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Developer:
Looking Glass Studios
Publisher:
Eidos
Target Release Date:
March 2000
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By Amer Ajami
01/31/00
Page 1 of 5
Despite having a steep learning curve and aged and clunky graphics, Looking Glass's Thief: The Dark Project received a huge following among hard-core gamers in 1998. The first-person game eschewed the flashy graphics found among the likes of Quake II and Unreal in favor of honing its unique style of gameplay, which placed the emphasis on stealth rather than on all-out action. You took on the role of a reluctant thief named Garrett, who sneaked around the streets and alleyways of a city that resembled London during the industrial revolution, picking pockets, breaking into mansions, and committing other mischievous acts that would have made Robin Hood proud. Thief's concept was new and was a refreshing one in the stagnant first-person shooter genre. Aside from feeling a hard-earned sense of accomplishment, the few of you who finished Thief also knew that a sequel would be in the works, as the closing credits revealed that the "Metal Age" is coming.
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It's been some 18 months since Thief first landed on store shelves, and its sequel, Thief 2: The Metal Age, is now just a few weeks away from going beta. The game takes place about a year after the events in the first game, and Garrett's world has changed considerably since we last left him. The Hammerites, one of the antagonist groups in Thief, have split to form a new faction called the Mechanists. These Mechanists hold the same basic set of beliefs (and fanaticism) as their old compatriots but accept and excel at technological innovation rather than shun it. As a result, Garrett's city has been able to benefit from electricity and steam power, and its new sheriff, Gorman Truart, has outfitted his police force with automated cannons, motorized guards, and even security cameras. Truart has been "cleaning" up the city streets by employing gestapo tactics - arresting anyone who seems even halfway suspicious and shutting down businesses not paying for protection. If that in and of itself isn't enough to put a damper on Garrett's nightly "hobbies," certain events in the game will reveal that Truart personally has it out for the thief.
Next: Motorized?
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