Dark Project: Deadly Shadows

Thief III, baby. It's good, fun. But no where near as awesome as the first two Thief games. There are some very well done and spooky parts, like The Cradle abandoned orphanage level. You'd be hard pressed to find a Hollywood horror film out these days that matches the frights of that level.

But in this game you play Garrett the badass thief and join him in his adventures in a place simply known as The City. Overall the game is pretty good, but the ending is weak with a capital EEK! Talk about a lackluster ending, haven't these game makers ever heard of A BIG FINISH? A grand finale? Hanh? Nutballs.

And where the heck is Garrett's sword? Garrett is such a wuss in this game!

I want the dang sword back he had in previous versions of this game!

A mixed bag all in all, worth playing, save for the fact your character is a weakling at times, much like the character in the game Far Cry. It's no fun getting killed so easily. Ciao now, brown cow.

Another one of the best games ever made. The story is deep but not as deep as the previous two games but it is still engaging and exciting. This time it lets you play in third person. It is more fun in first person and it is how the game should be played. This game is mostly involved with the keepers. As the previous games were involved with the pagans and the mechanists. Still as dark as the previous games. This has the second best level in all of the Thief games with is Robbing the Cradle. This also has a great plot twist. This time they introduce free roaming. It is broken up into sections which can get a little annoying. It is a great game.

I started my Thiefing back in the day, with a demo of "Thief: The Dark Project". I tried it a dozen times, I never 'liked' it. In fact it infuriated me. But then, I actually started to pay attention, and once through the training mission I fell in love with Baffords Mansion and the intrigue. Since then I've never looked back. It only slows you down when you're fleeing from guards screaming "Taffer!" in your direction.

Thief3 is, therefore, something of a leap. Thief1+2 were both firmly entrenched in FPSville, and the limitations (and advances) of the game engine. Thief3 goes more towards console gameplay and Splinter Cell. Unfortunately it neither truly achieves a satisfying result despite its good intentions.

You'll get more out of the game if you play it as an FPS (rather than 3rd Person). As an FPS you feel more immersed, rather than simply watching your 'character' move around. It also makes you consider your positioning with regards to shadows, walls, and doorways, you'll find yourself craning your neck to look around corners, utilising the lean buttons and similar. In 3rd Person this immersion is lost as you already have a somewhat superior angle of view (and with the 360 rotation you can achieve the impossible of walking in one direction whilst looking in another with the 'camera'). I made the mistake of playing the game as an FPS and not 'liking' it (the head wobble, the slowness of movement etc) after having played Splinter Cell. So I tried playing it in the 3rdP. I managed 2 chapters and lost interest.

2 years later, in FPS, I'm back into the game, back into the mood and enjoying every second. No it isn't as rounded or fun as the originals, and I don't think you have the same bunny hopping, object stacking, frobbing, and box jamming, freedom as you find in the truly fantastic Thief+Thief2 - but it makes up for it in other ways.

I just miss the mechanical edge of Thief2, and water....oo oo and Taffers! And Bear Pits! Yeah, yeah, I'm going to the Bear Pits tomorrow! And upside down mansions! If you wonder what I mean by the above, get your hands on Thief1 and Thief2.

I really wish those Thief 1 and 2 games would be re-released based on the Thief 3 engine. The light and shadow effects and the really good textures take their toll on the machine's hardware but just think of "Down in the Bonehoard" (3rd mission of Thief 1) with all that graphics galore of Thief 3.

Overall I liked Thief 3 (aka. Deadly Shadows) very much. More of the good old sneaking around, banging a club on opponents' heads from behind and using all that nice little gadgetry that makes a thief's life so much easier when striking from the shadows (water-, moss-, fire-, gas- and broadhead-arrows, gas- and normal mines and -last not least- climbing gloves). There are even levels where flash bombs become REALLY useful for a change.

