Yet the developers maintained their resolve, responding to fan feedback by removing an XP system that awarded violence, not stealth, dropped QTEs, and released plenty of gameplay walkthroughs showing the game was up to snuff visually. But the message was clear from the start: Thief had an uphill battle ahead of it.
Now that the reviews have begun to roll in, fans can get a better sense of how justifiable their doubts really were. Does the game’s supernatural story help smooth out gameplay issues, and is the depth and customization satisfying for tactical gamers? Or is it clear in playing the game that it was hurried to completion before forming a complete vision? For the time being, it seems fans of Dishonored may want to hold off on Thief for now.
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EGM (Josh Harmon):
Score: 3.5/10
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Joystiq (Ludwig Kietzmann):
Score: 4/5
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Polygon (Arthur Gies):
Score: 6/10
Edge:
Score: 7/10
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Eurogamer (Simon Parkin):
Score: 6/10
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Gamespot (Kevin VanOrd):
Score: 6/10
Game Informer (Ben Reeves):
Score: 8/10
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IGN (Dan Stapleton):
Score: 6.8/10
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Kotaku (Kirk Hamilton):
Score: NO
PC Gamer (Chris Thursten):
Score: 79/100
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Destructoid (Chris Carter):
Score: 7.5/10
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What do you make of the reviews? Do the more scathing criticisms lessen your enthusiasm, or are you willing to find the solid game that seems to exist buried within Eidos Montreal’s reboot? Share your own thoughts in the comments, while we work to bring you our own review of Thief.
Thief releases on PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One on February 25, 2014.
Follow Andrew on Twitter @andrew_dyce.
