GAMING Thief
Creeping back onto gamers’ screens in early 2014 is Square Enix’s upcoming reboot of the cult soft-soled stealth series Thief. Matthew Jarvis picks out the key info from the shadows…
A STREAM THAT LEADS
TO AN OCEAN? AS MORE original programming appears exclusively on video streaming sites like Netflix, it seems TV might be about to kneel before the block as the axe of the internet is lofted overhead. But it’s not just traditional TV shows
produced by big corporations that are riding high online. User-created is
enjoying strong popularity on sites like YouTube. It’s only going to grow further, and much of it is being propelled by the increasing ease of home recording. For gamers, the boom in ‘weblebrities’ is apparent
through narrated gameplay content such as Rooster Teeth’s ‘Let’s Play’ series, Giant Bomb’s ‘Quick Looks’ and Tobuscus’s ‘TobyGames’ offerings, which have online audiences millions strong. The appeal of watching games being played live has
even expanded into professional arenas via eSports, with the League of Legends final last October attracting 32 million viewers on
Twitch.tv – almost tripling The X Factor’s 10.7 million viewer peak. Twitch is quickly establishing itself as the stream site to beat – especially as a wave of PlayStation 4 and Xbox
Genre: Stealth Publisher: Square Enix Distributor: CentreSoft Contact: 0121 625 3388 Release Date: Feb 28th Formats: PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One
“Everything from simply reposting a Grand Theft Auto V trailer to blowing up an Xbox 360 can attract consumers’ clicks.”
One players discover the site through its integration into the next-gen consoles, making broadcasting narrated gameplay to a worldwide audience as easy as the press of a button. Retailers would do well to take on board the surge of
NEARLY TEN years ago, the Thief series disappeared into the night like its master thief protagonist, Garrett. But now the cult classic
series returns with a reboot, ready to offer players the chance to once again creep through the plague- infested City in order to steal from the rich and eventually take down the tyrannical Baron. Like its three predecessors,
Thief favours stealth over combat, and provides players with a number of approaches to each level. Garrett can use a range of
upgradable weaponry and skills to quietly subdue and avoid guards, from the non-
www.pcr-online.biz
lethal blackjack to a compound bow that can be used for both combat and distraction, and a claw, which will allow Garrett to manoeuvre around each setting (which have been inspired by Victorian and steampunk aesthetics). Gamers can also explore
the environment, blowing out candles to provide the cover of darkness or climbing pipes to access new areas, while Garrett can spot helpful areas and objects using his ‘Focus’ ability. This can also be used to attack and manipulate enemies, and to slow down time, making pickpocketing more effective.
Should Garrett be
spotted, enemies will try to pursue him, with the game’s improved AI meaning that guards are aware of possible hiding places in each level, and will attempt to force players out into the open. Developer Eidos-
Montréal has concentrated on keeping the essence of Garrett’s thieving nature, and has used a combination of motion capture and voice acting to replicate smooth and natural actions. For players looking to
throw the light on more of Garrett’s world, retailers can offer them the in-game mission ‘The Bank Heist’ as a pre-order bonus.
content – both pre-recorded and live – in order to attract the gaming audience’s interest, particularly in the wake of the new consoles and exciting developments such as DDR4 RAM and new powerhouse cards from AMD and Nvidia in the PC market. With everything from simply reposting the latest
Grand Theft Auto V trailer to blowing up an Xbox 360 with C4 capturing consumers’ clicks, it doesn’t take much to wade into the waters of online video. Before you know it, you could be streaming the bustling queues of a midnight launch via an embedded Twitch video on your website, demonstrating the power of your latest graphics card by posting captured gameplay footage or giving a two-minute rundown of the week’s new hardware and software releases on your own dedicated YouTube channel. Even those who don’t wish to create their own content can make the most of the trend by stocking hardware and software used for recording and producing. Attract budding creators and who knows –maybe they will even be so impressed that they’ll provide free content for you, through a review or mention in a video. So why not jump in and give it a go? The stream is
flowing fast. Matthew Jarvis
Matthew.Jarvis@intentmedia.co.uk PCR January 2014 | 57
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92