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Dishonored PS3

Dishonored

Dishonored is set in Dunwall, an industrial whaling city where strange steampunk- inspired technology and otherworldly forces coexist in the shadows. You are the once-trusted bodyguard of the beloved Empress. Framed for her murder, you become an infamous assassin, known only by the disturbing mask that has become your calling card. In a time of uncertainty, when the city is besieged by plague and ruled by a corrupt government armed with industrial technologies, dark forces conspire to bestow upon you abilities beyond those of any common man – but at what cost? The truth behind your betrayal is as murky as the waters surrounding the city, and the life you once had is gone forever.
  • US October 9, 2012
  • EU October 12, 2012
  • JP N/A
Rate it
0/10
Platform: PlayStation 3 icon


Developer: Arkane Studios
Publisher: Bethesda Softworks

pro

Rarely is a story of deception told so tight and well as it is in Dishonored. It pulls you in from the very beginning by its creative tutorial, and leads you through a set of big events free of excessive fluff and nonsense. A lot of the optional side missions goes to greath lengths to tie in with the main story, and more often than not offer alternative ways to solve your predicament and completely altering the outcome. Optional side missions are rarely given beforehand, and must be found in the ways of notes and eavesdropping on people you come across. This keeps every mission fresh and full of surprises. Complete freedom in how you choose to approach an objective is given, and more so than you ever felt a game like Deus Ex: Human Revolution did (Harvey Smith, developer of Deus Ex: HR is one of two creative directors on this game). Sometimes you might stumble upon solutions you're not even sure the developers thought of. The way you choose to play the game also affects not only its final outcome, but also impacts missions ahead of you. By butchering down every person you come across, the world will be inhabited by more rats and plagued people roaming the streets and alleys.

pro

Your powers - if you choose to use them - are both neat and extremely practical. They can be leveled up a notch to further strengthen your stealth or battle abilities. Bending time, teleporting, possessing animals and people all adds up to a game that encourages creativity to progress. With your abilites comes a few but effective weapons like swords, crossbows, pistols, grenades and traps. Runes and bone charms are scattered around each missions, which are essential for both permanent upgrades and small skill boosts.

pro

Dunwall is the steampunk equivalent of City 17, and is also made by the some of the very same people that created City 17. It looks and feels great, but the real star is the level design that gives you the playground you need to be a stealthy assassin.

pro

Dishonored is delightfully detailed. It ranges from notes and books you can read to further strengthen the narrative, to the fact that peoples voices slow down when you're using your blink-ability or bending time. Characters feels real and their random conversations are mostly interesting. All this and more adds to an immersive world that's hard to leave once you've stepped into it.

con

The powers you have are all fine, but they can only be leveled up once. I found myself wanting either more new creative powers to play around with, or a longer upgrade tree to the existing ones. In the end I found myself basically only using two, sometimes three of them to progress. I would also like an option to try out the earlier missions with my fully leveled abilities. Some of them cost a lot to level up, and won't be possible until later missions. While you can replay missions to your hearts content, your abilities do not carry over.

con

Each mission is set in a specific piece of Dunwall, even when you're at "base". I would appreciate a way to explore more of Dunwall outside of missions.

con

The game is long and the game is short. Playing it stealthy can make one single mission last for hours. There are missions where I've spent 3-4 hours just sneaking around trying to find the perfect way to do something. If you're the more action oriented person you can find yourself completing the whole game in a matter of a few hours by butchering your way through it. This being an option from a design point of view, there should perhaps have been considered other means to prolong the game.

TOTAL SCORE
8/10
Quote
Makes you feel like a proper assassin
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