Thief returns. Maybe.

[Azazel]

http://palgn.com.au/article.php?id=10998&sid=cde6c9f31811d42e97c83d79b91df2ef&title=RUMOUR%3A+Eidos+Montreal+to+%27revive%27+Thief+franchise%3F

Eidos Montreal to 'revive' Thief franchise?
Teasing to a 'T'.

Not all Eidos-related developments were depressing this weekend. In fact, if you're a fan of the company's key kleptomanic forgotten franchise, Thief, you could well be on the verge of notching a couple of fire arrows off in murderous pyrotechnical celebration.

Updating its front page news (dated April 3), Eidos Montreal announced the beginning of the recruitment phase for its mysterious "2nd AAA project" -- i.e. the one after the Deus Ex sequel. The hint as to what this project could possibly entail? Why, only that "the title begins with the letter 'T'".

Cue mass fan hysteria.

Further fuelling the speculation flames is Eidos Montreal's General Manager, Stephane D'Astous, and his Facebook profile of all things. Privately searchable, D'Astous' profile avatar currently depicts a telltale and all-too-familiarly stylised Thief logo 'T'. Taking into consideration Eidos Montreal's statements that the company's first two games "will revive successful franchises" (emphasis ours), and the moss arrow residue writing really is on the wall.

How many 'successful', yet dormant Eidos properties begin with the letter 'T' anyway? Tomb Raider is now in fine hands over at Crystal Dynamics. TimeSplitters has left the Eidos stable for EA pastures new. Grammatical cheating notwithstanding, how about The Legacy of Kain?

A franchise not seen since 2004's cross-platform lukewarm Thief: Deadly Shadows, our money, as long as its not pick-pocketed, is on Garrett and co. making a welcome (and hopefully still atmospherically steampunk) comeback soon.

-----------------------------------------------

Could be good, could be god-awful, could have a bad case of consolitis.

Still, there's potential there.

[Llava]

I'll give it a spin.

[K9]

I'm dreaming of the bastard child of thief and assasin's creed.

In space

With lasers.


Maybe someday it will happen.

[rk47]

 will it have jade raymond? 

[Fabricated]

I wonder if it'll have the constant load times and overabundance of blue-tinged textures like Deadly Shadows did.

[Trippy]

I miss Looking Glass Studios

[Megrim]

I'm dreaming of the bastard child of thief and assasin's creed.

In space

With lasers.


Maybe someday it will happen.

fify

[Yegolev]

I also miss Looking Glass, but there is some consolation in the fact that I can still play The Dark Project and The Metal Age.  I wanted to finish Deadly Shadows, but it just didn't happen.

[Sky]

I can't seem to finish Deadly Shadows, either. It always tends to bog down in the middle when it turns into Keystone Kops with everyone chasing everyone else through the street in a murderous rage (or fright thereof), and somehow if I step out of the shadows, they all come after me, even if there was no witness to the original crime. Abysmal AI. There may have been a good game in there, but it was only about half baked.

So I'm not sure a Thief game without Spector involved is a bad thing. Wasn't the Metal Age run by someone else?

[Yegolev]

Yeah, that's right.  I stopped because I could no longer go into some parts of town since the guards that were frothing for my hide would be in the exact same spot when I later returned, and usually that spot was right outside the zone line.  Really, the town sections ruined it.  Stupid designers' love of GTA and/or stupid designers' inability to implement it properly.

Spector was not involved with The Metal Age, and he only got "Special Thanks" on The Dark Project.  You probably want to address your love letter to Tim Stellmach.

[Sky]

Someone needs to put that on the wiki. But the wiki does have this interesting tidbit, I must've missed it when it came out:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thief_II:_The_Metal_Age#Thief_2X:_Shadows_of_the_Metal_Age_-_An_unofficial_expansion_pack

[Yegolev]

Oh, man, I think I was following that for a while and forgot about it.  Thanks for the link.  Maybe I'm thinking of Thief: The Circle or something.

By the way, I checked my facts on Mobygames by reading the game credits section for the pertinent games.  Spector could have had more involvement that wasn't listed, but he was probably spending most of his time on Deus Ex and its sequel.

[stray]

I liked all 3. Don't understand why there aren't more of them already. About the only thing around that can kind of approximate the experience is a stealth bowyer in Oblivion. And that game's a piece of shit.

[NiX]

Was there ever a community made patch for Thief 3?

[schild]

Oh, man, I think I was following that for a while and forgot about it.  Thanks for the link.  Maybe I'm thinking of Thief: The Circle or something.

By the way, I checked my facts on Mobygames by reading the game credits section for the pertinent games.  Spector could have had more involvement that wasn't listed, but he was probably spending most of his time on Deus Ex and its sequel.

Spector's involvement with Deus Ex 2 was minimal.

[Oarix]

Spector was not involved with The Metal Age, and he only got "Special Thanks" on The Dark Project.  You probably want to address your love letter to Tim Stellmach.

I never knew that.   I mean, the first two Thief games are two of my favorite FPS of all time.  But like... similar to others on this thread, I couldn't get through Dark Shadows either.  That city section was complete ass.   And almost this entire time I thought Spector was 'The Man <tm>'  behind the first two,  hence me scratching my head over Thief: DS. 

Tim, whoever you are... you deserved all of my love this past decade?   

I.... I'm sorry, man!

[Sky]

http://www.mobygames.com/developer/sheet/view/developerId,4981/

No wonder I like the XML/MUA stuff. Also, TERRA NOVA, SYSTEM SHOCK! Seems like a lot of bill-paying jobs in between. We need to get this guy's name out there!

Gamasutra says he lives in Troy. Should drive over and buy him a beer.

[Yegolev]

I feel like I have done a good deed this week.

[Sky]

You deserve a cookie. Better yet, shoot up some dough.

[DarkSign]

... Oblivion. And that game's a piece of shit.

Quoted for the best comment on these boards in months.

[K9]

I liked all 3. Don't understand why there aren't more of them already. About the only thing around that can kind of approximate the experience is a stealth bowyer in Oblivion. And that game's a piece of shit.

I actually really liked the stealth parts of Oblivion; and the assasin's guild quests. They were the only parts in the game done really well imho. In all other regards the game was kinda wank I'd agree.

[Sky]

I played more Arena and Daggerfall than is healthy. After Morrowind and Oblivion, Bethesda is dead to me. I'm sure they won't fuck up Fallout. 

[Yegolev]

I agree with Sky.