Thief Reviews
Except that it's just that core that has been ripped from the original game's chest. Garrett's plight and interaction with the olden days of The City gave an ephemeral feel to every jaunt into the darkness. What would getting caught or killed entail? What were the Hammerites up to? What was the great evil befalling the city? There is none of this left; the shadows in Thief hide not great, unspeakable mysteries but only more immaculately rendered cobblestones. Perhaps it's time for Garrett to steal this new vision of Thief a personality.
Thief is an okay game that has been dragged down by its major problems. I thought stealth was done very well in the game, and that the choice of how you want to play allows players to come back and try again which adds replay value, and replay value is a very important part of a game that I look for when I review a game. I just couldn't get in to this story at all, and I really did try too. I also felt Garrett was an extremely forgettable and dull main character. Thief is a game that had potential, and had moments that really impressed me but due to its negatives it will never reach its true potential.
Some might be able to look past Thief's shortcomings and instead only focus on the moments of brilliance. However, I imagine long-time Thief fans hoping for Garrett's grand return might be somewhat disappointed.
Perhaps what is most disappointing is that Thief does its best to make you believe that there's more to it beneath the surface, and you'll drudge through much of its mess with that glint of hope. That isn't the case, though, as it's very much a "take it as it is" experience, and if you're willing to do so you'll find that it just might steal some time from your weekend.
Thief is an inconsistent game that has just as many failings as it does successes. Fans of the stealth genre will find a lot to like here, but a number of poor design decisions keep it from reaching the heights of its predecessors.
Garrett deserves better
In fact, of all the games I've been in, this one is definitely the worst. I've been in some terrific games though, so that's not as damning a verdict as it looks. If I adjust the difficulty by turning off HUD elements, never ever get into any sort of combat with the incompetent AI and try to ignore huge chunks of the game in which I'm forced into criminally unimaginative and unstealthy situations, and then pretend that the zombies don't exist, and then maybe just not play the last two chapters at all, then this is an okay game with two or three good missions.
All this being said, Thief is ultimately worth playing, especially for fans of the stealth genre. It hearkens back to the things that made the original games of the late '90s and early '00s so intense and enjoyable, while offering a wealth of settings and options that cater to a wide range of players. If you can forgive the game's rough edges and its lack of a unique vision, Thief might just rob you of a dozen or two hours without you even noticing.
Thief is a mess. It's disappointing that there's a genuinely good game hidden under a lot of mediocrity.
Nick Cowen: Thief feels unwieldy at times, although it's not the travesty some reviewers are making it out to be
Thief has its hang-ups, particularly with frustrating loading times and repetitive gameplay that will have players unlocking the same doors over and over again. However, Eidos Montreal has captured the essence of stealth gameplay with their take on Thief. Players may have to work to find what makes the game special, but nobody said being a master thief was easy.
Thief will almost certainly frustrate fans of the older trilogy, but it suffers shortcomings on a more objective level as well. Though solidly made, it never challenges the well-worn conventions of stealth action. In short, it lacks a certain spark of inspiration. It's good, yet it falls short of "future classic" status.
At its best, Thief makes you feel like a devious outlaw. Sadly, such moments are too few.
The elements of a better game never come together in Thief
At times the game suffers from a lack of ambition, placing far too much importance on the tiresome looting of endless cupboards and dressers in the vain hope that this will be enough to propel you forwards. In other places, Thief suffers from too much ambition, unable to draw its systems into a cohesive whole. Whether the game simply needed more time or entirely different foundations is never quite clear. Either way, it's a game that adds up to less than the sum of its parts.
Thief has good stealth going for it, but everything connecting its few relatively open scenarios is a mess.
Thief is a game, that despite all it's good intentions, will alienate long-time fans. And the cookie-cutter generic gameplay won't do much to attract new fans either, as this franchise once again slips into the forgotten darkness of the night.
Thief is a disappointment. However, laying beyond its shortcomings with movement mechanics, combat and narrative, is a satisfying core of theft and stealth that can, at times, still have you feeling like a master thief. If you're looking for something to waste hours collecting digital trinkets on, and feeling like a total bad ass thief while doing so, then this may be for you. For anyone looking for a story-driven, combat-focused, narrative-based experience you'd be better off looking elsewhere.
Thief was one of my most anticipated games of 2014. I have to say, I'm disappointed in its lack of cohesiveness in terms of story, its lack of stability and solidarity in terms of technical stuff, and the missed opportunities. At the same time, I never seem to tire of looting the most difficult-to-approach treasure caches, and Garrett is a suitably entertaining character.
It's the fourth-best game to bear the Thief name, but it doesn't trample on Garrett's legacy as some might have predicted. The story is utter balls and the game as a whole isn't as cohesive as it could be, but when Thief remembers its name and has you working out the best way of breaking into a place and picking it clean, it does a damn fine job.