Thief: Deadly Shadows Review

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(More customer reviews)I should preface this review by coming right out and admitting that I am a new Thief, not having played either of the earlier titles in the franchise.Sure, I had heard all the hype, the various glowing reviews and ravings of die-hard fans, but something kept me away.Not this time, feeling hungry for a new game, I saw that Thief: Deadly Shadows hit the store(s), and decided to take a chance.I'm quite happy to report that I'm entirely glad that I did.
I did have some concerns at first.For the first few minutes of play, I found myself thinking that it should have been a rental instead of a purchase.But I played on, gradually getting drawn deeper into the plot, into the city, and into the joy of slipping quietly in where you haven't been invited, and plucking some valuable trinket off a table, from inside a chest, or even off the very person of an unfortunate homeowner or passerby.But this isn't what really got me into the game.How smart my victims were did.Sure, I was a little over-confident at first.I'd boldly sneak around behind marks wandering through their own homes, I'd skulk in the shadows, or creep slowly and quietly behind them, lifting items that caught my eye as I went.But this person lives here, and when they pass through a room and a candlestick is gone, or a chair is slightly out of place from when you less cautious than you should have been and bumped into it, or when a door has been left ajar - they realize it.And they often realize they aren't alone.So you could imagine my surprise, not yet having an appreciation for the depth of AI, when my helpless victim became decidedly non-helpless, and started actively searching for me.But I'm Garrett the Thief, and when backed into a corner, I can put up a fight.So when the owner found me after I knocked a barrel on its side trying to quickly duck into a nearby shadow, and when he drew a weapon with the intent to cause me harm, I quickly dispatched him with my dagger.He was in the light, I was in the shadow, he knew roughly where I was, but I still had the advantage.I stood over my victim, enjoying the moment when I heard a scream.The scuffle had alerted someone else in the house who came rushing in, and upon seeing me standing over the body, shot straight out of the house.She hadn't just fled through, she had gone to get the town guards.So imagine my surprise as I'm casually walking towards the open door to leave, and in burst two guards with weapons drawn.They came right at me, and while I put up a good fight, they took me down.The last thing I saw was the `terrified' woman standing in her doorway again, watching the guards beat me down.
I really enjoyed Splinter Cell, and SC: Pandora Tomorrow.I think it was how much I enjoyed those that led me to finally give Thief a shot.But one thing always bugged me about those titles, as terrific as they are and were.Your enemies had the attention span and short-term memory of mentally disabled goldfish.If two terrorists are in one room together, and you snatch one up and drag him away, the other never notices that he's suddenly alone.Leave doors open, move things, do anything but show yourself or leave a corpse around, and they have no clue anything is amiss.Not so here.Guards have areas of responsibility.And when one is no longer at his post because you've clobbered him over the head with your trusty blackjack, and dumped him unconscious behind some bushes, his captain who may well be wandering around and checking up on his men will notice, and he'll investigate.
The game is outstanding, I am really enjoying it.I'm nearly done, and I've already decided that I will be playing it through again.There's so much to do beyond the main storyline, that there's really no way to get into all the little side plots and scenarios, no way to hit every house and business in your first go.Graphically the game is quite good.Not jaw-droppingly impressive, I would have liked to have seen this in 720p and widescreen, but still a solid visual presentation.The Dolby Digital sound is terrific.The depth of play, and the AI, are really what give this title legs though.
This game, in my opinion, is worth a purchase.Unless of course the idea of sneaking around just bores you to tears.If you're looking for a hack'n'slash, this isn't it.If you're looking for an intriguing storyline, exciting action, and even a few moments where you literally jump at your own shadow, then this is going to be a good time for you.Why 4 out of 5?I would have liked to have seen at least a minimal tie-in to XBLive.Not online play perhaps, given the scope of the game, but maybe expansion and bonus content (new missions, new equipment, etc.) that could have been added over time.I think that really would have gone a long way to put this title over the top in terms of re-playability.Also, I've been trapped (bug) inside or against objects a few too many times.An annoyance, and perhaps a minor one, but a piece of the puzzle when I had to decide upon a rating.To be fair, if we could give fractions of stars in our ratings, I'd give this as high a 4 as possible.
The cover art says it best."Tension-fueled stealth, variety of gameplay, advanced AI, dynamic lighting and shadow system."Yes, yes, yes, and yes.Pick this one up, you'll be glad you did.

