Dishonored

 PC
User Score
8.5

Generally favorable reviews- based on 5383 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4,457 out of 5383
  2. Mixed: 696 out of 5383
  3. Negative: 230 out of 5383
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  1. Rmathieson
    Dec 10, 2012
    5
    [For PC] It could have been so much better. Thats the feeling I got both times I completed this game, the first time i went through with a combination of stealth and brutality - i sneakily killed everyone. Second time I went through like a ghost, killed no one and aimed for an alternative ending. The mechanics of the game are fun - however theres so many places it could have been better,[For PC] It could have been so much better. Thats the feeling I got both times I completed this game, the first time i went through with a combination of stealth and brutality - i sneakily killed everyone. Second time I went through like a ghost, killed no one and aimed for an alternative ending. The mechanics of the game are fun - however theres so many places it could have been better, for example - no matter what difficulty setting, this game is way too easy - the AI are thick and for whatever reason your char is blessed with godly powers over your enemies who, in any number are completely at your mercy. yet, its still fun. The plot is awful, its execution is slightly worse. They use this loosely coupled slot as a means of producing levels, each level gets "harder" but only terms of the number of guards, watch towers, tall boys and gates. I don't think that multiplying the amount of dumb NPCs dotted around the level is really a progression. It gets dull after a while. each level is somewhat open-world and there are many ways you can achieve your objectives. In this sense it kinda works but in reality your scored on key things and if you, at all care about your score and the outcome of the game, suddenly your options become limited to a very linear step by step process your being guided through by the AI and clues shoved directly under your nose in case you missed them. Other games like this, hitman, deus ex to name a few have all been compared to this game countless times and many of us went in with some expectations. its not like any of them. This game is entirely "Console", it's perfect for chilling on the sofa and playing without giving it your full attention. PC Gamers tend to look for an immersive experience with plenty of choice and feeling. This game lacks both - it's linear and its easy. I still played through it twice though!… Expand
  2. Anionix
    Oct 12, 2012
    5
    I can't understand how people give this game a ten. This is game is not bad by any stretch of imagination, but some people stating how this is one of the best games ever is quite frankly astonishing. Yes, you have some nice little toys to use at your disposal, but when it comes down to it it actually feels limited. The stealth part of the game is basically limited to using the blinkI can't understand how people give this game a ten. This is game is not bad by any stretch of imagination, but some people stating how this is one of the best games ever is quite frankly astonishing. Yes, you have some nice little toys to use at your disposal, but when it comes down to it it actually feels limited. The stealth part of the game is basically limited to using the blink ability, a standard choke and an odd sleeping dart thrown in. When the **** hits the fan and enemies come from all angles the game turns into a mess and rushed and you feel never in control of the situation, unless you waste a whole mana potion slowing down time, but then it becomes a walk in the park with no challenge. Being in a shadow or in the light makes no difference, it's just same boring pattern of hiding behind a box waiting for the person to turn around and to then sneak up (blinking) for the quick choke...the textures also look horrendous, and the character development is non existent, quite honestly I couldn't give a **** about any of the characters. The plot twist can also be seen a mile away and is the same plot twist that plagues the film and gaming scene. You'll see what I mean when you get to that point. Like I said the game has nice features and is worth a look if you like this kind of genre, but it doesn't come close compared to the classics of Thief and Deus Ex.… Expand
  3. jesterx7769
    Oct 10, 2012
    5
    This game is plan and simple overrated lacking in numerous areas for its hype. The game is an assassination game that punishes you for killing people. The more people you kill the higher your chaos meter rises leading you to one of two game endings. It is more of a stealth hide from people and choke them out game. The graphics are cheap water color texture that while some say is "artsy" isThis game is plan and simple overrated lacking in numerous areas for its hype. The game is an assassination game that punishes you for killing people. The more people you kill the higher your chaos meter rises leading you to one of two game endings. It is more of a stealth hide from people and choke them out game. The graphics are cheap water color texture that while some say is "artsy" is just in all honesty cheap and unfinished. It looks like a PS2 or Iphone game. The stealth mechanics do not work well and hand to hand combat is atrocious consisting of holding down block then clicking your mouse to counter. No combat, no real stealth mechanics, where is this awesome gameplay again? The only three things that are fun are "blink" which allows you basically spring forward, possessing animals, or stopping time. Far from revolutionary and amazing. Sound is awful and so are character models. There is "free running" like most open world games offer now.

