Thief 2014 Review - NuThief aka ThiefR aka WTF

How Could This Happen To Me
This game's a mistake
Got nowhere to run
The game goes on as I'm fading away
0:00 Background
3:42 A Story of Thieves and Takers
36:49 Gameplay
59:36 More Gameplay and Stuff
Music:
Bomberman 64 - Blue Resort
Castlevania 3 (NES) - Mad Forest
Vampire The Masquerade: Bloodlines - World Spirit Map
Vampire The Masquerade: Bloodlines - Santa Monica Main Theme
Mega Man X7 - Soul Asylum
Thief: Deadly Shadows - Keeper Library
Vampire The Masquerade: Bloodlines - Hollywood Main Theme
Mission Impossible - Piano Embassy
Thief 2: The Metal Age - Shipping and Receiving
Kirby's Dream Land 3 - Grass Land 3
Freelancer - Liberty Bar
Thief: The Dark Project - Down in the Bonehoard
Thief: Deadly Shadows - Curshock Temple
Duke Nukem 3D - Taking Names
Deus Ex - UNATCO
Disaster: Day of Crisis - One Hell of a Day
Mario Party 2 - Keepin' On the Path
Risen - Harbor City
Thief: The Dark Project - Assassins
Kirby's Dream Land 3 - Gass Land 4
Deus Ex: Invisible War - Trier Streets & Black Gate
Metal Gear Solid - Intruder (Deep within the Base)
The Last Story - Lazulis City
Pokemon Stadium 2 - Battle Preparations
Sources:
Trailer and Interviews:
Eurogamer
Networkworld
GameInformer
Pictures:
Google Images
thiefgame.fandom.com

[@TTTT-pn3ly]

Great video. Also I wanna to take a little, but very important note about Garret character in the original trilogy. He IS a human after all. We can see his fear when Trickster (heh) tricks Garret and "gives him a reward". Yes, our anti-hero is a professional thief, but not a mage that know how to kill or destroy ancient demons. Also we can see Garret's feelings in Thief Metal Age when he chooses to kill or not to kill innocent men. That's the most cruel thing in new Garret aka 2k14 that shocked me the most. "NEW" Garret doesn't react like a human being. He's impatient archetype with goth style, not much else.

[@Boxwood]

Garrett: It's not important how much you steal, it's important *what* you steal. Also Garrett the whole game: Takes every iron spoon he finds. Gameplay-wise the biggest complaint I have is the city. Not only is the city the most claustrophobia inducing and straight up illogical, but also these loading screens, and disguised loading screens (windows, which take 10 seconds to open, narrow passages with the same wooden plank), those things straight up destroy the sense of immersion and orientation. Story wise, yeah it's bs. Every dialogue between Erin and Garrett, well it seems like they both are in a competition to evoke the most cringe in the player. And we'll, they were both winning. Other than that, it's an okayish stealth game. It had its moments. Kinda wish the game didn't had much hand holding, more complex gameplay and more variety to it, then it would be kinda good. I enjoyed the city exploration and finding the hidden stuff. Some things I found seemed very precious or special, I felt like I was playing a thief game and not a kleptomaniac adventure game

[@uomoafide6539]

*1 hour video* Oh jee... better grab the popcorns for this one

[@gamefan987]

Actually we don't know if "old" Garrett died, you can find his eye in the asylum that he lost during an escape attempt.

[@crazyrabbits]

I have no idea if it's true or not, but there was a comment on another video where a user swore he saw a gravestone with Garrett's name (near the seer you visit early in the game?). Regardless, the plot is implied to take place hundreds of years after the original trilogy, so OG Garrett is dead regardless. God, what a festering mess of a plot.

[@paStLife463]

The atmosphere of this game is phenomenal and Really immersive. Had tones of fun playing it BUT the overarching story is sh"t I agree. That and the boring enemies. You never feel fear or dread like previous games. But the 'Thiefy' gameplay and Really gorgeous setting paired with interesting loot and some good missions saved the day for me .

[@Boxwood]

Very nice work!

[@crazyactable252]

Nice! Let's go!

