Thief Reviews
Thief is a game, that despite all it's good intentions, will alienate long-time fans. And the cookie-cutter generic gameplay won't do much to attract new fans either, as this franchise once again slips into the forgotten darkness of the night.
"Thief" is an easy game to make excuses for all its shortcomings: "The combat is lacking, but it's OK because it's a stealth game. The world is dreary, but it's OK because that's the style. The A.I. is moronic, but it's OK because it would be too frustrating if they worked harder at tracking you down." None of this is "OK," and the summations of these sub-par gaming experiences make for a sub-par game. It excels at nothing. Not even blind nostalgia can save it. Don't let Garrett steal your time.
At one point Garrett once again risks his life to steal more riches. His friend and employer, a ruddy faced scoundrel named Basso, says, "Garrett, no one is paying you to do this." Expressionless, Garrett turns to Basso, blankly retorts "it's who I am", and runs off into a night as inert and emotionless as the game itself.
Despite its slow and dreary start, Thief builds to deliver an experience that most stealth fans will lap up. However, most Thief fans will mourn the loss of the reboot's freedom and choice. That said, Thief is ultimately a game that delivers epic highs and mediocre lows, and for the highs alone, I have no issues recommending it to anyone.
A great game as is, although it has a few very patchable issues that could really put it over the top.
Some might be able to look past Thief's shortcomings and instead only focus on the moments of brilliance. However, I imagine long-time Thief fans hoping for Garrett's grand return might be somewhat disappointed.
Thief isn't a bad game, but it's not a good one either.
Thief isn't terrible, it's just not as good as other games, so in a way I want to say leave Thief for a while; come back to it when it's on sale, wait for it to be a steal.
I'll be blunt: if you loved the original Thief series, you won't enjoy this game. If you have never played the original Thief games, there's some enjoyment to be had, but there are other stealth-heavy games around that are a far better overall package than this one. Thief has a few good ideas, but they're dragged down by the game's design as a whole. With available games that let us freely scale the outside of those wooden castles of old, why should we settle for one that sticks us on a plastic kiddy playground?
Perhaps what is most disappointing is that Thief does its best to make you believe that there's more to it beneath the surface, and you'll drudge through much of its mess with that glint of hope. That isn't the case, though, as it's very much a "take it as it is" experience, and if you're willing to do so you'll find that it just might steal some time from your weekend.
If you're looking for a solid stealth option—with a truly intimidating set of customizations for difficulty—then Thief is a solid buy during this current drought in the new console generation
It's still enjoyable, but it's too wide of the mark. And that's a taffing shame.
Thief is an inconsistent game that has just as many failings as it does successes. Fans of the stealth genre will find a lot to like here, but a number of poor design decisions keep it from reaching the heights of its predecessors.
Garrett deserves better
All in all, Thief successfully ticks the right boxes on the PlayStation 4, although it's not a totally next-gen experience.
You can't help but think Eidos Montreal have been caught between reverence to the original but the need to incorporate everything good in modern-day AAA titles. They setup some wonderful moments in the game then take control away as it's not really a Thief moment at that point. They do include some boss-type battles - with feedback from Deus Ex understood - still when it's just not needed. They give you half of what's good about Dishonored and forget the rest and they model their storytelling on Lara's latest or Drake's series of adventures but forget to actually write the story to tell. It all adds up to the most frustrating of games. It looks great and plays smoothly. It encourages you to play in a certain way and sets up some wonderful moments only to drop you into a world of frustration, failure and insouciance nigh-on immediately. There are glimpses of wonder but this is the top layer of gold only. The bulk of the game is a frustrating, irritating, random mess. In itself this is frustrating, as what could have been great struggles to be merely average.
A success then for fans of a game made a decade ago, but Thief's reach exceeds its grasp by some margin and an opportunity to revive a beloved property with renewed relevance has been sorely missed. If it had a few more ideas (or even stolen a few) then this could've been less of an uninspired remake and something truly worth getting your hands on.
The Thief name has a significant legacy in the stealth genre, and Thief, confusing title and all, is clearly straining to live up to it, with its inclusion of water arrows, "taffer" references and more. It's even sort of successful. Even with concessions to 2014 game design - the optional Focus vision mode, the linear escape sequences that might as well be quick-time events or cutscenes - the core stealth still works. But the weakness of everything around it made me wish I was playing Dishonored.
Best when played stealthily, Thief is an excellent stealth title and a welcome addition to your next-gen library.
Thief is a disappointment. However, laying beyond its shortcomings with movement mechanics, combat and narrative, is a satisfying core of theft and stealth that can, at times, still have you feeling like a master thief. If you're looking for something to waste hours collecting digital trinkets on, and feeling like a total bad ass thief while doing so, then this may be for you. For anyone looking for a story-driven, combat-focused, narrative-based experience you'd be better off looking elsewhere.