Disclaimer: this review was written after playing T2X using its Necro Age modification: Shadows of the Necro Age.

Making an expansion-length fan mod to one of the best (if not THE BEST) stealth games of all time is not an easy task. Making an expansion-length fan mod that respects and builds upon the foundation of one of the best stealth games of all time is an even less easy task. Making an expansion-length fan mod that respects and builds upon the foundation of one of the best stealth games of all time while creating its own mythos, features and characters is the least easy task you could possible imagine... but somehow, I believe that the T2X team managed to fullfill this task, not without its imperfections, but still worthy of recognition.

T2X goes the extra mile in order to give the player the impression that he is playing an official expansion of Thief 2. From each item that we saw in the base game receiving a new custom asset, to the all new elemental arrows that give you additional ways of interacting with the scenario and enemies. Theres far more than just a pack of cool giant maps in this FM.

The new main character and storyline are a testament that the T2X team didn't want to just repeat the winning formula that we already saw in the base game, but create their own little world within the Thief universe, something pretty much unheard of back when this FM first came out in 2005. Zaya may not be as charming as our beloved Garret, but her unique personality and rise from traveling merchant to revenge seeking professional thief are no less of a joy to watch. The gorgeous new 3D cinematics and briefing cutscenes do a marvelous job at immersing the player into the intrigue of the main plot.

The atmosphere across this FM is a fantastic blend of the most dark and gloomy elements of The Dark Project and the vibrant and shiny aspects of The Metal Age, fans of both games will definitely find something to love in the landscapes and structures explored in T2X. And all of this while still still finding opportunities to experiment and innovate the Thief formula! Want to play a mission that starts as your standard building raid, turns into a social stealth experience inside a moving train and ends with you tailing a group of bandits through an entirely new city? T2X can give you that!

Sadly, T2X isn't without its issues. Some weird AI behaviors and disappearing objects will pop out every so often to compromise the player experience. One particular mission commits the cardinal sin of recycling a map (thankfully its a short one) and the storyline unfortunately kinda of falls apart right at the final mission. <SPOILER ALERT> Malak's betrayal managed to feel extremaly predictable and forced at the same time. The T2X team could have done a much better job at setting up his reveal as the final villain rather than just throw this plot twist at the player in the very last minute and hope that a bunch of redables in the final mission could fill in the gaps in the storyline. <END OF SPOILER> A terrible shame because I do believe that the final stretch of this campaign is nothing short of incredible! From Down Among Dead Man to The Cure is just banger after banger, to the point that I actually found myself enjoying T2X even more so than The Dark Project! So seeing T2X ending in such a mediocre note really left a bad taste in my mouth, alas, that doesn't change the fact that there are far more hits than misses in this FM.

If you haven't played T2X yet, do yourself a favor and install this FM right now. The care and effort put into this entire package speaks for itself. And ignore the noise going around that T2X "doesn't hold up" or "didn't age well", comparing modern FMs made by long time Thief fans that have been mastering their ability of creating engaging maps for years with a first-of-its-kind FM campaign released just one year after Deadly Shadows hit the market isn't all that fair. Overall, T2X is a fantastic fan effort that deserves the recognition it got back when it released and still should be appreciated to this day. Play it!

Good review, agree with that.
Would also recommend the Necro Age version. I tested the HD version but didn´t like the style. Necro Age is a good compromise of offering higher resolution textures and a style that isn´t that different from the original.

I would also have loved a better endgame, but well, it is what it is. And I would have loved to see a 2nd campaign from the team, as there is really room for improvement and potential. However, it seemed that the team disbanded after making the campaign.