Dishonored 2

[eloj]

If you changed branch and it didn't download anything, then it's the same. If you're still on the beta branch then you don't know.

 

[polonyc2]

I'm at the end of Mission 7- a Crack in the Slab...wow what a fun mission...the time-piece artifact is a fantastic gameplay tool...the way you can warp between time and play around with time itself is a brilliant gameplay mechanic and the level design is once again top notch...the puzzles to unlock everything requiring jumping around in multiple timelines are brilliant...what a fantastic game

 

[ghostwich]

I'm at the end of Mission 7- a Crack in the Slab...wow what a fun mission...the time-piece artifact is a fantastic gameplay tool...the way you can warp between time and play around with time itself is a brilliant gameplay mechanic and the level design is once again top notch...the puzzles to unlock everything requiring jumping around in multiple timelines are brilliant...what a fantastic game

Spoiler

There are four versions of Stilton's Manor:
- present
- past
- present after you save Stilton by knocking him out
- present after you assassinate Stilton

 

[Q-BZ]

I'm at the end of Mission 7- a Crack in the Slab...wow what a fun mission...the time-piece artifact is a fantastic gameplay tool...the way you can warp between time and play around with time itself is a brilliant gameplay mechanic and the level design is once again top notch...the puzzles to unlock everything requiring jumping around in multiple timelines are brilliant...what a fantastic game

I'm trying to remember the last time I saw level design and execution this brilliant. I don't know if this set a new standard but it's definitely top of the class.

 

[ghostwich]

I'm trying to remember the last time I saw level design and execution this brilliant. I don't know if this set a new standard but it's definitely top of the class.

What's amazing is that entire games used to be built on milking unique mechanics like this - however, it's only 1 level in a game that has a lot more going on.

Spoiler: click only if you've played Titanfall 2's mission Effect and Cause

I would never have guessed that two single-player FPS games would utilize this kind of mechanic in equally great ways. And I usually hate the use of time travel in movies/stories/games. That it was executed so well in two completely different plots is surprising and excites me for more games to utilize new mechanics and ideas like this.

 

[polonyc2]

Spoiler

There are four versions of Stilton's Manor:
- present
- past
- present after you save Stilton by knocking him out
- present after you assassinate Stilton

I love the way the present timeline changes, based on actions you take in the past (I guess it mainly involves what you do with Stilton himself but it's still well done)...

Spoiler

I knocked Stilton unconscious in the past timeline and I loved the changes made to the present such as Meagan no longer being disfigured, the conversations you hear among the civilians detailing how conditions at the mines have improved, Stilton's mansion no longer falling apart etc)

 

[Q-BZ]

What's amazing is that entire games used to be built on milking unique mechanics like this - however, it's only 1 level in a game that has a lot more going on.

Spoiler: click only if you've played Titanfall 2's mission Effect and Cause

I would never have guessed that two single-player FPS games would utilize this kind of mechanic in equally great ways. And I usually hate the use of time travel in movies/stories/games. That it was executed so well in two completely different plots is surprising and excites me for more games to utilize new mechanics and ideas like this.

Co-signed!

 

[ghostwich]

Spoiler

I knocked Stilton unconscious in the past timeline and I loved the changes made to the present such as Meagan no longer being disfigured, the conversations you hear among the civilians detailing how conditions at the mines have improved, Stilton's mansion no longer falling apart etc)

Spoiler

Stilton being sane in the present also changes the Dust District (the whole area is blocked off) as well as blocking off some of the collectibles in the dilapidated mansion (the first present). Not only does Meagan change, but Stilton joins your alliance for a bit

Spoiler

just like Hypatia

 

[polonyc2]

so did most people figure out the twist before it was revealed that

Spoiler

Meagan was really Billie Lurk

...it came as a surprise to me...seems like the DLC from the first game is almost required to play to fully understand and appreciate Dishonored 2

 

[ghostwich]

so did most people figure out the twist before it was revealed that

Spoiler

Meagan was really Billie Lurk

...it came as a surprise to me...seems like the DLC from the first game is almost required to play to fully understand and appreciate Dishonored 2

Yeah...

