Specter on 24/1/2014 at 21:20
This from PC Games N:
"The main objectives are often at odds with the most enjoyable parts of the game and at their worst they seem to betray a misunderstanding of what Thief is ideally supposed to be about. At its very lowest point, the game features free-running sequences in which control is taken off you in a sort of obligatory and half-hearted hat-tip Mirror's Edge, and one-directional, third-person, Uncharted-lite climbing bits - which we can probably all agree is absolute rubbish."
This one seems particularly harsh about the AI too. "The ability to swoop from shadow to shadow is sufficient to stealth past most guard patrols, and on the mid-range difficulty setting they're rather short-sighted, even as you stroll through broad torchlight."
They continue to positively speak about how good the game looks, including all the things you can do with the on-screen hands. However, the concluding paragraph begins with "At this stage however Thief feels erratic, a stealth game that often forgets its business and lapses into mindless, action-based tomfoolery."
Specter on 24/1/2014 at 21:31
Springheel:
I'm reading quickly, and know there are things I'm missing. The ones I've read (bottom six so far) have fairly free of spoilers, but I don't want to guarantee it to you in case there is something I missed. I have not been watching videos, just reading. (Some previews have both. Gametrailers is only video.) I think you're pretty safe, just be wary of those paragraphs near the top that want to frame their preview by giving plot background.
Stay away from Game Revolution: Its a short write up, and talks about plot a fair bit. I don't think they say anything new, but I don't know how much you have successfully avoided to this point.
Renault on 24/1/2014 at 21:40
I know you can turn most of these prompts off, but watching the gameplay videos with all of the PS4 controller icons floating across the screen all the time is really pathetic (I wonder if they'll actually change the symbols for the PC version). There was one scene where Garrett is probably 10 feet away from a painting that contains a secret button that opens a secret passage, but of course there's a big old PINK SQUARE button floating across it the entire time...so as Garrett would say "Not so secret anymore!" Just awful.
Has gaming really gotten this stupid?
Specter on 24/1/2014 at 21:45
I think your answer is in the CVG preview:
"But like Squenix's other revamps, the edge has been taken off the concept, to make you more of a superhero than a mere pickpocket, to fill in those lacuna that were previously reserved for your imagination. So what I'm playing today is unlike the old Thief, with its weak, slow, sneaking Garrett, who'd agonise over walking on a hard floor without firing off a moss arrow to soften his steps."
Oh! And thanks very much for putting these into one place for my lazy self!
This is irksome (from CVG):
"He runs almost exactly like a scion of Ezio, bounding over obstacles - except he screws up occasionally, because the running mechanism isn't quite as polished as Ubisoft's and it's not always clear what he will leap and what he won't. He can even scoot, which seems to be a magic super-long step he makes, ostensibly to move from shadow to shadow without being noticed."
Specter on 24/1/2014 at 21:54
My above quotes aside, avoid CVG's article. It has big-time spoilers about the start of the game.
Im onto the Strategy Informer article. One interesting thing: among the many things you can disable from the menu, you can turn off Garrett's monologue. I find that pretty surprising, but welcome, as it sounds like nu-Garrett is a chatty Cathy.
sNeaksieGarrett on 24/1/2014 at 21:57
Thanks for your info-posts Specter.
I don't know how I feel about this game. On the one hand there's a lot of positive stuff I've heard. On the other hand, there's a lot of things that bug me about the game. I didn't read the Strategy Informer article all the way through because I was scared of spoilers. (I just read the yellow bold paragraph at the top and bottom of the article.) However, based on what I did read it sounds good and it's always nice to get an opinion from a Thief fan rather than a journalist from a website/magazine.
However, I guess in the end I'll end up buying this game eventually but I'll be expecting a decent, but not fantastic stealth game. At least that way I'm not getting my hopes up and then find that those feelings were unwarranted, right?
Specter on 24/1/2014 at 22:07
I can totally understand how you feel. The overall impression I'm getting is that the game isn't awful, but in no way compares to the others. As a stand-alone game with no link to Thief, it would probably be an acceptable game. Combat is universally touted as awful, but it should be. The AI is often picked on, so the game will be easy. There seems to be linearity in the 'multiple approaches' the game takes. Rope arrow hotspots don't necessarily stand out, but are easy to find, and since you know they are placed on purpose, you always know something is there. Which is what everyone here derided them for.
I don't know why I'm suddenly so post-happy, but there seems to be a lot of things worth discussing here.
Springheel on 24/1/2014 at 22:09
Quote:
to make you more of a superhero than a mere pickpocket
That's been a complaint of mine from the start. :(
sNeaksieGarrett on 24/1/2014 at 22:26
Quote Posted by Specter
Combat is universally touted as awful, but it should be.
Yeah, while the journalist or reviewer saw this as a con, I saw it as a pro.
Specter on 24/1/2014 at 22:31
They seem to usually clarify that the awfulness of combat is when dealing with multiple guards. However, from the other things I've read, you have to be extraordinarily bad at the game to stir up a bunch at once. Some seem overly forgiving, others oblivious, while running away sounds quite easy. I'm really disappointed that the sound element of the game seems to be very much diminished.