Thief 4 New Garrett vs Original Garrett

A comparison video between the new Garrett from THIEF 4 and the original Garrett from the original Thief games.

Feel free to comment on how you feel about the new Garrett.

[RaxuRangerkingsChannel]

Old Garrett: Real, down-to-earth, survivalist badass. 

New Garrett: Edgy, emo leather-paladin.

[blackthorn]

I keep telling people it's not about the voice, the personality is all wrong. There isn't any.

The old Garrett kept being pulled into these things he didn't want to. He just wanted to have a comfortable life and retire.

He's snarky cause he's smart, he completely took advantage of the Keepers only to go back to the life he wanted, without listening to any of the teachings.

It makes sense he didn't want to listen because he grew up an orphan and he's taken care of himself since the start.

It makes sense that he dislikes authority because Hammerites were something to be afraid of, they were law enforcement of the city and who knows what happens to pickpockets getting caught.

There's also an arc, because he actually started showing care for people, Victoria later, he also helped Basso escape to be with his significant other, and he started listening more to prophecies. It was a character that grew up and learned things and became more than he was.

The personality translated to his job.

But with the new Garrett, the job translates to the personality, there is no story, there's nothing behind him, he acts like a thief because that's his role, it's "all he know" because that's all that they gave him. It isn't even a character.

It didn't have to be the same thing like before, but they didn't even try at a background story.

[gilgamesh]

The old Garrett was such a breath of fresh air among gaming protagonists, and still is to this day. He's amoral and mostly selfish, but showed empathy occasionally towards people he felt deserved it. The new Garrett has to be all noble, emo and full of generic protagonist cliches.

[Rokinath]

I loved how you used Original Garrett's lines to make subtle digs at the lines of New Garrett. Really encapsulates how much different (read: worse) New Garrett is.

[bophades]

"I hate modern trends"

Yep, me too.

[bean]

Honestly new Garrett's general dialogue is borderline cringey, but the voice actor himself did a good job at doing Garrett's actual voice.

[Infernape]

"If I want it, I get it."
Too bad Nu Garrett can't seem to steal a personality.

[stephenclark]

Absolutely loved the original Thief trilogy. Garret was a very down-to-earth anti-hero. He worried about day-to-day shit, he didn't always come on top and would occasionally be betrayed and have to fight his way out or otherwise escape and in many ways he was frequently placed against incredible odds. He gets hurt several times and all through it he's just an incredibly gifted anti-hero who just wants to pay the rent and retire. Stealing is his passion, but he's a on-edge guy, too.

Best part about him is his amazing humour. He always has something clever, witty or hilarious to say in even the most dire situations.

I have all this to describe Garrett because throughout the course of Thief 1-3, you get to know Garrett very well and his personality is just as much a driving force as the story itself. Plus since he's such a realistic, albeit cocky guy you kinda feel like you know him. You become endeared with the character.

I've never bought Thief 4 and I never will for two reasons:

1. It wasn't Garrett, it was a terrible pretender who was nothing like Garrett and his shitty pseudo brooding teen personality is a reason not to play, not a reason to play like Stephen Russel's Garrett.

2. The third game basically made Garrett the most powerful dude in the city and set up(in the most awesome way, the last line in Thief 3 mirroring the very first line that introduces you to the game in Thief 1: "it's not easy to find a keeper, especially one who does not wish to be found") for a young girl to basically take on th mantle of greatest Thief. Sure, Garrett would presumably have mentored her, so he'd still be stealing, but there's no risk to him anymore - he's basically invisible to 90% of people. But 'it's just what I do' nah fuck you, Thief 4 could've had a strong female protagonist instead with Garret in cutscenes of mission briefings to add his dark humour and I would've been happy with that.

But instead they choose a terrible reboot and I honestly hope it fails, because it would hopefully mean they won't piss on the previous games anymore than they have, or they'd do the right thing and just stick to the story and the real Garrett.

[magmablock]

Never played the games, but I already prefer old Garret. He actually seemed to have some depth to him besides just stealing things, and did it mostly out of necessity rather than pleasure. New Garret is just a kleptomaniac.