Spoiler

It bothered me that the voice actress was different. Probably also because I'd watched Daredevil/Jessica Jones/Luke Cage and so Rosario Dawson's voice was fresh in my head, so to speak.

The DLC is quite good and the lore in this game is some of the richest I've seen - a lot of my gametime from both the first one and this one is from reading the books you find. As a gift I received the Dunwall Archives book which is fantastic.

https://www.amazon.com/Dishonored-Dunwall-Archives-Bethesda-Games/dp/1616555629

I was actually a bit disappointed as to how the game started - very little actual explanation as to what happened and why you should even care. I'm not a huge fan of intro cinematics but this game would have benefited from a stronger one.

 

[polonyc2]

The DLC is quite good and the lore in this game is some of the richest I've seen - a lot of my gametime from both the first one and this one is from reading the books you find. As a gift I received the Dunwall Archives book which is fantastic.

https://www.amazon.com/Dishonored-Dunwall-Archives-Bethesda-Games/dp/1616555629

I was actually a bit disappointed as to how the game started - very little actual explanation as to what happened and why you should even care. I'm not a huge fan of intro cinematics but this game would have benefited from a stronger one.

the lore is quite good...I didn't have an issue with the beginning of the game...I think it was setup that way because most of the backstory and history was setup through the events of the first game + DLC...as far as voice actors, the one glaring change I hate from Dishonored 2 is that they changed the actor who played the Outsider...this new guy is not anywhere close to being as good as Billy Lush from the first game...I heard Lush wanted to come back for D2 but for some reason Bethesda didn't want him back...I guess they felt they needed a bigger name actor (Robin Lord Taylor)

Spoiler

I also wish they had referenced and/or shown Piero and Samuel the boatman in D2...they were a big part of the first game and I would have liked to have seen them in D2 15 years later

 

[polonyc2]

finished the game in Low Chaos playing as Corvo...will do another run as Emily in High Chaos after the holidays...by then the patch which adds the Mission Select option should be available (as well as a NG+ option)...2 Missions in particular- Mission 5 (The Clockwork Mansion) and Mission 7 (A Crack in the Slab) are the standout missions in the game with fantastic level design and very cool game mechanics

game still has some major bugs that need to be fixed- the Bonecharm Strong Arms (choke out enemies faster) is broken...does not work at all and actually makes choking out enemies take longer...that's an important tool for Low Chaos playthroughs that needs to be fixed...the Bloodfly outbreak was also not as interesting as the rat plague from the 1st game...overall the game is very good...could have been really amazing if it had more levels like Clockwork Mansion and Crack in the Slab...but it's definitely a better overall game then the first and improves on the gameplay mechanics, lore, enemies etc

 

[bigdogchris]

How much better is it running with 1.3?

 

[polonyc2]

How much better is it running with 1.3?

I was able to play it through with no major issues related to performance...I played with everything maxed out at Ultra and TXAA but I'm playing at 1920 x 1200...frame rates dipped a bit into the upper 40's but overall was pretty much in the 50's throughout

 

[Flogger23m]

Does V1.3 add in the New Game + mode and mission selection? Without spoiling much if possible, is there any real reason to play through with both characters? Or are the differences minimal?

 

[polonyc2]

Does V1.3 add in the New Game + mode and mission selection? Without spoiling much if possible, is there any real reason to play through with both characters? Or are the differences minimal?

no NG+ or Mission Select as of yet...coming later this month according to Arkane...differences between Emily and Corvo seems mostly in terms of their abilities...no real change (if any) in terms of story

 

[MavericK]

Game is $20 right now over at Dell (physical copy but free shipping)

https://hardforum.com/threads/dishonored-2-pc-19-99.1919912/

Picked up a copy for that price.

