Aydin_metal on 27/12/2011 at 18:52
Thief: The Dark Project definitely was the better one for me. I played it TWICE with a Trident graphics card, which wasn't even strong enough to show the textures. YES! It was all white, except for objects, doors, torches, gates, etc. (Made looting a lot easier :))) ) But still I preferred the whitewashed world to software mode. :D When I finally got rid of the old clunker, I bought a TNT2 which successfully showed all the textures and I finished TDP once or twice more :D
So yes, TDP was different from all other games, it was atmospheric, it was dark, Garrett was a new anti-hero (in Thief 2 he was old news - still loveable, though), it had zombies and scary devilish haunts (very verrrry scary and I loved them), you faced a god as opposed to an effete half-guy, Garrett was all cynical and not falling for someone who snatched his eye out (I mean in TMA he said "I do" to Viktoria for crying out loud!), it was spooky (I enjoyed the thrills, sue me :D ), Hammerites were sort of a new idea in games while Mechanists looked to me like a re-brush of the original idea, the whole T1 story was a masterpiece, cutscenes were better made IMHO, last but not least you met the important almost dormant Keepers for the first time in TDP. I mean a new world was unfolding in front of your eyes: You played a thief [when did you ever do that before?], it was first person sneaker [not shooter], the game world was imaginatively crazy [gothic/magical with electricity], Garrett's voice made you have second thoughts about your sexual orientation [if you're a guy, I mean :))), the built-up tension before the Cathedral mission - alright I got the talismans, let's head back to somewhere I barely explored before. I could go on for much more :)
There's no denying the graphics superiority of TMA but I'd say the original was another thing. I even think the story of TDS was better than TMA. To me, it's TDP > TDS > TMA :p
Axalon on 25/10/2012 at 20:10
Time to resurrect this thread again (I wonder when it will truly die?).
I can't really decide which of the games I like better, it might just be a tie. Like many people, I was disappointed with all of the undead in the first game. I don't have a problem with undead, I just didn't expect them, I expected to be robbing from mansions and other standard places like that. For this reason, I enjoyed Thief II much more. However, lately I realized that I'm really starting to like the first, for reasons that people have been describing for 12 years (music, story, sound design, level variety, etc). Though Thief II is more fun to play for the most part.
Also, I wonder what the fan favorite is these days? I got into the series in 2010, and I've seen the vast majority of fans say that they prefer Thief II. However, reading through old forum posts makes it seem like the first game was the fan favorite at one time.
ZylonBane on 25/10/2012 at 20:34
Quote Posted by ToolFan2007
Do you honestly think people will be dissing Thief 3 in five years time?
I guess we found out the answer to that question.
Azaran on 25/10/2012 at 23:45
Here's a past post of mine on a similar thread explaining why I prefer T1.
- Undead, burricks, craymen, and other non human creatures
- Haunted places, lost cities, ancient crypts
- Mage Towers:D
- Overall darker and more medieval style, including fashion and architecture (T2 is way too Victorian for my taste)
- Garrett runs faster
Thief 2 has better graphics, and I do enjoy it, but I still prefer Thief 1, and I don't fancy the Mechanist theme and technologies of Thief2. There's not enough dark elements and fantasy in T2: I can't believe people actually complained about Thief 1 for having too many non-human elements - that's what I enjoyed the most about it. I like sneaking around mansions, but I like even more exploring lost cities and underground tombs. It's a close race between T2 and 1 in my book, but T1 wins out
skacky on 26/10/2012 at 19:08
I'm pretty much in agreement with Azaran, even if I do enjoy the Mechanists quite a lot, although I wish they were more archaic. The leap of technology and architecture between the two games is just too big for my taste, considering the fact that T2 takes place like a year or so after T1.
Also, T1's OMs (even Gold's) were better built, more varied and overall a lot more interesting than T2's.
Azaran on 26/10/2012 at 21:18
Quote Posted by skacky
The leap of technology and architecture between the two games is just too big for my taste, considering the fact that T2 takes place like a year or so after T1.
That's the other thing: the 2 games in era look like they're a century apart - I think Thief 3 has a good balance of styles in this regard. And there's also something I like about the T1 graphics: they have a certain gritty quality I like, the contrast between light and dark areas is really intense which is neat.
Jones95 on 26/10/2012 at 23:36
I personally prefer Thief II to Thief I. I agree that there were too many undead in the first game, as I didn't enjoy avoiding or fighting them at all. Also, I think the general design and gameplay was refined in the second. It also has some of the most memorable missions in the series. That's not to say I didn't like the first one; I enjoyed it, but not as much as the second.
DrK on 27/10/2012 at 10:14
Quote Posted by Azaran
- Undead, burricks, craymen, and other non human creatures
- Haunted places, lost cities, ancient crypts
- Mage Towers:D
- Overall darker and more medieval style, including fashion and architecture (T2 is way too Victorian for my taste)
On the contrary, this is exactly why I prefer thief 2. It's not about the graphics, thief 2 looks sharper but thief 1 graphics has a charm on its own so it's ok. Besides they don't look that different from each other. No it's about the setting.
While I enjoy Cragscleft and the Bonehoard, I really don't like the fact 2/3 of the game is about pagan creatures, mages, undead...
I enjoy much more Thief 2 because of its victorian atmosphere, the mechanist are an interesting take on religion, corruption and dictatorship, and mostly everything takes place in the City. Not many weird monsters, and closer to the steampunk or at least anachronic aspect of its universe. I just regret the plot isn't deeper on the political side, if thief 4 focuses on political intricacies and corruption it would be great.
Albert on 27/10/2012 at 20:05
Well I personally like both, and with the exception of mages (who felt more like a sideshow than the real deal), I love it all. Although in moderation of course...
It's what everyone else has said. Thief 1 was aesthetically interesting, but Thief 2 had better graphics. Thief 1 had an interestingly woven plot of intrigue, and so did Thief 2 although not as much as I personally would've liked. Still, I'd play the sequel any day. That's where all the FMs are, after all. :cheeky:
Captain Spandex on 4/11/2012 at 10:54
At least in a larger sense, in the stealth gaming community at large, that is... Thief II seems to rank significantly higher than The Dark Project, so I'm not sure you have a valid contention. Certainly most gaming sites seem to rank Thief II much higher than TDP. On a list I saw on IGN a year or so ago, Thief 2 ranked higher than 1. Ditto for GameSpy. And Kotaku. And GameSpot. So I'd suggest the basis for this thread is a bit of a misnomer.
I'd certainly rank it higher than its predecessor and successor. It feels like a game about a thief. Not a game about a tomb-raiding supernatural detective, which I feel The Dark Project (while still exceptional) languishes in, somewhat. Moreover, I find the 'cult leader slowly goes mad, nearly takes humanity with him' plot, while simplistic, is incrementally more enthralling than the goofy magic of the first game. Taking nothing away from Dark Project's noir-tinged web of intrigue, though, as that's just personal taste.
Say what you will about Deadly Shadows (but be prepared to argue, vociferously, with me on the subject), but at least it struck more of a balance. I think in terms of mission variety and thematic content, it struck a much stronger balance than the first two titles.
