Thief II: The Metal Age
Thief II: The Metal Age is a 2000 stealth video game developed by Looking Glass Studios and published by Eidos Interactive. Like its predecessor Thief: The Dark Project, the game follows Garrett, a master thief who works in and around a steampunk metropolis called the City. The player assumes the role of Garrett as he unravels a conspiracy related to a new religious sect. Garrett takes on missions such as burglaries and frameups, while trying to avoid detection by guards and automated security.
| Thief II: The Metal Age | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Looking Glass Studios |
| Publisher(s) | Eidos Interactive |
| Director(s) | Steve Pearsall |
| Designer(s) | Tim Stellmach |
| Programmer(s) | Alex Duran William Farquhar Pat McElhatton |
| Artist(s) | Mark Lizotte |
| Composer(s) | Eric Brosius |
| Series | Thief |
| Engine | Dark Engine |
| Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows |
| Release | February 29, 2000 EU |
| Genre(s) | Stealth |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Thief II received positive reviews from critics, and its initial sales were stronger than those of its predecessor. However, the game's royalties were gained slowly, which made Looking Glass's financial troubles worse. As a result, the company closed in May 2000, with plans for Thief III cancelled. The third game in the series, entitled Thief: Deadly Shadows, was developed by Ion Storm and published by Eidos in 2004. Thief 2X: Shadows of the Metal Age, a widely praised expansion mod for Thief II, was released in 2005. In 2014, Square Enix published a reboot of the series, developed by Eidos Montréal.
Gameplay
Thief II is a stealth game that takes place from a first-person perspective in a three-dimensional (3D) graphical environment.[1] The player seeks to complete mission objectives and to evade the notice of opponents such as guards. The player must minimize the visibility and audibility of the player character, Garrett, to escape detection. Players try to avoid lit areas and loud flooring in favor of shadows and quiet flooring. A light monitor on the heads-up display (HUD) indicates the player character's visibility.[2] While it is possible for the player character to engage in direct combat, he is easily defeated.
Reception
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Thief 2 debuted high on the bestsellers list for computer games, and its initial sales were better than those of its commercially successful predecessor. By November 2000, its global sales had surpassed 220,000 copies; PC Zone described these figures as "commercial acclaim."[10] The United States alone accounted for 67,084 sales by the end of 2000, which drew in revenues of $2.37 million.[11] The game later received a "Silver" sales award by the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA),[12] indicating sales of at least 100,000 copies in the United Kingdom.[13] Thief II also received positive reviews from critics, with an aggregate score of 87 on Metacritic and 89.14% on GameRankings.
References
- ↑ L. McDonald, Thomas (May 9, 2000). "Stealing Beauty". Computer Gaming World. http://www.zdnet.com/cgw/stories/main/0,11529,2559422,00.html.
- ↑ Hart, Dorian (2000). Thief II: The Metal Age manual. Eidos Interactive. pp. 5, 9, 11, 12, 17, 18, 20, 26, 27, 30, 34.
- ↑ Torres, Jasen (April 4, 2000). "Thief 2: The Metal Age". GameFan. Archived from the original on June 6, 2000. Retrieved November 14, 2010.
- ↑ Brenesal, Barry (April 21, 2000). "Thief II: The Metal Age". GamePro. http://www.gamepro.com/computer/pc/games/reviews/5307.shtml.
- ↑ Preston, Jim (August 2000). "Thief II: The Metal Age". PC Gamer US. Archived from the original on December 28, 2001.
- ↑ Presley, Paul (April 2000). "Thief II: The Metal Age". PC Zone (88): 68–71.
- ↑ E. Sones, Benjamin (April 4, 2000). "Thief 2: The Metal Age". Computer Games Strategy Plus. Archived from the original on May 17, 2003.
- ↑ "THIEF II: THE METAL AGE". Metacritic. Retrieved January 24, 2018.
- ↑ "Thief II: The Metal Age for PC". GameRankings. Retrieved June 26, 2013.
- ↑ Staff (November 2000). "Ion Storm Steals Thief". PC Zone (95): 23.
- ↑ "It's All in the Numbers". PC Gamer. Future US. 8 (4): 40, 41. April 2000.
- ↑ "ELSPA Sales Awards: Silver". Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association. Archived from the original on February 21, 2009.
- ↑ Caoili, Eric (November 26, 2008). "ELSPA: Wii Fit, Mario Kart Reach Diamond Status In UK". Gamasutra. Archived from the original on September 18, 2017.