Thief: Deadly Shadows - A Sneaksie Review

simpson_yellow · 09-03-2005, 01:58 AM

Well, Shodan, here’s that review I’ve been promising

. You seem to have been off line for the last couple of weeks but, if you’re out there somewhere, here it is finally. I figure it’s OK to post here since Emily gave non-adventure reviews the green light a little while back, and the Thief series is well regarded by a reasonable proportion of the Adventure community. If not, mods feel free to relocate this to General Gaming.

I should preface this review by noting that I played the game with the sensational Minimalist Project installed - a fan mod intended to correct some of the problems resulting from the simultaneous PC / XBox development. It essentially modifies the interface and gameplay to make the game more PC-friendly, and caters explicitly to those who prefer to do their thieving in first person. It also does an excellent job of recapturing a little more of the spirit from the first two titles (which was especially nice for me, since I replayed Dark Project and Metal Age just before playing Deadly Shadows). All of the screenshots here show the Minimalist Project interface, so the game won’t look the same if you’re playing it right out of the box.

Title Screen – Minimalist Style

Where Everybody Knows Your Name

For those that have never played the Thief games (and I hope you’re suitably ashamed of yourselves), you assume the role of Garrett, master thief and part time saviour of the world. Taking place in a location known as The City in an alternate part-mechanised medieval age, the Thief games essentially invented the First Person Sneaker. You’re equipped with various weapons (bow and arrow, dagger, explosive mines etc) but you’re best advised to steer clear of direct confrontation and instead try to accomplish your goals using your wits and the safety of shadows to get around.

Should I pinch his butt or blackjack him across the head? Decisions, decisions…

The plot and beautifully constructed ‘Thief universe’ were formidable strengths of the first two games and it comes as a huge relief that Deadly Shadows continues the tradition. The Hammers, Pagans, Keepers, and undead *shudder* are all here – it’s just like a high school reunion, only with nicer people. The story is as lovingly crafted as in previous instalments and the Keepers feature heavily in the plot this time around. However, little of the backstory is presented in Deadly Shadows so, for those unfamiliar with Garrett’s previous exploits, it may be worthwhile (although not essential) getting your hands on a primer to bring yourself up to speed.

There are plenty of notes and scriptures lying around to flesh out the plot, and you still get to eavesdrop on amusing conversations. Thankfully, Stephen Russell returns as the voice of Garrett, and delivers his dialogue with the same dry sarcasm we’ve come to know and love. The musical score and sound effects are wonderfully atmospheric, thanks to Eric Brosius gracing yet another Thief game with his expert audio direction.

Brief Missions and Mission Briefs

The missions in Deadly Shadows are varied and interesting. The maps are quite small in geographical terms, but they still require a reasonable investment of time at around 2 hours per mission. Several of the missions, such as The House of Widow Moira, Still Life with Blackjack, and Robbing the Cradle are superb experiences, the latter being an inspired piece of level design certain to leave your nerves less than intact.

Will you remember the Cradle? It’ll remember you.

The game implements a hub system, which requires you to travel back and forth across the City by foot to get from mission to mission. There are a number of optional side quests in the City, varying from the mundane to the vaguely interesting, just in case you need a distraction or a bit of spare cash (although there’s so much loot to be had in the core game, that I’d be amazed if anyone felt the need to take on odd jobs purely to earn some extra cash). Another new addition is that you now have to visit fences around the City to sell your loot, and then find back alley stores in which to purchase your thiefy wares. There’s also a faction system whereby you can ally yourself with the Pagans or Hammers by doing favours for each, although again this is strictly optional.

Whilst all the to-ing and fro-ing across the City can get a little tiresome by the end of the game (especially with all the loading zones), it’s certainly quite an immersive experience. The only problem with the system is that it makes the City feel somewhat small and more like a medieval town than the sprawling steampunk metropolis of the first two games.

The cutscenes that accompanied the mission briefings in the original games have been abandoned by the Deadly Shadows team, in favour of text briefings with Garrett voiceovers. This is probably on account of budget constraints, but I really missed this feature, as the mission intros of the first two titles were incredibly stylish and really managed to set the mood. However, whilst they’re missing from the mission briefings, cutscenes still make a few appearances throughout Deadly Shadows and, for the most part, are very well done, some pre-rendered 3D, some nicely stylised 2D.

In terms of difficulty, Deadly Shadows is much more accessible than the earlier titles although the unresponsive controls can make things challenging for all the wrong reasons. However, this is rendered a moot point by the Minimalist mod, which improves the responsiveness and ramps up the difficulty.

