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Dishonored 2!

Bethesda and Arkane Studios have come together once again to publish the long awaited sequel to Dishonored. Emily Kaldwin is all grown up, Corvo Attano is now 15 years older than before, what will become of all this?

First Impressions:

Whenever possible, we try to give our loyal website viewers the most video footage and most in depth unbiased reviews imaginable. Part of that development is our "initial impressions" where we offer up our first impressions of the title that we are playing.

This gives our website visitors more of clear understanding of what to first expect out of the game when they initially pop it into their consoles.

If you scroll to the bottom of the page in the Rent vs. Buy section of the review and do not see the "final impressions" assessment then it's safe to say that you are reading our initial impression of the game. Once the final impression is up, there will be no further video or review done to that particular title.

Final Impressions:

The final impression is just that, our completed breakdown and overall thoughts on the game based off of our entire game playing time.

You can locate the final impressions assessment in the "Rent vs. Buy" section of the review (always located at the very end of all of our reviews). Here you will be able to read our final thoughts on the title and also see any potential grade changes that were made to the game as well (higher or lower). Should a grading change occur, it will be clearly noted with the previous grade, the new grade, and why the change occurred.

Although this approach is more time consuming and requires many more man hours, our entire goal has always been to provide the best and completely unbiased reviews possible and we feel that the inclusion of the Initial Impressions and Final Impressions sections will give you a better view of what to expect from a new game.

All that we ask in return is for you to continue to support Krakrabbit.com by visiting the site and letting others know about our cause. Together we can supply our fellow gamers with the most impartial information so they can make an informed decision on whether to buy or rent this particular title.

We've Come A Long Way:

If you played the first Dishonored, then you will likely recognize the new feature female implemented in Dishonored 2. You will have a vital choice to make within 20 minutes of gameplay, you can either continue Corvo's legacy and throw him back out on the field, or choose the now 25 year old Emily Kaldwin. The last time we saw Emily Kaldwin was 15 years ago when she was only 10 years old, but with Emily's mother being assassinated, Corvo adopted Emily upon rescuing her from kidnappers. Within the years of raising Emily, Corvo has taught her the arts of Combatives such as sword fighting, agility and stealth.

Present day, Emily Kaldwin possesses the title of Empress of the Empire, and Corvo serves as her body guard, but this will quickly change once the Duke and Delilah Copperspoon (posing as Emily's half-sister), steal the throne, Emily also faces the slander of being labeled as the "Crown Killer".

But keep in mind that the character you choose will determine who sits this one out, when Dishonored 2 prompts the choose menu, it doesn't clearly notify that the character that you choose; will be the character played throughout the game. So this is a very important decision to make, choosing either Emily or Corvo will petrify the character you didn't choose in immobilizing stone; disabling that character from gameplay.

The Outsider:

Another fact to consider is that Emily's abilities vary from Corvo's, and vice versa. If you choose to continue Corvo's legacy, all of his past abilities from Dishonored 1 will remain and grant you operation. But due to Emily being new to all of this, she will be required to unlock these abilities, as done by Corvo in the first Dishonored.

The difference in abilities between the two are pretty straight forward, Emily leans more towards stealth, whereas Corvo seems to favorite more chaotic skills. Though the differences aren't that drastic, and shouldn't discourage you from choosing a certain character. Just as Dishonored 1, you will be greeted by the 'Outsider', this will be the person that grants you skills of both stealth and lethal skills, the Outsider will provide a short lecture about how your father (Corvo Attano), went down a dark road after he obtained his magical abilities, that being said, you will be given the option to reject his gift and continue the game without supernatural aid.

Slow Down Rambo…:

Speaking of chaos, there is a particular system in Dishonored that may sway the minds of players who want to kill everyone on sight, this unique and potentially story altering system is known to be 'chaos level'. Your chaos level will not only affect present gameplay, but future story ending gameplay as well. Chaos level is based on how many people you slay within a mission, you are granted both lethal and non-lethal approaches in every mission.

I will say that the non-lethal approach provides a certain edge of your seat and adrenaline rush, that the lethal option doesn't offer. Knowing that if you get caught you will likely have to reload a previous save; if you are trying to accomplish being complete off the grid. This alone will be encouragement NOT to fail.

