Reviews

• gamedeal user

  Nov 1, 2021

  [h1] A fantastic end to an Amazing series [/h1] First of all I have to say I that I played this game using a mod called the sneaky upgrade, which does an amazing job at polishing the game. And as a result the real amount of time I've spent on this game won't show in steam. But by my guess it's well over 100 hours because I've beaten this game a total of 3 times. And I've enjoyed every run so far. But my review is for the game plus it's highly valuable mod. So my review doesn't apply to the original game. What can I say, this game takes you on one hell of a ride. It's immersive and full of tension and has one of the scariest levels of any game ever. More on that later but first the graphics and audio. The graphics are nice and polished thanks mainly to the mod. No complaints here. It just works and doesn't present any annoying distractions from the game. The sound as to be expected is also top notch and makes for a very ambient and immersive experiences. You play this game as a master thief so hiding and being sneaky all around is the way of the game. And the graphics and the sound helps achieve this. Just like with the first game, you start off things with basic thievery like robbing mansions but later on, drags you into quite an awesome plot with a satisfying ending to the trilogy. However you don't have to have played the original two games to enjoy the plot. It's great on it's own. You are once again a master thief called Garrett and you are tasked with missions that vary from robbing mansions to ones that are much more mysterious in nature. Eventually pulling you into a world saving plot like with the first game. I won't say much more than that about it in case I spoil it for you. What's next... I'll talk about the game play. The game is about being sneaky and stealthy while taking treasures. It's simple and beautiful in how it works much like with the first two games. You hide in shadows, take cover and when need be knock out enemies unconcious if you really have no other choice. The game rewards those who like to play games in a ghosting style. Where you try your best to be as untraceable as possible, never being detected by enemies. It might sound boring but it's actually amazing thanks to the extreme tension you will feel during the game. The graphics, the sound and the plot all help immerse you and is how the game comes to have so much tension. You will be seemingly made to care about not wanting to get caught in a natural and organic way. You will really come to care about Garette, his allies, his enemies and the game world in a way that will leave you utterly satisfied at the end. I won't go into plot details but it's something to be experienced by playing the game. That said there are critics of the game who complain about this game not being exactly like the original. But honestly I didn't mind it. Maybe that's because of the mod I played with. But so what. Modding is one of the benefits of playing games on a pc. The modding community can help games that are diamonds in the rough. I don't think my experience is any less valid because of the use of mods. In conclusion I give this game a solid 9 out of 10. It's a must play and has one of the creepiest and scariest levels in a game that should not be missed by anyone. Personally the end result for me makes this the best game in the series, Even more so than the first game and the first game is a masterpiece. Something about this just comes together very nicely and is helped by the previous titles in the series no doubt. I highly recommend this and you don't have to have played the first two games to enjoy this. Whenever I get the urge to revisit this series, sometimes I will do it in reverse order or mixed order. I hope you will give it a try and hope that you will enjoy it.
• gamedeal user

  Oct 11, 2014

  I bought this from a Gamestop back in 2004 as it is one of my Top 5 Games ever! Storyline: 10/10 Graphics: 09/10 (it's an older game now) Voice Acting: 10/10 Stealth gameplay: 10/10 Combat gameplay: 8/10 (ie. it's a stealth game) Overall: 9.4/10 Definitely recommended.
• gamedeal user