    High action? Far from it. If you want a high action game go play one of the new batman's or assassins creed. This may be a decent game and give you some moderate entertainment for the VERY short play through, but it is by no means acceptable as a "blockbuster" or game of the year.    … Expand
  4. MadclownJack
    Oct 16, 2012
    6
    It's mediocre fun, as i knew it would be. In all honesty i prefer the old Thief over this thing any day. It has a lot of good ideas, albeit sometimes poorly executed. It demands a very high suspension of disbelief, even with menial things. The AI is surprisingly dumb. It seemingly boasts with open world and lots of choices, but that's a lie. There's only one large area and a dozen doorsIt's mediocre fun, as i knew it would be. In all honesty i prefer the old Thief over this thing any day. It has a lot of good ideas, albeit sometimes poorly executed. It demands a very high suspension of disbelief, even with menial things. The AI is surprisingly dumb. It seemingly boasts with open world and lots of choices, but that's a lie. There's only one large area and a dozen doors leading to a handful of other, smaller areas. It tries very hard to be the Thief of this generation but humbly fails, in my opinion. I read somewhere that Dishonored's stealth system that was supposed to be based on Thief's but was discarded because it was too "unrealistic". Instead they put a system where the only direction an enemy faces is straight, so even in broad daylight you can stand above an enemy's line of sight and they'll be none the wiser. There's also the superpower that lets you see through walls. I really don't get if they were being sarcastic, or just plain old stupid, but there it is. The story is a cliche mish-mash, set in a fantastic but very unbelievable world. All in All, i liked playing it for a short while, but when i stopped there was no real craving for another run. After Thief 2 I was left with a void for a good sneaker installment (Thief 3 was ridiculous, aside from the Asylum mission). This comes close, but i don't think this is IT. Rent before buy is my advice. It might not be your 50$ cup of tea.… Expand
  5. Muuvinki
    Oct 10, 2012
    6
    Dishonored provides solid assassin gaming experience but remains very short. Some of the skills in the game make playing almost too easy. Graphics are a bit old compared to now days standards but it doesn't ruin the game.
  6. Eddie_Izzard
    Oct 14, 2012
    5
    It's a Bethesda-published game, which means that it does the same thing every single other Bethesda-published games does: Completely fail to live up to expectations. I went in to this game expecting a nice mix of Thief, Bioshock, and a little Assassin's Creed, and I got a heap of average gameplay mixed in with a below average story. Let me start with the thing that bothered me the most:It's a Bethesda-published game, which means that it does the same thing every single other Bethesda-published games does: Completely fail to live up to expectations. I went in to this game expecting a nice mix of Thief, Bioshock, and a little Assassin's Creed, and I got a heap of average gameplay mixed in with a below average story. Let me start with the thing that bothered me the most: The story. In short, there's hardly a story in the first place, let alone a compelling one. The story is a cliche-ridden mess without an interesting beginning or a satisfying ending. I cannot care for any of these characters because I don't know them, nor can I connect with any of them. I cannot care for what happens to the city or the world around me because the game fails to immerse you beyond some supposed good gameplay. My second main complaint is the gameplay itself. It's average in its best parts, and completely vanilla in the rest of it. Swordplay is a joke, number one. It's completely uninteresting because of so few mechanics in play. Simple complexity is what a game should strive for, not plain simple. The stealth mechanics are DATED. There are many things that some be intertwined with the stealth side of the game that simply don't exist. The main problem of this is that the AI is dumb as a rock. I'm not expecting geniuses everywhere, but I AM expecting the enemy to wake up an unconscious comrade, run to a superior to call reinforcements, and to overall be much more aware after spotting me, or a fallen ally. The AI is the most simple you can get in a game like this: Once they lose sight of you, they lose all memory of you. They ignore dead bodies after 10 seconds, and they don't attempt to help each other. This makes the game WAY too easy. The only way to get any real difficulty is to remove the UI completely, never use your powers, and attempt to get the no-kill and the ghost bonuses, as well as collecting everything. And even then, it would just be time consuming, not truly hard. The animations and graphics, while secondary, are also pretty average. Animation is stiff, the graphics are standard and unimpressive. This is a shame, because the art style and the art direction appear to be pretty good; but they're held back by these things.
    Even the game's good points are marred by either laziness or lack of explanation. The world is interesting, and I love the setting, but after the end of the game, I understand very little of it because it simply was not explained, and barely even touched upon. The setting allowed for some interesting elements to happen, but they simply didn't because of the simplistic gameplay, the lack of proper story-telling, and the apparently lack of simple EFFORT. My favorite thing about this game is both the setting and the sounds as a whole. I love both of them, but neither of them can carry this game to a better rating.
    And finally; the biggest failure of this game is that it seems like the devs got all the basic stuff covered and simply didn't continue from there. This is a basic, BASIC game, and these days that simply doesn't cut it. It's a painfully average experience.

    If you've already purchased the game; I'm sorry.
    If you plan to; Don't. Rent it and see if you feel the same.
    If you somehow think this game is still amazing; Well, good for you. I wish I could think the same.    … Expand
  7. TheJadedGamer
    Oct 10, 2012
    5
    Mehhh. Game is just o.k. It's such an obvious console game that it really feels kinda scrub on the PC. Illusion of choice in all the levels, because they are actually quite linear. The game basically punishes you for killing people, so the "right" way to play it is to avoid everything and not kill anyone. This basically ruins the point of using all the cool powers and weapons. My biggestMehhh. Game is just o.k. It's such an obvious console game that it really feels kinda scrub on the PC. Illusion of choice in all the levels, because they are actually quite linear. The game basically punishes you for killing people, so the "right" way to play it is to avoid everything and not kill anyone. This basically ruins the point of using all the cool powers and weapons. My biggest complaint however is you basically HAVE to keep the power that lets you see through walls on 24/7. Without it you are at a huge disadvantage. The problem is this means you're playing in washed-out sepia mode with annoying music / sound the entire game. Could it have killed them to put in an enemy radar?

    Rent it, don't buy it.    … Expand
  8. robotoboy20
    Oct 11, 2012
    5
    I decided to play Dishonored because all the major critics were raving about it, I started it up on my PC after watching the cinematic trailer. Let me ask you a question, do you love Deus Ex? If you answered yes to that question then I think you'll enjoy what little time you get with Dishonored (And I mean little.) I disliked the game for a number of let me lay them on the table here.I decided to play Dishonored because all the major critics were raving about it, I started it up on my PC after watching the cinematic trailer. Let me ask you a question, do you love Deus Ex? If you answered yes to that question then I think you'll enjoy what little time you get with Dishonored (And I mean little.) I disliked the game for a number of let me lay them on the table here.

    1). Terrible narrative, and overall bad character development.
    2). Linear (With branching paths) gameplay.
    3). Heavily broken gameplay.
    4). Deus Ex Human Revolution STEAMPUNK STYLE!
    5). Feels like the art designer at 2K helped... The style is very similar

