Hey frumious Reg gamers: BANG-or-SNATCH? We look at Second Son and Thief

This month we tackle to games at polar opposites of the ends of the subtlety spectrum. First up is Infamous: Second Son, a game that pitches a super-charged hero (or villain) into the midst of Seattle and begs him to explode things. Then there’s the shadowy stealth of Thief, as Garrett once more gets to grips with robbing from …

[Brewster's Angle Grinder]

Thief

How about the story? Is the narrative any good?

[cyborg]

Re: Thief

It makes me want to go back and play the original. I don't think I ever completed the sequel.

This new one looks interesting but I'm not sure I can cope with changes to the formula - for me it was just about perfect as it was.

[Ian 55]

Re: Thief

If you liked the original, have a look at The Dark Project - a fan-made free platform for a pile of scenarios which, in its latest incarnation, no longer needs you to have a copy of Doom 3 to provide the engine.

Runs on Linux, Mac and Windows.

[Brangdon]

Re: Thief

Story is weak, and the game really isn't as good as the review implies. You can only jump or climb if the game has decided those actions make sense there, and you can only use rope arrows in marked places. It's frustrating how often plausible routes turn out not to have been thought of by the designers.

On the other hand, it's better than some other reviews. Dishonored is more fun, but at least Thief is a genuine sneaker. Dishonored devotes too much of the UI and game-play to combat.

[Dave Fox]

Re: Thief

I rather enjoyed playing Thief, so for pure gameplay it was good in my opinion and I kept wanting to go back for more.

The story was interesting, but it would appear that an awful lot of content was cut out making the actual storyline rather incoherent, and the ending was, quite frankly, a mess.

Overall, good fun though.

[Charlie]

And the award for most tenuous title of all time goes to...

[RyokuMas]

Looks gorgeous...

... bet your life that the actual gameplay will be formulaic and rapidly very boring

[NoneSuch]

I pre-ordered my copy of Thief as I was a great fan of the earlier versions. I played through Thief in about twenty hours. Good game with lots of doorways that can handle DLC add-ons at a later date. There were a few annoying inconsistencies, but nothing that drove me away. Shadows don't seem to be as effective in this iteration. I could stand in pitch black shadow and still get spotted by the guardsmen.

Between Thief and Dishonored I still prefer the latter, but the margin is quite close. Willing to reassess that once the DLC for Thief comes out.

[Anonymous Blowhard]

I'm waiting for the HMRC edition of "Thief"

[Richard Taylor 2]

I think the HMRC version

took early retirement and went to work with his 'customers'

[dogged]

Silly question

Does Thief has a third-person mode?

I suffer from simulation motion sickness and first-person mode literally makes me puke.

Reviews never mention it but I find it's worth asking. Skyrim was pretty playable in 3P, after all.

[The Grump]

Re: Silly question

Hey dogged, I hope you never played Descent. That was the only game that made me ill while playing. 360 degree, 1st person flight, no "up" or "down", and enemies coming from all directions. I eventually shelved the game as unplayable (at least for me).

[IncreasinglyIncredulous]

Re: Silly question

Hi -

bought Infamous and had to give it to my brother in law, as i had terrible motion sickness. Hopefully thief isn't teh same, as i just bought it on special offer!

[Snake Plissken]

Second Son

Second Son sounds very much like an updated "Crackdown". Which isn't necessarily a bad thing.