 

[ghostwich]

https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2016/12/14/dishonored-2-new-game-plus/

First of all, there’s a new game plus mode, allowing you to start fresh with all the abilities and bonecharms you’ve discovered at the end of a playthrough carried across into the next one. In a wonderful turn of events, you can play as either character in your new game plus, but will have access to both Emily and Corvo’s powers, allowing you to mix and match. The update will be available in beta later today and launches proper on Monday.


In January, a second free update will add a mission select screen, for replaying your favourite areas, and customisable difficulty modes.

 

[polonyc2]

being able to select a different character for NG+ and having access to both sets of abilities is great!...looks like the patch also fixes the broken bonecharm bug (Strong Arm was completely broken before)

 

[Q-BZ]

Super!

 

[Deleted member 83233]

Nice! This is really shaping up nicely. I got distracted because my kids wanted to play the new Skyrim remaster with me, so I haven't really touched D2 since the first couple of missions. It was already working great, but now I'll have extra performance, more options, etc. available when I get back to it.

 

[polonyc2]

why so long to add the Chapter Select option?...I liked that all my stats for each mission were laid out after completing the game...I know they're adding it in January but was it so hard to include at release?...would seem to be a simple thing to add-on

 

[MavericK]

I never did finish the first one...gonna have to see if I can get through it before the second one gets here.

 

[polonyc2]

I never did finish the first one...gonna have to see if I can get through it before the second one gets here.

the DLC from the first game is almost required to fully appreciate the 2nd game

 

[spaceman]

Game is $20 over in the hot deals section. Retail box from dell I believe.

 

[Q-BZ]

the DLC from the first game is almost required to fully appreciate the 2nd game

I think it is and these days people can get the full Dishonored package for peanuts so there's no reason to skip any of it.

 

[MavericK]

Yeah, I've got the full Dishonored package, it's just a matter of finding the time.

 

[piratepress]

I ordered a boxed copy from Dell and it looks like waiting paid off with the new Game Plus DLC they announced today.

 

[ghostwich]

PC Gamer's GOTY:

http://www.pcgamer.com/game-of-the-year-2016-dishonored-2/

 

[Lith1um]

I loved the first game and it's DLC, but I've been holding off on this one because I've been playing BF1 and eventually we might see D2 on sale. But reading all of the good comments here, I think it might be a Christmas day purchase for me. /Something I can settle into after all of the day's madness is done, and everyone else is passed out from the turkey.

 

[Q-BZ]

I loved the first game and it's DLC, but I've been holding off on this one because I've been playing BF1 and eventually we might see D2 on sale. But reading all of the good comments here, I think it might be a Christmas day purchase for me. /Something I can settle into after all of the day's madness is done, and everyone else is passed out from the turkey.

You won't regret it. It's better than 1 in some ways IMO.

It's on my shortlist for GOTY.

 

[Q-BZ]

PC Gamer's choice for Game of the Year 2016 right here.

FULL STORIES HEADLINES

Dec 15
Game of the Year 2016 Dishonored 2

PC Gamer





This is PC Gamer's overall 2016 Game of the Year, chosen by the staff through voting and debate, with commentary written by its biggest proponents. We'll be posting the rest of our awards and personal picks daily as we approach the end of the year.

Chris Thursten: Arkane are creating a design legacy worthy of Looking Glass or Ion Storm—appropriate, given that they're doing more than any other studio to carry the legacy of Thief and System Shock into the modern era. Yet for all that Dishonored 2 owes to the PC's long history of superlative stealth sims, it's also a true original. Its fantastic movement systems and dynamic violence can trace their lineage back to Arkane's underrated Errol Flynn-em-up Dark Messiah of Might and Magic, while its artistic direction ignores games entirely and looks to traditional art and real history. I suspect that I'd love this game for its sense of place even if I didn't also love it for the freedom it gives me to approach encounters in my own way.

