Review Gamebanshee reviews Dishonored

[VentilatorOfDoom]

Tags: Arkane Studios; Dishonored

Gamebanshee decided that Arkane Studio's Dishonored is RPG-ish enough to be covered by their site and thus published a review. Here's a snippet to get you started:

Arkane Studios is a developer who, sadly, isn't as recognized as they should be. For whatever reason, their Dark Messiah (of) Might & Magic hasn't been so fondly remembered, and Arx Fatalis, one of the finest dungeon crawlers ever made, is rarely even mentioned anymore. Dishonored is their first game in many years, and, led by Harvey Smith of Deus Ex fame, it's promised to combine the best of those first-person stealth-action/RPG hybrid games with the brutal first-person combat Arkane are known for. Sounds like a match made in heaven for someone like me.

For the most part, it is. Dishonored is a finely-crafted, smart, well-written, expertly-designed game which takes inspiration from some of the best games of all time and, in a few places, even improves on them. The game does have its issues - namely in character progression, underwhelming stealth gameplay, lack of deeper RPG elements, and a slightly "two-dimensional" game world - but makes up for it with some of the best level design I've seen in a game, along with stunning art and audio direction. While it doesn't quite live up to its forefathers, it is the best game of its type made in nearly a decade, and highlights just about everything wrong with modern big-budget games today.

 

[Rahdulan]

But you're not playing it right!

 

[Haba]

And RPG Codex decides to... oh ffs.

 

[VentilatorOfDoom]

fear not, the RPGCodex review will come soon enough

 

[Tolknaz]

A good review. I really like this game, but i can't help but think it could have been so much better (with surprisingly little effort in some places).

 

[abnaxus]

While it doesn't quite live up to its forefathers, it is the best game of its type made in nearly a decade, and highlights just about everything wrong with modern big-budget games today.

Isn't Dishonored big-budget, being supported by Zenimax and all?

 

[Brayko]

While it doesn't quite live up to its forefathers, it is the best game of its type made in nearly a decade, and highlights just about everything wrong with modern big-budget games today.

Isn't Dishonored big-budget, being supported by Zenimax and all?

I doubt that Zenimax gave them a budget as formidable as Skyrimjob. Not to mention I doubt that Zenimax gives them any royalties from post-release profits.

Anyway, the game is as I feared, a non-intellectual artfag version of fairly streamlined DX:HR. Will avoid a bargain bin purchase by a hair.

 

[Excidium]

with some of the best level design I've seen in a game, along with stunning art and audio direction.

Guess I won't bother reading the rest of the review.

 

[Black]

Shit list: storyfags, artfags.

 

[toro]

While it doesn't quite live up to its forefathers, it is the best game of its type made in nearly a decade, and highlights just about everything wrong with modern big-budget games today.

Isn't Dishonored big-budget, being supported by Zenimax and all?

I doubt that Zenimax gave them a budget as formidable as Skyrimjob. Not to mention I doubt that Zenimax gives them any royalties from post-release profits.

Anyway, the game is as I feared, a non-intellectual artfag version of fairly streamlined DX:HR. Will avoid a bargain bin purchase by a hair.

Arkane was bought by Bethesda. In the best case scenario, they might get some salary bonuses and funds for a new game. But most probably, they will see shit.

 

[mediocrepoet]

For whatever reason, their Dark Messiah (of) Might & Magic hasn't been so fondly remembered

It's not a secret... it's because Dark Messiah sucks dead donkey nuts. Want to take me on as an analytic consultant to help you with these conundrums?

 

[Black]

I'm pretty sure it's your opinions that suck dead donkey nuts.

 

[mediocrepoet]

I'm sorry you like a shitty game. I won't hold it against you.

 

[Black]

I'm sorry you're wrong and are a terrible person.

