THIEF: DEADLY SHADOWS
Platform: Xbox
Price: $10 used
Backward-Compatible: Yes

Originally released in 2004, Thief: Deadly Shadows has everything a stealth gamer could want. Play the game according to your talents: If you’re a bloodthirsty sort, you can sneak up on your enemies and bludgeon them with your truncheon, or start a sword fi ght if you prefer the blade. And if you’re inclined to mercy, you can use one of the host of cool toys at your disposal: water arrows to extinguish torches, flashbombs to temporarily blind your enemies, and the ability to pick locks with abandon.

The expertly crafted and complex main narrative catches hero Garrett between two warring mystical factions while attempting to stop a vicious murderer. Superb voice acting helps the story along, but you’ll want to take time to explore the incredibly detailed metropolis between missions, if only to gab with the locals. Firing it up again now, the graphics aren’t as nice as we remembered them, but your arsenal of weapons and the engaging story more than make up for the loss. Well worth the 10 bucks you’ll pay for a used copy.