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Great first experience with this series.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 4
Date: August 02, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Title: Thief 3: Deadly Shadows

Description: The popular PC title goes to a console port for the first time. This series is argued by many to be the first "stealth based" game title as we are seeing it in the marketplace today with titles like Splintercell and elements of Manhunter. You play as Garret a gifted Thief that runs through a city pick pocketing, mugging, and burglarizing buildings and getting deeply involved in a sinister plot with an unseen foe.

Platform: PC and XBOX (reviewed)

Learning Curve: 6- For those of you new to the series like myself it'll take some time getting the feel for this type of game. You have to sneak and be quiet and simple tasks may take time, as you need to always evaluate your situation and environment. Aggression is discouraged. Garret is a gifted thief, but a relatively unskilled fighter. Enemies can kill you easily so they have to be sneak past or knocked out for you to advance in the game.

Replay Value: 5- It's fun to revisit missions on more difficult settings to really test your skill. There are also alternate means to perform tasks on select missions and you can retry them differently to make things interesting. Overall the replay is about average.

Difficulty: 7- There are certain parts of the game that are very difficult to do stealthfully. Expect to mess up and get killed on occasion, but this is natural. It is difficult, but manages to keep from being frustrating.

Guide: There is a guide available from Prima. I have mixed feelings on how much it helped me because the information seemed jumbled. I'd almost say skip buying it, but some of the visuals help to identify parts of your missions. Those who don't choose this route will find some nice text guides online.

Pros: Nice lighting and environment, nice voice acting, great story, "different" kind of gameplay, gameplay pretty much non-linear, and addictive quality gaming.

Cons: You can't swim and I got tired of drowning, Game bugs that can sometimes interfere with gameplay and at worse corrupt your save file and wipe out your information forcing you to start over (remember to keep multiple save files,) and the climbing gloves are a bit sloppy to use and you find yourself tumbling over walls rather than climbing down them.

Time Expected to Invest: One month for a nice run through. I sunk over 40 hours into my game at least. This time should be adjusted to different types of players, but I feel the game is pretty lengthy by today's standard and shouldn't disappoint many.

Retail Value: $49.99

Suggested Purchase Price: If you can find this title in the mid-30 dollar range than bravo. If not the retail price is a bit pressing to some, but this title is nice and I'd purchase it before I'd buy 3 poor quality 15 dollar titles.

Overall: 9- This is a pretty solid game in the fun factor category and will be unique to new gamers to the series like myself. I recommend this title and if you're just curious rent it and see if it meets your tastes. I think open-minded gamers will enjoy it.

Don't believe ANY negative reviews of this game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 6
Date: June 04, 2004
Author: Amazon User

The thief series is my favorite game series of all time. I played all previous versions and was leary about buying this on a video game format because I thought (mistakenly) it would lose a lot of the quality of both the graphics and the game play. I couldn't have been more wrong. I also made the mistake of checking out the reviews before I bought it and was discouraged by some of them. This game is the BEST thief yet. For those of you who follow the series, it is great that they used all the same sound effects, are still following the plotline (pagans versus hammerites, the keepers responsible for thwarting the advent of the coming dark age), and even Garrett's voice is exactly the same. The stealth gameplay is exactly the same with some added features, including dynamic shadows, smarter guards, and some extra moves. The graphics are just as detailed, if not better! Also, you are able to move more freely and quickly with the video game format than you can on pc. One negative review mentioned frequent segments that require some load time (for example, if you are in one part of a house and attempt to enter another part of the same house, you may need to wait a few seconds while it loads). I wasn't bothered by this AT ALL as it only took a few seconds. It didn't take away from the momentum in the least. I'm not sure if the pc version takes longer to load than the video game. I really can't say enough, and I am thrilled with this game and feel it was well worth the wait. The ONLY thing that bothered me is I wanted to play the pc version too but didn't realize until after I bought it the box says "NOT SUPPORTED ON LAPTOPS" and I have a brand new laptop that exceeded by FAR the system requirements, but it still didn't work. I'll just have to play that one on my pc at home.
BUY THIS GAME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's the BOMB!!!!

Splinter Cell's Enemy

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 4
Date: August 04, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Thief: Deadly Shadows for the Xbox is a stealth game where you sneak around the shadows and steal . Understand this: Thief takes place before the Dark Ages, so the game tries to portray that era; light sources are fire torches, weapons are swords, daggers and arrows and some magic. It looks like an RPG game, but plays like a modern stealth game. The shadows are your friends because you can hide in them and light is your enemey because it exposes you to your enemies. You play a character named Garrett, a master thief. You'll meet secret societies of different sorts who have their own agendas. They hire you to do "jobs", most of the jobs involve finding lost treasures and stealing artifacts. You can knock out enemy gaurds by sneaking up behind them and clubing them, or stab them with your dagger or a one shot kill with your arrows to their head. Being silent is also important so you don't alert others. Other times you can pick-pocket pedestrians or break into houses to steal valuables. You can pick locks to break into houses and also open up locked treasure chests. The valuables can then be sold to illegal shops. With the money you make, you can purchase useful weapons and equipment. This type of freedom makes the game more fun and unpredictable (free-form gamplay) than other stealth game. I only saw a few minor problems with technical glitches, like sometimes the sound will shut-off with out reason or SOMETIMES characters will get stuck to objects. But the problems are minor and do not ruin the game experience as a whole. Theif is a must buy if you like stealth games.

