Thief II: The Metal Age

The Good
Everything. First off, the in-game color is now in full 16-bit splendor, with colored lighting improving graphical quality substantially. The 3D models for the various people you'll encounter have improved a great deal as well, due to an increase in polygons used with their models. Also, instead of the slow, gradual plot of the first game (which was excellent, mind you), the new plot, while still being gradual, moves along at faster clip, and it still is just as good, perhaps better in some ways, in comparison to the plot of Thief I.

The audio for Thief II is also much improved, as sounds (well, some of them at least) play at CD quality (44.1khz) now and better sound propagation in general is evident (you can even listen through doors if you lean up against them). As far as voice acting, it's as top-notch as in the first game of the series, with both the in-game voices and cutscene acting being excellent. Also, on a final note, the major cutscenes are extremely well produced, and still have an quality unique the Thief series.

The Bad
Now that I've beat it, I have to wait at least a year for Thief III (it's 11-July-2001 on the clock right now as I write this) to be on shelves for more thieving fun in The City. Oh, wait, I forgot about the fan missions...

Well, scratch that...not significant complaints with Thief II then.

The Bottom Line
Get Thief II as soon as possible. It's probably no more than $30US in a store right now, and it's more than worth the money you'll spend for it.

The Good
It's more of the original Thief, with some improvements.

This game presents the best atmosphere of any game. Shivers will go up and down your spine as you hear the approaching steps of a guard.

The story line is present, and while not over-powering, does add to the game.

Graphically superior to the original, and right up there with the best of any genre.

Everything you need to is in the game. The sound is unprecedented.

The Bad
On slower PCs, load times take some time. Throw this on a gigahertz-plus machine, and you'll wonder what load times people are talking about.

Sometimes fighting more undead gets old.

Some people may find controls to be a little difficult. It takes some time, but when you combine mouse and keyboard, you have unprecedented control.

The Bottom Line
The game is a FPS with no shooting (unless you count bow and arrow). The idea is to sneak around. You need to pay attention to everything from people far off who could see you, to lights and shadows, to the noises of someone walking down the hall.

Don't like that shadow being cast by that torch? Douse it with a water arrow. Want to distract that guard for a minute? Let loose a noise-maker arrow.

Just try it.

The Good
- Overall experience is more stealth-focused, no more sudden switches of genre. - Story has been improved, lots of characters with different agendas. - Some levels are very well-designed, also being real tough cookies. - Loyal modding community with it's own share of masterpieces.

The Bad
- Lots of levels are just not finished. Some have recycled maps from previous missions. Some are just extraordinary empty. - While it's more focused, it's also lost much of the Dark Project's charm. No more tomb raids or wacky environments, no horror or creature-slicing missions. - The last level is a 2 hour long maze with lots of backtracking and crafting elements, which is a bit overwhelming.

The Bottom Line
The game is the weakest installment in series for me.