The Post-Game: Thief (2014)

I really wanted to recommend this game and if you're looking for a dark stealth adventure, it'll do the job. But there are plenty of other games out do the same thing, and do it better. While I'm not on the "the original Thief games r the BEST!" bandwagon, those games were simply much more fun to play. I still had fun with the new Thief - the game tries hard to be engaging. Stealth is required the minute Garrett steps out of his hideout, interacting with the environment is key to success, and there are multiple ways to accomplish a given task. Sounds good, right?

Except the actual game-play of Thief - thieving and strategizing - happens the same way too many times for the game to carry my interest through to the end (I did get there eventually on my third attempt). The story could have been engaging, but characters are under-developed (some only appear in cut-scenes), show up for no reason, and are blessed with campy B-movie dialogue. The cutscene at the end of the game, while complete, made me think there might have been more to the story, but it was trimmed or cut. Who knows.

The mechanics of the game work well, but as before, there's little variation: put out fires to create shadows, throw a bottle to distract guards, and swoop to the objective. What should have been a thrilling exploration of an open world Steampunk city is instead reduced to a grind-fest for loot in a lot of close alleys. Some of the level designs are great - the house with the moving walls was one of my favorites - but the novelty passed quickly once I realized that most loot would be acquired (yet again) by rifling through the desks and closets for pens, ashtrays, golden saucers, scroll holders...

In a sense, Thief really is Kleptomania Simulator. You scamper around the City, stealing random sh*t. But to me, Thief should be about “the job,” not about stealing random sh*t. There are three kinds of jobs in Thief: Main (story) jobs, client jobs that an NPC will provide, and Basso's side jobs. Story jobs advance the story; yes, there's theft along the way, but even with the massive amount of loot in the Baron's mansion, thieving still feels like an afterthought because there's literally no reason to do it. Client jobs have a minor story of their own, but there are only two clients (each provides three missions). Jobs from Basso are side-quests that give some gold and a notice on screen that it's completed. Even though they're acquired from different sources, they all have a similar feel and execution.

The graphics are great, but intense. If you're looking to showcase a killer gaming rig, Thief has settings aplenty that can be cranked to impressive levels. But great graphics and some fun mechanics are betrayed by a very average use just about all other game elements. The setting needed to be opened up. The music creates tension without being memorable. Enemies only come in three varieties. The enemies' AI all behaves the same (extremely predictable). And boss battles - what a joke they are! If first-person stealth is your thing, get it by all means. Just don't expect a genre defining experience, and you'll probably enjoy it.

On challenge mode:
There are three maps (one of which is DLC): the Asylum, the Baron's mansion, and the House of Blossoms (all excerpted from the main game). Collect loot before the time runs out. Every time you gather loot, the count-down resets. It's an arcade-y addition that might help refine your thieving technique (there are enemies present), but with only three maps it's little more than a distraction. And if you don't purchase The Forgotten DLC (the Asylum map), there are actually only two maps...

On the Master Thief edition:
The Master Thief edition is b*llsh*t. You get: the Opportunist Booster Pack, a digital comic book, and the digital soundtrack. The Opportunist booster Pack contains items that can be acquired in-game, you just get them at the start. To get the comic book, you have to take the code provided and enter it into an external website. To get the soundtrack, you have to enter the code you receive into a different external website. BUT THE SOUNDTRACK IS NOT COMPLETE. I only received 10 tracks of the soundtrack this way. The full album on Amazon is 20 tracks. A straight-up cheat, plain and simple. Don't get the Master Thief edition.

On DLC:
Of the DLC, the Booster packs are not pay-to-win, but they are pay-for-an-advantage. The Bank Heist is fun if short. If feels like a left-over level for content that was cut from the game. It's fun, but the value of the loot is disappointing, and it can be beaten in 30-60 minutes. If Challenge mode is something you enjoyed, the The Forsaken challenge map is worth the price - on sale at 80% off, of course.