Reviews: Dishonored one of the games of the year

October 8th, 2012

A day before its release, Bethesda's Dishonored is getting high marks. From highest to lowest scores at the time of writing:

• PC Gamer, 92%. A gorgeous, complex and slick assassination sim, with fascinating systems to play with and huge open levels to explore.
• PC Games, 91%. Sporting a memorable combination of superb stealth gameplay and gripping action, Dishonored offers simply one of the best single-player experiences in videogames this year.
• GameSpot, 90%. It's a rare game that feels so compulsively replayable, but Dishonored is such a game. The compelling abilities, the bold artistic design, the colorful characters, and above all, the freedom of choice--these are the things that mark Dishonored as one of the truly remarkable games of this year.
• GameSpy, 90% - Drawing its strength from such greats as Thief, BioShock, Batman: Arkham City, and Portal, Arkane Studios' latest manages to deliver that magical formula of intimately familiar and refreshingly new. It doesn't shine as brightly as it should on PC, and it might not offer the challenge stealth-action fans are used to, but it's an impressive accomplishment that immediately stands out as one of the best things we've seen this year.
• GameInformer, 88%. The console versions of Dishonored have more graphical hiccups like framerate issues and screen tearing (especially on PS3). The textures look a little muddy no matter how you play, but go for PC if you have the option.

Dishonored arrives on PC tomorrow, October 9. For any sitting on the fence, does such high praise push you over the edge?

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