Top 40 Games From 2004

36. Thief: Deadly Shadows

What I loved about the third entry in the Thief series was the shift from strict linearity between missions to the open-ish world concept of strolling about town. It gave protagonist Garrett story options to sell stolen loot in order to upgrade his weapons and supplies. One of the last stealth games that gave avoiding combat prime focus, Thief truly let the player experience the rush of adrenaline that is sneaking in the shadows, especially when in first person mode.