    So let's talk about the narrative. I didn't care about Corvo, nor did I care about the little girl he should be saving, I found that even the villains are boring and not worth my time. I haven't seen such stiff lifeless looking characters since 2004... The characters do not feel alive, or even well animated, before you go running to that whole "It's not supposed to look realistic!" Yeah I realize that but the animations should have looked better, this part of the game just felt really unpolished and pulled me out of the immersion. I didn't find the story original. The whole "I want revenge for being betrayed BWAHHH!" is so overdone I could have done with out it, and the twists in the games story are just, well let's say that I don't know very many people that wouldn't see them coming. The gameplay is the big thing here though right? Wrong the "Play the way you want" model is the oldest trick in the book, the illusion of control. You do have several ways that you can complete the missions set in front of you, and let me tell you killing people in a number of ways, or knocking them unconscious has never felt so dull. I found that a lot of your options start feeling less like options and more like toys to play with, witch is neat except that I got that little feeling in the back of my mind that made me realize that they weren't as rewarding as they probably meant for them to be. I felt like even though my options were open they were limited. If you'd like to kill you have a nice set of gameplay styles to choose from like razor mines, a pistol, a crossbow for silent takedowns, even the sword takedowns pretty nifty to be absolutely honest, if you want to do the whole non-lethal thing though well... You get sleep darts, and chokeholds, that's all folks! not many options in there. Your essentially given the most game breaking skill right off the bat and that's the blink skill. Blink allows you to teleport anywhere you aim. Blink is neat but it makes the game amazingly easy even on hard. and I couldn't justify why it felt so limitless. The false feeling of progress also felt really empty to me with the game giving me dozens of objects to pick up! It felt almost like the game kept trying to give me depth but it just felt so shallow. The AI is ludicrously stupid, I found myself easing by them all the time, and if you want to kill easy, stop time! The game feels very borrowed, I didn't feel one ounce of originality or a sense of fleshed out personality from this game. "Deus Ex did it better" were the words that kept crossing my mind. I realize that the whole cyberpunk thing doesn't appeal to everyone and this steampunkish styled world might come off a bit more appealing to others! Well good news it does do a decent enough job at giving you an interesting idea. I enjoyed as much of Dishonored's setting as I did skyrim's arrow to the knee crap... It felt bland and lifeless, and once again I find myself comparing it to the all mighty Deus Ex. Have you ever played Bioshock? Great game, I enjoyed it tons! This game feels like it stole that charm. I feel like the art design for the game just felt old out-dated and bland. Bioshock had this way of letting us feel interested in the world around us, it thrusted us a man of mystery and unknowing into a world full of the same, and made us feel interested and charmed. Dishonored feels so borrowed and so un-original I don't recommend buying it if you played Bioshock, or Deus Ex. The game is REALLY short, ends suddenly, and becomes tedious. I think though if you haven't played a lot of games, and you by chance did touch those two games I mentioned because they're settings and plot didn't interest you, you might like it. I won't say it's a bad game but it is definitely overrated. I beat it twice and liked some of it, but I will admit to you that it in the end had a very, very, very, very hard time holding my interest... So if you want more of what Deus Ex had to offer but want a cut-short and flat feeling experience go for it.

    Overall I'd say pass.    … Expand
  9. Budget_Security
    May 31, 2018
    7
    One of the better games in the stealth/action genre. It has excellent design philosophy and quality - on par with the standard set by half-life 2.

    Compared to Metro Last light, this has better gameplay mechanics, especially when stealth is considered. Its a very good port. Controls are very smooth, FOV is adjustable, you can pause any time, cutscenes can be skipped, alt-tab works well,    One of the better games in the stealth/action genre. It has excellent design philosophy and quality - on par with the standard set by half-life 2.

    Compared to Metro Last light, this has better gameplay mechanics, especially when stealth is considered. Its a very good port. Controls are very smooth, FOV is adjustable, you can pause any time, cutscenes can be skipped, alt-tab works well, levels load fast, and there is a nice old-fashioned manual save system. It even resumes reliably from S3 sleep. The writing is above average. Although linear, levels are well designed with multiple routes to objectives. Voice acting is good, but american - I would have preferred europeans in this victorian industrial setting. The graphics are technically average, but artistically very nice. All the textures are based on watercolor art instead of photos - it looks lovely.

    This game is good, but some things prevent it from being great: The gameplay is solid, but we have seen it all before - it is very mainstream and not “realistic” - guards are as dumb as usual, and if I had to sneak past one, there was always a perfectly placed cover object etc, and I would roll my eyes. The game is also not very “large” - it was probably made on a modest budget by AAA standards. I also do not like the dark magic theme (though I do like the steampunk theme).

    Overall, this is a quality game I can easily recommend.    … Expand
  10. nitorita
    Sep 15, 2017
    7
    INTRO
    This game is almost five years old, so it doesn't make sense to submit a review which will likely never be read. But, since I'm clearing through my backlog, I'll consider this as a sort of milestone.
    STORY Regarding the story, it's pretty generic. It exists, don't get me wrong, but it feels so boring that it's hard to find a reason to care. Part of it is because the voice acting    INTRO
    This game is almost five years old, so it doesn't make sense to submit a review which will likely never be read. But, since I'm clearing through my backlog, I'll consider this as a sort of milestone.

    STORY
    Regarding the story, it's pretty generic. It exists, don't get me wrong, but it feels so boring that it's hard to find a reason to care. Part of it is because the voice acting wasn't great and sounded monotonous. I ultimately got bored of listening to the dialogue and mostly skipped the lengthy ones to focus on the game.

    GAMEPLAY
    This game is basically BioShock 2 with a stealth system. It uses the same dual-wield formula, with stealth gameplay similar to what you'd find in Metal Gear Solid or a simpler version of Hitman.

    The game is a bit lenient in how you can play. You're not punished for going guns blazing if you so desire, which is not really the way the developers intended for it to be played. It's not hard to kill everyone and rush through maps. Most of the abilities in the game were desired for stealth, so you don't often get a chance to use them if you're of the aggressive type.

    If you do opt to be more subtle with your kills, then it can be quite amusing due to the many means available at your arsenal to assassinate.

    BALANCE
    I strongly recommend playing above Normal. At Normal, the game is a walk in the park.

    There is a ability in the game that allows you to teleport and kill enemies instantly. There's also another ability that is basically a wall hack, and another one that lets you slow or stop time.

    You can max out these abilities and then you're set for the rest of the game because all the other abilities are primarily intended for stealth gameplay and are thus not necessary. This is a balance issue since the other abilities are only marginally better and not worth the time to scavenge for.

    At Normal, the enemy AI isn't that great and they can't hit the broad side of a barn with their pistols, which means you can easily escape during fights.

    The enemies in the game are all "human," which means that they don't have absurdly high amounts of health or use insanely powerful abilities the further you get into the game. I feel that this is a plus, since it keeps the game grounded in reality. You can assassinate key targets with ease as long as you play your cards right.

    EXPLORATION
    Maps are sufficiently large, but not open-world gigantic. They're kind of designed like Half-Life 2 maps,with that slight apocalyptic feel to it. You can hunt for special items to gain abilities and buffs, but you don't really need them to progress.

    Really early on, you're given a map-wide GPS that helps you locate those items, so there's pretty much no guesswork involved. The only difficulty lies in sometimes being unable to find the paths leading to them.

    The game has nine total missions, plus a central hub map. If played quickly, it should last around 10 hours of gameplay.

