alt Hacker NewsPeople talk about the graphics, but it was the crescendo and decrescendo of guard sounds/singing/footsteps in Thief that made it one of the most immersive games I’ve ever played.
People talk about the graphics, but it was the crescendo and decrescendo of guard sounds/singing/footsteps in Thief that made it one of the most immersive games I’ve ever played.
Yeah, the graphics were honestly kinda underwhelming, in particular the models were behind the curve compared to contemporary titles like Half-Life, and this didn't really improve with later titles like System Shock 2, where half the horror was the distorted textures stretched across the faces of the models.
I think what modern games have lost, that some of these late 90s titles absolutely nailed (Thief in particular), is the sound design and ambiance, which is just so dang evocative. Even the smallest incidental sounds had so much character. Picking up an item, pulling a lever, footsteps on the floor.
Modern games use such flat sounds for everything. Sure it's more realistic, at the cost of character and vibe.