Customer Reviews

Thief Gold

5 star:		(30)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The best game I have ever played. Period. The best for adventurers, the best for strategists, the best for action gamers. If you have not purchased THIEF yet, go with THIEF GOLD, as it includes three extra (and fantastic) levels at no extra charge. If you already purchased the original, don't worry--you get a $10 rebate in it for already buying it previously, PLUS a $10 rebate off the future release of THIEF II! Going completely against the tired idea of running-around-in-mazes-blasting-things which has already been run into the ground, THIEF requires stealth, care and strategy, requiring you to stay in the shadows, move quietly and carefully, picking off enemies without being discovered. No, it's NOT as easy or boring as it sounds. THIEF is so immersive and involving, so guaranteed to get your blood pumping through you to the point where your face will turn beet red, that it has single-handedly made my fellow game fans, once they discovered it, take former favorite games like UNREAL and QUAKE and either toss them into the garbage or hock them at their local used software store. It's that good. Forget new releases like OMIKRON, THIEF delivers in a way that no other title does, so amazingly well that you will swear you are actually THERE. It's just about worth the purchase of a PC alone just to play it. The must-have for anyone with a 3D acceleration card.

I've got to second (and reinforce) everything the reviewer from San Francisco said. There are some great games out there, but when the folks at Eidos released Thief, they got it perfect. The story, the locales in which the story takes place, the cut-scenes which develop the story, the characters and the factions they represent within the story, the music and sound-effects... every facet of this product is top-notch. The game drips with the atmosphere of the world it depicts. When I finished it, I was truly disappointed that it was over. It's that good. The developers at Looking Glass absolutely nailed it with this one.

Each genre has it's problems. Flight simulators have a difficult time telling stories. Pure adventure games often have "artificial" interfaces that come across feeling far too fake. Strategy games take too long to play. And first person shooters have an inevitable "sameness" to them.

"Thief," happily, avoids the pitfalls of each genre, while borrowing the best qualities from them all. Like the best adventure games, the atmosphere created is so total you can't help but be lost in it. Yet it's not just posh backgrounds and surround sound moodiness: it's a game of strategy. The goal here is to steal, not to kill, and that makes your choices entirely more calculated than is common in action games. If you kill someone, you have to worry about how much noise he'll make in death. You'll have to hide the body. And you'll have to douse the lights so that he won't be able to see and fight back more effectively. It's frequently easier--and smarter--to just walk away than to kill.

In short, this is a game player's game. Once you've been wowed by all the things your computer can do, once you've seen all the pretty new games, once you've shot down your first million starships, THIS is the game you settle into for the long haul.

Be warned, though: "Thief" is so wholly satisfying, it will rob you of the ability to enjoy 90 percent of the games on the market.

I've been an avid PC game player since 1993 and own hundreds of titles, and I can honestly say that Thief and Thief 2 are the pinnacle of PC gaming. This is without doubt the most immersive and scary game-playing I've ever done. Yet everything is presented tastefully understated. Nothing is in your face. I frequently actually had to stop playing because I was getting too involved and nervous--but I always went back. I did several marathon sessions on these games, some lasting over 10 hours at a time, non-stop. They have massive replay value, as each time you play, you will have different adventures. I particularly remember all the times I ended up blowing my cover, and not having recently saved my game, I didn't want to start from my last save, so I ended up running for my life from guards who gathered up more guards as they chased me. One time I had a good ten minute chase just because I didn't want to give up the progress I had made. I was chased down hallways of a mansion, finally finding an open window, I climbed out onto the porch roof, lost several health points as I jumped to the ground. I lost those guys but then the guards in the front yard saw me and took over. I took several blows and arrows as I did an end run around them and headed out the front gate. They were hot on my trail. I ran down several city streets, totally disoriented, finally gaining some distance by hiding around a corner in a doorway. I took out 2 of them as they passed by with my arrows. Then I ran again. The others saw me and chased me, but they were a hundred yards behind me now. I came to an arching bridge, which I began to cross. Suddenly I realized where I was and knew I was trapped. I jumped over the railing and into the water of a canal. I went underwater and heard arrows splashing into the water above me. I swam underwater upstream until I was almost dead from lack of air, then I surfaced. They were all on the bridge looking the other way in the direction I had jumped. I made my way quietly to some steps and climbed out of the canal. I was down to 15 health points. I went back to the mansion and found the lower level almost deserted because they were all down at the canal. I went in and continued my mission, this time remembering to save my game. It's this kind of thing (which happens a lot!) which will induce sweat and cause you to feel exhausted after you've played. This is more of an experience than a game. Don't miss this!

Thief is a first person shooter that most first person shooters may not like. This is not a slaughter fest. One does not run around grabbing everything one can to blow away everything in sight. One can kill everything if they so chose but then they lose the feel of the game. (also one is taking the easy route through the game.) On expert mode is where the game gains it's challenge. It doesn't add lots of "monsters" to be harder. It makes the player play smarter. As an expert you must sneak through the scenerio and NOT kill anyone. The guards may not be the most intelligent. but if you stood guard duty day in and day out. YOu may act the same way. Anyway having to achieve more objectives and not kill anyone is the challenge.

