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Nov 14th, 2019 at 23:02:05 - Thief: Deadly Shadows (PC) |
I feel that Thief suffers greatly by comparison to Dishonored. Dishonored's world feels more authentic because of consistent art direction, along with large and atmospheric levels, that lend the game's city of Dunwall a strong sense of place. Thief is unable to achieve this because of its technical shortcomings. Its visual fidelity appears to come at the expense of an ability to render large levels. Exploring The City's hub world is less of an atmospheric stroll and more of a constant assault of loading screens. Even in missions, the game cannot render the entire location at once, so Garrett is forced through a linear progression of smaller locations. This destroys any true sense of place that Thief could potentially achieve.
Thief suffers from too much ambition, unable to draw its systems into a cohesive whole. Whether the game simply needed more time or entirely different foundations is never quite clear. Either way, it's a game that adds up to less than the sum of its parts.
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Nov 13th, 2019 at 23:33:47 - Thief: Deadly Shadows (PC) |
It took me 15 hours to complete the campaign with the majority of side activities factored-in. I like that the city plays the role of mission hub, not only linking each chapter but also offering a range of activities of its own. It's large but narrow and divided into pre-planned routes that made I become very familiar with as I crisscrossed its rooftops over and over. The majority of side missions are single-room stealth or puzzle challenges, but half a dozen take place in entirely new areas. These small open-ended environments suit Thief's gameplay very well. Most side missions are quickly accomplished and forgotten. My favorite mission was an optional one in which I lead a drunkard through the level by clearing away the obstacles that inhibit his progress. It's a cheekily wicked process with a few dark laughs in store.
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Nov 13th, 2019 at 00:28:32 - Thief: Deadly Shadows (PC) |
The game looks and sound very good. The city takes a very dark and moody grip on you and the atmosphere is amazing. The biggest thing that really made me love this game are the details and little things around the City, including tons of secret areas, environments to exploit, dark corners and streets, hideouts, passages and the list goes on. I like how the game doesn't hold your hand if played on master custom options. You have to find those switches yourself, figure out the puzzles alone and plan your movements when doing housecleaning and anything in stealth. It is thrilling and immersive.
This entry has been edited 1 time. It was last edited on Nov 13th, 2019 at 00:31:04.
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Oct 11th, 2019 at 23:16:32 - The Red Strings Club (PC) |
It may be one of the few videogames that actually includes the -punk in cyberpunk, and just for that, it deserves praise. Its pixel art and melancholic, jazzy soundtrack fit the atmosphere like a glove, and the overall experience is enhanced by a fulfilling main story and a considerable amount of branching dialogue that covers existential issues about what makes humans human - and how far we can go without renouncing to our essence - while synchronously exploring contemporary socio-economic topics. However, choices have an inconspicuous impact on the ending, and seem to exist only to steer conversations from one subject to another. All in all, The Red Strings Club is the most atmospheric and thought-provoking cyberpunk game that I've played so far.
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Chuanqi Liu's GameLogs |
Chuanqi Liu has been with GameLog for 5 years, 11 months, and 23 days |
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Entries written to date: 8 |
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