Examples of Damage Control in Gaming: It’s Better to Steal
It’s been difficult for Square Enix to dodge the criticism concerning Thief thrown in their direction, and for good reason. It was easy to worry about it, given how long it’s been in development hell. Though it was only officially revealed earlier this year, it was originally announced back in 2009, before Square Enix acquired Eidos Interactive. That it looked like a slightly modified current generation title on next generation consoles from the screenshots only made things worse — though it was eventually announced for PS3 and 360.
But fans didn’t feel vindicated until they read details and saw it in action. The developers promised an experience that would replicate the older titles closely, but fans saw otherwise. Thief was falling victim to the same design-by-committee formula that infests too many “AAA” games these days. It’s the result of a company thinking the preexisting fanbase can’t be exclusively appealed to, or anyone who wants an authentic stealth experience, and feels the game has to find the biggest audience possible. It’s also the top reason why it’s now a cross-generation title, despite being announced as a next generation-exclusive. The project has been in development for years, meaning the company has been constantly sinking cash into it throughout that time. They want the best return-on-investment they can get, and if that means including gameplay mechanics that make sleuthing easier, so be it.
This also meant they wanted to include a system where players can update protagonist Garrett’s abilities after obtaining sufficient XP, since those are all the rage these days. But the problem is how that can easily destroy its potential immersion. It’s OK in a game like Deus Ex: Human Revolution, a futuristic cyberpunk title with augmented humans who can upgrade their abilities. That’s a game whose setting allows for much more creativity and experimentation. But the system seems out of place in a world with an amalgam of Victorian and steampunk aesthetics. There’s also the topic of how the player would receive XP upgrades. You had to be there to see the seething rage that ensued after a player received bonus XP for landing a headshot in the E3 demo. Or you could just watch this video (which also features lovely use of Cowboy Bebop music), that compiles the worst parts. The fans that were hoping (possibly against hope) that it could deliver the Thief experience they were looking for, even after reading previous details, gave up on it.
Yet the latest news might bring them back. Eidos Montreal announced that they’re killing the XP system. And while they claim it was a developer decision to encourage the player to steal more, they admitted that it was influenced by fan reaction. And this is despite them previously saying they would stick to their guns, regardless of how fans didn’t like certain aspects. This move alone won’t bring back those who have already written the game off as a failed reboot due to other matters (Garrett’s voice change, slowmo effects to make battling easier, etc.), but it’s a nice gesture.
On the other hand, it’s worrying that game-altering decisions are being made this late in the development cycle. Thief has been in development for a good part of this generation, and it’s possible many sections of the game have been designed around there being an XP system. Given that it’s releasing on February 25th next year, they won’t have anywhere near enough time to retool entire sections. Yet through removing what was a key feature, they’ve only created another concern. Hopefully it’s an unwarranted one, and that it won’t suffer from any kind of imbalance.
Anyone hoping they’ll have time to alter and retool other sections of the game before release, though, might be out of luck. That is, unless they’re willing to delay it; but it’s clear Square Enix wants this to be a software choice for early adopters of next gen systems — though it will also hit current gen consoles. They’re committed to the release date, so no one will have to wait long to confirm their skepticism.
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Geoff
News Editor | Geoff is some nerd who writes for a blog and thinks he's knowledgeable. He write a lot about video games, but is capable of writing about other subjects, too. Twitter
