Dishonoured PC Review:
Minimum System Requirements:
OS: Windows Vista / Windows 7
Processor: 3.0 GHz dual core or better
Memory: 4 GB system RAM
Hard Disk Space: 9 GB
Video Card: DirectX 9 compatible with 512 MB video RAM or better (NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 / ATI Radeon HD 5850)
Sound: Windows compatible sound card
Recommended System Requirements:
OS: Windows Vista / Windows 7
Processor: 2.4 GHz quad core or better
Memory: 4 GB system RAM
Hard Disk Space: 9 GB
Video Card: DirectX 9 compatible with 768 MB video RAM or better (NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 / ATI Radeon HD 5850)
Sound: Windows compatible sound card
It’s a new game! A brand new game! Look! There’s no number attached to the end of the title! Like, seriously, it’s a new game people. Dishonoured is indeed one of the freshest and most innovative titles released in the last few years. The game follows Corvo Attano, the bodyguard of the empress as he is falsely accused of her murder. This sets in motion a brilliant narrative which takes some shocking twists and turns along the way. Each bit of the story is carefully handled and every plot twist is hard-hitting and effective. I won’t go into deep explanation of the storyline for fear of ruining such a great experience for you, but know this; the tale of Dishonoured will keep you hooked till the very end. Talking about endings, this game has several. The developers have designed the game in such a way that different players will get specific endings depending on how they play the game. At the end of a mission, you will be given a screen showing your stats during the level, including your “chaos level”. Quite self-explanatory, this will measure the amount of chaos you caused during the level, and how many dead bodies you left lying around. The more chaos you cause the darker the ending will be, and if you manage to play the game without bringing about too much panic or disorder, this will also affect the ending.
Dishonoured places a massive amount of pressure on player choice, you could go through the game laying waste to anything and everything or reach the end without having spilling the blood of a single man or woman. However, the game was quite clearly designed for the stealth side of things, as it caters for the stealthy player far better than the guns blazing sort of player. This leads me to one of the downsides of the game, the combat system. Although it can at times feel thrilling and rewarding, the sword-play is exceedingly simple; it’s basically just blocking and attacking without much else to spice things up. You get a gun for open combat, and a magic power or two to aid you in battle, but besides this combat turns out to be a bit of a chore. It is also very challenging, and unless you are quite talented with timing you will die rather frequently. This leads the player to make stealth choices instead, and although stealth is thrilling and one of the best things about Dishonoured, it almost gives the action oriented players the short end of the stick, and the game suffers a little from it. Despite this, it doesn’t ruin the best thing about the game, the stealth elements. You are given quite a few tools and powers to overcome the challenges that the developers throw at you. By the end of the game most players will have acquired a gun, a crossbow, grenades, mines, and several magic powers that I won’t spoil. Each item brings a unique dynamic to the stellar gameplay featured in Dishonoured, and each situation can be approached in a number of different ways. The only issue I have with the stealth is that the AI can be inconsistent.
Throughout the game players will encounter Bone Charms, these are collectables that add extra abilities to Corvo such as swinging his sword faster, more health obtained from food, etc. You are forced to choose between a certain number of these, as Corvo can only equip a few at a time. You can also seek out Runes, which can be used to purchase new powers or upgrade existing ones. Coins and items of value are scattered around the game world and once you gain enough cash you can use it to upgrade weapons and other items. One of Dishonoured’s strongest points is its setting. The city of Dunwall is unique in almost every way, and with it comes a great atmosphere that covers the experience. The game also brings with it a set of characters, but none of them are particularly interesting. The voice acting is nothing special, and the animations and movements of people in the game are fairly average. The only character you may feel connected to is the boat driver that takes you to each mission. On the note of characters, Corvo is a silent protagonist, and a great one at that. Without having a voice or any emotions the assassin then becomes you, the player. It works surprisingly well and rivals some of the best silent protagonists in the industry such as Isaac Clarke from Dead Space 1 and Gordon Freeman from Half Life. Despite the few issues that holds the game back slightly, this is still undoubtedly one of the best games of the year thus far and you can bet that’ll feature in our game of the year awards 2012 article.
The Good:
- Immersive world
- Interesting narrative
- Superb gameplay
- Loads of choice
- Amazing stealth elements
The Bad:
- Bland characters
- Inconsistent AI
- Overly simple combat
Bottom Line: A breath of fresh air for the industry, a sparkling gem for those looking for a new and invigorating experience.
8.9/10
Got something to say? Go for it!