Thief Reboot (coming 2014)

Because dedicating my time to three full-length games that probably haven't aged well seems like a tall order. But I know there's a good story behind the series.
 
Megalith said:
Because dedicating my time to three full-length games that probably haven't aged well seems like a tall order. But I know there's a good story behind the series.
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Haven't aged well???? Dude. Thief 1 was released in 1998, and I was STILL playing it until at least 2006.

Between Thief 1-3, I must have literally played them almost five hundred times, no lie.

You HAVE to play the games. Seriously. The story lines are so awesome, they suck you in, and you'll get a more firm understanding why so many Thief fans are skeptical of this "reboot".
 
eloj said:
"Enjoy this pure, unedited, uncommented playthrough of the first mission of THIEF. "

Lockdown Mission Playthrough (~17min)
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That doesn't look bad. I don't fully get a Thief vibe from it, more of a not quite Dishonored vibe but it doesn't seem terrible. I do like how tense it seems some of that stuff could get as you are stealing from right under people's noses. I wonder how possible the game will be without the game's version of detective mode. The new Hitman tried to cater to old fans by having a mode that disables it's silly features, but it broke the game entirely to do so I hope that won't be the case here.
 
That was PC gameplay, but obviously using a controller.. I assume you meant specifically mouse/keyboard gameplay.
 
"guess it wasn't anything. Too bad...." (Because I wanted to smash someone's head?)

The camera movement is so slow because they are showing off the graphics and also want to make certain you the viewer has time to look around a bit.
 
Colonel Sanders said:
That was PC gameplay, but obviously using a controller.. I assume you meant specifically mouse/keyboard gameplay.
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I stand corrected. It is PC footage but bastardized with a controller :(
I'm not sure if the player was going for a more "cinematic" approach, but some of the movements were painfully slow.
 
Mojo3k70 said:
I stand corrected. It is PC footage but bastardized with a controller :(
I'm not sure if the player was going for a more "cinematic" approach, but some of the movements were painfully slow.
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It's an official PR video. Of course it was done that way on purpose.
 
Was I the only one who noticed instantly that the voice actor for Garrett wasnt the same?

Pity they didnt keep him, I always loved the voice for the character.
 
Limahl said:
Was I the only one who noticed instantly that the voice actor for Garrett wasnt the same?

Pity they didnt keep him, I always loved the voice for the character.
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They announced a while ago that it wasn't the same guy. Romano Orzari is the mew guy's name. He doesn't seem to do too bad of a job, though it a bit jarring when you first hear it after being used to the old VA (Stephen Russel). Eidos Montreal said the reason they used a different VA was due to them using full performance capture for the actors, requiring the VAs to do their own stunts.
 
I like that it is first person. Looks a lot like Dishonored which I also liked. Never played the previous games. I assume if I liked Dishonored I will probably like this?
 
This would have been a great UE4 title. UE3 is starting to look like poop to me. Game play looks alright though.
 
Considering the pace of the game, it might actually be a game I play with a pad anyway. I played through Dishonored and all of the TES/Fallout games with one. As long as twitch aiming isn't needed, it's just personal preference.
 
Just got a Radeon rewards email with Steam key for Thief but download is not available yet. Got it via a ~$10 gold voucher on Ebay.
 
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The gameplay video really makes me want the game, it looks pretty damn fantastic. Narration was pretty soothing too. Day 1 for me.
 
BiH115 said:
The gameplay video really makes me want the game, it looks pretty damn fantastic. Narration was pretty soothing too. Day 1 for me.
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There's no lasers or x-ray vision BS here to help you out this time. You sure you can handle it? :D
 
mi7chy said:
Just got a Radeon rewards email with Steam key for Thief but download is not available yet. Got it via a ~$10 gold voucher on Ebay.
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No idea where you are finding these codes on eBay...I can't find any listed at all.
 
MavericK96 said:
No idea where you are finding these codes on eBay...I can't find any listed at all.
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First, read and understand the current offer, what games are offered with gold/silver/bronze key, quantity, FAQ, expiration date, etc.:

http://www.amd4u.com/radeonrewards/

Then, realize that there are older obscure vouchers out there with games no longer offered like Bioshock Infinite and Tomb Raider. Those tend to go for cheap and is actually a gold level voucher offering three games (I picked Thief, Sleeping Dog and DIRT 3). Do some creative search variations on Ebay to find more. Here are two to get started:

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_trksid=p2050601.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0.H0.Xbioshock+tomb+raider+game+code&_nkw=bioshock+tomb+raider+game+code&_sacat=0&_from=R40

In reality, once you pay and get your key, redemption is straightforward. Just input contact info (no need for video card info, S/N, etc.) on the redemption site then you get your Steam keys and a copy via email.
 