[@deadspace4755]

A really impressive string of reviews, all the thief reviews(aside from Deadly Shadows as l haven't beat it yet) are spot on and useful. Both explaining the positives and negatives, almost like my experience in all thief games. Thief 1 and 2 are legendary and easily the most immersive game and as a first-person as well, its sound design kept me going but not just the sound design. It of a kind game and the true king of stealth. The problem with games recently and even after 2007, is that most games are either afraid of trying something new, copying others or doing the barely minimum, probably all of the above. Zero Punctuation explains the bland games well. On the part where you mentioned the little secret(1:14:07), that was a pretty excellent moment there. Sadly games are not what they used to be. Splinter cell for instance, just forgot everything for some reason, forgetting the successful formula and went the obligatory must-haves in a modern 'stealth' game. Linear maps, enemies that spot you instantly(or extremely fast) on a higher difficulty, no clear explanation on anything, (extreme)handholding(not the cute one), the game becoming a joke if you play it at lower difficulty, radar that is designed around the gameplay so if you disable it you're like a person going in a dark room with no light because the game is based around that MODERN GAME DESIGN. Hitman Absolution, games you mentioned, even Sniper elite 3. All of these modern game designs are BLAND and time-wasting on something you shouldn't be wasting time on, that is the keywords here, bland and time-consuming. Just watching your reviews, l say, l liked your style, impressive.

[@criticalbytes1739]

Thanks a lot for writing such a detailed comment. Personally, when it comes to modern games, I'm somewhat split 50/50. There are still some AAA titles that actually try to care about delivering a polished game, not a rushed, lackluster and often questionable product to be sold. On the other hand, those that are just nothing more than "products" become more and more obvious to the point of frustration, sometimes even becoming insulting in the process (C&C Rivals anyone?). I kind of feel the same way regarding the independent developers. Sometimes the scene manages to deliver magnificent games, things I can legitimately call "art in some way or another", but I regularily find myself attempting to enjoy the "others", without success. Personally and to be entirely honest, I'm not that hard to please. All I really want is a polished game that knows exactly what it wants to be and manages to achieve that with thought-out execution. Usually I experience the other side, a rushed product that only throws ideas against the wall and tries to appeal to everyone or in the game's attempt to be "unique", they loose a lot of the potential they could have had. Star Fox Zero, despite how much I personally may like the game, is a classic contender for this, though the Star Fox franchise as a whole is guilty of this with the exception of a few titles. I'd rather have a game like Metroid Dread or Black Mesa, games that know exactly what they are and what they want to be, instead of something like Hitman: Absolution or Sniper Elite 3. Overall, I agree with your statement, though I'm not sure if "bland" fully describes the situation, but to be honest, I can't think of a better word at this moment.^^

[@deadspace4755]

​@@criticalbytes1739 l am happy for your detailed response, it is something we all need so we can get our points across and helps when attention is centred on the details, even the most diminutive. Though l am also relieved that you got my message and wrote more, essentially going above and beyond my message like we are in the same frequency of communication. l have played a lot of games(PS1 through PS3) and PC of all kinds, even the weird ones or even 'lecherous ones. But not too many games to be considered a 'true gamer', l would say, 60-80% or 40-60%(if considering ALL GAMES) in my opinion(a very rough estimate). Growing up and getting busier with university, family and the personal war with thoughts that we all take part in, made me forget all the games l have played. Though l still remember the unique ones, the ones that kept me going through hours and kept me going back, ones that make me smile whenever l see any kind of context about them, ones that actually had life lessons in them, ones that told a story and kept me going even at the end and ones that actually gave you freedom(Player Agency). If you show me the front page of a game, l will remember and gladly tell you my memories, like searching a specific folder in Windows otherwise l won't be able to reminiscence. What l am trying to say is this, new games make me go back to the old ones(not to say all new games are bad, there is always an exception for everything and anything). l can't explain well in theory but l will try practical examples. Most games l have played, all kinds like mentioned above, just have me moving through really fast only to delete them after a short period, these 'most' games appear to me as 'bland' or to put it better(since l quickly give up on them), 'empty' even though they copy or reuse from other games. If you copy something but do not use it properly, it can have devasting consequences. It could be me with the picky behaviour but l doubt that is the case. To me, all these ' most' games , feel like an object and not a creation filled with love. A checklist to be completed mechanically, not completed with style ,legacy and love. As you play more and more games, you start to see through the patterns and it is not a coincidence that games start getting more soulless, hard to explain it, if you experience this feeling, you will understand. At the start of all this, it is clear that every user has a certain taste of things, some like pure action, others a more calm experience, others(like me) want to have player freedom(with their choices) and primarily character development with romance(oh romance). In my opinion, these are some secondary wants, as along the game makes you remember it(even years later), made you smile at the end stating " l liked this game, didn't made me feel l wasted my time" and caused you to return at some time later, l would say it is a well-developed game. [1]Games l personally liked got me going back to them. [2]Didn't cause me to suddenly give up and delete the game because of something in-game. [3]Didn't induce the feeling of a chore, producing a feeling that everything is tedious. [4]Didn't waste your time on things that are already tedious in our physical lives(instead of walking numerous times from A to B, have a shortcut. The same goes for HUD. l like to make my most used programs or folders accessed with shortcuts, l open Discord with Ctrl+ALT+D for example, done in an instant, no need to use mouse for a simple action) [5] Didn't hold your hand either too much or too little [6] And didn't personally insult you in some way, could be everything(a Broad and subjective topic but l hope you get my point. There are countless points to be presented and l don't want you or anyone to be more tired by reading this humongous text that may or not be just a complete waste of time. Games that still are in my thoughts recently are Alpha Protocol(!), Vampire Bloodlines, Metal Gear Solid 2 and 3(also MG 2 Solid Snake), Thief 1 and 2(l consider them as one), Hitman, Brother In Arms, Persona, Ace Attorney, Rome Total War 1 and contrary to popular belief, Artificial Academy 2(!) to name some. l stopped here because l would just keep going and it is unnecessary here, all l am trying to do is prove a point, give the semantic value and experience what others would say and analyze their answers. l mostly keep to myself, yet, in some situations, l get to express my views. It is obvious though, l did, do and will keep doing mistakes. l hastily think some things are absolute but in reality, they aren't. There is no clear or 'perfect' way for anything, it can be improved if you combine all the good things, nonetheless, nothing is perfect. It still feels like a childish dream, in the end, it does feel good being a child.