Lively Shadows

Whilst they may not quite be top shelf when held up against other titles from 2004, the graphics are more than serviceable. What really makes the game visually is the rather exceptional lighting. Dynamic lighting is used very effectively and contributes enormously to the atmosphere. Torches flicker, chandeliers sway and all objects in the gameworld cast nice real time shadows in response. It’s often a joy to just sit and watch.

A really neat touch is that that many of the NPCs now carry their own light source, so it’s often no longer a simple matter of crouching in the shadows, waiting for a hapless guard to get close enough for a blackjacking.

Just a statue, thank the Builder.

Sneaking around in what is possibly the most ridiculously overdesigned clocktower ever.

Truth be told, I've always carried a bit of a torch for you too.

Pack Your Sick Bag

My biggest complaint is with the enormous difficulty of controlling Garrett in first person mode, as he feels more like a shaky old man than an agile thief. Deadly Shadows was developed primarily as a third person game, and implementation of the first person perspective is atrocious, as the camera seems to suffer from a stuttered, jerky motion, almost as though Garrett is tripping over himself every couple of steps - master thief indeed.

Perhaps the problem was exaggerated on my PC, because I found it almost unplayable (it’s certainly the only game I’ve ever played that’s successfully induced nausea), whereas some people didn’t seem overly bothered by it – as such, I won’t penalise the game too heavily for it.

Switching to third person perspective marginally improved things but movement was still far from fluid. I persevered through a couple of levels but came very close to shelving the game indefinitely as it was severely hindering my enjoyment. That was when I decided to install the Minimalist Project, and the problem all but vanished.

There are a few other niggling problems such as the occasional crash to desktop and errors with NPC pathing but, whilst irritating, they don’t threaten to ruin the experience.

Fare Thee Well, Thief

Whilst not quite in the league of Dark Project or Metal Age, Deadly Shadows is still a hugely atmospheric, highly enjoyable and worthy addition to the Thief franchise that all self-respecting taffers should do themselves the favour of playing. With the varied settings, excellent plot and thick atmosphere it would’ve been a triple A title if it hadn’t been let down by a shaky game engine (pun intended). As it stands, it’s merely great.

Four stars out of the box, but an extra half with the Minimalist Project installed - I’ll give Ion Storm the benefit of the doubt and assume they’d have fixed many of the problems themselves if they hadn’t folded immediately after the game’s release.

It was great to have you back, Garrett. It’s just a crying shame that, in all probability, this is the last time we’ll meet. Take care on the thieves’ highway.

Mimus · 09-03-2005, 05:36 AM

Good review. Unfortunately I never got around to finishing this game. I blame that Cradle level, too damn scary for my liking...

I do plan on finishing it eventually though...

That Minimalist Project sounds interesting though. I'll have to check that out.

simpson_yellow · 09-03-2005, 07:23 AM

Thanks for having the patience to read it - ended up a bit longer than I'd planned

.

Heh heh, know what you mean about the cradle. It's worth sticking with though - the scare factor eases up after a little while.

And there's a lot of info on the Minimalist mod over at the TTLG forums if you want to find out more. I only installed it as a matter of necessity because of the motion sickness thing but, in hindsight, I'm convinced it was the best way to play it.

Intrepid Homoludens · 09-11-2005, 03:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mimus

Good review. Unfortunately I never got around to finishing this game. I blame that Cradle level, too damn scary for my liking...

I do plan on finishing it eventually though....

WHAT?!! You spineless poltroon of a chicken craven!!! Scary? That? LOL!!

You are NOT getting any pudding until you play that entire section of the game, including the 'shadow people' part.

Shodan · 10-03-2005, 05:40 AM

Brilliantly written review. And I'm not just saying that because I'm a Thief fan, or even because I'm a Simpsie fan. No, it's because lines like these are just too freaking funny to NOT end up in a gaming magazine:

- I hope you’re suitably ashamed of yourselves

- it’s just like a high school reunion, only with nicer people.

- Truth be told, I've always carried a bit of a torch for you too.

It also successfully makes people who currently can't play their copy of the game very depressed!

simpson_yellow · 10-03-2005, 04:30 PM

Thanks, Shodan - glad you enjoyed the review. Great to see you again. It's a shame you're still unable to play it - must be killing you having it sitting there neglected on the shelf. On the plus side, the longer you go without playing it, the longer it'll be before you have to say goodbye to Garrett for good.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shodan

or even because I'm a Simpsie fan

Anyone who isn't should be ashamed of themselves

.

