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Garrett channels his inner Bruce Willis in Thief launch trailer
"I've been a ghost all my life," Thief protagonist Bruce Willis Garrett says in this trailer for his soon-to-be-released game, in which he may or may not literally be a ghost. Where's Haley Joel Osment when you need him? Check out our video preview for more ghost-thief action.
Thief sneaks in 1080p on PS4, 900p on Xbox One
When Thief debuts on February 25, the PlayStation 4 incarnation of the stealth-action game will feature graphics at 1080p resolution, while its Xbox One counterpart will offer 900p imagery. This disparity was revealed by Square Enix in a recent chat with Eurogamer, though the publisher claims that the difference is not glaring. "You really need good eyes to see the difference," said Thief director Nicolas Cantin, before adding that the Xbox One game "is as good as the PS4 version." The big difference, Cantin claims, is found between the older generation of consoles and these newer machines. "We put more detail in, more special effects. But at the same time, we kept the same gameplay experience with the current-gen and the next-gen versions." Thief is only the most recent example of a big release offering higher resolution graphics on the PlayStation 4. Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeroes will reportedly run at 1080p on PlayStation 4 and at 720p on Xbox One, while the PS4 version of Call of Duty: Ghosts received a launch day patch to bump its graphics up to 1080p. [Image: Square Enix]
Watch Thief's first chapter play out in this footage
Eagerly anticipating your lockpicking, treasure-collecting stint in the Thief reboot? You can start plotting your routes through the game's first chapter while watching this early playthrough. If you're looking for a little more context, steal a glimpse of our video preview. [Image: Square-Enix]
Learn all about Thief in this pre-release primer
Thief is now complete and slated to hit retail shelves on February 25, but before Garrett dives into another kleptomaniacal adventure, publisher Square Enix hopes to bring everyone up to speed with this six-minute lesson on the perpetually gloomy world of Thief. [Image: Square Enix]
Thief Video Preview
What does your moral compass say about Thief, a game in which you covet all that glitters and pinch every penny like a delicious, mineral-heavy morsel before dropping it into your gaping pocket? In our new video preview we find there's still an illicit thrill in stealing professionally as master thief Garrett, who returns in this Eidos-Montreal reboot of 1996's Thief: The Dark Project. And let's be honest: having spent several games looting fresh corpses, eating curative sponge cakes straight from the garbage and gutting leopards for tacky ammo pouches, kleptomania just comes naturally to us all. Thief is coming to Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on February 25. For more on the game's open world, read our last preview, "Stalking the City in Shadow."
Deus Ex: The Fall synapses with Android
Android users who've been waiting to take The Fall will be pleased to know the Deus Ex mobile game breached the walls of Google Play today. From what we can see, there are no additions to the 2013 iOS version, or to its asking price of $7. If you want to augment your knowledge on Deus Ex: The Fall before you buy, check out our Portabliss feature on the iPad version. Xav was lukewarm on the action-RPG, saying, "At $7, what Deus Ex: The Fall does best is to, for a limited time, satiate a hunger for another entry in Eidos Montreal's sleek universe."
Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition shines spotlight on silky hair graphics
Maybe she's born with it? Maybe it's TressFX. Here's another look at the next-gen Lara coming to PS4 and Xbox One on January 28 in Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition. She could use a spa day if we're being honest.
Thief PC specs slip out
After a rollercoaster half-decade or so of development, Thief is barely a month away from our lives. If that scarcely sounds conceivable, the proof is in the presently procured parchment: Eidos Montreal posted the stealthy reboot's system specs. Square Enix once again turned to conversion specialist Nixxes for the PC port; the two have worked together on several projects over the last decade or so. As for the PC specs, the good news is you probably won't have to make off with a friend's uber-system to play it. For the full list of minimum and recommended specs, check past the break. Thief is also coming to Xbox One, PS4, PS3 and Xbox 360, and is due to finally reach all those platforms on February 25 in North America, and February 28 in Europe.
Eidos Montreal cuts the QTEs from Thief
When Square Enix launches its Thief reboot in February 2014, it will ship a game with one fewer gameplay element than was previously seen at E3: quick-time events. Developer Eidos Montreal revealed in a recent community blog that the game's QTEs were stripped out of the adventure entirely. "To begin with, there were very few instances of QTEs in the game; in fact there was only one in that whole hour-long E3 demo," the blog post reads. "However, given the strong reactions it evoked in the press and the community, it was an easy decision to do away with them entirely. So we're not doing it. No quick time." Our time with Thief last month didn't spotlight those now-absent timed button-press moments, but focused on the stealthier elements of the game and the ways it enforced resource conservation. The game will arrive on February 25, 2014 for Xbox One, PS4, PS3, Xbox 360 and PC.
