Imagine a game that combines Assassins Creed, Splinter Cell, The Elder Scrolls and Bioshock all into one awesome package. That would seem like some kind of awesome fantasy to gamers before, but now it’s becoming a reality.

Dishonored is the brain child of Harvey Smith whose previous work includes games such as Deus Ex and System Shock. Working with Arkane Studios under their new management they have managed to produce something that seems truly remarkable.

You take control of the supernatural assassin Corvo Atano. The first part shows us the stealth aspect of the gameplay which is a body hiding shadow-dweller’s dream game while the second part demonstrates a more head on approach, which doesn’t disappoint either. It also features the great first person melee combat Arkane is known for with Dark Messiah.

Arkane Studios haven’t exactly made their mark on the gaming map so far. Their last release was Bioshock 2 which was met with a lackluster response from fans. Dark Messiah of Might and Magic was actually pretty good but didn’t sell too well due to a buggy launch and the fact that its competition, the wildly popular TES IV: Oblivion had released earlier the same year. Since they were acquired by Zenimax Media they have yet to put out a new game but hopefully Dishonored will be one that will finally makes a name for them.

The one issue with a game like this is that giving a character so many powerful abilities can result in the game lacking any real difficulty (an issue Dark Messiah was plagued with). There’s a lot to consider and many areas this game could go wrong, but hopefully Arkane has learned from their past mistakes.

Jesse Leigh (199 Posts)

If you want a GOTY award, it's as simple as parkour + augments + Turok style dinosaur hunting.

Share