Dishonored (PC)

7/10
Dishonored was released with quite a lot of hype. On face value it looked and certainly appeared a game changer with something that looked appealing and something that promised to play a little different. The story is nothing too complex, with you (Corvo) a personal guard being framed for the assassination of the Empress.

From there, her daughter Emily is kidnapped and you have to set out in retrieving her at the dying Empresses wished whilst navigating through missions and side quests. Dunwall in which the game is set, was a very interesting and unique setting. The economy mostly is greased by the whaling industry, but as bad times loom there is a growing rat infestation problem together with local gangs jostling for power. It seems the Empress and Corvo have been double crossed and the power struggle is ensuing amongst prominent leaders.

The actual game itself was a little bit of a let down to be frank. The stealth isn't implemented too hotly in order for the player to play the game in the way it tells you is best (ie to keep undercover with minimal deaths). The game just doesn't allow the player to continually take this option, so what you have a series of massacres with multiple guard deaths.

The story is a little flat and characters are somewhat easily forgotten. There's Emily and the boat man, with all other characters just blending in the background. There are numerous ways to kill your targets and there are various paths to choose from within the game at any one time. It's not open world, but the game allows for diversity.

The problem I had was that I just couldn't be drawn in enough in either the story or the game play. The game for me involved switching between blink, the heart and my crossbow with sleeping darts which becomes frustrating. There are various magical powers to learn and perfect but I just didn't feel either engrossed enough in the game or felt the necessity to use them. So generally, a chance missed but nevertheless a solid 7/10 with some excellent graphics thrown in.