Rumor: Deus Ex dev cancels unannounced, original IP
While Eidos Montreal continues work on both the Deus Ex franchise and on the upcoming Thief, a third, unrevealed project has been scrapped. Kotaku cites unnamed sources for this revelation, but notes that "two different developer sources" had linked the now-canceled game to the Japanese side of publisher Square Enix. Furthering that tenuous connection, the site points to a recent OXM interview with Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII gameplay director Yuji Abe, in which Abe suggests that Square Enix might one day allow Eidos to develop a Final Fantasy entry. "Obviously, Square Enix bought out Eidos a number of years ago, and now we have direct access to American development teams," stated Abe. "That's certainly been discussed within the company, the possibility of say, Eidos or maybe someone else to look after or maybe take on the Final Fantasy series." Was this canceled game a new Final Fantasy entry? Did it even exist? We attempted to contact Square Enix for more details, but never received a response.
Deus Ex actor claims he was original voice of Far Cry 3's Brody
Deus Ex: Human Revolution actor Elias Toufexis, who provided the gravely voice for hero Adam Jensen, told convention goers that he'd been hired by Ubisoft to play the lead role in Far Cry 3, only to be replaced later. As X360A reports, Toufexis claimed he'd recorded voice work as Far Cry 3 hero Jason Brody, work that would never be used after his starring role in Human Revolution. "In fact, I shouldn't say this," Toufexis told the MCM Expo crowd over the weekend, "But there's a game called Far Cry 3 which I'm sure you guys know, where I had played Jason Brody. I played him for two years, did the voice and when Deus Ex came out they replaced me because they were nervous that ... 'We don't want people playing this game and thinking of another game.'" In a world where the prolific Nolan North exists, that seems an odd turn of events. Clearly Toufexis never asked for this, but he was philosophical about how things worked out. "It's justifiable," Toufexis concluded, "It's understandable, but my normal voice is what I used for that character too. So now it's like I'm losing work because Jensen is so popular."
Deja Review: Deus Ex: Human Revolution Director's Cut
This is a Deja Review: A quick, unscored look at the new features and relative agelessness of a remade, revived or re-released game. Two years ago, we called Deus Ex: Human Revolution an "imperfect, complex and ambitious reminder of what a game can be when it's unafraid." Eidos Montreal didn't hold our hands, didn't string us from Waypoint A to Waypoint B so we could kill Bad Guy C. It trusted players to be intelligent and curious, and constructed a bleak, fascinating world that needed to be explored. Now, in 2013, with a "Director's Cut" of Human Revolution available for Wii U, Xbox 360, PS3 and PC, most of its "imperfect" aspects have been smoothed over, improving what was already a great experience. Even so, the addition of second screen features introduce a handful of new, albeit smaller, problems.
Upgrade Deus Ex: Human Revolution to Director's Cut for cheap on Steam
Square Enix's upcoming augmentation, Deus Ex: Human Revolution Director's Cut, will include all three DLC packs for the base game and be cheaper if you own the original release on Steam. For those that already own Deus Ex:HR and its Missing Link DLC, $4.99 will net you a download for the Director's Cut. Fans that own only the base game will need to pay $9.99, while newcomers will pay $19.99. Director's Cut will offer developer commentaries and a New Game+ mode that carries over upgrades from past playthroughs. Director's Cut will hack into Steam's database on October 22 in North America and October 25 in PAL territories. If you prefer to stick with consoles, October 22 will also see the launch of Director's Cut on the Xbox 360 and PS3 for $30 and on the Wii U for $50.
Thief: Stalking the City in Shadow
Oh, the indignation of owning a totally sweet sword and struggling to hit anything with it. It was a disarming gesture in 1998's Thief: The Dark Project – to be turned into a chronic bumbler in confrontation, but a master thief in shadow and silence. The game was better when you hid from it. The skilled and unacknowledged player still has a place in the new Thief, now under the guidance of Eidos Montreal. I recently gained a sense of the first-person stealth game's priorities and its adherence to Looking Glass' foundation, thanks to a sneaky stroll inside a cordoned-off piece of a grimy city. The city connects crucial missions, but its crooked buildings hide additional objectives and its streets provide ample opportunity for pickpocketing and trouble.