As an eBay Associate, HardForum may earn from qualifying purchases.
Comixbooks said:
I wonder if this game is going to be good? Basically the only PS4 game I'm looking forward to.....
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First magazine review (from Spanish PlayMania) is in, 90/100, for what it's worth. Highlights are stealth gameplay, lighting, atmosphere and sound; negatives are some clunky AI and the last 1/3 of the game drags some.

Reports are that PS4 is 1080p and should give a good experience; Xbox plays at 900p with some noticable aliasing.
 
ajm786 said:
Haven't aged well???? Dude. Thief 1 was released in 1998, and I was STILL playing it until at least 2006.

Between Thief 1-3, I must have literally played them almost five hundred times, no lie.

You HAVE to play the games. Seriously. The story lines are so awesome, they suck you in, and you'll get a more firm understanding why so many Thief fans are skeptical of this "reboot".
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Agreed. I'd say the Thief 1 and 2 are, apart from some others from that period I play strictly for nostalgia, one of the only FPSs/Stealth games from the late 90s/early 00s that hold up. The only games from that era that hold up as well are perhaps Deus Ex and System Shock 2.

I think the common trait that makes these game have such staying power is they were more focused on gameplay, atmosphere and story where other FPSs of the time are all twich play and graphics.

I was pretty hesitant about this reboot, I must say, but after watching some of the demos am really excited. They look like they maintained the great atmosphere of the originals and didn't diverge too much. I will miss Garrett's original voice actor, however -- not sure if I can get used to the new one...
 
harmattan said:
Reports are that PS4 is 1080p and should give a good experience; Xbox plays at 900p with some noticable aliasing.
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People have been streaming on Twitch, and the people at the NeoGAF were not impressed.

But they also said there were boobs so I'm still in.
 
Since everyone loves reviews here.

2 leaked magazine reviews gave the game a 90% on both.
 
For $36 I went and pre-ordered it from GMG. I'm not expecting it to feel like Thief, but the atmosphere and the seeming focus on stealth over "use magic powers to kill everyone" has my attention. Even though I really like the old Thief titles I'm going to go into this one treating it like a new franchise and judge it from there.
 
There is a post over at reddit from people who have played the game all the way through (with a link to the entire play-through with ending and impressions on Youtube). The impressions are pretty grim: horrible AI and super-simplified level design (check out the T2 vs reboot level sketches if you want to make yourself sick), long and frequent loadtimes, only 6-7 hours time to beat. A lot of the comments state the game has all the hallmarks of having had been in development hell, paired down to work on multiple platforms and passed from dev to dev. From these early impressions, it sounds like this one may be a flop of the magnitude of AvP. I've still got hope, but it's not looking good.

I did browse some of the cutscenes, and unfortunately, they look bad, bad, bad. If I'd preordered, I'd definitely be backing out to wait for full reviews at this point.

http://www.reddit.com/r/gaming/comments/1yj0tm/thief_4_leaked_earlyentire_game_beaten/

Edit: Regarding how people got the game early, it seems some reseller in China dropped the ball and has started selling retail copies already.

Here's the run down from one of the posters of the ending. This is just one guy's impression, but other posts with gameplay coming in seem to confirm the same:

>incredibly ugly graphics including clipping, visual glitches, poorly done models
>swooping is incredibly overpowered, the Thief equivalent of dishonored's blink
>AI is WORSE than the original, of this I am certain, the player was running away from a guard and entered a closet, the guard saw him enter and just stood there watching him. Another guard with a crossbow saw the player jump onto a high crate and just watched him.
>incredibly dull puzzles such as looking for a correct book in a bookshelf to activate a trap door 4 TIMES IN A ROW and having to do the same medallion puzzle which involves you looking for glyphs around a location at least 3 times
>terrible sound design with the same track being played over and over every time the player gets into a confrontation
>guards have very very few lines to say to the point where if you are spotted by 3 guards or more, at least 2 of them will say the exact same thing. Also the only line you can hear the guards saying that's not scripted is "I hope I get lucky after my shift" except this was repeated every few minutes by a guard
>very poorly written plot that seems to grasp at elements from the previous games but never combines them well also very predictable
>a throng of loading scenes which accounts for maybe 2 hours of the entire 6 hours of gameplay
>incredibly poorly done combat
>context sensitive jumping and rope arrows
>hilarious dialogue
>so so so linear, every now and then you get a choice like go through the roof but other than that it is very linear, the devs outright lied.
 
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harmattan said:
There is a post over at reddit from people who have played the game all the way through (with a link to the entire play-through with ending and impressions on Youtube). The impressions are pretty grim: horrible AI and super-simplified level design (check out the T2 vs reboot level sketches if you want to make yourself sick), only 6-7 hours time to beat. A lot of the comments state the game has all the hallmarks of having had been in development hell and passed from dev to dev. From these early impressions, it sounds like this one may be a flop of the magnitude of AvP. I've still got hope, but it's not looking good.

http://www.reddit.com/r/gaming/comments/1yj0tm/thief_4_leaked_earlyentire_game_beaten/
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Since I really don't feel like reading the entire thing or look at the video (to avoid spoilers mostly): Does he say what difficulty he played on, if he used any of the special powers, what custom options he picked, and if he did any of the side stuff or just rushed through the game? Having recently been looking at Let's Plays of the older games, the Thief series has always had brain dead AI with simple routines and paths and sadly AI really has not advanced all that much since then. There will always have to be concessions made to allow people to actually play games like this in a fun way, it is never not silly to be able to follow a guard around right behind their back without being noticed or to stand two inches in front of them and be invisible just because you happen to be in a shadowy corner.
 
