onearmedbandit on 29/3/2006 at 22:20

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I don't know... Garrett kind of *makes* Thief. Thief 2X had great gameplay and level design. The storyline itself wasn't too bad, but the main character woman annoyed me greatly.

Dia on 30/3/2006 at 16:51

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I concur bandit! I enjoyed T2X, but found myself wishing it was Garrett in the lead. To replace Garrett as Thief would be like trying to replace Sigourney as Ripley.

Victoria's_'Friend' on 1/4/2006 at 23:37

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This is very interesting, and I sort of agree with you. Garrett's voice is essential when describing the plot of thief, that is, it is part of the plot. Voices are iconic, and memorable, if done properly. Steven Russell's Garrett or David Hayter's Solid Snake voices made the characters what they are. Thief is a perspective game. 1st person, of course. But in that way the world and world view are Garrett's. His existence constitutes the game world...and thus the player's experience. Removing him therefore removes the 'authenticity' of the thief world.

I'm currently playing T2X, and I do admit to missing Garrett. Once I'm done I'll do a review of it to let you know what I think.

The reason I think a change of character is neccessary is for story reasons. I just don't think Garrett would put himself through another adventure after reluctantly saving the world 3 times. I guess the closure in Garrett's narrative at the end of thief 3 finishes off the trilogy, which lg intended the series to be. Perhaps thief 4 should'nt really be, as our cyber klepto tendancies are weaned off with Fan Missions... but it's great to see a community developing the game world, and it shows the thief 'spirit' lives on.

Victoria's_'Friend' on 3/4/2006 at 15:17

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A prequel might be a good idea, but in terms of plot, his actions would be less about saving the world, more about how he learned to become a thief between the keeper training and the Bafford Job. A good source for fan missions yes, but simply not extensive enough for a fully fledged game in itself. Besides, prequels limit the narrative through teleological neccessity, some things HAVE to happen to make sense with thief 1,2 and 3.

the hermit on 4/4/2006 at 08:22

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If there was going to be another story about Garrett that was not about the fate of the world, I think it might be a good idea to do some character developement. Who is Garrett, really? He doesn't seem to have close friends, just business associates for whom he does favors with the unspoken expectation of favors in return like Basso and Cutty. So what does he do with his time? Does he have any living family? What about the women in his past? Is he so adamant about working alone because of a falling-out with a former partner, or is it solely about the keepers?

Alternately, maintaining the mystery of Garrett's past might be essential to the popularity of his character, especially among fan mission authors. The less defined his past is, the easier it is to speculate. Perhaps Garrett's true character is best left to the fan missions.

I think the most obvious progression of the storyline from the end of Thief 3 would be to switch perspectives to the girl (?) from the last movie clip. This does not by any means eliminate Garrett or even his voice from the story. It would be relatively easy for the girl's voiceovers to be made up of lessons that Garrett has taught her, related as conversations between the two.

Garrett and the girl would have a master/student relationship. There are a variety of well used stories that stem from this type of connection, most prominently in mysteries, westerns, and kung fu movies. For instance, Garrett could have disappeared, and the girl could be looking for him, sifting through the ashes of his past. This gives the opportunity to revisit a lot of the characters in the previous games as the girl searches for clues to his current wherabouts and the reason for his disappearance. Garrett could have been accused of a crime and gone on the run or been captured and imprisoned, and the girl could be out to clear his name or aid his escape. Or perhaps Garrett simply threw the girl out without explanation, or she tired of his looking over her shoulder and struck out on her own. The girl is trying to make her way in the world as a thief, and Garrett is an occassional presence as she makes her way. And an interesting variation of the master/student relationship occurs when the student goes astray, and it is the master whose adventures we follow as he tries to save his wayward charge.