09-03-2005, 01:58 AM	#1
simpson_yellow Squeaky Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Canberra, Australia Posts: 1,320	Thief: Deadly Shadows - A Sneaksie Review Well, Shodan, here’s that review I’ve been promising . You seem to have been off line for the last couple of weeks but, if you’re out there somewhere, here it is finally. I figure it’s OK to post here since Emily gave non-adventure reviews the green light a little while back, and the Thief series is well regarded by a reasonable proportion of the Adventure community. If not, mods feel free to relocate this to General Gaming. I should preface this review by noting that I played the game with the sensational Minimalist Project installed - a fan mod intended to correct some of the problems resulting from the simultaneous PC / XBox development. It essentially modifies the interface and gameplay to make the game more PC-friendly, and caters explicitly to those who prefer to do their thieving in first person. It also does an excellent job of recapturing a little more of the spirit from the first two titles (which was especially nice for me, since I replayed Dark Project and Metal Age just before playing Deadly Shadows). All of the screenshots here show the Minimalist Project interface, so the game won’t look the same if you’re playing it right out of the box. Title Screen – Minimalist Style Where Everybody Knows Your Name For those that have never played the Thief games (and I hope you’re suitably ashamed of yourselves), you assume the role of Garrett, master thief and part time saviour of the world. Taking place in a location known as The City in an alternate part-mechanised medieval age, the Thief games essentially invented the First Person Sneaker. You’re equipped with various weapons (bow and arrow, dagger, explosive mines etc) but you’re best advised to steer clear of direct confrontation and instead try to accomplish your goals using your wits and the safety of shadows to get around. Should I pinch his butt or blackjack him across the head? Decisions, decisions… The plot and beautifully constructed ‘Thief universe’ were formidable strengths of the first two games and it comes as a huge relief that Deadly Shadows continues the tradition. The Hammers, Pagans, Keepers, and undead shudder are all here – it’s just like a high school reunion, only with nicer people. The story is as lovingly crafted as in previous instalments and the Keepers feature heavily in the plot this time around. However, little of the backstory is presented in Deadly Shadows so, for those unfamiliar with Garrett’s previous exploits, it may be worthwhile (although not essential) getting your hands on a primer to bring yourself up to speed. There are plenty of notes and scriptures lying around to flesh out the plot, and you still get to eavesdrop on amusing conversations. Thankfully, Stephen Russell returns as the voice of Garrett, and delivers his dialogue with the same dry sarcasm we’ve come to know and love. The musical score and sound effects are wonderfully atmospheric, thanks to Eric Brosius gracing yet another Thief game with his expert audio direction. Brief Missions and Mission Briefs The missions in Deadly Shadows are varied and interesting. The maps are quite small in geographical terms, but they still require a reasonable investment of time at around 2 hours per mission. Several of the missions, such as The House of Widow Moira, Still Life with Blackjack, and Robbing the Cradle are superb experiences, the latter being an inspired piece of level design certain to leave your nerves less than intact. Will you remember the Cradle? It’ll remember you. The game implements a hub system, which requires you to travel back and forth across the City by foot to get from mission to mission. There are a number of optional side quests in the City, varying from the mundane to the vaguely interesting, just in case you need a distraction or a bit of spare cash (although there’s so much loot to be had in the core game, that I’d be amazed if anyone felt the need to take on odd jobs purely to earn some extra cash). Another new addition is that you now have to visit fences around the City to sell your loot, and then find back alley stores in which to purchase your thiefy wares. There’s also a faction system whereby you can ally yourself with the Pagans or Hammers by doing favours for each, although again this is strictly optional. Whilst all the to-ing and fro-ing across the City can get a little tiresome by the end of the game (especially with all the loading zones), it’s certainly quite an immersive experience. The only problem with the system is that it makes the City feel somewhat small and more like a medieval town than the sprawling steampunk metropolis of the first two games. The cutscenes that accompanied the mission briefings in the original games have been abandoned by the Deadly Shadows team, in favour of text briefings with Garrett voiceovers. This is probably on account of budget constraints, but I really missed this feature, as the mission intros of the first two titles were incredibly stylish and really managed to set the mood. However, whilst they’re missing from the mission briefings, cutscenes still make a few appearances throughout Deadly Shadows and, for the most part, are very well done, some pre-rendered 3D, some nicely stylised 2D. In terms of difficulty, Deadly Shadows is much more accessible than the earlier titles although the unresponsive controls can make things challenging for all the wrong reasons. However, this is rendered a moot point by the Minimalist mod, which improves the responsiveness and ramps up the difficulty. Lively Shadows Whilst they may not quite be top shelf when held up against other titles from 2004, the graphics are more than serviceable. What really makes the game visually is the rather exceptional lighting. Dynamic lighting is used very effectively and contributes enormously to the atmosphere. Torches flicker, chandeliers sway and all objects in the gameworld cast nice real time shadows in response. It’s often a joy to just sit and watch. A really neat touch is that that many of the NPCs now carry their own light source, so it’s often no longer a simple matter of crouching in the shadows, waiting for a hapless guard to get close enough for a blackjacking. Just a statue, thank the Builder. Sneaking around in what is possibly the most ridiculously overdesigned clocktower ever. Truth be told, I've always carried a bit of a torch for you too. Pack Your Sick Bag My biggest complaint is with the enormous difficulty of controlling Garrett in first person mode, as he feels more like a shaky old man than an agile thief. Deadly Shadows was developed primarily as a third person game, and implementation of the first person perspective is atrocious, as the camera seems to suffer from a stuttered, jerky motion, almost as though Garrett is tripping over himself every couple of steps - master thief indeed. Perhaps the problem was exaggerated on my PC, because I found it almost unplayable (it’s certainly the only game I’ve ever played that’s successfully induced nausea), whereas some people didn’t seem overly bothered by it – as such, I won’t penalise the game too heavily for it. Switching to third person perspective marginally improved things but movement was still far from fluid. I persevered through a couple of levels but came very close to shelving the game indefinitely as it was severely hindering my enjoyment. That was when I decided to install the Minimalist Project, and the problem all but vanished. There are a few other niggling problems such as the occasional crash to desktop and errors with NPC pathing but, whilst irritating, they don’t threaten to ruin the experience. Fare Thee Well, Thief Whilst not quite in the league of Dark Project or Metal Age, Deadly Shadows is still a hugely atmospheric, highly enjoyable and worthy addition to the Thief franchise that all self-respecting taffers should do themselves the favour of playing. With the varied settings, excellent plot and thick atmosphere it would’ve been a triple A title if it hadn’t been let down by a shaky game engine (pun intended). As it stands, it’s merely great. Four stars out of the box, but an extra half with the Minimalist Project installed - I’ll give Ion Storm the benefit of the doubt and assume they’d have fixed many of the problems themselves if they hadn’t folded immediately after the game’s release. It was great to have you back, Garrett. It’s just a crying shame that, in all probability, this is the last time we’ll meet. Take care on the thieves’ highway. Attached Images Share Share this post on Twitter Last edited by simpson_yellow; 09-03-2005 at 07:35 AM. Reason: fixed typo (and probably left countless others)

