This will be a long post, so consider prior to reading. Thief, that wonderful gaming franchise that joyfully made me consider first person games as something other than what I admit to typically not be the best at, gave me a joy that still warms me on long, winter nights. The new game that has just emerged with the same franchise continuation as the aforementioned title can go suck it. And heres why: First, the good. The graphics are shiny and new. Polygons are so last decade, and it has a suitably dark look to the streets. The sound is a good and bad thing, music is ambient for the most part, and most of the time the words being spoken are easy to understand. I will also commend the swoop mechanic. I enjoy using it and like how it gives some of your motions more urgency or sneakiness. It is a welcome addition to Garretts arsenal. There, now that thats out of the way, lets move on to what they screwed up. First, while I do not wish to call this Dishonored in any way, shape, or form, this is a different version of Dishonored. Theres a horrific plague that makes the guard keep sections of the city closed off and makes most people stay in at night. Theres a noble doing something pretty crappy on the pretense that it all works out better for everyone in the end. Second, they completely ignored the previous games culture, in favor of placing a game in a steampunkish vicotrian era that looks a bit like, but is not quite the same of...Dishonored. Im gonna take a moment and talk about the culture of The City, since they never really gave it a formal name. the City had three factions running around in it, doing their various things either covert or overt. The Pagans, the Builders, and the Seekers. I wont define them...why bother? The franchise for this game chose to ignore that they ever existed. Apparently when Garrett lost his memory in the beginning of the game, he also completely forgot where he got his training, most of his previous contacts, and why any of that mattered or even what they may be able to tell him. There was also a lingo specific to Thief, and they had their own ways of speaking and communicating. This allowed one to sink into the world easier; now they just drop the f-bomb like its nothing and speak like proper Earthly residents. Third, the judgment of playstyle. I realize in this modern era of achievements one must find a way to quantify gameplay in order to make those achievements actually work, and this is where I get angriest. Loot is more plentiful, yet less satisfying to find. This is because of 2 things. One, you are stealing about anything. You have gone from stealing jewelry and purses to scissors and silverware. Id like to say Im lying, but Im not. Garrett used to have standards, he went for the bigger stuff and didnt sweat the small stuff. Now you must fill your pockets with anything with the least bit of shine to pay the bills. Also, the first 2 games had an easy setup. Your money got you equipment for the next mission and did not carry over. Spend it if youve got it. Garrett paid his bills and moved to the next target, it was his way. That face that a story would occur during these were wonderful, but there was nothing to save up for. No powerups, no leveling, your evolution of character was in character and narrative, not in a new toy each mission. Also they found a way to quantify your playstyle as one of three headings: Ghost, Opportunist, and Predator. Ghosts come and go leaving no trace. Opportunists manipulate the playing field to their advantage and use distraction and environment to get the job done. Predators kill and incapacitate. To muddy these waters, depending on how you incapacitate someone determines whether you are more opportunistic or predator like. In previous titles, you simply played how you wished and there it was. Finding the loot was its own reward. Now you are rewarded for fulfilling conditions to your game to make a bit of extra coin...the easier to afford those expensive upgrades, yes? But the game itself has issues with that. Consider my run of the third mission. I choose to go with the ghost goal, which is consistently the same: remain undetected. Sounds simple, right? Not really. To be a true ghost, you must not arouse suspicions or create distractions. You cannot turn out lights. you cannot knock out guards. Those are manipulation and create an opportunistic playstyle. So I did it. I grabbed each piece of loot (another goal for some extra money, apparently your fence can get a bulk bonus for complete itemization of a target) without knocking out a guard, turning out a light, or using any diversion/distraction techniques. I did not alert or alter any guards motions of movements, nor did I hamper their ability to see by any method. I left no trace of my passing, left no door open after using it. At end of mission, I had completed my goal. Did I get the goal fulfilled? No, and heres why. The game judged me as having played half ghost and half opportunistic, creating a hybrid playstyle and because my meter was not a majority in one style it grants no goals as completed. One of my roommates watched this occur, watched me save and turn the game off, and was happy that I didnt do something rash like introduce my xbox one to the outdoor by way of the nearest window. Next I will address the sound issues. And Im not talking about the speech bugs that have a guard saying 2-3 things simultaneously. I am now speaking of directional sound. One of the pinnacles of the previous Thief games was that they tried to get you to use all of your senses. To that aim, they gave great care to volume of sounds and the directions it was occuring from. One of the thiefs greatest tools is situational awareness. This was done back in 1995, so why in 2014 is that abandoned? Is that too subtle a hint to give prospective thieves in this day and age? Part of what brought the world alive is that the speakers didnt just speak to you. By proper hearing you could tell when someone was coming up behind you, or coming from a direction. Sound was almost as important as sight, and not just as a gimmick. You can hear guards crystal clear from an interior room of a house that is walking by outside. You dont know where in particular he is, the speech just shows up full volume. This makes it a tad difficult to tell if hes on the other side of a door or not. You can look through the keyhole for a limited view if you choose, but that doesnt give much info either. Thief 2 introduced eavesdropping by leaning against a door. Cool and useful mechanic. Cant lean in this game, so I guess they dismissed it as too difficult to do in this day and age. Last but certainly not least is Garrett himself. Garrett prided himself on being a loner, one who looked out for himself and only kept a bottom line on his pricetag. Missions were to pay rent and keep his skills honed. While I understand the idea of giving him an apprentice and using her death as a plot hook later in the story, anyone who knew Garrett starts by asking why he has an apprentice in the first place. He was an orphan adopted and raised by the...thats right, they dont exist anymore. They kept his right eye as different, whether it is still mechanical or something else who knows. The first game established that his right eye was removed by (censored due to not existing anymore). In the second game the (censored due to not existing anymore) replaced it with a mechanical one that gave a limited zoom lens. It was fricking useful. I loved it. In this game the eye glows...thats it. I suppose they say that it is mystically gifted to allow the games focus abilities. Think of focus abilities as psychic talents that are unlocked over time and grant various abilities as long as you have the energy to pay for them. Not like Dishonored at all, honest! This Garrett doesnt feel the same. It feels like he is acting for different reasons than in previous incarnations. Its hard for me to explain this one, other than to say Ive known the character for almost 20 years. It just doesnt feel like Garrett. I have no complaints over the new voice talent, he may not be the same, but I have no beef with his performance. I suppose in the end this is a reboot, but if it is, they should call it that. The world of Thief was one that was already well established and fleshed out. One that lived and breathed and had its own life force. I can understand creating a stealth based game. But to use a franchise name is to not just create a game, it is to use the fanbase of said franchise to try to sell more. It seems to me that they didnt give much for those of us that have stuck around since the beginning any reason to see this as much more than a corruption or misrepresentation of the character and The City that weve come to hold so dear. Now, Im going to go and play Thief II again on my PC. My rose tinted glasses of nostalgia must be plenty strong since my last playthrough last year. Last note, even though I know they cant read this. Grey Mouser, Munin the Raven, what have they done? This taffer just doesnt know. Packrat, signing out.
Posted on: Wed, 12 Mar 2014 18:09:25 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015