Thief

[phillyfan23]

Re: Thief

I really hesitated to buy this game due to the average reviews but the game has really surprised me and I am enjoying it quite a bit.

First of all it is a PURE stealth game and the AI is realistic and challenging on MASTER difficulty.

if you go into the game and think you have an option to play either stealth or action throw it out the window unless you are playing below master difficulty and where the AI is quite weak. The difference between normal and hard ( master) is significant enough that your stealth game experience will differ. Basically, the stealth becomes too easy and the ambience will suffer on anything lower than master, simple as that.

I don't go out of my way to loot items ( unless for a side mission), so if it's there it's there, I do like to explore the levels however to fully take advantage of the alternate routes, and they do come in handy because if you are discovered it's good to know where to go to get away and hide.

The stealth mechanics are really really well done....but again, MASTER difficulty. The game is very tense.....one instance I took down a guard while a lady was nearby and she got scared and yelled for the guards to come...the knowledge of the environment helped me to hide and continue.

It's a very old school stealth game where the pace of the game is quite slow, you need to scout the area, check the map and see the best way to reach where you need to go, at least that is how I play. Slow and some thought involved... I've clocked in at 7 hours and just finished chapter 2.

Another thing the game has is believable platforming, if you don't take your time, you will fall off the roofs and land in not so advantageous positions.

The negatives in the game is : monotonous environments, dark and dreary all the time. Maybe chapter 3 will offer something new but so far, it has been just one formula. This is where splinter cell gets it right with the different environments.

Good game....8.5/10

[fishepa]

Re: Thief

One thing I don't like about this game is the map and trying to find out where I need to go. It's a total chore and takes away from the game.

[Sausage]

Re: Thief

Every few days when I cruise this thread I am tempted to buy it when the price drops.

[Skyboxer]

Re: Thief

One thing I don't like about this game is the map and trying to find out where I need to go. It's a total chore and takes away from the game.

I haven't played it yet so don't know but is it the same map system as the older Thief games?

[fishepa]

Re: Thief

I haven't played it yet so don't know but is it the same map system as the older Thief games?

I'm not sure, I never played a Thief game before this one.

[CMH]

Thief

I haven't played it yet so don't know but is it the same map system as the older Thief games?

I don't know either but the map is 2D and your world is 3D with various levels.

So being told to go here doesn't always mean here. It could mean up top a roof, inside a window and down to the basement.


Sent from my mobile device.

[Skyboxer]

Re: Thief

I don't know either but the map is 2D and your world is 3D with various levels.

So being told to go here doesn't always mean here. It could mean up top a roof, inside a window and down to the basement.


Sent from my mobile device.

Example of older games map:

[eF 5ive]

Re: Thief

Example of older games map:

Not like that. Imagine creating a map with an etch a sketch. Bam. Thief map.

[18 eighty 5]

Re: Thief

I am playing the game trying to stay close to what I think is Garret's 'philosophy' toward his work. Namely, a passive aggressive approach to stealing. Killing is an absolute last resort option, take downs only if you have to otherwise move without detection because the priority is racking up loot not a body count. Every item that can be taken I am trying to get at without using a takedown and am disappointed if i bugger it up. Even stealing straight off a guards belt!

With this approach I am thoroughly enjoying the cat and mouse tension the game creates. Utilising water arrows and blunt arrows to douse firelight or trip a switch, throwing bottles to divert attention etc, great fun! Can make for some comical moments.

I am genuinely surprised by Thief given the reviews. I was not expecting what I am playing. The world is richly realised and atmospheric, the movement/gameplay mechanics to traverse the game world and interact with objects is very well done and smooth. It reminds me of Mirrors Edge but smoother in execution.

I like that Garret is not a fighter and that the game does not try to kit him out with swords and shields and guns. Nearly every game going places great emphasis upon offensive gameplay. It is refreshing to have a game that deliberately curtails offensive options in play for the sake of staying true to what this type of game is all about.

The reason I say this as opposed to the argument the developers should just give the gamer every option so the gamer can make the game whatever they want it to be is because gaming is still a medium for story. A story is confined to boundaries. Good books, or any books give us a permanent, concrete boundary before we even open the first page. The story is locked in. We discover the story as we read it but the ending is locked.

I have no problem with this in gaming because all endings are locked in, some games give us the illusion that we can control where the story goes and that is fine with me too. But this is one example where we are forced to approach the game with a greater sense of the boundaries governing the story and the type of person the main character is.

I think the voice acting in this game is solid and it is fun hearing the guards mutter things as i move around them.

The AI for me are fine. They are not dumb but they are still confined to being video game constructs that do not have a human autonomy on decision making. They are not terrible or blind. I think they are decent enough to lend to the enjoyment of the game and not detract from it. You just have to accept that this is still a video game and not a real life simulator.

Lastly, as a very early release for Xbox One and PS4 i can see the potential for these two current gen systems and i am looking forward to how well realised other games will be down the track. Thief delivers an obvious improvement in game world atmosphere. Though it may not be a beast in graphical improvement miles ahead of last gen, it is still obvious that the game looks beautiful and demonstrates where this new generation of games will be a step up from what we have known.

Really enjoying Thief, very glad I got it. Cheers.

[CMH]

Re: Thief

One thing that I would like to see in video games - and Thief isn't the only one that doesn't do this - is an AI that doesn't simply give up after some time.

There should be stages of alert that override individual alerts like we already see. If they know someone is out there, they should always be on edge waiting for that person to appear.

As it is right now, they simply reset. The same happens in GTA. It's weird to me when you hide from the police and suddenly they say "oh well guess he got away!"

And you can even walk right past them without a flinch.


Sent from my mobile device.

[cferg21]

Re: Thief

How is this game? I was thinking about picking it up.....

[Brandwin]

Re: Thief

How is this game? I was thinking about picking it up.....

I thought it was horrible. I downloaded it when it was free on PS+. Played for about 30 minutes and deleted it. Maybe I didn't give it enough time.


EDIT: I thought I was commenting on Payday 2.

[Fresh Tendrils]

Re: Thief

It was free?

[The Chef]

Re: Thief

It was free?

Pretty sure he has this mixed up with something else, or maybe the original as the PS4 version has never been free over PS+.

[Brandwin]

Re: Thief

Yep, my fault. I thought I was in the Pay Day 2 thread.