dark messiah review at fourfatchicks.com

http://www.fourfatchicks.com/Reviews…ssiah/DM.shtml

granted i haven't yet played the game myself. the demo ran pretty lousy on my computer dispite me being able to gothic 3 very well and nwn2 even better which was supposed to be for christmas but i opened a few days ago. the review has peaked my interest again in the game as i enjoyed my 'love/hate relationship' like many with arx fatalis. but unlike the reviewer i'll wait til i can find it for ~20 or less. the part of the review that really interested me was that randy smith was involved in its development and specifically the project he is working on with steven spielberg!

"Randy Smith consulted extensively with Arkane on Dark Messiah, and it shows in nearly every aspect of the experience. Randy came from Looking Glass, where he was a level designer and then senior designer on the Thief games. After that, he served as project lead on Thief: Deadly Shadows at Ion Storm, and he is now working on a secret project with Steven Spielberg and fellow Looking Glass alum Doug Church. He is one of the industry's most highly respected experts on stealth-based design and use of emergent play techniques to expand player freedoms."

I saw this review earlier and if you can get it $20 you'll defianlty happier with it, though that will take at least 6 months maybe a year, especially if they can get the MP fixed which just got patched today.
It's very easy to recognise his input as Arkaine's Stealth in Arx was ok for their first attempt.
Here is my comment about the Rope Bow in DM from another thread.
"I don't mean some pale imitation, we are talking superior here in everyway.
Can't deside if it had me ready to weep for joy at what I was seeing or weep for sorrow of what Thief 3 could have been", not to mention the Greatest Backstab to date, it's just wickedly good.

Randy is rather brilliant Stealth Action guy, yet his brother Harvey whom did DX2 seems to be stuck in a "Console Vortex" that eats away at his brain if doesn't have a console controller in his hands he doesn't even use a keyboard anymore.

I liked that review … I love how they just couldn't get past the missing 'of', the take on the majorly cliched story and the uninspired level design - but all the while noting that if you've come for fun combat it is all good …

Also, the author notes in the forums that it was Ubi that wrote the story in its entirety … Arkane merely implemented it. I'm sure that is true, but it still sounds a bit of a cop-out to me.

Pretty sure Randy and Harvey are not related, let alone brothers.

At most, they're blood brothers due to the vast quantities of it shed in their labors at ISA.

Stanza
"Pretty sure Randy and Harvey are not related, let alone brothers."
You maybe right since I don't know them personally but I am just going by the first interveiw Randy gave after leaving the T3 team at Ion here in Austin (actually I not even sure the studio is still open).
Where the interviewer asked "Are you and Harvey real borthers?" and Randy said yes, as I recall.

Since you seem pretty sure mind if I ask what your going by?

Just agree with him Stanza.

http://www.evilavatar.com/forums/showthread.php?t=13902

"Jonathan: I understand. Ahem, any relations to Harvey Smith?

Randy: Yeah, we're brothers.

Jonathan: Of blood?

Randy: Sure, sure."

I'm just going by dim recollections of comments and quotes posted on TTLG, with randy and witchboy noting that virtually every interviewer would ask them if they were brothers, with it turning into a running joke that they were.

Google's refusing to kick up any hits on ttlg.com, so I can't find any of those posts.

No big deal was just wondering.
Thought maybe you have seen a picture or something of them, for some reason in the back of my mind I think they even look similar, same hieght and facial features come to mind, dunno.