09-03-2005, 05:36 AM	#2
Mimus Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Leamington Spa, UK Posts: 177	Good review. Unfortunately I never got around to finishing this game. I blame that Cradle level, too damn scary for my liking... I do plan on finishing it eventually though... That Minimalist Project sounds interesting though. I'll have to check that out. Share Share this post on Twitter

09-03-2005, 07:23 AM	#3
simpson_yellow Squeaky Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Canberra, Australia Posts: 1,320	Thanks for having the patience to read it - ended up a bit longer than I'd planned . Heh heh, know what you mean about the cradle. It's worth sticking with though - the scare factor eases up after a little while. And there's a lot of info on the Minimalist mod over at the TTLG forums if you want to find out more. I only installed it as a matter of necessity because of the motion sickness thing but, in hindsight, I'm convinced it was the best way to play it. Share Share this post on Twitter

10-03-2005, 05:40 AM	#5
Shodan with extra cheese! Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 334	Brilliantly written review. And I'm not just saying that because I'm a Thief fan, or even because I'm a Simpsie fan. No, it's because lines like these are just too freaking funny to NOT end up in a gaming magazine: - I hope you’re suitably ashamed of yourselves - it’s just like a high school reunion, only with nicer people. - Truth be told, I've always carried a bit of a torch for you too. It also successfully makes people who currently can't play their copy of the game very depressed! Share Share this post on Twitter __________________ and all the signs that should show me what's right and what's wrong have been knocked down, shaken and smothered by previous lovers and non-descript others like me, who don't know what it's for, all I know is that I want more.

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