taffer19 on 19/4/2009 at 22:38
Well, the reason why I think Thief is the best game is because there are really no other Stealth and Steal games. The only games close to Thief is Metal Gear Solid or Splinter Cell. There is simply no other game like Thief, and that is what makes it great in my opinion! :cheeky:
Dante on 20/4/2009 at 00:31
Someone mentioned the importance of Stephen Russell. I'd like to add that his character is one of the most (if not the most) interesting and enthralling protagonists I've ever played as. Garrett is the classic lovable rogue: charmingly sarcastic, selfish, but somehow good. I don't know anyone who'd label him a bad person just because he's a lawbreaker.
Which leads me to what is in my opinion his most appealing quality: He maintains some code of honor, i.e., he doesn't kill. Sure, this is debatable after TDS' slight ... adjustments (to put it diplomatically) to his character, but the game stresses nonviolent resolutions to thieving challenges. Garrett's general reluctance to kill really makes him stick out in my catalog of video game characters because all the others -- James Bond, Lara Croft, Gordon Freeman, Agent 47, whoever the hell the player controls in taffing Halo; the list goes on and on -- are so apt to whip out a 9mm and blast away. His aversion to murder strikes a chord with me because I'd never murder either, and in turn such a mentality enhances the gameplay itself, realistically augmenting the stealth requirements of higher difficulty levels.
jtr7 on 20/4/2009 at 00:37
Of course, allowances are made in all the games, but TDS really encourages it at times, rather than not forcing you. It's stated repeatedly in the pre-TDS titles that it's looked down on to shed blood, and beneath Garrett. I do like that the fences and stores in TDS express concern at Garrett's bloodshed, even if it's only done during actual missions, and wanton. Whatever he does in the streets goes completely unchecked. It resonates with me, too, that the character is supposed to not confront people for the most part.
All of Russell's voices are a core element that cannot be removed.
Stath MIA on 29/4/2009 at 01:37
Quote Posted by theBlackman
I posted my opinion much earlier in the thread, but what really makes THIEF great is
US.
Amen to that. I've been in so many online communities which are hostile and uninviting, but TTLG is so friendly that it actually draws people into wanting to play Thief. I personally had played The Dark Project a long time ago but had virtually forgotten about it when I stumbled onto this site, reading through the forums inspired me to play it again and I soon realized how much I had been missing out on. You guys rock:thumb:!
jtr7 on 29/4/2009 at 01:40
Yay US! And theBlackman's comment also includes what we bring to the games ourselves. It just sparks the imagination as we play and we feel truly connected to that world!
Reliance on 29/4/2009 at 02:16
This community is so intertwined with thief that it is no longer possible to compare one side (the game itself) without having to juxtapose it with the other (TTLG).
Community aside, however, there was something (more likely a collection of things) that made thief, not only stand out, but envelop the imaginations of its players into a world that proved that gaming - and video games - could truly be an art form.
The first evidence of this is how well the engine dated. Sure the textures are blocky and TDP was cursed with rooms and halls with exact replicas everywhere in the mission (this created a frenzic passion in me to memorize what distinguished one brown hall to the next) to today standards, but the game is, simply put, stunningly gorgeous. Its beautiful! It flows, it fits, its thief. It was unique. It is unique.
Its art form wasn't the only thing unique either, but it was the first FPS (first person sneaker :-0). It DEFINED a genre, which in and of itself makes thief a classic. Not only did it define the genre, but it remains, to this day, unable to be surpassed in gaming quality and diversity. There are limitless ways to play (with more and more rules, gaming styles, and missions being developed by the community to plus) and it stands as a pillar of true, hardcore, rarely seen gaming goodness.
But if it was simply a unique new aspect and a beautiful visual that dictated how great a game was, we would have many more "GREAT" games. Lo and behold, our little hidden gem of thief is so much more. Its a game, developed for entertainment but proved itself to be a revolutionary form of art. I would take it even further and say that thief took an art form and created a world, a world of intellectual worth. It rivals that of star wars and lord of the rings in the quality - as well as quantity - of wealth of information that is EVERYWHERE.
It had a true plot, with believable characters (this in huge part to S.R.'s incredible voice acting) and a bible worth of notes, messages, phrases, poems, lyrics, books scattered in and out and around corners, on tables, on floors, in random nooks and crannies. It created the infamous city, drowned in umbrage whose single source of luminosity from that of a "low life". A character meant to be hated, frowned upon, and imprisoned. A thief. This echoes that of another timeless classic, Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment where the murderer is saved by the love of a prostitute. The city is saved by the thief. This oxymoron and paradox is overwhelming to our sense of societal efficacy and, quite literally, sucks us in.
We get a NEED and a complete DESIRE to KNOW EVERYTHING there is to KNOW! The canon. We dedicate hours to scrutinizing every word, searching for any clue to anything the city has to give us. We piece together a never ending puzzle, the enigma of our crux as we pilot our unlikely savior into even unlikelier places. It is the gordian knot, even the bane, of our existence. Here we find a world where the human passion is flipped and inverted and the true meanings of the human psyche can be studied and portrayed as lightened gems to our dark pasts.
That is what made thief truly great, and it is that that will continue to hold thief's legendary place as an art loved and appreciated much too late.
Needless to say, if indeed Eidos Montreal took this cross to bear upon their shoulders, they have quite QUITE an act to follow. And if they truly give a rats ass about how thief changed a generation of gaming, they better be scrutinizing these boards for anything they can use. Let this be their warning. They hold in their hands a very fragile light and single break, a single move from canon, could very much obliterate everything LGS put there final breath and life into.
If they do indeed want to move from LGS original plans for the series, I would hope they have the intelligence enough not to put a "4" at the end of the title or affiliate it in any way with the first 2 at the very least. No one would paint the mona lisa canvas black.
Anywhoos sorry for the essay and any misspellings or grammatical errors, I was in a rush to finish.
Stath MIA on 29/4/2009 at 03:58
Yes, I am definitely in the same boat as you:)! I find myself obsessed with its mysteries, engrossed in its gameplay. I can't tell you how many times I have started babbling on about the intricacies of Thief to people who have no idea what I am talking about and who by now think I am quite insane. I've even defended the morality of a game staring a Thief to an evil heretic who had the audacity to challenge it. Thief is the one game that keeps me coming back time after time, I've played numerous other games but, when they inevitably disappoint, Thief is always there to comfort me. There are just too many things about Thief which are incredible for me to even dream of making a list; Thief is the scale by which other games are weighed, measured, and, ultimately, found wanting.
Reliance on 29/4/2009 at 23:37
Quote Posted by Stath MIA
I've even defended the morality of a game staring a Thief to an evil heretic who had the audacity to challenge it.
I have experience the exact same thing... I believed I used the example of Jean Valjean from Les miserablé. They both are caught stealing. They both are "bought for God" (literally is Valjean's case while in Garrett's he is taken under training by the keepers). Both revolt, whether be in the French revolution or against the keepers. Both are very unlikely heroes. The only real difference is that Garrett has "yet to die".
