Enemy A. The first time I played the game on the easiest level, the guards were about as smart and predictable as they ever were in previous games. Crank up the difficulty, though, and your enemies gain the equivalent of spider senses, able to hear the slightest noises, relentlessly tracking down anomalies like missing items or blood, and in general creating very credible challenges for the Master Thief.
I knew I was in trouble the moment I accidentally moved a chair half an inch and a guard in the next room rushed in to check on the noise.
Players who can beat the game at its highest levels of difficulty might want to consider applying for a job with the CIA -- or Batman. Gameplay is divided up into linear level missions with a list of goals Garrett has to achieve and loot he has to acquire, and a new section -- the city streets -- where gameplay is more freeform.
The linear levels are great, easily the equivalent of any of the best in previous editions, and far better than some of the clunky zombie missions in the first game or the horrible endgame level of Thief 2. In fact, the big zombie mission in Deadly Shadows, a ship crewed by undead that Garrett has to sneak aboard, turned out to be far more fun than I was expecting. The street levels, on the other hand, rapidly became an annoying obstacle course that I ended up running through while trying to get to my next mission.
The idea was good: sneak around an open city, finding opportunities to burgle houses, mug citizens, pick pockets, and sell your loot at one of several fences that operate within "Red Hand" districts. In execution, however, I found that actually burglarizing and mugging people and spending any time at all on the street quickly sent the entire region into an uproar that I just couldn't avoid.
Once the "Faction" system kicks in and I saw the streets teeming with Hammerite soldiers, Pagan killers, and the City Watch -- all of whom were hunting just for me -- the city street levels stopped being fun. There's also the unfortunate concession to developing simultaneously on the PC and Xbox: level divisions. During the game, many of the levels are divided by fog-filled doors that signify loading zones.
This leads to a number of annoyances. First, it means that levels are much smaller than they could be, resulting in a tight and claustrophobic feeling to the game that previous editions never had. There's no Deadly Shadows equivalent to the brilliant and huge rooftop missions of Thief 2, and they're sorely missed.
Second, moving from one area to another freezes time in the section you've left. If you duck out of one area, neatly avoiding four Pagan daggers, those daggers will still be falling when you return, making for some nasty surprises or long, circuitous routes to avoid it. Third, load times, while not that long I didn't clock any at longer than 15 seconds , are still annoying -- especially when they're totally unnecessary and unwelcome on the PC.
One interesting aspect of the game is that unlike previous Thief games where Garrett like main characters in most FPS games was just an arm with a weapon, the new Garrett in Deadly Shadows is a real, 3D character. Even when playing from first-person perspective, the game continues to animate and manipulate Garrett's body. This contributes to head bob as the game works to keep your perspective aligned with where Garrett's actual head is.
It also contributes to a slight delay in response time as the game's engine reacts to commands by setting a series of animations in motion that take more time than most FPS or Thief fans are used to. Whether this is an issue with the game or not is dependent on whether or not a gamer can get used to both of these elements, as they can't be turned off. I eventually got used to it and it didn't detract from my enjoyment of the game, but your mileage may vary.
Finally, there's the two strongest aspects of the game: sound and story. The Thief series has always been groundbreaking when it comes to sound, and this edition is no exception. The game's sound effects are stunning: directional audio, EAX, reverberations, and all the other technical bells and whistles the dev team tossed in certainly do their job.
Deadly Shadows creates a soundscape that simply must be heard to be appreciated. The creak of footsteps, whispered voices in another room, and the crackle of fire all sound exactly as you'd expect them too and the direction where they're coming from gives the player vital information that's key for any would-be thief who wants to live to spend Garrett's loot.
Special mention must be made of the voices -- all of them are brilliant, especially Stephen Russell, whose voice so embodies world-weary character of Garrett that it's virtually impossible to imagine anybody else in the role. Directional sound does lead to one unexpected problem in third person, though. Playing with this view and swinging the camera to an angle that's not directly behind Garrett's head doesn't change the directions of the sounds the game plays.
They continue to be produced as they're originating from Garrett's position, not the player's view. That means that if the camera is pointing directly at Garrett's face, a footstep to Garrett's right will be produced to sound that way.
Unfortunately, from that perspective, Garrett's right is the player's left. This caused me to run in the wrong direction more than once. Storywise, this is another strong entry in the series. Garrett's world is a fascinating place where science and industry, in the persons of the fanatical religious sect called the Hammerites, are waging a constant war with their deadly foes, the Pagans, bloodthirsty adherents of the old forest gods and the last refuge of magic.
Maintaining the balance between them are the Keepers, master manipulators and Garrett's personal scourge. This time out, we get a more detailed look at the internal politics of the Keepers and find out they're not as neutral and detached as we've been led to believe.
As with previous games, Deadly Shadows story is played in fascinating snippets of overheard conversation, stylish cutscenes, and book and scroll excerpts. It's also full of the moral ambiguity, deadly betrayals, and shocking twists that are a hallmark of the series. Bravo for game writer Terry Brosius!
Deadly Shadows is yet another example of my frequently made -- though usually unlistened to -- point that good writing is one of the keys to a good game. As this is the first Thief game from Ion Storm, it was perhaps too much to expect that it would move the franchise forward. Indeed, it's a credit to the developer that, despite the game's problems, it still managed to craft a title that's at least equal to any of the old Looking Glass games. He will have to stop the attack of the Dark Age and fight the Guardian, the creature who created the Order.
If he does so, he will stop the Prophecy and restore balance in the universe. The deadly witch Gamall has numerous security. The process takes place from a third-person perspective. This part includes a new lighting system with the ability to switch perspectives. The artificial intelligence of opponents has been improved, they began to use all the abilities and more strain the user. The player will walk through the South Quarter, the starting area where the protagonist grew up. Here, the ward is able to acquire equipment and sell stolen materials..
Garrett uses a baton, and if you come up from behind, you can stun your opponent. Many opponents are too strong to engage in open combat, which is why the gameplay offers many options for getting around. The project itself was created in the stealth genre and basically the gamer will need to move unnoticed around the location and try not to be seen by opponents. You can open chests thanks to lockpicks or stolen keys. In addition to the club, the central character uses a dagger, medicinal drinks, bombs and arrows with water, fire and noise tips.
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