Thief's use of DualShock 4 features detailed
Thief will make use of the DualShock 4's motion control and light bar features, a post to the PlayStation blog revealed this week. The controller's light bar will "reflect the light gem in the in-game UI" during gameplay to reinforce whether the game's protagonist, Garrett, is safely stowed away in the shadows. The bar will brighten as a player leaves cover and darken once they return to the stealth-favoring darkness. The DualShock 4's motion tracking can be used with Garrett's bow, allowing players to physically aim arrows at their unlucky targets. The controller's central touch pad will also be used to examine the map or pick a new weapon from your arsenal. This is Thief, of course, so its fondness for player choice involving combat means you don't have to kill everyone. If you go that route, however, you'll be able to pick your weapon of choice without bringing up a menu that covers the main screen.
Thief 'Master Thief' edition gives Garrett a bank to rob on PC
The next entry in the Thief series is set to launch on February 25, 2014, and those who pre-order a special Master Thief edition on Windows PC can net some added digital goodies through the Square Enix Store. For $53, this PC download includes Thief, a digital artbook and comic, soundtrack, a booster pack of in-game consumable items designed to "empower you and hasten your progression" and a supplemental map. This extra map, the Stonemarket First Bank, is based on a popular mission found in Thief 2: The Metal Age. The Master Thief digital edition of the game will be available in 28 different territories through the Square Enix Store, in addition to "all other major digital distributors."
Deus Ex: Human Revolution Director's Cut coming in under $60
Deus Ex: Human Revolution: Director's Cut will cost less than $60, Square Enix PR Manager Ryan Arbogast told Joystiq during Gamescom 2013. "We haven't announced prices, but it won't be a full launch price," Arbogast said. "It won't be $60." This jives with the launch prices listed on Amazon, Best Buy and Gamestop – $50 for Wii U versions and $30 for Xbox 360 and PS3. Arbogast mentioned that Director's Cut would launch this year. The remixed revamp uses dual-screen mechanics, with an updated map showing building layouts on the second screen, along with expanded level design during boss fights, a developer commentary track and fresh features such as new-game plus and grenade throwback. On Wii U, the second screen is the GamePad, while on Xbox 360 it's Smartglass and on PS4 it's the Vita.
Thief steels itself for Feb. 25, 2014 debut
Thief is snatching a spot on retailer shelves for a proposed launch date of February 25, 2014 in North America, and February 28 in Europe and other PAL regions. Eidos Montreal's reboot recasts the cynical protagonist, Garrett, as a lone liberator of valuables in a city swelling into civil unrest. First announced as a sequel in 2009, Thief has endured claims of troubled development (when is that not the case for major games?) and questioned leadership. It has been a dark project by public accounts, but it wouldn't quite be the first one in the franchise's long history. Thief will distribute its pilferage across several platforms next year, including PC (download), Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Xbox One and PlayStation 4.
Deus Ex: The Fall update sneaks in iPad 2 support, AI fixes
Square Enix has issued a new update for Deus Ex: The Fall, the iOS action-RPG set after the events of the Deus Ex: The Icarus Effect novel. This latest patch adds support for iPad 2, fixes a few crash bugs and enhances AI, guaranteeing "enemies do not lose sight of the player" any longer. Deus Ex: The Fall was initially expected to be a sequel to Deus Ex: Human Revolution when trademarks were discovered back in March. It's an experience our review says presents moments of joy but is ultimately "hollow."
Former Eidos Montreal GM leaves Square Enix, citing 'irreconcilable' differences
Former Eidos Montreal studio head Stephane D'Astous has resigned from Square Enix, criticizing the company's "lack of leadership, lack of courage and lack of communication." "Since last year's financial short-coming performance of Square Enix Europe, we (HQ London and GM Eidos-Montreal) have had growing and divergent opinions on what needed to be done to correct the situation," D'Astous told Develop. "The lack of leadership, lack of courage and the lack of communication were so evident, that I wasn't able to conduct my job correctly. I realised that our differences were irreconcilable, and that the best decision was unfortunately to part ways." D'Astous was ousted from his leadership role during a Square Enix managerial shakeup in June, and was replaced by Deus Ex: Human Revolution executive producer David Anfossi. Following the corporate restructuring effort, Square Enix representatives told Develop that D'Astous had "taken on a new project in the company working directly with [current Square Enix head of studios] Darrell Gallagher across our studios focusing on cross studio operations."
