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  • Finally a remaster I can get behind (Thief: The Dark Project)

    From Spalls Hurgenson@[email protected] to comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action on Mon Jun 8 10:12:56 2026
    From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action


    Nightdive Studios announced that the next game they'll be remastering
    is "Thief: The Dark Project"* and all I can say is: it's about time.

    Not so much because I have a deep and abiding love of the game. It's
    the darling of many, but I was always lukewarm on the game. It's okay;
    I just didn't like it as much as some others seemed to.

    But I'm in favor of the remaster because if any game needs one, it's
    "Thief". Even in 1998, the "Dark Engine" that powered the game felt
    old. It certainly hasn't aged well; not in the slightest. Its visuals
    are an eyesore, and its controls are slow and imprecise.

    A simple remaster might not be enough, come to think of it. A full top-to-bottom rebuild might be necessary; something more akin to what
    Nightdive did for "System Shock 1" than they did with "System Shock 2"

    Certainly, though, the game is more deserving of remastering than
    other recent titles. "Oblivion" didn't really need the remastering
    treatment. Neither "Horizon Zero Dawn", or even games like "Full
    Throttle" or "Age of Empires". Those games had all aged, sure, but
    they still had a beauty of their own; their mechanics, controls and
    visuals still had a certain beauty to them.

    But "Thief: The Dark Project"? It /struggled/. It was a notable game
    in 1998, helping to create the stealth genre, but no modern gamer
    would touch it today. And I think that's unfortunate, because even if
    I don't love the game like some do, still I think it's worth playing.
    But getting past that awful first impression? It's tough. Real tough.

    So while I'm usually against remasters as being pointless attempts to
    sell gamers the same product a second time, relying heavily on
    nostalgia rather than quality to sell the product... in this case I'm
    all for it. Remaster the fuck out of "Thief: The Dark Project". It
    needs a lot of help.


    Were you a fan of the original? Do you think it can stand on its own
    laurels today, or is a remaster necessary to attract new fans?




    * store page / announcement here https://store.steampowered.com/app/4200960/Thief_The_Dark_Project_Remastered/


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  • From rms@[email protected] to comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action on Tue Jun 9 13:17:58 2026
    From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action

    Were you a fan of the original? Do you think it can stand on its own
    laurels today, or is a remaster necessary to attract new fans?

    A remaster will certainly attract purchases on platforms (switch) where
    it hasn't been available before. I expect little or no improvement in most aspects on the PC, beyond more flitering or scaling options, same as was
    done with Blood. This remaster better be compatible with fan levels at the least, or its dead in the water. Doubtless some PC sales will be by folx reading 'remake' for 'remaster' and they will be disappointed.

    rms

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