    "KNIFE OF DUNWALL"
    This DLC is really nice. I like the rebalancing that was put into this spin-off. The difficulty has ramped up and requires some strategic planning now. Enemies and maps don't feel like a chore to deal with. There are three missions lasting around three hours total, with a boss fight.

    Stores no longer exist within maps. Instead, they're available to you before you start a mission. There is a new feature introduced called "Favors", which are very generous bonuses you can buy at cheap prices to improve your next mission's gameplay.

    Mana use has been balanced out by making it harder to find potions to restore it. Burning your mana will actually put you at a handicap, making it difficult to play.

    Overall, this DLC has been a significant improvement over the main game. The conversations are concise and not filled with pointless dialogue which makes them worthwhile to listen to. I give this DLC a 8/10.

    "BRIGMORE WITCHES"
    In this sequel to the Knife of Dunwall, you're allowed to "load" your save game from the previous DLC. The game implies that you'll have a harder time if you load up a "bad reputation" save, but that's not actually true.

    Missions are longer this time. The game becomes quite challenging after halfway into the game, and now has more emphasis on sword fights. There are four missions total lasting about five hours, with a boss fight.

    It's even harder to find mana potions now and money is scarce. It's very easy to run out of mana and ammunition.

    I'll say this DLC is a 7/10. It doesn't really introduce anything new, and the story is okay.

    SUMMARY
    Dishonored incorporates many features from popular games, but lacks difficulty. Don't expect serious tactical gameplay because the game is simplified and favours the player. Maps are somewhat large, forcing you to sometimes travel long distances in order to complete objectives. I will give this game an overall 7/10 for having decent combat and map design. It is a good game, but somewhat easy and repetitive.    … Expand
  11. tariyaki
    Mar 31, 2014
    7
    As far as the gameplay goes, it's excellent.
    Stealth mechanics are superb. interesting level design with multiple ways to complete each mission.
    The story decent, but my main gripe is the characters themselves: voice acting is meh, dialogues are boring and and overall pretty dull. plus the protagonist is silent so you don't really gets attacked to him. (although he is not customized)    As far as the gameplay goes, it's excellent.
    Stealth mechanics are superb. interesting level design with multiple ways to complete each mission.
    The story decent, but my main gripe is the characters themselves: voice acting is meh, dialogues are boring and and overall pretty dull.
    plus the protagonist is silent so you don't really gets attacked to him. (although he is not customized)
    Overall had a lot of fun, but could have been much better.    … Expand
  12. aleshika07
    Nov 7, 2021
    6
    Really mediocre game that pretends to beat Half-life 2.

    Pros: +The art design +Some original mechanics with black magic +Doesn't take too long to beat Cons: -Boring story about revenge.Seen it once, seen it all. -You must always go stealth if you want a good ending. Otherwise beat the game the second time. -Graphics from the early age of PS3 and XBOX360. Poor details, poor    Really mediocre game that pretends to beat Half-life 2.

    Pros:
    +The art design
    +Some original mechanics with black magic
    +Doesn't take too long to beat

    Cons:
    -Boring story about revenge.Seen it once, seen it all.
    -You must always go stealth if you want a good ending. Otherwise beat the game the second time.
    -Graphics from the early age of PS3 and XBOX360. Poor details, poor animations.
    -Unneccessary DLCs just to bring more money. Not too bad, but nothing special neither.
    -Broken stealth, Enemies always walk like a drunken sailor.

    It's ok to beat it once. Even though it is asking to finish it twice.    … Expand
  13. a1z1k
    Jan 26, 2021
    6
    *Достоинства*

    Богатство выбора: Дизайн локаций позволяет игру выбирать свой уникальный способ прохождения конкретного задания. Превратитесь в крысу и пробегите мимо всех врагов прямиком к цели, достаньте клинок и убейте всех врагов, пройдите задание незаметно используя магию, подслушайте разговор охраны и проясните ситуацию. Графика: Почему же итоговая оценка проекта, исполняющего    *Достоинства*

    Богатство выбора:
    Дизайн локаций позволяет игру выбирать свой уникальный способ прохождения конкретного задания. Превратитесь в крысу и пробегите мимо всех врагов прямиком к цели, достаньте клинок и убейте всех врагов, пройдите задание незаметно используя магию, подслушайте разговор охраны и проясните ситуацию.

    Графика:
    Почему же итоговая оценка проекта, исполняющего высший пилотаж по части визуальной эстетики и разнообразия предоставляемых геймплейных возможностей, столь низкая? Печально, но факт — в работе над Dishonored французская компания взяла на себя слишком много, не сумев реализовать все составляющие так, как было задумано. Чудные приспособления в стимпанк-стиле, гнетущая антиутопия и магия из тёмного фэнтези — настоящие таланты могут сложить в цельную картину даже такие, несовместимые на первый взгляд, вещи. Однако, в некоторых моментах можно "поймать" довольно красивые кадры

    *Недостатки*

    Стелс-система:
    Освещение и тени не играют абсолютно никакой роли — противники хорошо видят в темноте, а вероятность обнаружения зависит только от того, есть ли между вами достаточно высокое препятствие. Поэтому уже не удивляешься, обнаружив, что источники света нельзя уничтожать. Звук же, при всей своей детальности и проработанности, разносится недостаточно далеко — сойдясь в поединке с противником на первом этаже и звеня сталью, не удивляйтесь, если этажом выше не произойдет ровно никакого движения.

    Сюжет:
    Сюжетная линия в Dishonored довольно примитивная с очевидной развязкой и финалом, от которого ты не получаешь какого-либо удовольствия. Спустя 9-12 часов, когда по экрану поползут титры, с разочарованием думаешь: «И все? Неужели это конец?»