This game makes the player think (of listen) before barging into a room. It makes a player look around and find the best way to go. (Which may mean jumping on top of a building and moving). And when you finish for the day, you may find yourself listening very intendly to sounds around you and find yourself gravitating to the shadows of your own house.

Over all it does not compare to the flashy new First person shooters out these days. But for those that are more intersted in think through a game and not wanting to were out the joystick buttons. This is an Excellent game to get involved with.

Wildly fanatic reviews led me to purchase Thief when it first came out. I was not disapointed. If you've read any of other reviews you know Thief's innovative approach to the immersive environment gaming is what sets it above hack and slash games, boring puzzle games like Tomb Raider or Quake etc.

A decent sound card and a five-speaker system really make this game come alive. If you want to benchmark your hot sound system this game will do it for you.

But what many reviewers have failed to mention is the fantastic storyline. Garrett a fully-skilled thief (nice touch, you start out strong, at least in thieving ability) inadvertently gets sucked into a bizarre underworld battle between good and evil. The plot is as fun as the game play. It's like playing a great book or walking through the scenes of a fantastically dark film.

If any of you have played Metal Gear Solid (A Sony playstation game), you know that Thief's approach is not new, Snake was sneaking around corridors when Garret was just a twinkle in Eidios' eye. But Thief reminded me a lot of Metal Gear but was more immersive.

Thief Gold fixes a few bugs in NPC movement but basically doesn't add much to the original and the new levels seem slapped together. Save yourself a few ducats and pick up the original if you can find it and wait for the sequel.

Thief: the Dark Project (Thief Gold has a few extra levels but is essentially the same) is perhaps one of the finest PC games I've ever played. You assume the role of a thief in this single-player, first-person strategy game. It's not a shooter; in fact, if you shoot anything, you're more likely to get yourself killed. As a thief, you're pretty weak and fragile. A couple of sword hits by a wounded and angry guard will easily kill one. So, the best way to approach this game is with stealth and strategy. Stick to shadows, creep along slowly and quietly, and you'll do well. And along the way, you'll discover that the mood and tense pacing of this superb game has completely absorbed you.

Looking Glass, the company that produced the equally-superb Ultima Underworld/System Shock games, has a real winner in this game. It is sad that the company has closed shop due to finances, but it leaves a legacy of some of the finest computer games ever created. You owe it to yourself to try Thief (it's a cheap purchase nowadays and worth its weight in gold). The atmosphere of the game and the stunning ambient sounds really draw you into this world. Try it out and you won't be disappointed!

If you're into role-playing action games such as Tomb Raider or Silent Hill, this game is right up your alley. This first-shooter game had me helplessly immersed in the game, obsessed with finding all the loot and goodies. Gameplay is smooth, storyline actually has a plot, weapons are loads of fun to experiment with the different AI, the zombies/ghouls/machines you encounter are tough to vanquish, Garret's lines are laced with cynical humour, and the fear-factor level will have your heart pounding.

The whole idea is to sneak around as much as possible without killing the human guards while collecting loot that will help you as you progress up the levels, and you're responsible for picking your own tools and weapons for the next heist. My head was spinning in some of the levels as maps are unavailable or vague, but this only made my anticipation climb several notches while exploring the levels. I never thought footfalls and noises could feel so delicously scary. Plus the sneaking around is so much more challenging than having to kill everything in sight. Playerbility of the game is worth every penny - there were some levels that took me over 2 hours to complete. Highly, highly recommended.

Note: The original Thief is more seamless with its storyline compared with Thief Gold as Thief Gold added levels which create a rather choppy story. But I found that the added levels prolong gameplay and provides additional challenge and fun to the overall game.

This is one of the best games you will ever play. Thief is so different from all of the others, you just have to love it. It's not so easy that you finish it in a day or two, but it is not so hard that you want to stop playing it. The makers of thief were very creative when making this game. And unlike other games, you actually have to think about what you do. Sorry all you lazy game players, you have to use your brain on this one. The object isn't to kill everyone in sight, but to stay out of sight. I can't wait to play Thief 2. I suggest that you get both Thief and Theif 2. Trust me, you will love them both.

Hi I havent been playing Thief gold long but I still can say it is the best game I have ever played. It has really good enemy AI and the game play is so unique I cant say I have ever played a game like it. I have had the chance to play Unreal tournament and quake 3 they are pretty good but this game really is something else. The way you can sneak in and out of the shadows and the enemys cant detect you unless you actually are stupid enough to think this game is enything like Quake or Unreal and jump out with your sword and hope to kill something. One thing people might not understand is that this game is built on stealth and staying undetected. if you are still not convinced try the demo but I still think you should buy the game.