Pros:
+free-form gameplay
+excellent graphics
+excellent controls
+excellent sound effects
+excellent level designs
+excellent voice-acting
+excellent story
+excellent weapons
+game has a sense of humor
+creepy atmosphere
+better than Splinter Cell

Cons:
-characters sometimes get stuck to objects
-sound effects sometimes fails
-long loading times

Best Thief Game Of The Series

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 4
Date: November 24, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Garrett has returned and with full force. Being designed by Eidos. Graphics are awesome the lighting and designed of every character is top notch. Weapon play is very, very good. It think that it is great that you can make alliances with the Hammers and the Pagans. Trust me, you'll want to do good deeds for them to get on their good side. AI in the game is excellent. They will hunt you till the end of their life. When you would go into another section of the map they will still be there waiting on you when you return. Trust me, I know this for a fact. The peasents are back as well, they are more eager the get the City Watch when you are near. So, basically avoid the peasents. Awesome game if you enjoyed the other titles from the Thief Series. I loved it when it was made by Looking Glass Studios. You can still buy the First and Second Thief by Looking Glass. It would help to understand this installment from the Thief Series.

Call it a 4.5

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 2
Date: August 03, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I have not yet finished this game, but I can say that it is pretty cool. The graphics may not be top of the line, but that is alright, because the shadows and overall lighting are great.
The sound is pretty good, not as good as the new viet nam shooter, but good. Can anyone say splinter cell? Basically its that set in medieval times for a little less honorable cause. Not that I have a problem with that, it is neat to see a game like this in that type of setting. I have played the splinter cells, and the hitman games and if you like those you'll probably like this game. The challenge of sneaking is more pronounced in this game than those. In the other games, you are the master and sneak so that you only kill ten instead of fifty, but in this game forget about fighting....well most of the time anyway....sometimes you just have to put an arrow into someone heh heh. The guards do notice alot more but they really could use a physical fitness course. Overall, a very nice game.

A Great Game ...With Reservations

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 2
Date: February 05, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I wanted this game when it first came out, but I wouldn't shell out the 50 bucks. (No game is worth 50 bucks except maybe Halo 2 and SC:Chaos Theory. And GTA.) I picked it up recently for about $15 and I got more than my money's worth. Yes, it's a little buggy. At one point in mid-mission the sound just went completely out for no apparent reason. My character got stuck to an object once. And then today as I was finishing the game, the game just completely froze. So there's that annoyance, plus the menuing system which feels like a total PC port. Without a mouse, it's clunky and awkward. But there's plenty of good to go around too. If you're into stealth, you will get more stealth in this game than both Splinter Cells and both Hitman games combined. It's ALL stealth, there is no combat as such. The AI is startlingly good especially if you are used to SC-quality AI. The characters actually think and reason. They talk amongst themselves. Sometimes they circle back and cut you off. It's impressive. Also, the levels are well-designed and interesting. There is lots of problem-solving and the game gives you just enough to go on to figure out how to meet the mission's goals without making things obvious. Yet it's also totally open-ended: you can go anywhere within the mission and to some extent you can finish the mission objectives in the order you prefer. I do recommend playing most of the game in first-person. If you do, you'll encounter some genuinely scary moments. I found I used third-person only while attempting tricky maneuvers and such. Overall, if you like stealth, well worth the purchase at $15-20.

Absolutely addicting!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 2
Date: August 08, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Now, I'm not a "gamer" by any standards. but I must say that besides the Splinter Cell series and the old school Zelda games for Nintendo....Thief is one of the only games that has kept my interest after an hour of play. The missions require stealth and strategy similar to Splinter Cell, which I find much more challenging than "shooter" games where you just run around blowing people away. Instead, you are forced to be sneaky and silent, creating your own shadows in which to hide, while also attempting to conserve your items. Think of Thief as Splinter Cell from the middle ages. You still have the guards you must either dispose of or sneak past, plus two polar factions with whom you can either ally or not...your choices affect subsequent dealings with both. All in all, I must say that I am so addicted to this game that I have nearly completed the final quest and am already wishing there was a follow-up to this incredible adventure--which is exactly what led me to amazon this morning and how I ended up posting this review!! In short, if you enjoy games that require a little more finesse and challenge than bang bang shoot em up....you would be thrilled to take on the quest of Garrett.....