    *Итог*

    Dishonored отнюдь не идеальна и изобилует недоработками, но она стала настоящим глотком свежего воздуха для жанра. Ни в коем случае не стоит пропускать игру, предлагающую геймплейное разнообразие в новой вселенной, — особенно в эпоху коридорных шутеров и порядком заезженных сеттингов.    … Expand
  14. OneVoice
    Nov 24, 2012
    7
    This is a solid game, well-made, beautiful, a story line that keeps you interested most of the time, and game-play that allows for a diverse enough range of possible ways to finish any given mission to keep it interesting. However, there are some things about it that make it not worthy of the incredible reviews it has been getting. The missions are quite linear, there's little thatThis is a solid game, well-made, beautiful, a story line that keeps you interested most of the time, and game-play that allows for a diverse enough range of possible ways to finish any given mission to keep it interesting. However, there are some things about it that make it not worthy of the incredible reviews it has been getting. The missions are quite linear, there's little that motivates you to go too far off the beaten path, no real reason to explore the nooks and crannies. The missions themselves are usually pretty similar in nature each time (you can meet them with different methods, but still basically the same kinda missions), there are a few missions that are a bit different, but not different enough or unique enough to really warrant much mention. It seems like this game would have benefited from a better upgrading system, the upgrades you can get are not very exciting, thus there is very little motivation to strive to find more coin to reach for that next awesome upgrade, nothing like that at all. It's an enjoyable game, and I'll continue playing for some time still, but once it's run it's course I probably won't ever come back to it for further play in the future. If they made another Dishonored game, but instead of trying so hard to make the stealth aspects the major gameplay mode, they shifted it into more of an action and exploration oriented RPG with a more open-world feel to it, this game would be great. I think that's where this particular game would meet it's highest potential.… Expand
  15. Strider71
    Nov 27, 2014
    7
    So I thought I’d write a review for Dishonored as an alternate opinion to all the 9’s and 10’s this game is getting. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a good game, but I don’t think it’s anywhere near a perfect game.
    The game has some shortcomings so even though I’m giving this a 7, I’ll focus on them.
    The antagonist, Corvo Attano, really has no personality. He obviously has a history and a    So I thought I’d write a review for Dishonored as an alternate opinion to all the 9’s and 10’s this game is getting. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a good game, but I don’t think it’s anywhere near a perfect game.
    The game has some shortcomings so even though I’m giving this a 7, I’ll focus on them.

    The antagonist, Corvo Attano, really has no personality. He obviously has a history and a reputation that other characters react to, but he says nothing throughout the game giving us little clues as to what kind of person he is. I realize game developers do this in an attempt to make the player imprint themselves on to the antagonist, but many games add a voice and a personality to the lead character and it works well. In Far Cry 3, for instance where I felt more connected. In Saints Row 3 & 4 you can choose between 3 male and 3 female voices. I didn’t even go with my same gender and I felt connected to the personality of the lead character.

    The AI is also not very good. If you put a guy to sleep, or even kill someone they’ll often not be alarmed at all upon discovering them, or do a quick search and if they don’t find you within 30 seconds, they’ll just give up and go back to their usual patterns.

    For example, during one of the missions, I blinked into a room, took out the guard, the primary target was 5 feet away, but never heard me. I easily took out the primary target next, then I was slashed by a guard I hadn’t known was there. I slashed back, and he blinked away. I knew I couldn’t have killed him yet. But curiously, he never returned! (Maybe off to put some Polysporin on that superficial wound I gave him)

    The plot isn’t terribly exciting. The first batch of missions force the plot along in a very contrived way. However; the plot does pick up towards the end of the story.

    The setting is a plague infested, post industrial revolution London in a steampunk style and is quite beautiful in its own way. But it doesn’t seem like a living city like you’d find in GTA or Assassins Creed. There are very few innocent civilians wandering around. You’ll mostly just encounter guards and “weepers”. Weepers are plague infested civilians who basically walk and behave like zombies.

    The characters aren’t very deep. Cardboard cut-outs really, but they serve their purpose. They have a character called “The Outsider” that’s some sort of supernatural being that gives you powers for unknown reasons. I guess the developers wanted to add powers to your character and this is the MacGuffin they decided on. Still, the powers he gives you are cool. More on that later.

    The great thing about the game is that you can approach situations in many different ways. Possess an animal or human (if you level up) and walk past guards, fight your way through, or stealth you way through. You don’t have to kill a single person in the entire game. Or you can kill everything in sight. The game lets you know that if you kill too many people, however, you’ll get a “darker” ending.

    The game really just wants you to play as non-lethally as possible. I tried to play stealthily at first, but by the later missions I had more fun letting loose and killing guards. The game, unfortunately, punishes you for that and you get a darker ending. (even the friendly boatman that ferry’s you around scolds you near the end!) I had a problem with this, because despite what they say, you really are meant to play it the way the developers wanted you to - stealthily.

    So if you prefer the “shoot-em-up” style of games like I do, it’s not nearly as satisfying to mostly avoid contact.
    I’ve seen it written that if you play the game 3 times, you’ll be good enough to do the entire thing using non-lethal methods, but who has time to play the same game 3 times over when there are so many other great games out there?

    I’ve saved my biggest problem with the game for last: The gameplay. The game has some great ideas. The problem is the execution (no pun intended). Sometimes I felt like an assassin, by so often I felt like a klutz. The game definitely has a learning curve to it.
    The problem is you have so many tools; you’re constantly juggling between them. “Dark Vision” is great, but it times out. (Unlike “detective mode” in Batman Arkham Asylum/City or tagging enemies in Far Cry 3)
    So you sit and wait for your opportunity to blink, or take out a guard some way, dark vision runs out, I have to switch back to that, turn it back on, then switch back to blink or a weapon and by then, my opportunity may have passed. I can only do one thing at a time and juggling between things, especially if I want to do them quickly, felt clunky.
    Taking on a lot of enemies at once is a quick way to get yourself killed. Enemies will all rush at you if you’re detected.
    In Assassins Creed, it was a much more fluid transition between skills and I really felt like a super hero. Ditto for Batman and Far Cry 3. In those games, even when I failed, I had the confidence I could go back and do it better, but in Dishonored I never perfected my stealthiness.
    In Dishonored I found myself accidently blinking into a sword fight when I forgot that blink was enabled instead of dark vision. It’s amusing that everyone in the swordfight was surprised it was happening, including me!

