demagogue on 9/11/2012 at 12:45
I loved it. I'm not connecting with the story-hate some of you have. If it had an issue, it's that there wasn't enough story, because the missions sped along a bit rushed and there not being more missions to fill the characters out. I didn't have a "middle" part, considering you found the location of Emily in mission 2, so by the 3rd mission you already feel on the end-game. But I think if there were many more missions, the levels wouldn't have been as big, nice looking, or filled out with gameplay; and they could have gotten sucked into terminal feature creep. And I was happy with the gameplay there was for each individual level.
But the story it did have was fine for me. I saw the people that screwed me over in the first scene, and then I got to methodically go after each one in turn. It's a revenge story. It's like the simplicity of Kill Bill... How much more do you need? I thought each location had a lot of personality, and I thought of a lot of it as getting to know each location was the punchline of the story, more than getting to know any NPCs. I mean the locations were the best characters in the story and the better ones to focus on.
jay pettitt on 9/11/2012 at 13:40
I'm plodding along very slowly when I get a spare hour or two in the eve - but something I've had some fun with is deciding how I want to play. Thing is, usually the way I approach a video game is coloured by Thief, SS2, Deus Ex and all that stuff. Well, just those. And World of Goo. Dishonored is none of those things.
I Thiefed for a little while and was dissatisfied - a Royal Guard transformed into an insatiable kleptomaniac... yeah right. You can, but it wasn't a good fit for the world and story. Not to my mind anyway. Square peg, round hole.
Then I deusSS2ed and did what people tell me, and this was a neat thing, I ended up disastified there too - because people tell you to do stuff that I wasn't comfortable doing - but I did 'em anyway because it's a video game that that's what you do and generally game designs are too dumb to note that it's asking you to do something ethically dubious and certainly to clumsy to do anything about it. But then, lo, there are actual consequences that properly reflected my discomfort. This is a game where thinking about what you do is worthwhile. I've never seen a game do that before. And I tried to do the non-lethal route too, but you know what - Dishonored gets you doing some pretty uncomfortable stuff to stay non-lethal. For the first time ever it's not the obvious ethical play style.
What I am enjoying is screwing up. That's a new feeling for a game and I almost wish it didn't have quick save. But you always, always have options. You can busk and improvise your way out of any situation in ways that are satisfying and non-stupid. And that's fun.
And it runs mostly just fine (at lower resolution and with fancy options switched off) on my little laptop with what I think is a wimpy Nvidia 9300 graphics gizmo.
Jason Moyer on 10/11/2012 at 18:50
Just got to the bit with the TDP-training Easter Egg. That was fucking hilarious.
Melan on 10/11/2012 at 21:48
Quote Posted by jay pettitt
What I am enjoying is screwing up. That's a new feeling for a game and I almost wish it didn't have quick save. But you always, always have options. You can busk and improvise your way out of any situation in ways that are satisfying and non-stupid. And that's fun.
I share this sentiment. The game mostly lets you get away with this, which makes it satisfying to take things easy and allow for some failure. The maps also tend to be sufficiently open to make a break for it over pipes, rooftops or alleys (or inside one of the guards around you).
Vigo on 10/11/2012 at 23:08
Quote Posted by Captain Spandex
a hideous Fable-by-way-of-Disney cartoonish art style that remains jarring and grotesque until the credits roll
Wow, this one really surprised me, since I thought the art direction was absolutely excellent. Were you playing on console by any chance, or did you not have the brightness settings on the recommended setting? I can't see how anyone would regard the art direction as anything less than passable.
catbarf on 11/11/2012 at 04:39
To be honest, I also thought the somewhat caricatured art style was a bit at odds with the doom'n'gloom atmosphere of the game. Not enough to ruin the game by any means, but it is a bit odd.
demagogue on 11/11/2012 at 06:05
People say it's too dark and needs some lighter elements, then people complain the lighter elements clash too much with the darkness.
I loved the art direction of the environments, and took a few hundred screenshots, And the AI & NPCs were good for the most part, only the big hands were a little weird. I loved the uniforms and that the faces had personality. I wasn't a fan of the oversized loot, but it was tolerable. Aside from those minor quibbles I was really happy with the art direction and wouldn't want them to change it.
Jason Moyer on 12/11/2012 at 17:38
So yeah, I dunno who said Stephen Russell was in the game but he's not in the credits and the person everyone thought he was is voiced by someone else.
Anyway, 35 hours for the low chaos ending. Good shit, I'll probably replay it a few times before moving on to something else. Definitely "top 5 games of all time" material.
Pyrian on 20/11/2012 at 00:07
Quote Posted by jay pettitt
And I tried to do the non-lethal route too, but you know what - Dishonored gets you doing some pretty uncomfortable stuff to stay non-lethal. For the first time ever it's not the obvious ethical play style.
I know, right? Most of these people seem like they'd be better off dead than what you do to them to save them from yourself.
Al_B on 20/11/2012 at 00:30
Agreed - it's a far better moral dilemma than the "choice" that Bioshock presented.