NIIIIIICCCCEEEE

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 2
Date: July 23, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Wow, when i first played the demo for Thief: Deadly Shadows on xbox, i couldnt put it down. I kept playing the demo over n over. I think i completed the demo about 10 times before i decided to buy the game. I am sooo glad i did. The only reason i wasnt sure i wanted to buy the game was because i thought it was going to be a game like Fable, short but sweet. Thief: Deadly Shadows was very sweet indeed... but it wasnt short, its a great game that has a shocking storyline and has kept me coming back for more. On Fable, i spent 2 days to beat it, playing a total of about 11 hours. For Thief, it took me about 2 weeks totally over 40 hrs of extreme fun! Wow, im so glag i bought this game. The storyline kept me guessing what was going to happen next and i couldnt wait to find out. The NPC's in Thief really blew me away. In lots of games, u could move somethings around in a room, and when they returned they wouldnt notice. In Thief, if u stole some loot, moved a chair, put out a light, ect... the enemy would wonder what happened. If you scare or attack a citizen around town, they run to get some gaurds to finish you off.

Sure, you dont get to run around with your guns blazing in this game, but if you love being creative in your opponents deaths, you'll enjoy this one. In Thief, the shadows are your best weapon. Straight up one on one combat usually leads to your victory if your prepared and your health is full, but it will leave your health shattered.

Some people dont like this game because they have to be patient and wait for the correct time to attack thier opponents, but this game also requires you to think about whats going to happen instead of just running out there and shooting everything that moves. I think the best missions in this game are near the end, but believe me, it is well worth getting there. The cutscenes that this game has are cool and they really let you know what is going on.

I think there are really only a few cons in this game. You can see in the other reviews that people write about some of the glitches this game has. I admit that the sound does sometimes get cut off and then all u hear is this wierd scratching sound when people are trying to talk, but this problem can be solved easily; either enter the next area and load it, or u can save and load your game right there and when u finish loading it, the problem will be gone. This bug has happened to me about 5 or 6 times in the whole game. Another bug ive heard about is when the game stops altogether and all u can do is shut down your xbox. I have experienced this ONE time... just once. It isnt so bad because i save quiet often anyways, since you dont know what could happen next. Besides, most games will crash once in a while....

So all in all, i say this game rocks. This mideval setting really makes it great. The NPC's react like real people... well they could be a little smarter but its still good. The sound bug in this game can be solved quickly by loading something, and another good tip is to save alot, save after every mission. Oh yeah, and sometimes you'll get lost doing some missions, like having to find secret rooms n such. Well, a tip i can give u is, use your goals tab to look for ne notes or clues to help you and use the compass and map to help you find your way. Also, remember to try to use everything!! I couldnt find a secret room while the button to open it was infront of me and i just didnt think much of it at the time... even if the opject looks like junk, pick it up and see what happens, because u can always drop it if it turns out it is useless.

GET THIS GAME!! OMG GREAT GAME. I WANNA WRITE THIS REVIEW SO YOU CAN BUY IT! DO IT NOW!!!

Ummm.....Sombody smell Tom Clancy, in this???

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 1 / 14
Date: July 06, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Theif:Deadly Shadows by Eidos did not surprise in most of the gaming experiance. Overall this game lacked details and details of information that just didn't fit xbox standard.
#1.Beautiful Graphics......hmmmmm reminds me alot about Splinter Cell......
#2.Gameplay: sucks 95.6% of the time
#3. Did the game copy Ubi or somthing? I swear I saw a stealth meter.....it's a stealth game, "Stealthy" tactics....... weapons.....geez....feels no different than splinter cell.
#4. To get to my point.
Your a character called Garret who assumably is supposed to be undercover, or to make this game better than it is...... "stealthy", however there are a couple of problems with it other than the ones listed....the levels are to damn big. In almost every level too, literally (with no online help, strat guides nothing) have to look around the whole town and slums.........wow! that sure is fun! just to get to a simple objective that you could have done easily in GTA Vice City.....but lets not go there. So #5 levels to big to manuever through. Lastly I have to say the gameplay was so boring.....you wait longer than you have to in Splinter, (aside to the fact that Splinter Cell 1, and 2 are actually worth playing!!!!!) The weapons are not fun....i mean come on, a friggin wood club?????? Good weapon for a theif eidos.....The dialouge between the npc's are so dole that you just want to slap yourself for no reason.. Please I prefer you stealth gamers or whatevr you are, to go with Tom Clancy games, or if you want to try somthing new, don't waste your money on a game on this, buying, or renting. Thanks for your time....P.S. the only good thing about this game is the sound/graphics, forget the rest, its a bunch of crap.

As Good as the Original

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 1
Date: June 01, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I LOVED the original Thief Games and was very disappointed when the original disigners went under. I had been looking forward to this game ever since I heard rumors of a third game. The game has outstanding graphics with its use of shadows and faces. The game play is very familar, and I like the fact that you can now purchase items and save them for later missions instead of having to use everything in each mission. If you are ready to be a thief and use stealth instead of brute force then this is your game.

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