[@criticalbytes1739]

I completely get what you mean and don't worry, any well constructed or any opinion that had a lot of thought put into it is, in my opinion, never a waste of time and sharing those should (almost) always be encouraged from my point of view. The "almost" simply refers to the example of emergency situations etc. Thank you for writing your comment in such detail and length again, it must have taken a lot of time and this is a topic that I find fascinating personally. You pretty much summarized what you mean in a very clear-cut fashion and I found: [4th Paragraph] "To me, all these ' most' games , feel like an object and not a creation filled with love. A checklist to be completed mechanically, not completed with style ,legacy and love.", to be especially interesting. I don't have a ton to add to that, just that I think the word I was looking for previously is "passion". Even somewhat broken games like Alpha Protocol have a lot of charme, I still remember to this day how much fun I personally had during the disco-bossfight with "Turn Up the Radio" playing in the background, or how other characters react to the main character whenever he did a 180° turn in personality if you picked unusual dialogue options. Also despite not every element making "click" or mashing well together, one can still easily see the original intention and that despite their limitations, the devs did the best damn job they could during that time with the people that were there. Vampire the Masquerade launched a broken, buggy mess, but it had so much "soul" (ironic considering the universe) that the fans worked for YEARS trying to fix it for everyone else as well, resulting in a still-broken game, but one that is also extremely atmospheric, has very smart writing that doesn't insult your intelligence and is both hilarious, as well as horrifying at times. And all the fans really did was fix the bugs and add one single (optional) shortcut. That's it as far as I remember, meaning the game around these technical problems was/is excellent as the features were implemented. Both those titles, and we can include even more (just as you said) all contain passion "with a hook". You can tell the developers put real thought into their work but due to one reason or another, it didn't grow into its potential, yet they still tried their best. However, when I look at "Madden 20whateverit'sthesamegamebutworsewhocares", then I don't see a product of art, of passion or the attempt to be anything but cash-grab garbage. By my personal experience, the developers of those games like Madden aren't interested in them either and just get their work-hours done, next to no emotional attachment. Of course, this doesn't mean that the developers have no passion, most of them (that work on projects like these) usually just don't work up any emotional attachment because they know it's not worth doing so for a lackluster product. Others do have passion, but get burned because of it but that, alongside its many variations in context, is a different issue though.^^ Overall, as you already suggested, it's a really complicated topic but one that should always be discussed, especially since discussions of: "Does this game has a soul?", can get really funny at times, in both good and bad ways. We are essentially dealing with a problem that has existed for thousands of years: What is art? How does one recognize art? How is art subject to criticism if everyone can see something different? This is my personal opinion: I don't think there is a definitive answer. So ultimately, the only choice left for us is to find out what people think of whatever the topic of context is. I think, whatever the "art" in question may be, there are always people out there who are better suited and those who aren't. Though if the context is combined with economics and the question of value (financially, philosophically etc. etc. etc.) then I would be opening up a can of worms that I don't have time dealing with right now. :D Once again, thank you for the detailed response, this is fun for me.^^

[@deadspace4755]

