It may be the worst in series but is still one of the most immersive stealth games out there...

User Rating: 9 | Thief: Deadly Shadows PC
"The Thief" titles have been one of the most immersive, original and unique games of all time. Hardcore gamers witnessed the capabilities of good executed ideas with a little patience to get used to stealthy gameplay. Now to include Thief: Deadly Shadows, third title in the Thief series which excludes itself by being produced by Ion Storm and also played on Xbox. This latter factor is the main reason why many Thief fans omit this game as a Thief franchise and call it an abomination no less. I tend to disagree though. Thief: Deadly Shadows, while being the easiest and the mainstreamest(!) game in the series, is still an extremely qualified and immersive game. Third person thingie is not that much to complain, actually it is sometimes nice to see Garrett do his thing from up top. It is still nothing like Splinter Cell. Yes, sneaking is identical but the main distinction is the setting and the atmosphere. Sam Fisher's top secret, governmentally denied Echelon is cool and all. But we've seen it all before. And I'm not really a big fan of Tom Clancy either. On the other hand, a steampunk atmosphere with a city divided by two powerful deities; first for the Nature and second for the Industry,watched by a secret organization called "The Keepers"… It's all there, everything for you to jump in and immerse yourself. To hide yourself instead of charging through every area and slicing everything who says "don't kill me" is actually more fun than it sounds. You'll find yourself waiting for a guard to finish his tour and turn around the corner so you can pass unseen while pickpocketing unaware city folk who starts shouting "my vallet, where is my vallet?" five seconds after you have looted everything he has earned rightfully. And since Garrett is one of the most likeable characters of the gaming industry, it's nice to hear his self-indulgent commentaries on the events taking place during the course of the game. This time the game is not solely divided by missions. You can also walk around the City avoiding the city guards and do chores fort he Pagans or the Hammerites. The City has an amazing atmosphere but unfortunately, due to the game engines limitations it is divided into sections. While some of the missions in this game (especially The Shalebridge Cradle) are simply unbelieveable, there are also some missions repetitive and lacking in atmosphere. The plot is well crafted and easily as good as the Dark Project, if not better. Deadly Shadows is a really good game and it would be nice to refresh your memories about these games before Thief 4 comes out…