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Product Description:
Thief: Deadly Shadows takes you into the strange world of Garrett, master thief. Rarely seen, never caught, he just wants to make a living. He's drawn into a Web of events that will destroy the world, unless he applies his trade for more than just wealth. Dynamic lighting system for realistic, dynamic shadows that enhance stealth gaming

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Thief Gold (small box version) Review

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(More customer reviews)This game is one of the original stealth action games. It is entertaining and completely immersive. If you like first-person shoot-em-up games... don't play Thief. Well, do play Thief, because it's great, but it's a completely different experience.

Don't come to Thief hoping to go slashing merrily towards your goal. Oftentimes slashing your way towards any goal is a sure-fire way to fail a mission. (It's called Thief, not Murderer) The levels set out challenges that have to be met with subtlety and innovation, which, personally, is more satisfying to me. It's not quite as interactive as Thief 3, where you can change the environment to snare enemies, but, as the game that started it all, it is just as entertaining.

The levels in Thief Gold give you a variety of goals, and there are multiple strategies for playing. This game spawned its own following with different kinds of players, and a community of fans which is still operating today. This game is simply a lot of fun, and the Gold version gives you even more levels and challenges.

As far as the ages that this game is appropriate for, I'd say that the level is fairly mature. It's not too gory, just because the graphics are old, but this doesn't take away from the experience, and you still have to deal with zombies, blood splatters, and cinematics which are animated well, and with a distinctive style not seen in modern games. (someone referenced the eye-popping scene, it's not too graphic, and doesn't show much, but it could be disturbing for young-uns)

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Product Description:
From the manufacturer: "Journey through the night...as Garrett, a master thief, cloaked in the darkness of a sinister medieval realm where shadows are your only ally, trust is not an option, and confrontations can bring grim results. Thief Gold takes you beyond the smash stealth hit 'Thief: The Dark Project' with three new levels. Steal from the Downwind thieves in The Thieves' Guild, enter a ruined city in The Mage's Guild, and go in search of the stolen Talisman of Air guided by the ravings of a lunatic hermit in The Songs of the Caverns.

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Soul Reaver 2: Legacy of Kain (Playstation 2) Review

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(More customer reviews)I've been a fan of this series since Blood Omen, and I've loved both games that have came out.But, literally, this game blows away the competition.
First the graphics are a HUGE leap and will be some of the best for any game of any genre for any system to date.Raziel alone takes up more than 30,000 polygons!You can see every little grusome detail better thanks to the Playstation 2, and you're going to have to notice alot details to make it passed the puzzels.
You'll acquire new and improved Soul Reaver weapon enhancements, physical abilities, and relics to interact with the environment and unlock the secrets of Nosgoth. Encounter a whole load of new enemies including vampire hunters, vampires, Sarafan warrior-priests, spectral spirits, and extra-dimensional demons. Immerse yourself in a gothic realm of highly detailed architecture and environments supported with an intriguing storyline, in-game cinematic events and compelling voice-over.
No more pushing blocks around for Raziel, now to get access to certain areas you're going to have some thinking to do, while some tasks are quite obvious, some are not.And some require you to back-track, get a certain ability then return at a later point in the game.
If you liked Soul Reaver, you like Soul Reaver 2, that is, if you've got your playstation 2, if you don't, get one! Happy gamming.

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Product Description:
Soul Reaver 2, despite its name, is actually the third game in the Legacy of Kain series that debuted with Blood Omen on the PlayStation. It concerns a vampire named Raziel and his quest through time to destroy the evil blood-sucking vampire Kain. It's a complicated and confusing plot involving a mysterious being known as the Elder God, lots of dimensional and time travel, nods and references to the previous games in the series, and plenty of combat, puzzle solving, and adventure. You needn't have played the previous games to make sense of this title's plot (although it certainly helps), so newbies and series vets alike will find this a solid and well-built adventure.
The game is played in third-person perspective, and, like most games of that type, it features a lot of climbing, jumping, and puzzle solving through the fine art of pushing things, climbing on them, and exploring for powerful items. Raziel has access to all kinds of power-ups for his mighty weapon, the Soul Reaver sword that lets him suck the spirit energy from fallen foes (

