I enjoyed Thief 4 (SPOILERS + POLL)

[BFG10K]

Introduction
I picked up Thief 4 for cheap (base game, no DLC) and recently finished it after 31 hours of gameplay. I played all side missions and attempted to find all loot and secrets, though I didn’t replay any levels. I also played Predator style except where non-stealth resulted in mission failure.


Positive
From an aesthetic standpoint I enjoyed the beautiful graphics, art direction, and the meticulous attention to detail in levels. My favorite levels were Northcrest Manor and The Keeper Ruins. Also the Asylum was very reminiscent of Shalebridge Cradle.

I'm a fan of the game's hub system which lets you explore the city freely, like the third. The city areas are much more substantial, as are the side quests. It's also good that missions (main, side, client) have additional objectives (e.g. knock out X opponents, stay undetected, etc.), but these are generally optional.

Exploration is always encouraged to get loot and unlike most games, the economy doesn’t collapse at the end, so finding loot is always worthwhile. I didn't have anywhere near enough gold to buy everything on the first play through, but the game has freeplay when it ends, so you can replay any mission to get more loot and continue upgrading your character.

I liked using the eye ("sense") to find the lines for traps and electronic locks, and for finding suitable surfaces for rope arrows. Speaking of which, many people complained about rope arrows only working on roped wooden surfaces (think Tomb Raider 2013), but I actually used them far more than the first two games, so this implementation worked for me.

I used takedowns extensively and I particularly enjoyed aerial take downs, Riddick style. Also if you score an exceptional headshot (e.g. right through the eye socket) you get Fallout/VATS style slow-motion where you see the arrow spinning through the air before it impacts.


Improvements
I didn’t find the bow to be as satisfying as the first three games (the third was best). I think part of the reason is that arrows fly straight and not parabolic. Also the aiming reticle is small and gets even smaller as you line up the shot, so this obscures the head area for distant targets. This is especially an issue for helmeted opponents which won’t one-shot die if you don’t hit flesh. I also found the arrow capacity is quite stingy even when upgraded, and there isn’t a good supply of arrows in the environment if you’re spending money on character upgrades.

Backtracking in the city hub was sometimes needless and wasn’t always obvious which was the fastest path, or if side missions were available. They should’ve implemented fast travel to the safe zones, or at least a pop up in your journal when side jobs are available, and where. Also the windows that transition city hub areas should’ve been more obvious by glowing a non-blue color.

On occasion you had to climb surfaces (e.g. pipes, ledges, etc.) in third person “Tomb Raider” style. I felt this was out of place and would’ve been better off staying in first person.

And finally, the end cut-scene: I get they were setting things up for sequels, but it was far too short after investing 31 hours in the game. They should’ve added something with the Thief Taker General pledging revenge (or his successor taking over, if you killed him), and also something with the Baron.


Conclusion
I enjoyed this as much as the first two games, though I think the third is the best. It actually seems more like a distant sequel rather than a reboot given I got the feeling the new Garrett is actually a descendant of the original. The game also dropped repeated hints that Keepers, Builders, and Pagans are part of a by-gone era (“old gods”).

 

[tidy]

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[BFG10K]

Did they come through on their pre-release promise to completely strip the game of QTEs?

The gameplay footage I've seen reminded me a bit of Dark Messiah. If you've played Dark Messiah, is it very similar? Dishonored was the spiritual successor to Dark Messiah I guess, but I'm not interested in their "unique art style", so I was hoping Thief 4 might be a substitute.

There were no QTEs, but there were rare sections that had a time limit and required you to reach a certain area within a certain time (e.g. when the bridge was burning & collapsing).

But those were just moving with the usual modifers (e.g. jump, grapple, sprint, etc.). So really it was normal character control but with a time limit added, instead of just being required to press arbitrary keys.

I plan on picking up Dark Messiah and Dishonored in the future as I've not played either.

 

[BFG10K]

OK, so apparently I now have a bank to rob.

I don't normally buy individual DLCs that I consider should've been in the base game, but given I paid less than $5 for the game, an extra 99 cents isn't going to break the bank (pardon the pun). :awe:

 

[BFG10K]

I finished the Bank Heist; it gave an extra hour's worth of gameplay, so it was definitely worth 99 cents. I got all the loot but I did get detected several times.

Security cameras aren't found anywhere else in the game, so it gives it a bit of a Thief 2 vibe.

 

[MeldarthX]

Thief is my favorite; but I really do like new Thief...it was a lot of fun

 

[IVIX1]

I really liked your thoughts here. I am very torn as to whether or not to tell people that they'll like the game. I am torn because its hard to decipher if you're talking to someone that had expectations from the Looking Glass games or someone that will take it(or any game) on its own merits. I finished the game on Master difficulty in about 38 hours myself, and like you I very much enjoyed the art direction and meticulous detail given to the environments. I could find myself very involved in the game alot of times because of the dreary, oppressive sensation that the environments created. That is until I went to a window, or a "button mashing" loading section. Those really,entirely, would break and ruin almost all immersion that was created via the game's queit and somber atmosphere(imo). The story, though not groundbreaking or even very new was ok-sufficeint. I could see where they tried to incorporate older thief games' stories. By that I mean that when I was playing through Thief 2 in one section(that i offhandedly remember at the time of writing this) there are journals that elude to the brothel, and other various texts which reference ideas used in the story for the newest game.

The game is good, but seemed to lack overall direction which could have made it much better, more fluid, and seamlessly-like the original games. The similarities felt shoehorned at times because the newest Thief only scratches the surface of the depth the previous games offer.

Overall ON ITS OWN MERITS I'd recommend the game. But to those expecting anything similar to some of the greatest PC games ever made, you could be let down. But myself, in the climate that we gamers find ourselves in now, and with the utter simplified/trash-games that seem to inhabit huge marketing budgets, and forced reviews giving amazing ratings, I found Thief(2014) to be a pretty decent time. I agree with most all of your post, and I don't know that my contribution to your thread has any meaning besides just adding another viewpoint.

For the price it goes for now people, give it a try(without judging it relative to the originals)...

 

[cmdrdredd]

I liked it but I didn't have much in the way of expectations going in. I played it like a stealth game and wasn't that disappointed. The story was a bit wonky but not a terrible game.

 

[tidy]

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[makwy2]

While I haven't had the opportunity to play this game yet it has surprised me how negative and vicious game reviewers have been to it. It seems that an unusually high standard and a great deal of nostalgia have really skewed reviewers minds but people who came into the game without playing previous Thief games enjoyed it but some complained it was a little short for paying "full" price. I got this for under five dollars as well... so, I hope it will live up to your excellent review.

 

[BFG10K]

I agree with most all of your post, and I don't know that my contribution to your thread has any meaning besides just adding another viewpoint.

Actually your contribution was extremely worthwhile and I wish more people would chime in like you did. :thumbsup:

It seems that an unusually high standard and a great deal of nostalgia have really skewed reviewers minds but people who came into the game without playing previous Thief games enjoyed it but some complained it was a little short for paying "full" price.

I ended up getting 31 + 1 (Bank Heist) = 32 hours. This easily rivals the length of the first three games. The game is not lacking content by any stretch of the imagination.

Meticulous exploration is encouraged to get loot because there's no way you can afford all of the upgrades in a single play-through. All that exploration then shows off the careful detail put into the levels, especially the city hubs. The city hubs could be classed as missions unto themselves because they have so much to explore.