Thief 2 feels more like a glorified level pack to Thief 1 than an actual full fledged sequel. That could be considered an insult, if Thief 1 wasn't one of the best videogames ever made and if more of Thief 1 wasn't enough to satisfy the fans. The core mechanics are still just as impressive and ahead of it's time, providing some of the best emergent gameplay and storytelling in the medium, and he mood and atmosphere is still just as intense and immersive as the first game, despite the dated graphics.
Thief 2 differentiates itself from its predecessor by pandering to the majority of the criticism Thief 1 got at the time from the players. Thief's mechanics are at their best when you are facing regular human soldiers, where it's easier to understand their body language and sensorial capabilites, providing a very engaging "cat-and-mouse" game of manipulating the AI in your favor. Thief 1 was a game that had it's fair share of missions where you dealt with humans, but it also had a very large selection of levels where you would be facing supernatural beasts and entities in settings reminiscent of other genres outside of stealth and focused more on platforming and exploring around mazes and tombs. Many players, understandably so, felt these more out there missions escaped from the appeal of the more thieving focused sections and demanded more tradicional and grounded levels.
Thief 2 ditches, for the most part, the supernatural theme of the first game, and focuses solely on the dynamic of Garrett vs the guards around fairly standard and realistic settings. Unfortunately, I am part of the weird Thief fanbase that enjoyed the more unique and experimental missions of the first game, and the onslaught of similar missions and enemies does start to wear on you after the 10 hour mark. It doesnt help that after the game reaches it's peak 2 thirds in, the rest of the levels are more uninteresting, frustrating and clearly unfinished. Additionally, Thief 2 makes less use of the map being a storytelling device, something the first game brilliantly used in it's favor, instead opting to give you a map with too much information at all times.
Still, the level design in Thief II is some of the best you will ever see in any videogame. The levels are ambitious, huge and filled with options and secrets, putting you in the skin of Garrett and letting you go on about the mission how you want and leaving you to figure how to get things done, without any interruption of interactivity or control. Despite the repetition of its concept of dealing with humans, every single mission provides unique and creative twists on the formula, having you one moment stealing from a vault in a highly secure bank, the other fleeing from an ambush throughout the whole city, and the next jumping on rooftops to reach a high society party that you must infiltrate.
The Thief games represented the promise of something new and daring for the videogame landscape, a promise that sadly has been forgotten for the most part by the modern triple A machine.
The Thief games are still unmatched in their understanding of player agency and the storytelling power the medium can offer. Thief 1 and Thief 2 are two peas in pod, the strengths of one balance out the weaknesses of the other, and they both create one of the best videogame experiences you can ever have.
Thief 2 differentiates itself from its predecessor by pandering to the majority of the criticism Thief 1 got at the time from the players. Thief's mechanics are at their best when you are facing regular human soldiers, where it's easier to understand their body language and sensorial capabilites, providing a very engaging "cat-and-mouse" game of manipulating the AI in your favor. Thief 1 was a game that had it's fair share of missions where you dealt with humans, but it also had a very large selection of levels where you would be facing supernatural beasts and entities in settings reminiscent of other genres outside of stealth and focused more on platforming and exploring around mazes and tombs. Many players, understandably so, felt these more out there missions escaped from the appeal of the more thieving focused sections and demanded more tradicional and grounded levels.
Thief 2 ditches, for the most part, the supernatural theme of the first game, and focuses solely on the dynamic of Garrett vs the guards around fairly standard and realistic settings. Unfortunately, I am part of the weird Thief fanbase that enjoyed the more unique and experimental missions of the first game, and the onslaught of similar missions and enemies does start to wear on you after the 10 hour mark. It doesnt help that after the game reaches it's peak 2 thirds in, the rest of the levels are more uninteresting, frustrating and clearly unfinished. Additionally, Thief 2 makes less use of the map being a storytelling device, something the first game brilliantly used in it's favor, instead opting to give you a map with too much information at all times.
Still, the level design in Thief II is some of the best you will ever see in any videogame. The levels are ambitious, huge and filled with options and secrets, putting you in the skin of Garrett and letting you go on about the mission how you want and leaving you to figure how to get things done, without any interruption of interactivity or control. Despite the repetition of its concept of dealing with humans, every single mission provides unique and creative twists on the formula, having you one moment stealing from a vault in a highly secure bank, the other fleeing from an ambush throughout the whole city, and the next jumping on rooftops to reach a high society party that you must infiltrate.
The Thief games represented the promise of something new and daring for the videogame landscape, a promise that sadly has been forgotten for the most part by the modern triple A machine.
The Thief games are still unmatched in their understanding of player agency and the storytelling power the medium can offer. Thief 1 and Thief 2 are two peas in pod, the strengths of one balance out the weaknesses of the other, and they both create one of the best videogame experiences you can ever have.