Andy Kelly: The sheer artistry on display in Dishonored 2 is astonishing. Arkane excels at making worlds that feel organic, storied with history and culture, and Karnaca is its greatest creation yet. It's both a convincing, beautifully realised setting and a detailed, intricate playground for Corvo and Emily's suite of imaginative supernatural powers. From Kirin Jindosh's magnificent Clockwork Mansion, whose opulent rooms shift and fold away at the pull of a lever, to the faded beauty of the storm-choked Dust District, it's an incredible artistic accomplishment. The game is, throughout, a perfect marriage of art and design, using its architecture to both evoke a rich sense of place and give you multiple ways to navigate and exploit its sprawling, complex levels.

Phil Savage: This is a better written game than its predecessor. Not all of the dialogue lands, but the buildings are filled with pages of text that expand your knowledge of the world and its characters. There are hundreds of these stories to be found, to the point where I've heard comparisons to Gone Home. That's not entirely accurate—Gone Home didn't have spring razor mines—but it is a way for Dishonored 2 to encourage and reward exploration.

Emily s Domino ability might be the best stealth ability ever, sharing the fate of one foe, however brutal, between two or three others in a supernatural chain.

James Davenport: I’m halfway through my second playthrough of Dishonored 2 and I’m still finding surprising ways to screw up. Emily’s Domino ability might be the best stealth ability ever, sharing the fate of one foe, however brutal, between two or three others in a supernatural chain. Imagine my surprise when I grabbed one Domino’d guard the moment before his friend took a shot at me. One died in my arms and the other slumped to the ground immediately after. If you’re a monster, summoning a doppleganger at the bottom of a big drop and drop-assassinating it is, um, a handy way to get around. As Corvo, I’m discovering the joy of Blink-kicking guards off of high places and freezing time to arrange a deadly Rube Goldberg machine of crossbow bolts and bodies that turn dangerous situations into horrific contraptions. And the depth of Dishonored 2’s simulation goes beyond guard behaviors and whalepunk stealth abilities. Even when you’re halfway across a level, it’s keeping track of the proliferation of bloodflies between corpses, and if you left a mine somewhere, you may come back to a swarm of deadly insects poking at a pile limbs signifying the former patrol. It’s simply one of the most complex, playful, gorgeous stealth simulations PC gaming has ever seen and likely will for some time.

Phil Savage: A Crack In The Slab is one of the best levels of the year—and this is a year that gave us Titanfall 2's Effect and Cause, and Hitman's Sapienza. It also shows off Dishonored 2's dedication to providing consequences to your actions. James mentions the moment-to-moment depth of the simulation, but there's a narrative depth too. Dishonored 2 feels reactive, and that lets you enjoy the effect your actions have on the world. This is taken to the extreme in A Crack In The Slab, where the conceit of the level lets you experiment in an ecosystem of cause and effect. Whatever you try, Dishonored 2 has an answer—a way to tip the hat, and acknowledge what you've done. Never mind being the best game of the year, this is one of the cleverest of the decade.

It's hard for me to argue against any of that or this as GOTY.

 

[Lith1um]

PC Gamer's choice for Game of the Year 2016 right here.




It's hard for me to argue against any of that or this as GOTY.

Well, that review just pushed me over the edge.

 

[MavericK]

Dell needs to get their head out of their ass and ship my copy of this, lol.

I'm still working my way through the first, though, so I guess I can wait.

 

[ghostwich]

Dell needs to get their head out of their ass and ship my copy of this, lol.

I'm still working my way through the first, though, so I guess I can wait.

Yes, wait. You want to finish the DLC before embarking on this game. And as long as you stay away from spoilers you will be just fine.

 

[Q-BZ]

Yes, wait. You want to finish the DLC before embarking on this game. And as long as you stay away from spoilers you will be just fine.

Exactly. Don't miss out. Don't skip or shortcut anything. It's worth it and it all matters.