​@@criticalbytes1739 l find it fun as well, there is something about giving details that make better, extra points if you manage to explain details using analogies as an example. Something was bothering me about recent games and would like to know if you have noticed it already as well. The topic is about forcing certain messages on players through their games. Messages that scream 'pushed propaganda,pandering or agendas'. Messages that push certain things for the sake of pushing things while losing originality and interest within the game. Messages that are 'hot topics, politics or to prove a point with the worst possible way. Example: " Hey, l am a member of X group, l will show you that l am a member of it so unmistakably throughout the story, l expect you to respect it." or '"Being Y is not a bad thing, we should embrace being Y". Out of the sudden and out of place, l have never seen this kind of portrayal before in games. l sadly don't have proof(examples) of this but l remember witnessing games or watching others mention that is really happening. All of these "pushing agendas" feel like you getting an Email coupled with an advert of a seminar/meeting for something you're not even remotely interested in. In other words, the story in recent games, feel distorted and prove that the game has an ulterior motive. Maybe l am hyperbolizing this, maybe it is a few occurrences and nothing serious, maybe it is to try something new but l sense that is not in either case. Unrelatedly, have you played "Oni"? Oh, what a game it is, really reminds me of Alpha Protocol and Bloodlines in terms of original and intriguing concepts that we have never or really rarely experienced in combination with unforgettable story experience. l reminiscence it fondly, on the mission before the last, you're given a choice, the only choice in the game but the message it portrays there, while undergoing a lot of trials and tribulations, losing your precious only child friend and up against your father figure, is so beautifully crafted, it is a pure hint system under an objective, like your mind thinking before you act, carefully analyzing your consequences on each separate decision. The message or rather, the hint, was "Hint : Often the best demonstration of strength is mercy. Choose carefully!" It was like, speaking with your mind, don't know how to explain it. And if you give mercy, you perceive what happens without anyone telling or the game telling indirectly in other words. Most, if not all people(in the story) would expect you to kill him because of numerous reasons happening in the story but after giving mercy, you, as the player, sense like you went above and beyond. Despite being punished and losing everything, you chose not to be a monster, not to stoop to the level of the others that took everything from you. A small, maybe even a tiny choice but even the smallest can change everything, the tone, the message, everything. All in all, l appreciated the time to speak to someone who is in the same frequency. l am giving you blessings on your work and journey and will be watching your videos reviews/analyses with great interest.

[@criticalbytes1739]

@@deadspace4755 Once again thank you for writing a comment in such length.^^ Due to time constraints, I need to make mine shorter unfortunately. The "forced messages in games" or just simply "political propaganda" is a problem at the moment, but one that will end up killing itself. I'm not saying that all those games are bad or that they aspire to only sell you a political statement, but it's usually more effective to go the path of Deus Ex: Questioning all political conflicting ideologies and leaving the answer up to the player, instead of something like "oh my character is special and awesome because gender/sexual orientation", which will ultimately self-destruct on itself. In my opinion, the majority of humanity really doesn't like to be told how to live one's own life, and the sales of said games do reflect or will end up reflecting it, especially now that global economy moves more towards less employer-friendly means. Though that topic is a can of worms I'm not ready to open yet.^^ Although it could also go the other way, that the propaganda actually becomes halfway competent, but we're a long way off from that thanks to the work-environment structure of said companies and the people working on those games. The main issue, and the main point of argument is, in my opinion, the de-valuation of established or beloved properties to push political messages. Most often, in less than stellar ways. Right now, it is frustrating and sometimes infuriating, but the consequences are clear and have remained the same for years: After the diarrhea brain membrane products of idiots that think themselves smarter than they are, either they go bankrupt and someone else buys them up, or the bosses of said idiots get fundamentally angry at them and start to slowly sideline them in favor of actually (hopefully in the eyes of the employer) competent people that delivers the only two thing they're interested in: Money and Reception. Star Wars is a pretty good example of this right now. I have not yet played Oni, but it sounds fantastic. I'll put it on the list, though it looks like the playthrough will have to wait until next year, got my hands full at the moment. I would love to write more at the moment but can't. If I remember, I may add a bit more later and also once again, thank you for your support. :)

[@misterkefir]

Great work, dude. That was quite enjoyable, indeed. Cheers!

[@danieladamczyk4024]

This, this is good.

