Thief: Deadly Shadows Review

[Knightshade Dragon]

The review is up!  Any questions? http://consolegold.com/Reviews/review.php?ReviewID=219

[stiffler]

You said you had it for the PC as well (I think in another thread), so which would you reccomend?  Keep in mind that I am new to the Thief universe, so I don't have any expectations or attachement to the PC versions of the previous games.  I also have a very high-end PC.  I am trying to decide whether to get the PC version (which is cheaper) or wait for the Xbox version to drop in price.

Could you think of any comparison or pro/con for this title on the Xbox vs PC?

[Driver]

That was a nice review.

Man, this is a game I'm eager to play.

[coopasonic]

I have the same problem as stiffler... I don't know how to decide which platform to play it on. Mouse and keyboard vs big screen...

[Driver]

I would think the third-person view lends itself to the Xbox.  Hello, medieval Splinter Cell!

[coopasonic]

I would think the third-person view lends itself to the Xbox.  Hello, medieval Splinter Cell!

I played both Splinter Cell games happily on the PC.

[Knightshade Dragon]

Having played both I'd probably say advantage goes to the PC if you tweak the hell out of it and you have the gear to run it well.  If not, save yourself the frustration and just run with the Xbox version.

[Fellow]

I would think the third-person view lends itself to the Xbox.  Hello, modernday Thief!

You had it backwards there, Driver, so I fixed it for you.

[Driver]

Do you guys really miss/enjoy the mouse so much?  I think I was never really that much into PC gaming to begin with - and finished few very games compared to the number of them I finish now on Xbox.  Ground Control II is about the only game I think I'd play on the computer.

Anyway, I played both the first two Thief games, not all the way through, but I am about flipping out about playing the game on the Xbox with the controller, especially with the analog sneaking and aiming.

[AgtFox]

Do you guys really miss/enjoy the mouse so much?

I'm putting on my non-flammable suit because I sense a bunch of flames coming your way.

[Fellow]

PC vs. XBox version of Thief 3. I dunnoe. They both have their respective advantages. I'd say it's very similar to the dilemma with Morrowind.

On the PC, it's more of a system hog, but on the other hand, the chances of it getting some good tweaks and great mods are good (especially, if they release the SDK tools), which will give it a longer life. As well, you've sharper graphics, clearer textures, the works.

On the XBox, you get the tighter package. You've most likely easier, more responsive controls, the rumble cues for lockpicking, and a relatively consistent framerate, so there's no fear of "I wonder, if I'll be able to run this". Also, if you've a bigscreen, and surround sound system, I'd imagine it's a pretty damn nice experience. Especially since Thief 3 is all about sound.

Coming right down to it, though, it's all about personal preference. Which of the said advantages do you value above others?

[Knightshade Dragon]

All very good points Fellow....

[stiffler]

The big difference between console and PC is my approach to gameplay.  I tend to go about console gaming as a much more leisurely affair, while with a PC I am all business.  I think it has a lot more to do with sitting in my office chair vs the comfy reclining sofa.  As I said, I am not stuck on one control scheme or another.  If I were playing first-person I would rather use the mouse/keyboard, while third-person is fine with a controller.

In the end it comes down to whether I want to have a more care-free console experience or a more serious PC session.

I am leaning towards the Xbox because I have Splinter Cell and am going to get SC:PT for it.  I can just consolidate my third-person sneaking games on the Xbox.

[Knightshade Dragon]

For frame of reference, I played through the game in First Person on the PC and Third Person on the Xbox.  Hmmmm...guess I like my console and PC experience seperated that way too.  Interesting...

[phormio]

I had only played Thief (Thief Gold actually) on the PC, and the controls & perpective seemed OK to me.

I picked up Deadly Shadows for the Xbox almost on a whim. I really wasn't sure which version to get (choice is good, right?). I was vaguely concerned about the performance issues with the PC version, so I figured 'what the heck'?

Well after about 2 hours, I think I prefer the 3rd person perspective. And the gamepad. And my sofa.

I don't know how I'll feel down the road, but right now I'm glad I got the Xbox version. This surprises me because (a) I generally prefer my FPSs on the PC, and (b) I generally prefer my FPSs to be in the First Person. I was sure I'd want to play this in 1st person even on the Xbox, but it just doesn't "feel" right. Go figure...

Oh, and Good Review!

[Knightshade Dragon]

Thanks for the comments on the review guys, it means alot.

[Driver]

Are folks still playing Thief 3?  I saw the price at EB had dropped to $45.

[Bullwinkle]

I was playing it pretty constantly until the whole difficulty setting debacle.  I rarely play one game exclusively, but found myself going back to Thief again and again (with time off to try new games like Full Spectrum Warrior and Riddick which I thought would take me away from Thief for a long stretch, but I came right back to it).  

I usually play games on easier levels now because I don't have time to backtrack and retry like the old days (unless a game is just a ridiculous cake walk).  But as a holdover from the PC Thief where the higher levels gave you more goals in a mission and, I believe, more rewards, I've been playing Thief on Expert level.  I certainly have been impressed with myself.  I should have figured there was something wrong.  

Now I'm just waiting to see if they'll patch it on Live (which is supposedly in the works), but since I've gotten used to playing on Normal, I doubt I'll go back to Expert.  Not much point really.

[Driver]

I haven't heard of this difficulty setting thing.  What's the scoop?

[stiffler]

I haven't heard of this difficulty setting thing.  What's the scoop?

Whenever you load a saved game it reverts to the normal difficulty level.  Everything but enemy hitpoints changes.  No way to change difficulty once you have started so once you load you are stuck with normal.

[Driver]

Oh, wow.  That's sucks.  Thanks for the info, stiffler.

[Knightshade Dragon]

Yea, that fix will go into the PC version I'm sure, but the Xbox version will remain broken I suspect.

[Driver]

Gamespot mentions a recall.  You guys think I should wait before giving it a go on Xbox?

[Knightshade Dragon]

Hit the front page, no recall folks.

[AgtFox]

I don't have the game, but as far as I know it doesn't have any Xbox Live connection, so how would they go about patching a game without the Live foundation in it?

Are there any other Eidos games that have had Live compatibility in them?  I don't see any when I looked at the site.

[Driver]

A downloaded patch would probably rewrite your game file directory (versus individual save games) on the hard drive.  I don't think it would be hard to do as plenty of single-player only games on the PC are patchable.

This would be good news. Thanks!

[Driver]

I picked this up on special ($15 off at Target) and, man, it's awesome.   The transfer to the console was done really well from what I remember of the preceding Thief games, and I especially like that I can zip in and out of first person mode.

On the first mission after the tutorial and having a heck of a time finding enough loot to pilfer to meet the 60% requirement.  Nice!

Glad I picked it up - and hopefully a patch will be distributed some way or another for the difficulty setting.