc... not just one or two...
no rooftop travel to speak of, no breaking glass, no weather, no water...the list could go on and on....
so, while I will probably keep playing it, at least till I finish it on Expert, I'm probably done with it after that - I'll be playing T2 and hoping for some fixes/fan missions to improve it - I will be very reluctant to buy another one if they make one.... the original team should break off and make another game - now THAT would be great !
lets start with the good,
upon loading the game and hearing Garrett's voice I smiled - it had been so long, I was overjoyed at finally getting a chance to "be" Garrett again, the world was well rendered, the lighting was top notch, the overall moody look and feel was perfect, the music was right on the money, the sounds were immersive and well done.... I was pleased....until I started playing it through.
now the bad:
first off, as a fan of the thief games since the beginning, I was frankly dissapointed in this game - is it terrible ? no, will I keep playing it? probably, but in my opinion it did not live up to the standards set by the first 2 games.
why ?
well first off, its buggy as hell - I dont need to repost what others have already said about that issue right here on these forums, and on many others, but the fact remains - its simply not in what I would consider a "finished" state, <I play everquest, I know a bit about buggy games lol>.
secondly, while I admit to being one that looks for an "immersion factor" in all my games I realize that this style may not fit everyone, and I recognize that my criticisms may not hold water with those people, so the following might just be "nitpicks" but for me they greatly effected my enjoyment of the game :
body crumple - from a "believability" standpoint it fails miserably - a knocked out person does NOT fall to their knees bent over backwards off the ground, arms and head flopping around like a dead fish - sorry - this is my #1 complaint in the game and really ruins it for me all by itself.
AI - for all the talk about "improved AI" - I just dont see it, yes they say some new things, and they do act a bit different than in the first 2, but again from a believability standpoint it falls short.
guards simply do not act like guards SHOULD act :
a guard that notices an open door that should be locked, should lock it again, if a torch has gone out and he has a lit one in his hand, he should light it again... moss on the ground should be noticed when walked on or seen, etc....
settings : the game is simply too easy - even on expert, I do not get the same satisfaction from beating this game as the others - it took far less effort, time, strategy and THINKING to finish this game than the ones that came before it - fewer missions, smaller maps, less obsticles, all are issues that lead to this.
lack of secrets : a big dissapointment for me, I expected a thieving game to be FULL of hidden secrets of all kinds... I expected puzzles, secret rooms, tricky levers and buttons, etc... not just one or two...
no rooftop travel to speak of, no breaking glass, no weather, no water...the list could go on and on....
so, while I will probably keep playing it, at least till I finish it on Expert, I'm probably done with it after that - I'll be playing T2 and hoping for some fixes/fan missions to improve it - I will be very reluctant to buy another one if they make one.... the original team should break off and make another game - now THAT would be great !