    So overall, and in my humble opinion, it was a good game, but not a great game. 7/10    … Expand
  16. Soturi
    Nov 6, 2012
    7
    Dishonored world and gamestyle closely resemble Thief series which is one of my favorite series. But the game has some undeniable flaws. Firstly the story of Dishonored is predictable, secondly game can't keep up the fast pace nor keep it interesting. Thirdly, the difficult is too easy even in hardest difficult settings if you play as assassin and game is frustrating if playing asDishonored world and gamestyle closely resemble Thief series which is one of my favorite series. But the game has some undeniable flaws. Firstly the story of Dishonored is predictable, secondly game can't keep up the fast pace nor keep it interesting. Thirdly, the difficult is too easy even in hardest difficult settings if you play as assassin and game is frustrating if playing as pacifist. Also game is too easy at the end because character development.… Expand
  17. JRAtk94
    May 13, 2013
    7
    Reminiscent of Thief and Bioshock, this game is enjoyable only to those who choose to play it "properly". Those who enjoy to run in guns blazing aren't likely to have a lot of fun here, or would be better suited in just playing Bioshock Infinite instead. However, those who like to stealthily avoid conflict and explore the world before them will have a blast.
    I myself enjoyed this game,    Reminiscent of Thief and Bioshock, this game is enjoyable only to those who choose to play it "properly". Those who enjoy to run in guns blazing aren't likely to have a lot of fun here, or would be better suited in just playing Bioshock Infinite instead. However, those who like to stealthily avoid conflict and explore the world before them will have a blast.
    I myself enjoyed this game, but I do have a few issues with it.
    For one, it's far too short. Can't really expand much on this. I'm the kind of guy who likes to find everything as well, but I still found this to be a far too short story.
    Secondly, some of the textures just don't look right. I love the hand-painted style of the textures in the game, but some of them just look muddy and bland, which detracts from the otherwise superb style.
    Finally, I don't think character development is done well enough for a game like this.
    However, fans of Deus Ex Human Revolution, Bioshock and the old Thief games should definitely give this a look.
    A final note is that this game is very well optimized, meaning it'll run even on a moderately weak PC splendid!    … Expand
  18. Osmium
    Jul 31, 2013
    7
    Very good game with nearly flawless game mechanics. Dishonored is a fun stealth action game with great art design and decent storyline. The areas are rather small, the missions linear, but this is compensated by the fact that you can take varying approaches on how to fulfil the tasks ahead. Maybe a bit too short, and a bit too easy on normal difficulty. In terms of content it is okay, butVery good game with nearly flawless game mechanics. Dishonored is a fun stealth action game with great art design and decent storyline. The areas are rather small, the missions linear, but this is compensated by the fact that you can take varying approaches on how to fulfil the tasks ahead. Maybe a bit too short, and a bit too easy on normal difficulty. In terms of content it is okay, but could contain a few missions and gameplay hours more. The graphics unfortunately are not that great on PC, especially some of the textures are rather low quality. Still a recommendable game though.… Expand
  19. NiBoIL
    Jan 6, 2014
    7
    People will most likely to hate me for giving it a score of a simple 7, seeing how many rated the game from 9 to 10, but Dishonored did not meet my expectations.
    The gameplay is fun, and the story is full of potential that in my opinion is not used.
    Cut-scenes are mostly boring and the plot is only seen at the start of the game and through the rest of it, it's implied. I love the    People will most likely to hate me for giving it a score of a simple 7, seeing how many rated the game from 9 to 10, but Dishonored did not meet my expectations.
    The gameplay is fun, and the story is full of potential that in my opinion is not used.
    Cut-scenes are mostly boring and the plot is only seen at the start of the game and through the rest of it, it's implied.
    I love the super-natural touch in the game and the optional objectives, but I just keep feeling like something big is missing.
    As a stealth action game it's working and not missing much.
    However after getting used to the game and playing it for about 3 hours I enjoyed it quite more.
    Also I love the graphics style, it's like a 3D oil painting.
    There's too little about the main protagonist all the information you get is his job and how he got, wait for it.... ~DISHONORED~. And usually it's no problem. but only when throughout playing the story you discover more and more, and here it feels like I'm a puppet in every mission.
    And being the puppet that you are, you can't do much else so you keep doing the same thing over and over again It's quite boring.

    The game is fun, but it's missing a thrill.    … Expand
  20. psylife
    Apr 9, 2016
    7
    The stealth action blend is good and the controls are responsive. The sandbox level design is the real star of the show where situations can be solved with multiple approaches and techniques while never feeling overwhelmingly so. The new skills and abilities that get introduced add an amusing new set of possibilities to how you choose to solve problems. The nice variety of locations andThe stealth action blend is good and the controls are responsive. The sandbox level design is the real star of the show where situations can be solved with multiple approaches and techniques while never feeling overwhelmingly so. The new skills and abilities that get introduced add an amusing new set of possibilities to how you choose to solve problems. The nice variety of locations and scenarios keeps the experience fresh throughout. The optional mission tasks on offer are often attractive and come with a satisfying payoff. That said, the game could have been slightly more difficult; Some sections were almost completely absent of challenge and ultimately failed to satisfy. The story is pretty engaging and the world is interesting. The audio-visual compartment is polished. This is a unique and enjoyable ride.… Expand
  21. Gee2k
    Nov 20, 2012
    7
    Despite its a solid game, i think its overrated. Its more a "Deus Ex want to be" game than it is. The Story is okay, and the idea is working. But the gameplay is just to linear. Its more a simpler gameplay version of Deus Ex mixed with the World of Half-Life 2. The weapons are more or less to weak. If you want to play stealthy you never can do other things guards hear your silent bowDespite its a solid game, i think its overrated. Its more a "Deus Ex want to be" game than it is. The Story is okay, and the idea is working. But the gameplay is just to linear. Its more a simpler gameplay version of Deus Ex mixed with the World of Half-Life 2. The weapons are more or less to weak. If you want to play stealthy you never can do other things guards hear your silent bow trough walls. So the "silent" way is always getting behind enemy's, one by one.

    Its not bad at all, but it could be so much more. And so DX and DX:HR are the better alternatives.
    And maybe there has been some cuts for being playable on consoles what it makes it to simple to play.

    I would rate it lower just because it was so much hyped.    … Expand
  22. McGarnagle
    Oct 19, 2012
    7
    This is a good game. Yet that is where I will stop. I know lots of people are giving this game rave reviews, but I simply cannot.

    First, the art style is intriguing and much of that is a personal taste. I normally like steampunk, or in this case whaleoilpunk. Yet the characters are downright ugly. If that was their choice so be it. I know there is a bleak aspect to the game    This is a good game. Yet that is where I will stop. I know lots of people are giving this game rave reviews, but I simply cannot.

