Thief™ Gold

I don't like replaying games, as much as I don't like re-watching movies. I only do that for games I loved. And Thief is among them. Sure, graphics are very aged, but it doesn't matter. The stealth works fine, there is a nice story, an anti-hero so ironic [" Heh, it's a THRONE room! How pretentious can you get"] that his stingy comments take roots in memory. I also loved the ambient sounds. They add to the climate and prepares you for what's to come. Since when you start, you don't expect the reality to get more and more magical. And it shall, for supernatural threat is coming. The lore is fantastic. The game is just awesome. Plus - there is a fair amount of humour (mostly due to drunk guards), despite rather grim plot.

I think I first played this game in 2001, at which point the graphics were still a cut above what came out on most consoles. By now, however, the game is dated... but you know what? It doesn't bother me. This is one of those games that ages well. I would put it in the same category as say Age of Kings or really any of those older games that are timeless classics. The gameplay is just so simple, yet deep that it is always fun to pick up and play; it is not merely a product of its time, a lot of thought went into making this title and making sure it was enjoyable. That much is clear. Everything just *Feels* right, which is surprising for such an old title. Ok, some controls will need to be changed to feel natural, but that won't take more than a minute. It's a beautifully crafted game. The later thief games (i'm looking at you, Deadly Shadows) while still very fun games in their own right, just don't feel as fluid - they somehow feel sluggish and boring. This one, by contrast is just the perfect pace. If you like stealth games, try it. If you like old games, try it. If you usually don't like old games, just see if you can get it on sale and try it out, I can't promise you won't be disappointed, and yes, the graphics aren't modern (obviously) but this game is a true gem. It's challenging, but not frustrating; it's beautifully tense, but not exhausting; it's simple, yet complex; it's old, but let me tell you, it's gold.

When the demo of this came out, I was a young teenager, playing on a computer with really low stats. I almost couldn't even run the game. Load screens took an average of 7-10 minutes, and my fps was horrendous. Nevertheless, I sunk about 40 hours into the demo. After I got a little money I was able to buy the full original (not gold) version and sunk in over another hundred hours. It was the best game I had ever played. My brother and I reminisced often about the "old thief game" and how we would like to play it again. Also enjoy talking about the new Thief 4 game coming soon. Now, over a decade later, I was ecstatical to see that these games are still available. My computer runs them with no problems. Only problem is I can't see the intro movies, but the cut scenes work fine. As for the game I believe that music creates environment. Yes the graphics are old, but this game proves that the story/environment trumps graphics every time. This game just has an eerie feel to it. You are the only one you can rely on, and the setting is very hostile. The voice-overs are well done, and the enemies are smarter than your average "I will search for you for 20 seconds after finding a body and give up."; Last night I had a guard spot me and he grabbed some buddies and I spent 10 minutes hiding in the shadows before they gave up. To get the best experience out of this game I recommend playing it on a harder difficulty, and not attacking anybody, nor letting anyone see you. If you try the jump out of the shadows approach and yell "Have at thee!" You very likely will end up on the worst end of the fight, plus it takes the hold-your-breath the guard is right next to you experience. TDP may not be my favorite game anymore, but it is close to the top. It is my favorite stealth game however. It beats out other greats like Tenchu, Hitman, and Deus Ex in my opinion. On top of all that, it's only 10 bucks. Look on ebay and compare prices for TDP gold and you will see that you are saving quite a bit. Thanks to GOG for having this game on their lists, and making it function for current computers. I have yet to play Thief 2, but I purchased it also. Thief Deadly Shadows was also great fun, and I hope to see it on this site as well. Can't wait to see if Thief 4 comes out this year! Overall I give the game 5/5 stars of sneaksie fun. Over a decade old and still fun today. Downloaded it last night and played for 5 hours. Highly recommend it.

I just finished this game for the first time and all i can say is, that it is awesome. It is one of few very good stealth games out there. The game still plays very good and you can barely feel its age. The graphics are still fine. The only thing, wich is a bit clunky, is the close quarter combat. But this isn't big problem, as your target is to avoid combat as good as possible. Another strange thing is, that the dark areas, where your enemies can't see you, are too bright. As a result it looks a bit ridiculous, when someone stands 2 meters in front of you and can't see you, because you are sitting in the shadows. Otherwise the game is flawless. It loads extemely quick (as an old game should on a new computer) and i couldn't find any bugs. Here a summary of mechanics in the game: -You can kill your enemies with a sword or make them unconscious with a cudgel -For your bow you get different types of arrows. Eg: Water arrows (extinguishes fires), rope arrows (puts a climbable rope on ceilings and walls), gas arrows (neutralises enemies) and several other types of arrows. -You also have some special equipment like flash bombs and mines. -Closed can either be opened with a key or lockpicks (not all doors) -The material of the floor is very important, as it determines how loud your steps are. On carpet you can run without people noticing you. On marble you can't even sneak properly. I recommend this game for all fans of stealth games.

I wish I had played Thief when it was new, but this review isn't critical because of the game's age. Once patched, it does not suffer from any of the usual issues with old video games -- if anything, it benefits from a truly unapologetic approach to stealth gameplay that has been abandoned in recent years in favor of playability. This game is hard, and that is great. But I wish its creators had had more courage in their convictions and more faith in their content. The first mission is a classic. Infiltrate the manor, avoid the guards, pickpocket keys, find the scepter, blackjack the guard, and escape, doing it all again only in reverse (if you're playing on higher than Normal difficulty). The format for an introductory stealth mission hasn't changed much since the original Thief. It just works. But then, immediately thereafter, you are tossed into an abandoned mine filled with zombies. Zombies. In a stealth game. It doesn't work in Metal Gear Solid V and it doesn't work here. By the end of the mission you are back in familiar territory, dodging (randomly!) patrolling guards and completing traditional jailbreak objectives, but the damage is done. Third mission starts in a mausoleum. You guessed it, more zombies. Then bile-spewing lizards? At the end of the day, I just find the built-in campaign in Thief boring. I appreciate the well designed stealth mechanics, atmospheric levels, and deep lore, but I don't understand why I am bothering to hide, and that is painful. I think the designers did a great job with the limited memory they had available, but levels still often boil down to finding the long linear route with few enemies or toughing out the short linear route with many enemies. There are thousands of fan-created levels that take what Looking Glass created and polish it to a lustrous, unreflecting black, and the game is worth a look just for those, but I am heartbroken to find that the out-of-the-box experience in Thief is fairly dull.