Ziggy writes in regarding Thief: Deadly Shadows.
If you really have completely sworn off all knowledge
about the next thief game, read no further.
Otherwise, I can warn you not to get your hopes up too
much - recall that Ion Storm's making it, and they're
using the same engine as Deus Ex 2. So odds are good
that:
1) It won't run on anything less than the fastest
available computer with the highest-end graphics card,
unless you manually edit the game files and turn off
all the pretty graphical effects - since they won't
allow you access to those options in-game.
2) Fire, gas, moss, and water arrow pick-ups will be
replaced by a single general-purpose 'magic' arrow,
which will provide ammo for any of the above.
3) Since there's no skill point system to do away
with, we'll probably see the complete disappearance of
the random loot used to buy equipment for the next
mission. Instead, every mission will have a standard,
fixed item loadout, a number of objectives to
complete, and no incentive for exploration at all.
4) Between map size/complexity and number of levels,
the game will end up taking you half the time to
complete as thief 2 did, even assuming you explore
every empty nook and cranny.
Oh, and since the PC release is scheduled for the same day as the xbox release, odds are also good that you'll be charged $50 or more for the privilege of owning a game that won't even run poorly until they release and you download several hundred megabytes of patch. While I'm as happy as you that the franchise didn't disintegrate, based on what they did to deus ex 2 I've already written it off. I won't be buying it until you guys or some other trustworthy source tells me it's as good as a sequel to the thief series ought to be.
I included this because I think it's likely representative of a wide segment of the gaming population. Shit, it's representative of me when I actively engage my brain and bring its full vigor to bear on the issue. I'm on some Pet Sematary shit, so bereaved at the loss of Thief that I will accept even the zombie version if it means I can have it back. That's why I made it clear that I had no reason to be excited about it - I choose, contrary to reason, in opposition to knowledge, and blind to experience to reserve some portion of myself pristine for that game's retail release.
Here's an article I found for you on Gamespot that I won't read, but might answer your own questions.
(CW)TB
