The original stealth game is back, and has never looked better.
Thief II: The Metal Age was released two years later, and although I've only only managed to write a review now, I can tell you, the game is still ripe with entertainment, and and is still more fun than most games out these days.
You are recast as the sly and deadly thief Garret, ex-Keeper, master archer, deadly asassin, and mysterious rogue. Garret is the sort of person you wouldn't want to meet on a cold dark night - but chances are, that if you're guarding anything expensive, you will.
The game begins on a slow pace, to get you back into the feel of things. One of Garret's good friends' wife has been locked up, and it's you're job to break her out of here. One thing leads to the next, and you'll soon be hunting down the offspring of the Hammerites from the original game, the Mechanists. Simply put, the Mechanists are a strange cult like club, who are lead by a menacing voiced character, who believes in the bringer of metal, machines, and mechanics. Twists and turns lie around every corner, murder, ambushes, and strange dimensions lay in place, and there is something new to do every mission.
This leads me to the gameplay side of things. The gameplay is anything but fast paced, infact, one could say it was slower than the original game. Does this hurt the game? Absolutely not. If anything, the game is better for it, and this is proved through the countless heart stopping moments.
You enter a room filled with light, and metal conceals the floor. One guard is standing ahead, with his back faced away from you. A well placed moss arrow will disguise footsteps, but there is no way to remove the light. For now, I walk across my newly softened ground, and continue to make my way to the opposite door. Suddenly however, the guard turns around, and sees me in a blink. He shouts and begins to chase me down. With haste, I throw a flashbang on the ground, and he is suddenly blinded, which gives me the oppurtunity to escape.
This is an example of the unique gameplay that surrounds The Metal Age. Although you have a sword, it would be a risky attempt to get into a fight, as Garret isn't too strong, and will quickly perish. A bow is always useful for long distance deaths, but watch out for any other witnesses, as they will catch you out in a second. The water arrow is useful for puting out those bright lights, while the blackjack can make sneaky knockouts to turned opponents.
Anything is possible in the world of Thief, and you can complete the mission any way you wish. Some enjoy sneaking through without taking anyone down, while others might try to to get a whole heap of guards chasing them, then at the last second throwing a mine in their faces. The unique architecture speaks with vibrancy, and intellect, and sometimes it really makes you think how to get over to the next area.
Rather the story be presented through ingame cinematics, Looking Glass has once again decided hit you with large greyscale cartoon style videos, that have such a dark edge it could only be Thief. The animation is smooth and sleak, and Garret's voice is so gruff and husky.
The rest of the story is revealed through in game letters, audio feeds, and eavesdropping on guards, and this is a great way to convey information without sacrficing realism. These moments are also a great source of humour in the game, an amazing feat when compared to the dark setting.
The graphics are dated today. Infact, they were dated when they were released due to the fact that it follows a hardly upgraded version of the original Thief. But technical graphics do not do justice to the amazing artistic style that is still incredible by today's standards. The dark and pensive world, full of shacks, mansions, churches, banks, and with the aid of characters brings the world alive, especially in the missions where you begin in the city.
Although the character models are quite poor, it is neither a large overlook, nor too much of a problem since they look dangerous from a distance, and the only time you'll ever get close to one is to knock the living daylights out of him. The small graphical upgrades compared to the first game include upgraded models, higher quality textures, better blood, and female guards.
Where the engine isn't so strong in the graphical side of things these days, it is still and amazing piece of software in terms of AI. Stepping into light and guards will see, running over metal, and guards will hear. Hit them down too much, the guard will run or call for help. Left a body lying dead in the middle of a corridor, a guard will notice. All of these factors add a huge sense of danger, non-linearity, and some wild moments. Hiding in a dark corner has never been so much fun, and it's always great to see you've outsmarted you're opponent.
As you probably know by now, sound is the basis, and a very important item in Thief 2. Through sound you can hear the volume of you're footsteps - you can hear other guards footsteps. You can hear guards scheming and planning, you can hear guards give up the chase for you. And while the physical sound in the game is amazing, the music is just as good. The tracks are just as deadly as the game itself, and you will almost jump out of your seat when you hear it.
Although there are only 15 missions, a mission can take anywhere from 2-4 hours, based on the length of the mission, the difficulty, skill of the player, and size of the map. I've spent countless nights searching for pieces of gold, and is just pure fun, because there's always something you need to watch out for.
Unlike a different kind of stealth game, like Splinter Cell, the non-linearity of Thief allows for multiple replays, and is always fun the third or fourth time playing through. The game believes very strongly in creating you're own situations, and most of the time this works absolutely excellently. This game is a gem, a thrill ride from start to finish, and although it's slower than any game I know, after I'd finished my heart was beating faster than it ever has before.