 

[Flogger23m]

I have to say, this game is poorly designed. The controls are a mess, both in layout and how they work. Fighting in combat is a chore as you can't enable your character to do simple tasks. The story so far is dull. AI cheats. Combat with cheating AI is not fun either. Finding runes and the like are a pain in the ass, but needed. Because the game is too dull without any powers. Most of the powers are garbage and almost unusable due to cheating AI, map layout and broken controls. It just is not practical as you will get spotted instantly alerting enemies across the map to your exact location. It is much more simpler to just hack everyone to death or shoot them. Stealth is pointless due to the poor game design decisions out lined above. A more detailed example is using the Domino power. The range is point blank, meaning AI will detect you 90% of the time before you can link a 2nd target. And once linked, a massive blur effect appears around the character making it almost impossible to see what direction they are looking in, and very difficult to hit them with an arrow or similar. It is quicker to simply choke the first target, and walk up to the next and repeat. Performance wise the game sees some massive slow downs in certain areas, which should not happen seeing how ugly the game looks. Disabling v-sync results in some of the worst screen tearing I have ever seen, so it is a must.

I am not sure how this is getting such high ratings. Ignoring the few technical problems, the game is an utter failure. Lots of people need to be fired over this, and perhaps the studio closed. The IP should have been handed off to more competent personal. It is a shame to, as Dishonored was a good game.

 

[Lateralus]

I am not sure how this is getting such high ratings. Ignoring the few technical problems, the game is an utter failure. Lots of people need to be fired over this, and perhaps the studio closed.

Lol. Really now...

I haven't played the game yet but you have a polarizing opinion for sure! I expect that Q-BZ and polonyc will be along shortly to contest it.

 

[Q-BZ]

Lol. Really now...

I haven't played the game yet but you have a polarizing opinion for sure! I expect that Q-BZ and polonyc will be along shortly to contest it.

I don't disagree with some of Flogger's criticisms although there should be some work arounds and I'll toss some of my own anecdotes here for whatever they are worth:


I definitely disagree about Arkane being shut down. I think their track record and pedigree for itself.

I could be shocked but I'm pretty sure a lot of the same people who worked on Dishonored 1 were on this. D1 and D2 are similar enough that I would figure anyone that liked Dishonored 1 would like this one at least as much but I guess not.



It did start out with some issues that, as per usual, were up and down the spectrum on severity on people configurations and so forth.

Post patches it's better but it hasn't been resolved all the way.

I don't know... I was able to dial in the KBM the way I wanted, my settings are good here... the level design is absolutely brilliant especially later in.. pretty good story although I can see some arguments in favor of the first game here... agreed on some occasional AI sketchiness and "seeming cheating."

V-sync.... the tearing is there. I need to experiment more with that. I might see if I can force adaptive. (I have a 60Hz monitor)

I have only done one playthrough and I choose no powers so I can't speak to that issue although it was like that in the first game: Lurk through...hack....get runes... use spiffy powers to expedite if you have them.

Blur.... I think there's a menu setting to outright disable it or an easy ini tweak.

Without powers it made me play the game more like a Thief game or some such where it's back to basics and I did well with it. I liked it that way. It wasn't dull for me like that.

Combat definitely leaves something to be desired in these games and I won't disagree but you aren't Rambo. Going lethal is all too easy to do and I found myself getting into an easy rhythm with it where I could block, bam, block, bam and be a killing machine and have 4 guards down in front of me in about ten seconds and this early on in Dunwall.

In some cases I could get away with that choking but not as fast and fluid.


If KBM doesn't feel right, by all means, use a controller. This isn't a competitive situation so no biggie there.


I probably have to give Hitman my nod as GOTY but this is definitely a strong number 2 for me.

I'm a sucker for these kinds of games. Deus Ex, Thief, Styx, this series...anything like it...I'm there and I may very well be more forgiving about some things than I should be.

It's not perfect but there are some definite areas of brilliance and I'm confident more support will come from Arkane to smooth out some more issues for people.

 

[BeavermanA]

About 3 hours in, hit a game ending bug as I can't progress. Guess I did something out of order. All my auto saves are post the bug. Game over. Uninstall. Doubt I'll play buy another Bethesda game, they're just bug ridden shit.

Game didn't seem that great anyway. Stealth was a chore from the start, so I just started killing everyone. Complete opposite of the first game. The gfx are laughable, but the game runs like crap.