Dishonored

Blog Post: Violence solves everything, so does not doing it.

Corvo Attano — Sat, 11 May 2013 18:26:00 GMT

Dishonored is a game where versatility is key to every situation, and using all methods throughout makes it great. I agree for the most part of Gameinformer's review, however I think that the stealth made the game a whole other level of great.

Lean function, by itself was fun to be honest. I've had many times in a stealth game where I've been caught trying to look around a corner. It's great that I can see around corners in a game that isn't third person. This allows more sneaking for the less experienced like me. Other essential stealth aspects are well used. Killing is fast and not super loud like it is in Deus Ex: Human Revolution, and non-lethal is a risker path at times because it takes just a little longer. After disposing of enemies in any way, you can get rid of their bodies by carrying them away. Many places below a balcony had mountains of bodies by the ends of levels. Attacking head on isn't ideal but completely doable none the less. Parrying is a simple move and the amount of supernatural powers Corvo has allows for actual strategy in a head on fight in open areas.

At first I thought this game was going to be open world, however disappointed at first I was pleasantly surprised at how huge levels were. The game might as well be open world considering there are SO MANY hidden notes for secret safes and rooms, through basic things like turning on a sink 3 times. It feels like easter eggs in a game. The basic power acquired in the game is known as Blink, and is a teleportation device for the majority of the game and helped scale across the buildings of Dunwall in a pinch. Speaking of which, the whole style of Dunwall is beautiful, yet imperfect. I agree with Gameinformer in the aspect that the graphics were unpolished and/or muddy at times. But that matters much less to me because of the rest of the games high qualities.

Repercussions of actions carry through the whole game, if you kill often and cause loud disturbances then chaos will be high which leads to more civilians dying of the plague in the game, hindering some paths you could've taken, now filled with swarms of rats or weepers. I find that this is quite a unique thing to do for gameplay and made my replay value for it much higher.

As for the story and feel of the environment, the concept of revenge and greed is played out perfectly. Simplicity makes or breaks an action game, and this time it really worked because the simplicity of the story contrasts with the complexity of the gameplay. One big plot twist makes me, the player, actually seek revenge for getting screwed over. Once a game can make me feel for a main character that doesn't even have a voice actor, I'm sold.

Many things in the game are upgradable through purchasing at your delightful blacksmithing genius, which I'm a sucker for. All of your weapons including spring traps, a pistol, a mini crossbow, and grenades can be made better in almost every aspect. Correspondingly your powers in the game are upgraded through doing optional side quests within missions and getting whale bone runes. Powers range from teleportation to having rat swarms eat carcasses of your enemies to cover your tracks. Very wholesome family fun right there.

In conclusion, Dishonored is a unique gaming experience that takes me back to things like Thief, where stealth can be key but if your in a tight spot or have had enough with the annoying guards, straight forward fighting is still fun to use. A complete and original concept with a lovely story of revenge drives me to play more alone, but with all of it's unique ways to play Dishonored is a gaming experience to keep ahold of forever. Plus, I am the main character, I'm pretty great, and I'm a badass on every level.

Blog Post: Excellent idea for new IP but left things to be desired.

soulfly666 — Fri, 03 May 2013 19:46:00 GMT

The story and idea of this game and its characters are GREAT. It is refreshing to see such unique well polished new IP. However, certain aspects of the game left me unsatisfied. Firstly, the enemy AI is extremely inconsistent. There were sequences where you would be spotted a mile away when using abilities that should have you well hidden, and other sequences where you could walk right up to someone's face and they don't see you and you get stealth kills. Also, a lot of the abilities were inconsistent as in you could use them in seemingly impossible situations and have them work well for you, but then a couple scenes later, use them when they would seem perfectly useable and they backfire in your face. Various inconsistencies such as these left me a little unhappy with the game, but I certainly hope they make a sequel and it is even better. Great storywriting and premise.

Blog Post: The next step down from Bioshock in FPS's

Tihspid — Fri, 03 May 2013 02:46:00 GMT

Dishonored is a game that I bought mostly out of appreciation for someone creating a new game that wasn't a sequel to an already successful franchise. I'm about tired of Call of Duty, Gears of War, Halo, and Assassins Creeds.

It was a GREAT buy.

If you enjoy the kind of ingenuity that Bioshock offers, then that alone says you should play this game. It's not often enough that game companies call on the player to play through games in more than one general way.

Almost every shooter on the market is generally, "start mission, kill bad guys, swap weapons (if you want), rinse and repeat".

NOT THAT THERE'S ANYTHING WRONG WITH THAT.

But Dishonored offers the player the option to play through the ENTIRE game without killing a single guard.

While at the same time giving you powers and weapons to make killing dozens of guards a very, very tantalizing option.

You play as Corvo the protector of the Empress, and you get framed for the untimely death of, you guessed it, the Empress. The rest of the plot is filled with twists and turns that I won't give away.

To be completely honest, the gameplay and settings make the storyline almost optional.

While there are some guilt ridden moments where you choose between killing or not killing a key character. For the most part, Dishonored is driven by perfectly executed abilities and swordplay and open-ended exploration in a withering city.

And the city is Dunwall

Dunwall is a plague filled city in the Elizabethan time period. With one difference. Dunwall has harnessed the power of whale oil, giving the city a futuristic boom in technology. A lot of Half Life reminiscent machines and enemies are a product of that.

The city itself is beautiful in a kinda disgusting, plague-y, rat infested sort of way. Streets are littered with trash while buildings belonging to higher ups seem pristine and proper. Think French Revolution.

Each setting in Dunwall is a huge enjoyment to explore and plunder for Runes and Bone Charms, which act as upgrades for yourself and your powers.

Your powers, are what separate you from the typical Dunwall guard.

Given to you by someone known only as "The Outsider", they are the pinnacle of Dishonored.

Blink, is the first ability you get. And it is without a doubt the most flawless teleport to be in a game since Shadowrun. If this was the only ability in Dishonored I would still play it and enjoy it just as much.

But they didn't stop at blink, other powers include stopping time, possessing animals, and summoning a swarm of rats, amongst others. All fitting the game perfectly, never seeming over-powered and melding well with the games core concept. Blending these powers with excellent sword play is some of the most fun I've in a while.

Dishonored did have some rough patches for me though...

For a game based on stealth, mechanics were a little off for the AI. Randomly spotting you across the map and blowing your cover, pathways often led to a guard walking into walls for no reason, and the introduction of search hounds is very clumsily executed.

Go play this game, it is a breath of fresh air in a repeating cycle of boring FPS's. I became attached to Dunwall and it's dirty residents, I loved the powers and how they melded to my style of play, and the mixture of stealth and action this game brought to the table was ideal. Those 3 reasons are strong enough for me to play through it again and again.

File: Dishonored: The Knife of Dunwall