Sword of the Berserk: Guts' Rage Review

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(More customer reviews)This game rocks. It's simple and addictive. It's not like those other Final Fight clones, (a.k.a. Dynamite Cop, Zombie Revenge, Fighting Force, etc.)where you lose intrest fast. This game is longer then the others andis much deeper in play. The gameplay is purely hard-core... just perfectlyaddictive. It's the type of game where you forget about the story and justwant to hack and slash your way through. On the other hand... The story isso beautiful. It makes me want to forget the gameplay. Not only are thegameplay and story good but the sound is too. It drives me nuts. The voiceacting, swords swinging, and blood squirting makes it sound sweet. Now someof you might have douts about this game because of the recent Final Fightclones.... Well forget them... This game rocks this world!The onlydrawback is that about half of the gameplay makes me want to hurl. There isjust toooooooooooooooooooooooooo much blood and gore. So if your a guy wholikes a good story, great gameplay, excellent sound, and a whole ocean ofblood.... THEN BUY THIS GAME NOW!

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Fear Effect 2: Retro Helix Review

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(More customer reviews)BACKGROUND (of my review). First of all, I'm one of those hard-core Resident Evil (RE) fans so the games I like tend to be "story-driven" RPG/action/adventure games; that is, a **character driven** plotline that develops a global objective(s), one becomes the character and searches for "stuff", with battles, puzzles, and other obstacles along the way.Hence, hearing the Fear Effect (FE) series fit this, and having read some positive reviews on Amazon, I bought FE1&2 at the same time.Discovering that FE2 was a prequel to FE1, I decided to play them in the chronological order they were staged, i.e. FE2 first.BTW, I'm glad I did, having just finished FE1 I was literally surprised and even saddened at the fate of some of the characters.Hence, if you're new to the FE franchise, I highly recommend you start with FE2.
GRAPHICS FE2 is stunning visually with backgrounds, characters, and other textures being very well rendered.The characters are rendered smoothly, and are done so very well with amazing levels of "emotion" portrayed. Indeed, the all around graphical experience is about as good as I can imagine possible, given the restraints of the aging Playstation's polygon processing capabilities.
CONTROLS & GAME ENGINE The game engine is adequate for the RPG aspect of the game, although at times during fighting sequences require "rolling" -- a button-pushing challenge -- that takes a bit of getting used to.Again, I don't want to mislead anyone, the controls are adequate, just not great.One aspect of the game engine I especially enjoyed is that the object isn't just to kill everything in sight, but rather using "stealth" to sneak up behind an enemy with a "one-shot" kill.This made the game intelligent and well as fun.Likewise, the puzzles were challenging but not impossible and actually made sense to the plot (a rarity in gaming these days).
VOICE ACTING FE2 possesses perhaps the absolute best voice acting that I have ever experienced in a game (one of my major criticisms of the RE series is its horrible to average voice acting).The script made sense and the performance of the voice actors who spoke it was in synch with the moment.This added to the realism and mature sensibility of the game dramatically.The voices perfectly matched the characters, and actors provided the proper vocal "inflection" the scenes required.
MISCELLANEOUS This is a "mature" rated game.Its "stars" are Hanna and Rain, two rather beautiful mercenaries possessing.... well lets just say modern preferences and a "past".Additionally, the middle-third of the game features them negotiating through a rather humerous but perilous cocktail party meaning they are wearing "light-weight" evening dresses.Again, the game's graphics were very well done :-)

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Product Description:
Fear Effect 2: Retro Helix is the prequel to the survival-horror game Fear Effect. Here you play one of four mercenaries in a team that has signed on to bring back the kidnapped daughter of a powerful Chinese executive. The adventure takes players through the chaotic alternate reality of Hong Kong, Hell's Kitchen in New York City, the formidable walled city of Xi'an, the lost tomb of the first emperor of China, and, finally, into the legendary mountain island of the immortals, Penglai Shan. A variety of melee and range weapons, such as brass knuckles, pistols, and heavy assault weapons, will help you take out increasingly combative henchmen.
The game allows you to play as any one member of the team: cover-girl assassins Hana Tsu-Vachel or Rain Qin, master operative Royce Glas, or greedy killer Jakob "Deke" Decourt. The game's variable ending changes with the disposition of certain in-game events, and other hidden features promise added replayability.

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Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver Review

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(More customer reviews)Simply put, this game was very well put together.Storyline, animation, graphics, control, and music were all expertly crafted to bring one of the most enjoyable experiences on the PSX to the gamer.At no point does thisgame overwhelm the player with mundane intricacies or fruitless hours ofcombat.Instead it combines the right mixture of hack-n-slash withexploration and puzzle-solving. Definitely a leader in the developingaction/rpg genre.Be warned that this game is geared towards a matureaudience and that the game itself provides plenty of gore.