Derangel said:
Since I really don't feel like reading the entire thing or look at the video (to avoid spoilers mostly): Does he say what difficulty he played on, if he used any of the special powers, what custom options he picked, and if he did any of the side stuff or just rushed through the game? Having recently been looking at Let's Plays of the older games, the Thief series has always had brain dead AI with simple routines and paths and sadly AI really has not advanced all that much since then. There will always have to be concessions made to allow people to actually play games like this in a fun way, it is never not silly to be able to follow a guard around right behind their back without being noticed or to stand two inches in front of them and be invisible just because you happen to be in a shadowy corner.
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It does look like from the playthrough and comments, the guy did try out most of the features and did go off the beaten path at points. The most telling exhibit for me is the level comparison sketch between Thief 2 and Thief 4 which looks extremely simple and linear.
 
harmattan said:
There is a post over at reddit from people who have played the game all the way through (with a link to the entire play-through with ending and impressions on Youtube). The impressions are pretty grim: horrible AI and super-simplified level design (check out the T2 vs reboot level sketches if you want to make yourself sick), long and frequent loadtimes, only 6-7 hours time to beat. A lot of the comments state the game has all the hallmarks of having had been in development hell, paired down to work on multiple platforms and passed from dev to dev. From these early impressions, it sounds like this one may be a flop of the magnitude of AvP. I've still got hope, but it's not looking good.

I did browse some of the cutscenes, and unfortunately, they look bad, bad, bad. If I'd preordered, I'd definitely be backing out to wait for full reviews at this point.

http://www.reddit.com/r/gaming/comments/1yj0tm/thief_4_leaked_earlyentire_game_beaten/

Edit: Regarding how people got the game early, it seems some reseller in China dropped the ball and has started selling retail copies already.

Here's the run down from one of the posters of the ending. This is just one guy's impression, but other posts with gameplay coming in seem to confirm the same:

>incredibly ugly graphics including clipping, visual glitches, poorly done models
>swooping is incredibly overpowered, the Thief equivalent of dishonored's blink
>AI is WORSE than the original, of this I am certain, the player was running away from a guard and entered a closet, the guard saw him enter and just stood there watching him. Another guard with a crossbow saw the player jump onto a high crate and just watched him.
>incredibly dull puzzles such as looking for a correct book in a bookshelf to activate a trap door 4 TIMES IN A ROW and having to do the same medallion puzzle which involves you looking for glyphs around a location at least 3 times
>terrible sound design with the same track being played over and over every time the player gets into a confrontation
>guards have very very few lines to say to the point where if you are spotted by 3 guards or more, at least 2 of them will say the exact same thing. Also the only line you can hear the guards saying that's not scripted is "I hope I get lucky after my shift" except this was repeated every few minutes by a guard
>very poorly written plot that seems to grasp at elements from the previous games but never combines them well also very predictable
>a throng of loading scenes which accounts for maybe 2 hours of the entire 6 hours of gameplay
>incredibly poorly done combat
>context sensitive jumping and rope arrows
>hilarious dialogue
>so so so linear, every now and then you get a choice like go through the roof but other than that it is very linear, the devs outright lied.
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:mad:

And this is exactly what I was afraid of. I'll wait till more reviews come in, but when the user community usually says something is crap, chances are they are right.

Thanks to the devs for screwing up such a legendary IP. I'll bet you the DarkMod team is probably laughing their a**** off right now. Imagine if they get picked up and funded (if at all possible). The DarkMod itself is pretty awesome (I've played more than a few missions) and it has essentially captured the Thief feel. Just waiting for their single player campaign now.
 
ajm786 said:
:mad:

And this is exactly what I was afraid of. I'll wait till more reviews come in, but when the user community usually says something is crap, chances are they are right.

Thanks to the devs for screwing up such a legendary IP. I'll bet you the DarkMod team is probably laughing their a**** off right now. Imagine if they get picked up and funded (if at all possible). The DarkMod itself is pretty awesome (I've played more than a few missions) and it has essentially captured the Thief feel. Just waiting for their single player campaign now.
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I'd say put some blame towards SquareEnix and not just EidosMontreal. The game has had such a troubled development history with reports of terrible management from both the studio heads and people on the publishing side that it was never going to be a great Thief game. It does look like it could be a fun game though, so that's something.
 
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