Thief 3 goes gold, new trailer

Ion Storm has finished work on the PC version of Thief: Deadly Shadows, publisher Eidos announced this week, and American gamers should be able to get their hands on it from May 25th onwards. European gamers will have to wait a little longer, probably around a month, but the expectation is that we'll see it before the end of June. An Xbox version of the game is due in late 2004.

Whether by means of celebration or coincidence, Thief fans can also get their hands on a new 2:13 movie today, which is split between CG and in-game footage in a film trailer style, complete with gravely voiceovers and a bit of detail on the plot - which sees master thief Garratt thrown into a world torn between magic and technology.

With the scene-setting out of the way though we get a glimpse of the now-third person stealth and thievery, including a few shots of Garratt's bow (for which the game coolly switches to a first-person behind-the-sights view), some sneaking around in the shadow evading guards and eventually knifing them to death, along with a little bit of hand-to-hand combat as Garratt carves his way through some very detailed environments.

The 640x480 version of the trailer gives you a good idea of the level of tech involved, with lots of shots accentuating the use of real-time lighting and darkness. Garratt can be seen cutting through shafts of moonlight, and his hands cast deep shadows on a door as he picks the lock. There's certainly no shortage of minute detail - the big question now is whether it can live up to the legacy of erstwhile developer Looking Glass. Expect to hear a lot more in the coming weeks.