    First, the art style is intriguing and much of that is a personal taste. I normally like steampunk, or in this case whaleoilpunk. Yet the characters are downright ugly. If that was their choice so be it. I know there is a bleak aspect to the game considering they are in the middle of a plague. Yet being constantly surrounded by ugly characters is not enjoyable. There is also the texture issues, and the fact they some things are just poorly done. I am not lowering this game much for the graphics (no game should be), yet this does have graphical issues.

    Second, there just is not a lot of character development. There is world development if you choose by reading the books scattered throughout the world. Yet the character development is fairly poor. I wanted to more about all these people I was working with and also the ones I was killing. Yet other than a few conversations and the random really brief letter/diary you can pick up it's really sparse.

    Third, the gameplay can be fun at times and tedious at others. I cannot count how many times I went to choke a player and instead went into the defensive stance which alerted them to my presence. The computer AI sometimes seems real good, and at other times seems braindead. Yet it can still be fun flying all over the place and avoiding detection or simply going in and wiping the floor with everyone (although the hand to hand combat can be a chore at times).

    Fourth, once you pick a style of play it really starts to feel repetitive. They do introduce some new stuff here and there, but for the most part you will be doing the same thing. They even repeated a level, which ticked me off.

    Overall, the game can be a fun experience for a little while, and it can be fun finding all the different ways around things. Yet I did not find this game as special at others. Perhaps it's the simple lack of good stealth type games on the market anymore, but in the end I found this worthy of only a 7 (which means to me worth a playthrough by renting it, but certainly not a buy).    … Expand
  23. CynicalJohnson
    Nov 4, 2012
    7
    It's perfect in every aspect apart from it's length. The characters designs are brilliant and the atmosphere really allows you to immerse yourself into the game world. There's a perfect balance in deciding whether to go for the lethal or non-lethal approach, which many games tend to get wrong such as Deus Ex. The only problem I had with Dishonored was it's content. Sure, what you get isIt's perfect in every aspect apart from it's length. The characters designs are brilliant and the atmosphere really allows you to immerse yourself into the game world. There's a perfect balance in deciding whether to go for the lethal or non-lethal approach, which many games tend to get wrong such as Deus Ex. The only problem I had with Dishonored was it's content. Sure, what you get is amazing but you can't help but feel you could've had more. It's a good job the game has great replay-ability and I'm sure than any future DLCs that come this game's way will be just as brilliant.… Expand
  24. Gil8ert
    Oct 26, 2012
    6
    New and innovative is something I reserve for games like Portal - which brought a whole new dimension to FPS strategy, or From Dust which built on the Populas idea with a refreshing new twist. Generally speaking the new and innovative these days comes from the same place it's always come - Indie gaming. The thing about Dishonored is that it mixes ideas already in use, and not to aNew and innovative is something I reserve for games like Portal - which brought a whole new dimension to FPS strategy, or From Dust which built on the Populas idea with a refreshing new twist. Generally speaking the new and innovative these days comes from the same place it's always come - Indie gaming. The thing about Dishonored is that it mixes ideas already in use, and not to a remarkably new extreme. First I'll mention the graphics. From the reviews I read I was expecting something special and the artistic style is actually a very nice blend of steam/cyber punk and ye olde world toffery. But the graphics themselves leave a lot to be desired as they feel incredibly flat, and they actually aren't too atmospheric. The feeling of a living breathing world is also somewhat absent due to the linear nature of the levels. True there might be a side alley to lead you to your objective by a hidden route, but it is literally one purpose built alley and built for that very purpose. The premise for the game play is not a million miles away from Hitman or Splinter Cell - only you have a few magic tricks to help you on your way. The difference is that a game like Hitman will provide you with many different options for completing a mission - you might steal a key card, steal and wear a uniform, assassinate from afar with a sniper gun, poison a meal, etc etc. With dishonored you might steal a key - but that's the only option you really have in terms of open play because you are given no others. And so few civilians too. Even dark shady enterprises have civilians working for them. The story is also not the best. The setup is fantastic, the setting is great but the story itself was only vaguely interesting to me - and the more supernatural elements to the story I just found boring. In terms of what I was expect/hoping for I was disappointed. I put it on hard level and completed the game in less than 15 hours. I don't have any real yearning to go back either. When Bioshock came out and got rave reviews - the game I played surpassed my expectations (yes it's amazing!), I can say the same about Arkham City and Skyrim. The latter 2 games I have poured hours and hours, days of my life into - and which have rewarded me immensely! But I payed an equal price for all of these games. All at approximately £30. Had this game come in at half that price then I would probably mark it higher. But there is simply nothing in the game mechanics that struck me as 'wow I can do that!?' like the Gravity gun in HL2, or the Portal gun. Possession is only a new idea if you discount any of the sci-fi games which allow you to take control of robots. Teleporting is not a new idea. Sneaking around to get to an object is not a new idea. I wanted to like this game, I really did. But I was left rather hollow by it. However, I have played at least 70 hours of Skyrim and have loads left to do, so if I add the two games together and split the cost (same developer) then that's currently 42.5 hours per game and £30 a game, so it's not all bad.
    I feel a bit like a marketing genius has mind freaked all the critics into believing red is yellow, and they all went 'Oh yeah!' It's not a bad game, but it's not as exceptional as one might have hoped.....or been lead to believe!    … Expand
  25. Dubstep
    Dec 23, 2012
    5
    It is really baffling me, how this game gets top ratings everywhere. Ideas from other products get shamelessly recycled. What you get for your money is a basic sneak-and-shoot game, in pretty neat Steampunk'ish environment, along with an unnecessary half-assed skill feature. Rather then depending on your skill as a players you can unlock abilities that make the game ridiculously easy. TheIt is really baffling me, how this game gets top ratings everywhere. Ideas from other products get shamelessly recycled. What you get for your money is a basic sneak-and-shoot game, in pretty neat Steampunk'ish environment, along with an unnecessary half-assed skill feature. Rather then depending on your skill as a players you can unlock abilities that make the game ridiculously easy. The choice of weapons is reduced to a generic pistol and a generic crossbow /comes now with the official cheating ammunition: Sleeping darts!!!)