  Oct 11, 2014

  I write this on the basis of not having played previous Thief games in the series. However, Thief: Deadly Shadows proved itself a firm favourite and true classic on my list (I owned the game on disc when it was first released but had to re-purchase on Steam so it was compatible with my current PC). It's true that the graphics are now very obsolete compared to more modern titles - but it has been around for over ten years! - and I still have fond memories of exploring, stealing, sneaking, and eavesdropping. Garrett is perhaps one of the most memorable game characters and superbly voice-acted by Stephen Russell. Garrett's real strength lies, not in combat, but stealth, utilizing the shadows, and on occasion render troublesome guards unconscious with the blackjack. He's also in possession of dagger, although players favouring more a killing nature doesn't really have much bearing on the gamelay as it did in, say, Dishonored. The levels themeselves are extensive and credible; compulsive explorer players may desire to linger and search these sandbox-style maps to the full in order to collect 100% treasure. Such ill-gotten valuables are then sold to a fence and money can purchase useful tools and items to help Garrett in his adventures: flashbombs can be deployed in sticky situations, water arrows extinguish torches, oil flasks can cause guards to slip, noise arrows distract and misdirect guards....and many others handy for certain tight situations. The City itself is divided into several districts and offers a few (but not many) distractions from the main story; regarding side-quests, Deadly Shadows isn't on par with Deus Ex: Invisible War (even though they shared the same engine) and Garrett can only break and enter into about a dozen buildings, only a couple of which contain prized treasures. One particular level stands out as a ground-breaking piece of atmospheric story-telling: the chilling Shalebridge Cradle was regarded as a tidemark by Thief fans and became famous within gaming circles. The hairs on my neck stood on end thoughout the entire level! But there are a couple of niggles: one of which that Garrett can't swim despite it being possible for him to fall into water proved a frustrating possibility. With later games catering to more aquatic-capable characters, such as Deus Ex, Assassin's Creed II onwards, GTA San Andreas, Dishonored, even the recent Thief title,(sometimes swimming was actually an option or requisite to a particular mission in these games), here Deadly Shadows stumbles on the credible side. Alternatively, I would have preferred an 'invisible forcefield' keeping Garrett safe on the pier. Admittedly, not entirely plausible for world immersion, but less frustrating. Another annoying gameplay issue would be broadhead arrows: these things should be lethal - yet, once alerted, sometimes it took about four of them to kill a guard. I can understand one wound enraging an enemy, but surely a second would cause them to have second thoughts and retreat hastily from the scene? It would have been more fun and plausible having a bloodied guard stumbling about alerting colleagues, forcing Garrett into hiding once more. The main story itself concerns an imminent period of darkness about to engulf the City. It's up to Garrett to explore locations in a bid to uncover clues and fulfil counter-measures in order to prevent this from happening. Cutscenes are excellent affairs explaining the plot as it thickens and motives behind each mission. Garrett himself (Stephen Russell) regales the player with a determination, as if talking to himself but steadying the nerves. Although an old game, it's one that has aged well for veteran gamers with fond memories, and guaranteed to return now and again to sample such a fine brew. One very important tech note: this game has serious bug issues with new PC models and Windows 10. The one I experienced was lockpicking that first door during the turtorial - both items and weapons become locked, but the lockpicking animation doesn't appear. Garrett is frozen for a moment before reverting back as if nothing has happened. It also meant I couldn't progress. And I say 'meant' as in past tense - and it should be easily resolved by opening your graphics processor suite (mine is an AMD Radeon setup, which I can access by pressing 'Alt' and 'R', although it could well be different for gamers with a different setup). In the suite, I went into the 'gaming' tab, where I have all my installed games, and then selected Thief Deadly Shadows. On the left-hand side is a list of options: click on 'Chill' (or whatever that option would be called regarding FPS for other setups). This then brings up two bars: 'minimum fps' and 'maximum fps'. They both seemed to be on '75' and '140' respectively by default - way too high for an old game like Thief Deadly Shadows! I then brought both these down to '60'. I then went into the game....and was so relieved when Garrett finally went into lockpick mode! I hope this helps other Thief gamers :)
• gamedeal user

  Nov 11, 2014

  I had been given this game when it came out in 2004 when i was a kid. And I got the other Thief games like 1 and 2 years earlier. Me and my sister played it everyday no joke. Everyday. She beat it at least 25 times literally. It was the scariest game i had ever played and still is. I bought it on steam just to play it again and relive my childhood! One of my most favorite games ever!
• gamedeal user

  Jan 4, 2023

  Dear prospective purchaser, This game perfectly fits into the thief series once it's been --->EASILY<--- fixed. Please feel free to completely, and I mean COM-PLETELY, ignore all the dunces on this review page whining about third party software being required. Let's discuss why they're silly: "This game requires third party software to run correctly! How unfair!" Yep, most games from the earlier days of 3D implementation have problems with newer windows operating systems, etc. Could and should steam warn you about that on the store page? Absolutely, but 2 minutes of research would tell you all about these problems and that they are essentially ELIMINATED by the sneaky upgrade. "That third party software comes from a WEIRD site that could contain TOOOONS of viruses!" Moddb, the site where you'd probably get this from, has been around for twenty years. TWENTY. That is not to say it is inherently trustworthy because of that, just that information on the site itself is and its trustworthiness is EASY to find and verify. And what do you think, all these people that are telling you it(the sneaky upgrade) fixes the game are just trying to get you to download something detrimental; come on.... "Steam should include it with the game!" Uh...they didn't create nor do they own the upgrade. That would be stealing? They could spend time reverse engineering the thing and creating their own for a game that is from 2004, or....OR... they could NOT include it and rely on you to do 5 minutes of searching and downloading. That seems pretty prudent from them for a game they simply bought the rights to sell; they probably have zero desire to go messing around in the code from a game this old, think about it. And there you have it. It might take you longer to configure the sneaky launcher than to download both it and the game(but that's fun stuff: configuring the game settings EXACTLY how you want it). Once again, pay no heed to the dunces that had no idea what they were buying. TL:DR = Yup, this game is probably useless to you without the sneaky upgrade, but it is easy to find and totally safe to download from Moddb. *Most* of its settings really don't even need to be messed with, either; had the game running perfectly(in ultrawide, no less, without having to touch display settings!) within 10 minutes of deciding to buy.
• gamedeal user

  Dec 23, 2014

  Built a high end gaming computer, put nearly 30 hours into a 10 year old game. I'm an idiot. 10/10
• gamedeal user

