Hey guys, they need to make money, so of course they're going to aim for a wider audience. Also ...
We need to make these games very attractive and accessible to a wider audience without diluting the content.
The content will not be diluted! These games could be just as good, or even better than Deus Ex 2 - in some ways, better than the original, just streamlined in a similar way to ME2 from ME1; and Thief 3 - not quite at the level of the previous 2, but still a good game, and many of the console touches were modded away. Anyway, these two games were both hampered by shitty Xbox tech, resulting in cramped levels. Consoles nowadays don't have such limitations, so there's no reason why a great multi-platform game could not be made.
I'd have more hope for a faithful Deux Ex sequel than Thief. It's gameplay is perfectly inline with modern standards, no need for dumbing down - just streamline out the effect of character stats, it's not an RPG so why have them (one of those things DE2 got right, combat sucked in the original)? increase the pace and reduce the stealth (it's an FPS, no one wants to move like an invalid, and stealth is boring, especially as a weakly implemented tack on). And there you have it - a modern shooter/RPG in the vein of ME2 and Alpha Protocol. Improving on the clunky elements of the original game, particularly combat and stealth, could make DE3 the best in the series - DE2 wasn't a step back from DE1 because of streamlining; it was the little things that held it back, like: story, atmosphere and scope/size of the levels. The gameplay was better, it just lacked the same sense of style. From what I've seen of DE3's screenshots, it looks stylish enough.
Thi4f's a little more problematic - the slower pacing and focus on non-killing were at the core of the experience. Quality level design, atmosphere and story presentation the main reasons for the series' success. These are not as easy to reproduce as DE's, and the temptation will be to increase the pace and make combat more viable. Also, the original Thief's were more strongly realised than Deus Ex and contained fewer flaws, so the sequel has more to live up to and less easily disposable flab. Still, as long as it does not compromise much more than Thief 3, it could be well worth playing - especially as there's no longer any reason to have smaller level sizes, the major weakness of Thief 3.
Have hope guys. Both games have a solid premise - Deus Ex: silly sci fi in a grimdark world, Thief: sneaksy Victorian steampunk. Even a modern designer could do something cool with them.
