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It has been said that when Looking Glass Studios released Thief: The Dark Project, a new genre was born: the "First Person Sneaker". What set Thief apart from other action games was that it required you, as Garrett the master thief, to use stealth and wits before might. In other words, it stressed avoidance and did not involve you running around, blowing everything in sight to pieces as fast as you possibly can. The strategy paid off handsomely, and a sequel was inevitable. It is commonplace for a sequel, whether it be a game or movie, to be rushed out just to feed off the previous episode's success, leaving it somewhat empty and underdeveloped. Not so with Thief II: The Metal Age. The original Thief was a refreshing breath of air in the gaming world’s first person shooter genre, and its successor boasts no less.

Story

As in the original, Thief II: The Metal Age involves you in an immensely riveting plot, something many hyped up FPS games, such as Quake 3, lack. Thief II picks up smoothly about a year after where Thief left off, in which Garret had his eye removed by the villainous Trickster before disposing of this evil prophesied by the radical Hammerites. A religious group that gave Garrett headaches, the Hammerites have split into 2 separate factions: one consisting of the few remaining Hammerites, and the other one the Mechanists, who are quickly seizing power of the city. The Mechanists are extremely industrial, bringing Dayport into a highly mechanized and technology-driven era by producing electric lights, robots and security systems that include mechanical faces with eyes that act as cameras, and using a very unorthodox way of acquiring servants. There is also a new Sheriff named Truart, who has been hired to kill Garrett, as he quickly finds out. To make matters worse for Garrett, Truart is working with the Mechanists. Now he must discover why the sheriff wants him dead, and what plans the Mechanists have for the city and the future.