[CDRunningG]

Old Garrett categorized his loot, sold it off immediately and disregarded "junk" items. This put control back into his hands, and by extension the players hands. Garrett was a professional with standards and self-defined personality.

New Garrett is completely psychotic. His character design is so anarchic, he doesn't look professional, he looks like an escaped mental patient! Since he can't explain his reason for stealing (as this quote demonstrates) he's doing thievery because of his kleptomania. Seriously, his loot isn't categorized, he's just swiping everything. 

Old Garrett was a role model and an excellent, self-guided protagonist, the ultimate symbol of the lawful neutral. He steals to make rent, and occasionally saves the world. 
New Garrett is a creepy unwashed psycho who nests in a clocktower and saves the world to...propel the plot, I guess? Or so he can sleep with the teenager who is also clearly insane. Classy, Eidos. 

[tuluse]

I miss the days when we could have subtly in video games.

[EldritchAugur]

Old Garret would never say "It's who I am" in that situation, he would say, "Fuck this I'm out." He cares about himself and occasionally others, the only reason he steals is to pay the rent and because he enjoys the challenge.

Considering that he won't be fulfilling either of those in that situation they totally fucked up Garret's character.

[BuckySeifert]

Honestly, I don't think Romano is that bad, but he will never ever top Stephen Russell. Romano was a decent imitator, but SR is the true voice of Garrett.

[RicoJazz]

Real Garrett - Real man, for mature audiences

New Garrett - Cheap, pathetic little hero out of a disney animation, who appeals to the MC Donald's happy meal kids...
The kind that becomes a toy doll later on

[abandohiker]

Original Garret sounds like your listening or reading his private diary, something thats a privilege, I listened to every sentence while you wait for the next cozy map to start, The new one is a bit like a dude trying to brag how awesome of a theif he is, Then again i only tried the new theif game maybe for an hour before i decided its something of a cashgrab and nothing for me, The first two is masterpieces in history, the third is pretty good too.

[xGarrettThiefx]

Played the new Thief unfortunately....why am I stealing knives and forks ??

[T-TR]

I like both Garretts.

The old one seems... matured. He's past the point in his life where he's still considered a child (even if he takes the form of an adult), and he has other shit to deal with. That makes his character interesting, and it adds a sense of professionalism to his work.

The new one is young, or appears to be (judging by his voice, too, he's probably younger than the Garrett we know from the original). He acts on an impulse to do what he does best, partially because he needs money like every other Joe Schmoe, but also because it's something that gives him a kick — a dangerous hobby, if you will. That can be, if written well, equally as interesting as the former's story, if a bit cliche for the Thief/Rogue archetype (the former of which Thief is obviously going for :|).

My only issue with the reboot (optimization and a lack of freedom with the jumping/rope arrows aside, as well as minor grievances) is the fact that the game sorta contradicts itself by letting you loot every little object. Want a fork? Fuck, take it. Why not, right? It defies what he says to Erin in the beginning, especially: "It's not how much you steal, it's what you steal." No, Garrett, it's clearly how much you steal. You're taking forks worth a single gold coin, for fuck's sake. If it was really about what you stole (and the challenge that came with it), you'd only be stealing those expensive busts and collectables and paintings. |:

So all in all, I hope that when they make a second game (and let's be honest, it's going to happen whether we want it or not), they can remove that separation from character actions performed by the player and narrative.

TL;DR Make it so that I can't steal fucking spoons and forks. :|

[maryd]

This needs more views and more likes. Done amazingly. Also says a lot when the original character has enough dialogue to make fun of the new one better than anyone possibly could.

[jackblack]

2014 Thief didn't want Mr.Russell anymore, Nice Guy Dishonored comes along and says "F@$k that, we'll take him!"

[jdm]

I never played any of the older Thief games but the older Garrett seemed to have an actual personality. He was a character you'd want to see and read in a book and follow him through a story. new Garrett has a generic thief mindset and personality.