[@Eyclonus]

I have 20 hours in Thief 2014, don't ask why, I can tell that you could only make this with more hours than I. Just that alone is a horrifying idea. At this point in time, one of the harshest insults is to call someone a Starfield fan, but I feel even that ranks above a "Hitman Absolution fan" or "Thief 2014 Fan". Immersive Sims are rarely made, and of those even fewer are 'good', but the greatest rarity is to be something so truly bad as Abosolution or Thief 2014. For those who don't grasp how bad Hitman: Absolution is, take every stealth mechanic you know, and make them increase your risk of discovery instead of decreasing it.

[@mountainpepsi9991]

Okay, das wird jetzt etwas länger... Habe die letzten Tage deine Thief Videos geschaut und sie wirklich genossen! Bin echt froh, dass über diese Spiele immer noch geredet wird. Habe mir die alten Teile nochmal installiert und versinke grade wieder in Nostalgie. Danke dafür :D Jetzt zu Thief 4...oder wie immer man es bezeichnen möchte. Ich finde, dass das Spiel wirklich Potenzial hatte, hätte man sich auf ein vollständiges Reboot geeinigt anstatt auf diese seltsame Mischung zwischen Reboot und Sequel. Das Spiel hat ja eigentlich alles: Gute Grafik, guten Soundtrack und einen schönen Artstyle. Habe mir das Artbook gekauft und die Sachen, die da drinnen sind, hauen einen echt um. Schade nur, dass es ein Großteil davon nicht ins Spiel geschafft hat. Ich war überrascht, als ich in dem Video gehört habe, dass man herausfinden kann, was mit dem alten Garrett passiert ist. Ziemlich respektlos dem Charakter gegenüber und zudem sehr unglaubwürdig. Garrett hat es geschafft, einen Gottt zu bestehlen, und hat sogar Karras erledigt, aber klar, er endet als Versuchskaninchen in einem Asylum. Inzwischen liegt es, glaube ich an den Fans die Serie fortzusetzen. Arbeite daher momentan an einer kleinen Fanfiktion zu den alten Spielen :) Danke auf jeden Fall für diese wunderbare Unterhaltung, einen Abo hast du! PS: kennst du Thief 2X - Shadows of the Metal Age? Ist ein Fan Spiel im alten thief Universum. Sehr empfehlenswert!

[@criticalbytes1739]

Erstmal danke für das Lob und danke für Deine Zeit, den Kommentar zu schreiben. :D Vor allem hat er Karras in seiner eigenen Festung gelegt, die als undurchdrinbar galt... Aye, ich kenne T2X und habe es vor einigen Jahren auch durchgespielt. Ich erinnere mich nicht an viel bzw. ich bin unsicher ob ich es durchgespielt habe, aber ich weiß noch das ich es mochte. Vielleicht werde ich es nächstes Jahr nochmal mit T2X versuchen, mal sehen.^^

[@Roblofty]

It won’t have helped sales much given that there’s an active and extremely talented fan mission community on sites like Thiefguild.com. Why waste time on this garbage when I can get a much better fan mission (or even full campaigns occasionally) for free? Thief fans just didn’t need this game, they were already doing better themselves.

[@Kababalax]

You were "angered" @16:07 because the game was not a perfect sequel to a much older game in term of his character lol. The game was a reboot my friend. But I do agree with the fact that he is a hypocrite and an a-hole, well nobody is perfect.

[@criticalbytes1739]

No. I was "angered" because he is an unlikable and unenjoyable protagonist. I pull the original Garrett as a comparison BECAUSE this game is a reboot. Garrett from the old trilogy was an "a-hole" as well, but he still made for a much better main character. Also yes, this game is a reboot, I pointed that out at the very start of the video.

[@Rastrelly]

@Kababalax I'd make some argument in terms of "character writing in 1998 game *should not* be several stories better than in a 2014 blockbuster", or that this being a reboot (which it is not, by the way, it's a direct sequel to Thief 3) does not excuse fundamental failure on reflecting the key values of the series, or something like that... I'll just say - the game you are protecting is shit, lol.

[@crazyrabbits]

The plot probably would have made more sense if they stuck with their original plan (the game being a straight sequel to Deadly Shadows). As it stands, they tried to have it both ways -- these are ostensibly "new" characters, but there are enough continuity nods and references to the original trilogy that heavily imply this is a straight sequel. Blame the messed-up development cycle. If they had stuck to their guns (older and wiser Garrett loses his protege, then has to fight through the remorse while fighting to save the city's soul), that could have been an interesting idea for a sequel. Instead, it's this muddy mix of two or three different plots (you can almost pinpoint the moment when Garrett stops being proactive, and starts being told by Erin where to go and what to do).

[@Kababalax]

Get a new computer if yours cannot run a 2014 game lol.

[@gamefan987]

Or a PS4 for like 200€