Before the later games turned UT in a bloated, feature-creep inflicted mess, UT 1 was utter perfection. Great selection of maps, great graphics, great weapons, finely tuned balance, easily modded, it was as close to perfect as multiplayer could be. In the day you could find any sort of game mode to play with lots of players, and if you had a high ping like I did bcak then, you played alone versus extremely well written bots. Still great today I'm sure.
First and foremost, the ending SUCKS. Yes, I'll put it out right there: it will leave you hanging and six years later us fans have not had the closure we deserved. The promised episodic gaming sequels never came about. They still may, according to the creators, but yeah right. Also, the stealth and action sequences are highly annoying and subpar. Aside from that? Gorgeous, great voice acting, great story, great music, six years later it's still haunting and easy to remember its great sequences. Well worth playing if you don't mind the problems.
While Thief Deadly Shadows is decidedly different from Thief 1 and 2 (different engine, different team, third person and first persons versus just first person and on and on) it's not a bad game. The changes offended longtime fans: Unreal engin instead of Dark, a new third person mode in addition to the first person mode, an open world to explore between missions, and on and on. But what counts is that the writers were Thief pros and the story is great, it fulfills all the hopes of ending the trilogy in a satisfying manor while also serving up tense stealth gameplay and one particular mission well regarded as the scariest thing out there. Don't believe the haters!
One of the most unique and atmospheric first person titles of the last five years. Very creepy and scary. Bad shooter controls but still, worth it for the one of a kind experience and story.
IO would perfect the formula with Contracts and Blood Money, and vastly improve it with Silent Assassin, but it would never have arrived there without that first, extremely flawed attempt, Codename 47. I would not replay this for anything frankly, as it was a mess with some extremely poor execution, some overly hard levels, and some extremely bad levels (the jungle missions). Great series, wait for the later titles.
The initial setup of the restaurant is one of the most tense and amazing experiences in gaming history, and the unfolding mystery is fascinating. The "simon Says" gameplay is highly irritating but the rest of it's very fun..until the endgame when the game descends into rampant incoherency. It's still worth playing but that ending..wow.
It's by the same team that did one of the very hack n slashy Lord of the Rings titles for EA, and it's good but not exceptional. Fun, solid hacking, some light puzzling, and some good dialogue. It's worth playing if you're in the mood for that type of game.
What else needs to be said about the finest PC RPG ever released? The story will make you cry, laugh, and will move you in every direction like the best novel. the combat is innovative and intelligent, the companions and voice acting are unforgettable, and the setting one of a kind. If you play one PC game this year, play Planescape: Torment, it's that simple.