But there are also some let-downs, especially compared to Thief 1 and 2. The most irritating one is the way the game just reactivated guards and other inhabitants of the town. You clear your path in true thief style just to find the guards on patrol again a few minutes later. Very irritating but well, it keeps the difficulty level up somehow. Also I do not think that the levels are really big. I remember the levels of Thief 1 and 2 being positively vast at times, so vast that I got lost several times in an attempt to find a path to the next section of a level. This feeling of space is something I hardly ever had while playing Thief 3, the only exception being the excellent Shalebridge Cradle level. This level is also by far the creepiest and most difficult level in Thief 3. The cradle experience alone makes Thief 3 a must-play not only for fans of the Thief series. Sadly, all levels save Shalebridge Cradle are in my humble opinion as a Thief veteran just too easy. The annoying exception to this impression are the loot requirements when playing at expert level. You always need 3 out of 3 so-called "special loot items". What a joy it is to have stolen 98% of all loot and still missing one single (damn) special loot item to finally leave the level... Happy searching!

But I also think that the lower level of difficulty will appeal to new Thief players. And after all there is so much eye-candy plus some decent puzzles to solve that I do not think anyone who plays Thief 3 is going to be bored or disappointed. The game really grows on you but unlike the first two Thief games -if you save resources and keep buying equipment- you will soon find yourself armed to the teeth. At least I had to restrain myself sometimes from just creating a bloodbath with the maximum of all types of arrows and mines at my disposal. So if you like what you see in Thief 3 and you want to try the first Thief games, too, be warned - you will encounter strict limitations of resources there. In fact, I would recommend Thief 3 as an entry to the world of stealthy stealing. The real test for master thieves are Thief 1 (The Dark Project), Thief 2 (The Metal Age) and T2X (Shadows of the Metal Age - a fan project of very high quality, a freely available add-on to Thief 2).

Thief: Deadly Shadows had to be the most fun I've had sneaking around. Fun-wise, I rank it side-by-side with anything from the Splinter Cell series. The graphics are beautiful in some areas, positively stunning in others, and the game play mechanics are extremely solid and very responsive. Even though I've played it on Xbox, I would be hard pressed to decipher this version from the PC. It's that good.

Although with this good, there has to be bad, right?

Loading time - Roughly about 1 minute, give or take a few seconds. 1 minute may not sound like too big of a deal, but when playing, it sure is an immersion killer.

AI? - Sitting back and watching some city folk walk around is like watching an old zombie movie: stiff and clumsy. Sometimes they walk into walls, and continue to walk, regardless of whatever is in their way, even though they're being physically blocked from going any further. Don't get me wrong, because for the most part, the NPC's in the game can be a bit challenging and (at times) insanely aware. I find most of the AI "stupidity" in places you wouldn't normally have objective-based missions.

Sound glitches - I may be the only person to ever experience this, but I'm letting everyone know just in case. One very annoying thing that happens (to me) is sometimes the sound will completely cut out during intense moments. For instance; once an enemy discovers me and draws their weapon to face off, it's like the game can't push all the sound action going on at the time. Given all the right circumstances, it's like somebody pushed the mute button. And sound is definitely a requirement as part of the game play. I have to re-load the entire game for the sound to return.

Visual irregularities - Light has a projected path that does not include seeping through solid walls. In certain areas, while hiding in some nook that's completely void of light, you'll still be able to see illumination on Garrett's body. That is, from the light source that's hanging in the opposing room, across the hallway, that you're not even in. Sounds ridiculous, but oddly enough, the light gem still maintains that you're completely hidden (as it should be). And if you play games a lot, then you're familiar with the term "Blue Hell". The place where graphics go to die. Well, the game gives you the opportunity to explore areas no human has any place being in the first place. Given that, you would think they would put extra effort into those neat quirks to avoid angle-based blue hell while rotating the camera at various degrees. While in one of these areas, the entire environment will simply disappear, and re-appear only when the camera angle is brought back to a certain point. Creepy....

If I like the game so much, why point out and stress the negatives? I point them out because other than those listed above, I can honestly recommend this game with a very high regard. It is, in fact, a system-seller for me. I wasn't generally interested in any game for the Xbox, aside from this one. And I'm glad I took a chance with it.

Understand that this is a STEALTH BASED game, not a shooter. Garrett has no business being involved in combat, unless it's absolutely, positively, without-a-doubt, necessary as a last resort. He is indeed weak, but I wouldn't think that any thief would be a brawler-type. After all, thieves like to be neither seen nor heard, and if they are, then they're in the wrong line of work.