Myst is an immersion experience like no other. It will challenge you and test your patience on so many levels. The game is designed so well (and not every part of that design was intentional as the creators have freely admitted) that it is simply un-repeatable in any other attempt. If you have never played Myst (you must be very young, or have lived under a rock for twenty years) please don't bother speculating on whether to spend your time playing the game, just play it.
Having played all four titles in the series numerous times, Thief: Deadly Shadows easily stands as one of the better ones. Here's why: The player mechanics are smoother than Thief II or I, which I think helps you greatly when it comes to actually being STEALTHY. You want to do things quickly and efficiently, because if you don't someone is going to find you and kill you. Maybe I was just terrible at Thief II and I, but I found this one easier to actually control. The other gigantic plus to this game that adds a huge level of immersion is the ability to go pretty much almost anywhere you darn well please and steal the crud out of people. It's immensely enjoyable. The main story is strong enough, but having the ability to free roam and do your own thing in between missions is super gratifying. You don't have rope arrows this time around, but you have other means to climb (i won't name how not to spoil it for you). And trust me, you can climb ALL OVER the city. Yes, you are also missing the ability to swim. Doing this in Thief I and II was indeed fun, but the missions in this title don't call for it. Honestly I was too busy having a good time to notice. And then there is the atmosphere of the whole game, which I call 'Thiefy-ness:" which is a certain mood or tone that the series first provided in Thief I and II. It's the sense that you are playing a stealth game, and you buy into, and believe that illusion. When you were having a ball back in 1998 in Lord Bafford's Manor in the first game, and you felt that thrill that you were actually in a place you shouldn't be and stealing things that belonged to big powerful nobles, and there was danger and excitement, and even fear, you were experiencing "Thiefy-ness." This is the reason you play these games in the first place, and although Thief: Deadly Shadows is not the crown achievement in the series it pretty much stands right next to it shaking its hand.
That pretty much sums it up. Even, what, 14 years later i cannot get tired of this game. The reason being is that it everything that was exciting about the first Thief and ran like the dickens with it. In the right direction. The game world is believable and fully fleshed out. And leaves alot for you to explore, or not explore as you choose. It's incredible. Enjoy the ride, you might want to play through it more than twice.
This is a game that demands your time and focus. Levels are massive, extremely detailed, and dark. The added missions in this version are quite good and help balance out a game that has a heaveir supernatural element to it than its predecessor. Yep, It's a stealth game. It's not hard to know what that means. I'm sure you've at least played somewhat of a stealth game, as there are many good ones out there. And many different kinds of stealth games. The cool thing about Theif, is that it is all in the First Person, and it really makes you feel like you are THERE. You are in the shadows lurking through the halls of a medieval-steampunk castle, avoiding grumpy, angry, and sometimes drunk crusty medieval-steampunk guards. Along the way, you find loot, but you also find lots of notes that not only give you hints about where to go, what to do, but also enchance and deepen the story of the game, which is so darkly un-sentimental, gritty, and at times, terrifying, that you will forget that you live in 2013 and there is no such think as a Gas Arrow. It's a great game. It has it flaws, but the development team had no idea how the zombies were going to be received so we can't fault them for that. They made the corrections, and put them in Theif II, which has you sneaking around humans mostly. Play this first though. Have a taffing good time, and don't quit playing at the haunted cathedral.
I first played this when it came out back in the 90's, and I remember wondering why it wasn't more "exposed", by which i mean, why wasn't it on a bunch of advertisements, and why weren't people clamboring to buy it, because it's a very very good game. I was about 14 or 15 when i was first playing it so i scared me crapless. 10 years later, no, it doesn't scare me, but that doesn't mean it isn't fun to play. Just try and make sure you don't hole yourself up in your room and play it for two days straight like i did.
