PREVIEWS AND REVIEWS: THE WORLD OF THIEF AND BEYOND!!!!!!!!!!!

   GREETINGS NERDS AND FELLOW GAMING ENTHUSIASTS!!!!!!!! Stormwulf has return from parts unknown, to bring to you a new console gaming update. This update is going to be special because, Stormwulf (out of his love for his readers mind you) has spent the last month or so trecking into unknown lands and countries to bring to you, for your reading pleasure, a little review of...THIEF! So stay tuned for that. Before I get too far ahead of myself I would like to take a minute or so to go over new releases and some updates on past posts. 
 First off, as many of you have probably noticed quite alot has hit store shelves over the last month starting with;
      -South Park: The Stick of Truth (PS3, PC, X360)
      -Dark Souls II (PS3, X360)
      -Titan Fall (XBO, PC)-For those of you wondering, Titan Fall WILL be on X360. However you will have to wait till April 8th before you can recieve your copy. For whatever reason EA and Respawn Entertainment thought it would be fun to make 360 owners wait another month before they can play it. It have damn well better be worth it. 
 Sorry got off on a bit of a tangent, returning to primary directive: 
      -Yoshi's New Island (3DS)
      - Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster (PS3)


      -Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes (PS3. PS4, X360, XBO)
      -Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z (PS3, X360)
      -Infamous: Second Son (PS4)
      -Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z (PC)
*FANS OF THE BATMAN: ARKHAM SERIES WILL WANT TO READ THIS NEXT SECTION!!!!*
For those of us lucky enough to have played them, the Batman: Arkham series have held a since of enjoyment and thrill. That all is about to change for us though be cause Rock Steady have annouced that the next and final title, Batman: Arkham Knight will not be returning to the Playstation 3 and XBOX 360. Rock Steady has instead decided to release it EXCLUSIVELY onto the PS4 and XBOX One. 

 Okay I think that about covers things on the update side of things, now for the real reason we're all gathered here...Thief.

 Now bare with me here this is my first game review...like ever...so just keep that in mind. I will try my best to make this simple and easy to read and understand without giving away too much of the game because, this is after all just a review and not a complete walkthrough, you want hardcore details about secrets and hidden treasures your gonna have to go somewhere else. 


                                      Thief
Platform: 360, PS3, PC, XBX ONE, PS4

Genre: First-Person, Stealth

Plot Summary: Take on the role of Garrett, a master thief, as he steals his way through The City, and tries to find answers to over a years worth of questions: What happened at the Baron's Manor? What is happening to the people of the City? and What happened to his former apprentice? 

                                                       Rating

Over all Game Score:  8.5/10  (With an ingenius and enitcing story,  near flawless stealth oriented gameplay, diferent ways to complete missions and objectives, coupled with some of the most intense moments in gaming this year. Thief makes players want to come for the gold but stay around for the phenominal story.) 



Game Replay-ability: 7.75/10 (Moderately High)

Graphics: 7.5/10 (Phenominal character, environmental, and textural designing helps to makes player feel as though they are actually experiencing this dirty, grimy, yet some what beautiful city as they trapse along in search of precious boubles and trinkets)

Sound Quaility: 8/10 (An excellent musical score and great sound effects combine to help further engross players in to this exciting new world)

Combat (Non-Stealth): 4.5/10 (do to a lack of an efficient melee weapon and somewhat poor, non-stealth oriented, combat mechanics)

Combat (Stealth): 7/10


Over-all Story/Plot: 9/10 (Thief excells at keeping the player guessing what will happen next and in effect coming back for more time and time again to find out what happens next)

Over-all Game Mechanics: 7.75/10

Review:  Over recent years we have seen a almost significant increase in reboots of older and classic games. Some of them were good, and in some instances better than their predecessors, games like Tomb Raider (2013), DmC: Devil May Cry, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, and Rayman: Origins. While some have not been very good at all, we're talking games like: Duke Nukem: Forever, Golden Axe: Beast Rider, and Sonic the Hedgehog (2006). This year we saw the release of another reboot in Thief, and you can rest assured that it will be counted amoung those game reboots worthy enough to be label as sucessful. Thief, which has some of the best developemental predigree around, was developed by Eidos Montreal and published by Square Enix. The game puts you into the shoes of Garrett (no lastname apparently), a master thief extrodinaire, as he piliages and plunders his way to answer and so much gold that even Scrooge McDuck would be jealous of. Combine that with an intriguing and exciting story and throw in some pretty intense horror elements and you go yourself the makings of a pretty decent game.  
     Now for the not so shiny side of this otherwise perfect diamond. While Thief shines at the stealth stuff, it dulls in combat. Players, when prgroessing through the game, are equipped with a compound bow, and more arrow types than a hillbilly can swing his banjo at, and a Black-jack. Now while this is a menacing combo when used as a part of stealth combat, it's really not a good thing for players who prefer open combat, because once spotted and combat commences, the black-jack becomes as about as useful as a toddler with a foam sword against the city watch who are armed with long swords and crossbows. You can completely forget about using the bow in open combat because, even when full upgraded, it takes too long for it to aim properly and once you take a hit players have to completely re-orientate themselves as well as aim again, which by the take you do all of that you been hit again and have to do it all over again.
    Along with its shotty open combat mechanics comes one of the poorest attempts at a character progression system I've seen in a while. In most games continued use of an ability or eliminating enemies generally rewards the player with Experience points players can then use to progress character abilities or skills. Thief takes a completly different route by forcing players to either seek out impoosible to find Focus Points or to spent hard earned money to upgrade skills, Which in itself I wouldnt mind, if you didnt have to use money to upgrade your equipment and to purchase more supplies. So if a player only has 2,000 gld they have to then choose whether or not to spend that money on focus points, refilling their supply stocks, or upgrading their equipment (which mind you gets extremely expensive as the game progresses). 
  With it's intense story, exciting stealth gameplay, and the assurance of a possible sequel, Thief shines as a bright beacon of hope in the dark and dreary world of gaming reboots and seals in position as one of the best games to hit store shelves this season. I can fully as your gaming guru can feel no remousre in telling you to go out purchase this title, if only so that you as readers can expericene this game for yourself.

                                                ---This is has been StormWulf on be half of Nerds                                                                                      Socialize...Stay frosty folks....