E3 2012: Dishonored preview

Dishonored really took me by surprise. I didn't know that much about it going in, but as I left the presentation, all I could think about is getting my hands on the finished product.

Dishonored places you in a role of a royal guard blamed for murder, hence being dishonored. You then have to clear your name by punishing those that put you in this state.

Taking enemies out never looked so satisfying. What Assassin's Creed did for the third person stealth kill genre, Dishonored might just do for the first person genre.

We were shown the same level twice, the first time going a stealth route, only killing the main targets, and the second time opted for a more hands on, kill all approach. While my prefered way was definitely stealth, it's great that people who aren't into sneaking around can easily take their enemies out with some sweet gadgets and powers.

The stealth route involved some posessing, teleporting, sneaking, and ultimately disposing of your main targets. To aid you in staying hidden, you'll have access to a special vision that will let you detect enemies even behind walls, and show their field of view. Being stealthy requires to not leave any traces of your work behind, meaning any knocked out soldiers need to be hidden somehwere out of sight.

Getting into the compound where the two targets awaited their death was achieved by posessing a fish, then swimming up the pipes into the compound, and then once again taking your human form inside. Talk about infiltration. It's these powers that make Dishonored stand out and make it loks like an incredibly fun experience.

That's not to say the action route wasn't just as satisfying. This time instead of quietly making his way into the building, he disposed of any guard in his way with both his gadgets and powers, knocking some enemies back with a strong gust of wind, or throwing some sticky grenades, and even resorting to some good old fashioned gun play, though it did look like ammo conservation wlil be necessary.

Both ways looked incredibly fun, and will give players some great replay value, not to mention the ending is said to be different, depending on your approach through the game, whether you're stealthily taking out only your marked targets, or spilling the blood of any soldier you come across.

Dishonored is still a while away, but it definitely looks like one to watch out for.