Bronze Griffin on 14/4/2005 at 17:27
I just thought about it.
What are your opinions?
I think atmosphere is a key aspect. Storyline is another.
ZylonBane on 14/4/2005 at 17:30
Are you including Deadly Shadows in your premise?
Bronze Griffin on 14/4/2005 at 17:39
Anything connected to the Thief Universe.
So the answer to your question is: Yes.
ZylonBane on 14/4/2005 at 17:48
Well that complicates things, since a great many people (I'd venture to say the majority of those who've played both) consider TDS to have fallen short of greatness.
For example, one of the things I think is great about Thief are the huge, expansive levels all fitting into one map load. TDS doesn't have that.
Another great thing is how Thief bent over backward to avoid "gamey" elements in the interface. TDS didn't do that.
I thought the AI animations were great-- very natural-looking. In TDS, they aren't.
The rope arrows were great, giving the player to basically make his own ladder anywhere an arrow would stick. TDS... nope.
The ability to lean was great, allowing the player to quickly peek around a corner without exposing himself. In TDS, lean replaced with sidestep.
Oh yeah, and the cool briefing animations, those were really great. Gone in TDS.
Aditya on 14/4/2005 at 17:50
Quote Posted by ZylonBane
Well that complicates things, since a great many people (I'd venture to say the majority of those who've played both) consider TDS to have fallen short of greatness.
...which is nothing more than self-pleasing assumption. But ofcourse one who has played ONLY the demo is not expected to know about story and atmosphere or other great things TDS offers.
dhaelis on 14/4/2005 at 17:51
Atmosphere and story are two big 'yesses' in my book. But something that sets the Thief games apart (even TDS) is the openness of play. I’ve tried a few more “stealth action” games in the past, and they couldn’t hold a candle to Thief (especially the SC games – I tried to like it, but it was just so darn linear that I lost interest). In Thief, you can pretty much tackle your goals any way you see fit and I really enjoy that sense of freedom. It’s like the developers said “here’s what you got to do, now go ahead and knock yourself out” instead of “here are your objectives, not let me hold your hand and guide you on how to exactly do everything.” That’s just some of the reasons I love Thief.
ZylonBane on 14/4/2005 at 17:56
Alright, who left an aditya in this thread? I told you guys to flush afterwards, dammit!
Aditya on 14/4/2005 at 18:01
Wow, you actually read my posts ZB?!! You are not supposed to, after claiming they're being dumb and all...how so contradictory. Also, no one here seems to listen to you poor ZB, and so try something else next time. :)
Fallen+Keeper on 14/4/2005 at 18:30
I judge each game in base of three points:
1) Atmosphere
2) Story
3) Gameplay
These are not listed randomly; that is I care more of the atmosphere than of the gameplay. Of course, the gameplay cannot suck, right?
I don't care about graphics nor sound taken as a single vital element, althought they make part of Atmosphere.
I loved Thief 1 for having covered all those points. In my book, Thief 2 falls short on the first one. Thief 3 falls short on the third one. While T1 was perfect because of the pseudo-medieval dark world, great story and unique gameplay, T2 lost its "soul" because of the sudden and illogical change of the setting, annoying me as hell by the way. The creepiness was gone. Period.
Thief 3 returned to that setting, thank God, but the gameplay limitations crippled it on its way to the Hall of Masterpieces.
I'm not talking about Garrett's new toy movements, but the limitations that ZylonBane has already mentioned. And those Enforcers. Damn, what a joke.
Although its faults, I prefer T3 than T2. Actually, I love T3 for its atmosphere :) T2 is just a passage between T1 and T3 for me.
I know I'm going to be flamed for this, so let's add some wood to the pile: I hate Life of the Party. I don't like that level one bit. Why? Well, it's well designed but it features something I cannot stand: the Mechanists. The same for any other Mechanist mission.
Bronze Griffin on 14/4/2005 at 18:35
Each to their own, I'm rather fond of Thief II's acronistic style.