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Product Description:
Cast down to the material world, the mysterious entity 'Raziel' seeks vengeance for betrayal by his master: Kain. Cursed to stalk the dark realms of Nosgoth, he must slay his undead brethren; only then can he absorb their souls for the energy he craves. Moving between the spectral and material plane, Raziel must negotiate puzzles, overcome traps and defy blood-chilling enemies to reach his goal - the final battle with Kain!

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Hitman Contracts Review

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(More customer reviews)I haven't played too much of the game, but what I've played so far is much more fun and much less frustrating than Hitman 2.Hitman 2 was fun in its own right, but at times got extremely frustrating because of the ease at which your cover could be blown.In this one, though not a whole lot has changed control-wise, it seems as if it's easier and more doable to go through the game by taking different routes.Also, in response to the three customers that commented before me, I do agree that games have gotten much more violent over the past few years, however these games are not intended for kids, nor should they be sold to them.It isn't the game developer's responisbility to put out games that are acceptable for all audiences, instead it is the PARENT'S responsibility to make sure that their kid isn't playing these types of games until he's old enough to play them...Hence the rating system.If you feel bad about playing these games or feel that it's morally wrong to play such games, don't play them, but also don't complain about how they're not suitable for children when it's quite obvious that they were not intended for children.

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Product Description:
Hitman: Contracts takes players back into the world of Agent 47, genetically engineered assassin. In this new game, we find him in a hotel room in Paris. Shot up and full of painkillers, he begins hallucinating. As his mind wanders, we'll travel to the missions that left him in this sorry state. Amazing locations, from a realistic slaughterhouse to recreations of Holland, France, China, England & moreIncredible all-new graphics and advanced AI pull you into the world of the assassin -hyperrealistic graphics make you feel like you're watching a movie

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TimeSplitters 2 Review

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(More customer reviews)TimeSplitters was a popular game when it came out. It took the normal shooter game and added in changes in environment - you moved through time to persue your enemies. TimeSplitters 2 expands this with better graphics, sound, and multiplay features.
The plot isn't much to get enthusiastic about. An evil enemy race is trying to wipe out humanity, and they have a time portal. They run back through time with crystals and you have to go back into each time period to track down the crystal and do other miscellaneous tasks while you're there.
The graphics are indeed nice, from flaming torches to dreary sewers and polished marble floors. But when you compare them to the likes of Halo or Kingdom Hearts, they're a bit old looking. There aren't shadows. The backgrounds aren't very dynamic. You shoot walls and get tiny holes, unlike the deformable terrain of other current games. The textures seem flat and a bit repetitive.
They did make an attempt to have the sounds match the eras, with lovely chanting during Notre Dame and twanging during the Western era. Even so, you don't feel 'immersed' in the game. Characters don't make noise when they walk. There isn't really any ambient noise.
The weapon choices are fun and time-appropriate. In Chicago of 1932, you've got Tommy Guns. In Notre Dame you're playing with shotguns. So there's always new variety as you go from level to level.
The missions aren't very challenging compared to other games that are out. They are extremely linear and there's rarely any brainpower involved. There's side missions like "blow up file cabinets along the way" or "shoot out whiskey barrels". There's usually a rationale given but it's pretty flimsy.
There are other 'mini-games' that you can play. Do things like fight off the living dead, smash the glass and so on. Try to get the best times to get high rankings.
Where the game really shines is multiplayer. There are HUNDREDS of characters to choose from in multiplay, and tons of ways to play that you unlock as you go. There are the standards like deathmatch as well as more interesting variations. The game is savvy about game hook-ups and LANs to open the game up to as many players as possible for your system.
In addition, TimeSplitters 2 comes with a MAP EDITOR. This is something rarely seen in a console game!! You can choose from a beginner or advanced mode and design your own maps, and then have your friends play through it! Customize the tile set, bot placements, choose weapons, music, you name it. You can create your own full maps and play a new game every day!
A great game if you're into multiplayer or map creation, and a fun shooter if you're not too particular about graphics or sounds.

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Product Description:
TimeSplitters 2 brings you new and improved action that's more furious than before!Furious 2 - 4 split-screen multiplayer action for some serious hot-leaded action!

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