Thief: The Dark Project

The Good
Although a number of stealth games came out around the same time, Metal Gear most notably, this was the one that really focused on Not Being Seen. Yes you could take out your enemies with arrows or your sword but doing so was no guarantee, and a direct violation of the level goals if you were playing on hard mode. The most points, and satisfaction, was had through not even being seen on your way through a mission, which was very, very hard.

The game engine was built from the ground up to make sound propagation and shadows an integral part of the game world and it shows. In no other game do I remember standing in one location for five minutes hidden in shadows, palms sweaty, listening to the local sounds, waiting for my moment to reach out and snatch a key from an oblivious guard as he walked by humming while I prayed he didn't notice me. It's an impressive game that can make standing absolutely still for minutes tense and enjoyable.

The game is honestly scary. Not since System Shock had a game actually installed a sense of fear in me, but this one did, and I don't scare easily. It's ability to create an atmosphere, and back that atmosphere up with game-play, is amazing.

Add to that a unique story well told with good voice acting and strong art direction and you've got a sleeper hit. Many of it's levels were huge, sprawling affairs with multiple (and sometimes changing) goals and hidden areas galore with multiple ways of doing any given thing. It was a game you could get lost in and not mind it. A game you could finish and then play again and have a different experience and then play again because you KNOW you missed something. And because they released an excellent level editor there are fans making some fantastic new levels (and even new story lines) to this day (for Thief II mostly).

It and it's sequels are unique games, like no others before or after them, and it's not very often you can say that these days.

The Bad
Even at the time it was released the graphics were dated. Unreal and Quake were both out by then and the dark blocky graphics, low polygon models and limited special effects found in Thief just didn't measure up.

It had REALLY long load times, which was bad for a game in which you tended to die a lot.

The designers weren't sure of how their new 'sneaker' game-play would go over so they tried to hedge their bets by including a number of fight based levels and monsters which negated much of your sneaking skills. These are often sited as being the worst levels in the game.

It was hard, even at it's easiest level the learning curve for this new stealth game-play was quite steep in Thief and many people gave up playing after dieing numerous times. There is a reason the game came with 'normal', 'hard' and 'harder' difficultly level settings. And dedicating yourself to finishing all levels at the hardest setting while completing each objective and stealing every available piece of loot without ever being SEEN was a life time achievement. It's possible, and some have claimed to have done it, and all I can say is WOW.

The Bottom Line
Its a different game, and not for everyone. It's game-play is tricky and hard, even for Splinter Cell masters, and the story and art direction are unique with it's steam punk atmosphere, rock soundtrack and dark single City at night setting. But if you play it and like it, you'll never forget it.

Splinter Cell is now the crown jewel of stealth games, and justifiably so, but nothing feels like Thief. It's a dark gem, gleaming just outside the light ring of a guttering street lamp.

The Good
The strongest thing this game has going for it is the atmosphere. Your universe in the game is a city combining industrial-era technology and magic that has not really been explored before by other game. Ruling the city is a religious cult called the Hammerites, which worships the symbols of industry. Narrative is presented using plain but terrific-looking cutscenes sandwiched between the 13 or so huge missions. The atmosphere in each mission is augmented by the best 3D sound I've ever heard (much better than Half-Life, for instance). You really feel that you step into the shoes of Garett, a cynical thief who was taught the art of invisibility in the dark by a mysterious group called the Keepers.

Each mission takes you a very long time to finish. This is because unlike most shooters, here the goal is not to be seen by the bad guys. Stay in the dark and keep quiet, then silently follow the guard and whack him on the crown of the head or shoot him with an arrow from a distance. Forget fancy rocket launchers and shotguns. The weapons here are a bow with multiple purpose arrows, a blackjack, and a sword for an emergency ie. when you're caught. The empahsis here is definitely on the thinking, not the fighting.

Another one of the great parts of this game is the creatures. The generic baddies are the guards and the Hammerites. The AI is phenomenal. They'll snoop you out when you make a sound or if they catch a glimpse of you in the dark. Some of the more exotic monsters are the scariest creatures in the history of computer games. The zombies freak you out like nobody's business, and the Haunts are ghostlike creatures that mutter the coolest things (Join ussss!). The AI will constantly surprise you with what it can do. Some people didn't like the undead missions, but I thought they were the best part of the game. My guess is those people didn't like getting scared, but if you do, you'll love the undead.

Since the missions are mostly non-linear, there are usually many ways to accomplish your objectives. These vary between the difficulty levels, meaning that there is replay potential to the game.

This game is a classic. You have to get it, if only to try it out.

The Bad
There is a lack of balance to some of the action. It's too easy to clear an area of bad guys, and since Thief has many non-linear levels where you backtrack you get to wander through some boring areas where everyone's already been wiped out. Undercover, for instance, is completely devoid of atmosphere if you blackjack all the Hammerites. Looking Glass corrected this flaw in System Shock II, where (Like SS1) the bad guys respawn, making every area constantly tense.

Also, the blackjack is too powerful. One hit in the back of the head will take out most enemies. This is why the zombies are great. They're immune to blackjacking (and hacking and shooting). It's worth noting that some players have the habit of not using either the blackjack or killing anyone (the latter is enforced in expert difficulty). This allows tension to be maintained throughout.

These are minor gripes, however.

The Bottom Line
This game surpasses almost every expectation you may have had about the 3D 1st person genre. You're a master thief using stealth and shadows to steal from rich lords and plunder ancient tombs. You get caught up in a fantastic plot to destroy the city as you know it and only you, the cynical thief, can save the day.

The Good
I bought this game without even playing it first, I was reading about it for months and was pleasantly satisfied with it. I'm sure most would agree, this game broke some ground on improving NPC's A.I. and implementing the use of light and darkness in the game. It was something me and my friends hadn't really seen before. This backed up by beautiful textures and a smooth running game engine, this game was definitely in a class of its own. Eavesdropping on guards, knockin' people unconscious, hiding dead bodies around castle basements trying to cover your tracks.... just a sweet game. I love the use of the bow and the various types of arrows you can buy....

The Bad
I can't think of anything bad about this game... im not being biased, I seriously can't think of anything worth complaining about..maybe in a way, I thought it could maybe use more items and a different way of buying the items. Also maybe not as linear....stages get kinda boring.. I think it would have better if it would have been a large world you could wander freely and explore...

The Bottom Line
Original...very original, It definitely broke some ground on certain areas of PC gaming.