    Story: 4/10 Standard stuff and mostly predictable (to me at least)

    Graphics: 5/10 Beeing a fan of Steampunk, I was enthusiastic at first. However after playing the game for some time i noticed, that the graphics are not quite up to date. Texturework tends to get muddy, animal models are laughable (espacially the dogs). Because most of the levels look quite alike the sections look Sound: 6/10 The score is ok but nothing too memorable, overall it gets you in the mood, nothing more nothing less.

    Gameplay: 4/10 You get 4-5 hours of unspoiled and exciting gameplay, where you have the impression of an open world in which you can interact. Until you suddenly realise that this game is more linear then plain old Half-Life and that most of the encounters can be handled in quite similar ways. None of them seem balanced to this point. The two main options are either Sneaking or sabotaging (difficult but more exciting) or Fighting and performing magic (easy and unrewarding). The few instances where you have to forge plans on how to infiltrate a place are spoiled by the fact that the possible alternatives are pointed out so plainly obvious, that it hurts.
    Verdict: Not bad, but in dire need of some balancing/expanding. For now better stick to System Shock 2, Bioshock, or the Thief series...    … Expand
  26. hodub
    Nov 12, 2012
    7
    I've only gotten as far as completing the mission where you have to deal with the Pendleton twins at the Golden Cat. But I think it's enough to get the gist of overall gameplay. The game seems to encourage stealth and benign neutralization tactics - that is, using nonlethal means to subdue foes. However, there are more lethal attack options than there are nonlethal. I must admit that itI've only gotten as far as completing the mission where you have to deal with the Pendleton twins at the Golden Cat. But I think it's enough to get the gist of overall gameplay. The game seems to encourage stealth and benign neutralization tactics - that is, using nonlethal means to subdue foes. However, there are more lethal attack options than there are nonlethal. I must admit that it feels quite limiting to the overall approach one should take throughout the game. This is coming from someone who prefers more open-ended games with a lot of weapons and less feeling of guilt as a result of using lethal force to neutralize hostiles. Anyway, I'm not discouraging people from playing Dishonored. I'm just suggesting that if you're favorite approach to combat is putting all bad guys to sleep without being detected, than this is right up your alley.… Expand
  27. BJ_Mauritius
    Dec 20, 2012
    5
    Honestly, I think the critics are sometimes completely blind. I really thought this game was something out of this world. It's true that some of the game play is quite good but nothing to shout about. The A.I is mediocre and quite repetitive. One area that baffles me is where you have to kill the lady at the party. You have to blend in with the crowd but then you walk with a sword full ofHonestly, I think the critics are sometimes completely blind. I really thought this game was something out of this world. It's true that some of the game play is quite good but nothing to shout about. The A.I is mediocre and quite repetitive. One area that baffles me is where you have to kill the lady at the party. You have to blend in with the crowd but then you walk with a sword full of blood, the people just don't seem to give a damn if you are here to kill and the only thing the guards tell you is to put it away. I mean WTF !! Anyway, I still haven;t finished the game yet as it's getting a bit boring now ! I'll give it a go during the weekend to see if it's worth carrying on !!… Expand
  28. sinner
    Oct 13, 2012
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Dishonored is fun, but it is certainly not the 8.7 reviewers give it. The game is really linear. Although the levels are large, you end up going back to the same areas. Another problem is that the gameplay is very repetitive. I spent most of the game hiding behind boxes with dark vision on. Jump out when they turn around and knock em out. Rinse and repeat ad nauseum until you've beaten the game. This game really reminded me of the old Thief series, just not as much fun. Although this is a stealth game most of the upgrades are for combat. Of all the runes and weapon upgrades most were pointless. You could easily beat the game with just the starting equipment and no runes or charms.

    My biggest problem was the silly story. It was painfully obvious that you were going to be betrayed by the loyalists from the beginning. The dialouge was sooooo boring, and little to do with what you actually do in the levels. Graphically the game was OK, but not incredible. I have to give this game a 6.5 out of 10.    … Expand
  29. dan2600
    Oct 16, 2012
    5
    I beat this game on the hardest level in under 15 hours on my first go, killing almost no-one. I wanted to go for the "ghost" achievement as well (as I normally do) but it is impossible to tell if an NPC has spotted you or not. As, is my first complaint, there is no meaningful indication to if you are hidden or not or if you have been 'spotted'/ Peeking over corners and sides always putsI beat this game on the hardest level in under 15 hours on my first go, killing almost no-one. I wanted to go for the "ghost" achievement as well (as I normally do) but it is impossible to tell if an NPC has spotted you or not. As, is my first complaint, there is no meaningful indication to if you are hidden or not or if you have been 'spotted'/ Peeking over corners and sides always puts you in line of sight, and it's basically luck if they see you or not (reminiscent of FPS mode in Metal Gear Solid 2). NPCs will start looking for you on one side of the map if you throw an empty bottle on the other. The entire hide and seek system is wonky and unnatural feeling.

    I've been told this game is a sandbox and I'm playing it wrong. But how can you have a sandbox game with linear objectives (even the "alternative methods" present themselves linearly) and static environments. You can't blow up walls, knock over things, or put anything to use in the environment. The extent of environment interaction is turning off a barricade, disabling a turret, throwing empty bottles or throwing explosive barrels, take your pick. Oh also, this is a level based game    … Expand
  30. Keevin93
    Oct 25, 2012
    7
    Decent game. The art style is great and the gameplay can be lots of fun in later parts of the game as you get more powers. But the story is lacking and the characters are hard to care about. In the end, nothing memorable or particulary exciting.
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Awards & Rankings

1
#1 Best PC Game of 2012
7
#7 Most Discussed PC Game of 2012
2
#2 Most Shared PC Game of 2012

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
91

Universal acclaim - based on 29 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 29 out of 29
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 29
  3. Negative: 0 out of 29
  1. PC Master (Greece)
    Feb 6, 2013
    90
    We can draw comparisons with other titles all day, but everything is based on something. Dishonored remains a unique gem in a beautiful, yet chaotic world, with flawless gameplay. [December 2012]
  2. Absolute Games
    Nov 9, 2012
    75
    Dishonored rarely challenges the players, but it doesn't take them for fools, either, so that's an achievement compared to other games in the genre. Just don't expect strokes of genius like the Shalebridge Cradle level from Thief: Deadly Shadows.
    Read full review
  3. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Nov 4, 2012
    100
    Dishonored injects new life into stealth actions and their sophisticated worlds. Awesome work in every detail. [Nov 2012]
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