But don't get me wrong, the lethal option is an art to perfect as well; and may be as fun as the non- lethal approach. It's kind of a love hate relationship between being ruthless or merciful, because both sides of the table have something to offer. If you choose to be a ruthless killer, you have to accept the consciences of a brutal ending story AND a more difficult gameplay experience. If you choose to be merciful with your foes, you are also sacrificing the epic gameplay of using incendiary bullets.

I appreciate the freedom of being able to choose Emily or Corvo as a playable character, and I will say that playing as Emily has encouraged me to be more merciful with my enemies, whereas if I chose Corvo; I likely would have been a brutal assassin, with a high chaos level as I was in the first Dishonored.

A Similar Feel:

The gameplay of Dishonored 2 is essentially as smooth as the first one, it hasn't drastically changed, perhaps a slight improvement in the graphics and fluidness section, but that is likely due to being a next generation console game. Playing Dishonored 2 radiates a nostalgic feeling, while there are some new animations; the way the whole game plays is very similar to the first Dishonored.

We are all familiar with the infamous scene of Corvo putting on his rugged mask before an operation, Emily possesses this trademark feature as well. Emily wields a stylish-yet bold looking mask; covering the bottom portion of her face, this is also known as a bandanna.

Customization?:

The foundation of the Dishonored series is obviously the retractable sword and the crossbow, there being only a few weapons in this game, there MUST be something we can alter or customize, right? Well that's where upgrading and ammunition type come into play.You may upgrade weapons by either finding blueprints or purchasing them at black market vendors, this goes the same for special ammo. Upgrading your weapons will definitely make life easier when you're in the field; these upgrades will range from faster reload, precision increase, bolt capacity, bullet capacity, etc.

As for ammunition, you have a wide range of choices for pistols; explosive, incendiary, anti-clockwork rounds, etc. You may also purchase special crossbow bolts varying from; Sleep Darts, Incendiary, Explosive, Blinding, etc.

This is definitely a significant aspect of this game due to the lack of weapons, but finding these blueprints to unlock ammo variants and more, can be difficult though.

A Hot Knife Through Butter:

I was pleasantly surprised to see the gruesome attacks that were performed, when the character wielded its sword, I was expecting few slice marks, maybe even a little blood, but I didn't expect to see decapitation and removal of limbs. The vicious animations and counter strikes your character has to offer is amazing, these mutilations usually occur after you successfully block an attack, and swiftly counter with rapid swipes, removing limbs and heads at the press of a button.

When you engage in these gruesome acts, it's as if the blade is as light as air, effortlessly gliding through your enemy, smooth as silk.

Graphics:

Of course a new generation game is going to better than an old generation platform, let's not go there. But not comparing Dishonored to anything, I'd say it looks visually pleasing for its game type, by game type I mean Dishonored has a certain trademark look; you wouldn't compare Borderlands to a Call of Duty right? Because Borderlands is its own style of graphics. Dishonored was never meant to compare to any other game, the engine and graphic type Arkane Studios and Bethesda use, work out very nicely for Dishonored 2.

Audio:

I thought decapitating people would have a more gruesome, bone breaking sound to it. Dishonored has the graphics and animations portion covered, no doubt. But what would enhance these affects even MORE, would be if the audio was more crisp and subtle, it still kind of has that empty sound when you execute someone, or cut off a limb; which is kind of disappointing.

Rent vs. Buy:

The name Dishonored 2 could not be more fitting, for which it is literally Dishonored 1 but with a new story and gear. If you didn't enjoy Dishonored 1, then don't make the mistake of thinking Dishonored 2 is so much more different, than its debut title. The weapons and gear are a byproduct of the game, the main focus of Dishonored 2 is the story, animations and sandbox open world, so don't expect to have 27 different weapons, with your name engraved in each one. We also have to take into consideration, that this game does NOT have a multiplayer of any sort, once you complete the main quests; the game is essentially done.

If you look to beat Dishonored 2 on multiple difficulties and attempt to achieve 100% completion, then I would buy it. Otherwise it will likely get thrown aside into the game pile; once you complete the main missions.

Report Card

If you look to beat Dishonored 2 on multiple difficulties and attempt to achieve 100% completion, then I would buy it. Otherwise it will likely get thrown aside into the game pile.

(Krakrabbit.com)

B


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