  Jan 18, 2015

  Still better than the new Thief game.
• gamedeal user

  Sep 12, 2015

  [h1][b]SO, YOU WANT TO BE A THIEF?[/b][/h1] For those who do not mind the dated visuals--which is to be expected of a game from this era and, in my opinion, is part of the charm--the inky gloom of the City and its resident oddballs is sure to leave a lasting impression. The world is positively dripping with atmosphere. In its vanilla state, [i]Deadly Shadows[/i] is quite fun. However, due to issues related to playing a dated game on a modern platform, it is not outstanding. Expect bugs. Enter: the unofficial [i]Sneaky Upgrade[/i] patch, a mod which catapults this early 2000s stealth gem to new heights. With a few simple tweaks in the pre-launch menu, the City Watch will be capable of spotting Garrett's beady eye in the deepest, dankest dark before the player can shout "Azkaban". [url=http://www.moddb.com/mods/thief-3-sneaky-upgrade/downloads] Thief 3 Sneaky Upgrade [/url] [h1][b]TRIVIA TIME[/b][/h1] - [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5VNqrQR1BE] [i]Thief 3[/i] boasts some of the most hilariously oddball NPC chatter in gaming history [/url] - Garrett is voiced by Stephen Russell, AKA Corvo Attano in [i]Dishonored 2[/i], the Mister Handys in [i]Fallout 3[/i] and [i]Fallout 4[/i], Nick Valentine in [i]Fallout 4[/i], and a slew of NPCs in [i]Skyrim[/i] (Markarth's Cidna Mine quest, anyone?) - [i]Silent Hill 1&2[/i] fans, rejoice! In the final hours of the game, there is a somewhat drastic shift in pace. The game's atmosphere transitions from "street dark" to "there is now a spot on my underpants" dark. Prepare for an expertly-paced audio/visual thrill and a masterpiece in level design which would later influence modern jump-scare heavyweights like [i]Outlast[/i]. [h1][b]QUESTIONS & ANSWERS[/b][/h1] [h1]Q: How long would it take me to complete the game?[/h1] Depends on the difficulty and playstyle. A first-time playthrough will probably take between 10-15 hours. [h1]Q: Are there shellfish?[/h1] In the game? No. Not that I am aware of. [h1]Q: Can I worship you?[/h1] I'd rather you didn't. [h1][b]TL;DR: Thief III: Deadly Shadows > Thief (2014)[/b][/h1]
• gamedeal user

  Jul 1, 2017

  Spoiler-Free Review Thief: Deadly Shadows was a game that I went into with high standards but low expectations. I loved the first two Thief games. The third I expected to be consolized, watered-down experience that wouldn't do the series justice. I'm happy to say that I was pleasantly surprised, and as the game went on, familiarly exhilarated. Everything I loved about Thief was intact. The mechanics are smooth, the AI is just as familiar. The oppressive, dark atmosphere still hangs over all locales. The graphics liven up the settings, as well as the inhabitants of the City. The stylized cut-scenes are again present, the story fits the series lore, and even many sound effects are taken from the other Thief games. What I was most impressed with, however, was how the game still controlled like the first two games. The Dark Engine used for the first two games is a beautiful, wonky, archaic, one-of-a-kind engine. Thief 1 and 2, and System Shock 2 as well, have a distinct control and floatiness to them. I thought the simple fact that Thief: Deadly Shadows wouldn't be using the Dark Engine would massively take away from what made playing Thief feel like playing Thief. But to my surprise, Thief: Deadly Shadows runs on the only engine that rivals the Dark Engine's wonkiness: Unreal Engine 2. Unreal 2 is the only engine in 2004 that would've been capable of preserving the feel of Thief. Those Havok physics that don't quite make sense, leaving everything a tad slow and floaty, end up perfectly, if even unintentionally, preserving Thief's feel perfectly. I loved it. There are a few new features in Thief: Deadly Shadows. I don't want to spoil anything, but there are items old and new. The world sits more like a hub, with places to sell stolen loot and buy items and arrows between missions. While some may find the hub hard to get used to, I ended up likening the hub to its own mission, familiar and simple, between the more unique missions in other locations. The last big feature worth mentioning is the third-person view. It is a toggle and completely ignorable for the purists, but I found it unintrusive and useful. I preferred to play in first-person the way that I was used to, but being able to look around corners, get better views, and even just ground Garrett in the world around him I found very enjoyable. To be able to see Garrett in more than just cut-scenes helped me more connect with the character as he mumbled his comments throughout the gameplay. Altogether, this game is a very worthy entry in the series. It upholds all that makes Thief great, and successfully makes the experience fresh. I recommend it to all Thief fans. If you've never played any Thief games, I highly, highly suggest starting the series chronologically. While I believe you'd still appreciate the game without playing the first two, Thief: Deadly Shadows is in fact the third game in the original Thief trilogy. The game treats itself that way as well. The game, in form, mechanics, and especially story, is very noticeably built atop its predecessors, and it should be appreciated that way. Happy Playing.
• gamedeal user

  Feb 15, 2018

  Ton of fun. Not as good as Thief: The Dark Project or Thief: The Metal Age, but it's a damn load better than that Square Enix crap. Buy this instead of Thief 2014.