 

[mediocrepoet]

Seriously, Dishonoured looked kind of cool for a bit and then I heard things along the lines of, "If you liked Dark Messiah, you'll love this!" It was like having a bucket of ice water dropped on me. It made me understand how people feel when they say, "I wouldn't even not remove from inventory this piece of shit." It's a weird feeling for me because I like to collect games and check out a lot of different stuff, budget allowing.

 

[Black]

"If you liked Dark Messiah, you'll love this!"

That's bullshit.

 

[mediocrepoet]

Well, maybe Dishonoured doesn't suck then.

 

[sea]

Guess I won't bother reading the rest of the review.

I think the game has really excellent art and audio, but why does praising presentation suddenly = shitlisted? I'm curious. Aside from that, the majority of what I have to say is about missed opportunities in improving the gameplay.

 

[Excidium]

It didn't impress me in any of those aspects. Sound was nothing special, and art was basically "What if the Combine invaded the world of Fable 3?". Saying it has "some of the best" Level design was the most aggravating, though. The High Overseer mission is p. good, yes, but the level design only gets worse from that point. I was specially disappointed with the Lady Boyle mission because I'm a sucker for mansion levels and that thing was smaller than my backyard.

I generally don't like reading reviews and when I disagree that hard with the reviewer just a few paragraphs in, I don't feel very inclined to read the rest of the thing.

 

[godsend1989]

Dark Messiah indeed sucked donkey ballz, donno about this one but i put it on a list to try it someday now i have more important games.

 

[Metro]

I wouldn't say that but it was pretty mediocre considering it in its entirety. Sea's going all Jim Sterling on us!

 

[sea]

It didn't impress me in any of those aspects. Sound was nothing special, and art was basically "What if the Combine invaded the world of Fable 3?". Saying it has "some of the best" Level design was the most aggravating, though. The High Overseer mission is p. good, yes, but the level design only gets worse from that point. I was specially disappointed with the Lady Boyle mission because I'm a sucker for mansion levels and that thing was smaller than my backyard.

The Lady Boyle mission was a good concept botched by a far too small level and lack of options (there's really only like 2ish ways to reasonably get the job done). However I really liked the missions after that, they were quite large, actually had challenging stealth (especially Dunwall Tower) and felt like they advanced the gameplay a bit past the stuff early on. I agree the game definitely feels a bit small and stagnant in the middle section however.

Personally I think other than small levels, the design is brilliant. The number of potential routes you have, without pigeon-holing them into "stealth route" or "combat route" categories like the Deus Ex games (especially Human Revolution, but even the original had this problem sometimes), was really excellent. The levels could have been bigger overall, but I think they made up for it in density of options.

I think the game has excellent art style (definitely not just Fable 3 + City 17, that's needlessly reductive), and more importantly balances looks with gameplay functionality. Sure, Crysis 2, for instance, has better graphics, but that game gives me a fucking headache because there are so many effects everywhere I actually have trouble even telling where enemies, items, etc. are. Dishonored has its own concept executed perfectly, and while better tech might help it a little, it really reached a point for me where I just could not care if there were low-res textures here and there.

But hey, to each his own. The fact is that I had more fun moment-to-moment with Dishonored than Human Revolution, which makes it the best Deus Ex-like game since the original for me. It's still not nearly as good mechanically speaking, but it could have been a hell of a lot worse - this is certainly not another BioShock.

Speaking of, BioShock fucking sucks so bad. I tried to play it again recently and I was dumbfounded at how overly and stupidly scripted it is, how much it holds your hand, how incredibly easy its gameplay is even on hard, etc.

 

[pistletoe]

Well I'm enjoying the game and I'm glad GB did a review.

 

[TwinkieGorilla]

You're a quality poster, sea.

 

[JarlFrank]

One thing to correct about your review, sea: the pistol looks more like a wheellock than a flintlock one to me. Not 100% sure cause I never used it due to stealth playthrough, but I think it was a wheellock.

Of course, nobody but early gunpowder weapon enthusiasts will care.