Dishono(u)red

[KnuckleSupper]

Haven't seen any discussion on here about this yet, but I think it might be rather lovely - something like Assassin's Creed crossed with Bioshock.

Great (lengthy) preview from The Daily Mail of all places: not so much BAN THIS SICK FILTH as PROMOTE THIS SICK FILTH.

WHAT do you get if you mix the wonderfully oppressive nature of Deus Ex with the city-creating genius of Half-Life 2 and maybe a sprinkling of BioShock's brilliantly bleak atmosphere? Cupcakes? No. But you will end up with a delicious game - and it looks like it could come in the form of Dishonored (yes, we know, but the American spelling is what's on the box).

Sitting in the London house where they filmed the profanity sessions for the King's Speech, it was difficult to refrain from uttering the odd curse-word when Arkane Studios unveiled this spectacular offering (release date TBC, but don't panic, it will be this year).Because, in short, Dishonored looks like it could be a plague-infested masterpiece whose delightful dystopia is enveloped with shadows and intrigue. 

Dishonored is an immersive first-person action game that sees you take on the role of a supernatural assassin out for revenge.You are Corvo Attano, formally a bodyguard to the Empress of Dunwall, the dank city setting for the game. Dunwall is a mysterious whaling hell hole where infected Weepers cry tears of blood into the gutter.

After being framed for murder, you set out to get your own back. This revenge mission is helped on its way by a mysterious character who gives you a mask and painful tattoo - which in turn give you special powers in order to become a revered assassin.

Before we get into the gameplay, a quick word on the stupendous creativity that's gone into building the world of Dishonored. You are first hit by the wonderful influences of amazing games of the past. With the likes of Viktor Antonov behind the visuals, it's no wonder that we're treated to something special here. The team explain that they have been heavily influenced by London's architecture and back-alley city streets. And this Dickensian darkness is ever-present during the preview. But Viktor's fingerprints are all over Dunwall and its visually breathtaking setting. It has the same wow-factor that gamers will remember when they first looked upon Viktor's City 17 in Half-Life 2. And I swear I spotted a G-Man lookalike in one of the Dishonored characters.

These mesmeric environments are backed-up with some immersive gameplay, too. What's brilliant about Dishonored is that it doesn't preach to you, it doesn't tell you how you should play each level. The game entrusts the player to decide for themselves how to approach their targets - whether it's through stealth or in-your-face noisy action.

We were taken through a level set in The Goldencat Bathhouse (er, a gentleman's establishment). Mission? Take out the Pendleton Twins, snooty-nosed members of parliament. Corvo has many special abilities (Blink, Windblast, Possession, Bend Time, Dark Vision, Devouring Swarm) and a large stockpile of beautifully detailed weapons (Spring Razor, Grenade, Sword, Pistol). The levels are linear and open for exploration - all of which leads to a variety of ways to go about your business of assassination. For example, Corvo can possess people - and creatures. So to get into a heavily-fortified building you can jump into the body of a rat and scurry through a vent. Either that or shoot your way in with a crossbow. While sneaking through levels, listening out on conversations can alter your target's position as a result.

The interior design of the bathhouse brought back floods of memories from BioShock while the sneaking around made you want to play Thief Deadly Shadows all over again.

As for the final execution, we were treated to Corvo possessing his target and taking him to the balcony. After jumping back out of his body, our hero then hurls a wretching Pembleton off the balcony and into water below. Again, there seems to be no right or wrong way to dispatch of your target - that's the genius behind Dishonored. The customer is always right.

There's something creepily exciting about this game. As well as exploring a hypnotically dark world you're also bolted out of that haze from time to time with some fascinating gameplay and gadgetry (the Spring Razor traps are delightfully unforgiving). But the brilliance lies in the detail. From each bullet inscription to every dirty hair on a rat's back - Arkane Studios and publishers Bethesda are on target with this one.

TL:DR Trailer