New Bethesda Title Features Deus Ex Talent

[Earnest Cavalli]

New Bethesda Title Features Deus Ex Talent

What Bethesda's newly-revealed Dishonored lacks in creative titling, it more than makes up for in development talent.

To be frank, we don't know much about Dishonored. The game's existence was only established a few short hours ago with nary a screenshot or gameplay video to be seen. Really, we're all working off of a few hundred words courtesy Bethesda's PR email, but the info contained in that short missive is enough to make this upcoming action title very intriguing.

The "first-person action game" is in development at Arkane Studios (developers of the highly underrated Arx Fatalis), under the direction of Arkane's Raphael Colantonio and Deus Ex lead designer Harvey Smith.

You know Deus Ex, right? It was a first-person shooter released in 2000 with heavy roleplaying game elements and myriad ways to complete every encounter. Most critics consider it the pinnacle of PC game design, and most scholars consider it the only reason people of my generation know any Latin.

Dishonored is scheduled for release on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Windows platforms at some point in 2012. Unfortunately, until the August issue of Game Informer hits newsstands (in July, because print media is wacky) we're going to have to imagine exactly what sort of game might emerge from this creative collaboration.

Fortunately however, that also gives the game's developers time to change that drab title. Might I suggest something in a dead language? "Mortifer Gero Pugnus," perhaps?

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[Wieke]

According to mtv's multiplayer blog [http://multiplayerblog.mtv.com/2011/07/07/dishonored-coming-from-the-minds-behind-half-life-2-and-deus-ex/] the artistic designer responsible for city 17 is also working on it.

Sounds like it could (and probably will) be a great game.

 

[The Imp]

?It?s a game about assassination where you don?t have to kill anyone. It?s a game about infiltration where you can set up traps and slaughter the entire garrison of an aristocrat?s mansion rather than sneak in. It?s a game about brutal violence where you can slip in and out of a fortified barracks with nobody ever knowing you were there. It?s a game about morality and player choice where the world you create is based on your actions, not navigating conversation trees.?

http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2011/07/07/arkane-dishonored/

Way more informative article.

 

[TheIronRuler]

?It?s a game about assassination where you don?t have to kill anyone. It?s a game about infiltration where you can set up traps and slaughter the entire garrison of an aristocrat?s mansion rather than sneak in. It?s a game about brutal violence where you can slip in and out of a fortified barracks with nobody ever knowing you were there. It?s a game about morality and player choice where the world you create is based on your actions, not navigating conversation trees.?

http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2011/07/07/arkane-dishonored/

Way more informative article.

So far I'm liking this.
And to avoid any reporting I will state that I love talking and writing stuff down randomly.
May I say what a wonderful weather we're having?

 

[Woodsey]

I'm hoping we can ask, "will this be better than Human Revolution?", rather than "will this be better than Deus Ex?".

 

[Penguinplayer]

?It?s a game about assassination where you don?t have to kill anyone. It?s a game about infiltration where you can set up traps and slaughter the entire garrison of an aristocrat?s mansion rather than sneak in. It?s a game about brutal violence where you can slip in and out of a fortified barracks with nobody ever knowing you were there. It?s a game about morality and player choice where the world you create is based on your actions, not navigating conversation trees.?

http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2011/07/07/arkane-dishonored/

Way more informative article.

Interesting. With this kinda of description, it sound kinda like Half-Life 2 meets Hitman.

I like it.

 

[Exterminas]

Why is this industry constantly giving people who were part of something great ten years ago credit for that achievement today?

Yes, Deus Ex was a game that was amazing for it's time. By today's standard it is an average RPG. I don't see why having done something right a decade ago qualifies today.

Example: Peter Molyneux.

 

[GeorgW]

This sounds like a game to watch!
I don't see anything wrong with the title, there are waaay worse out there.
It's a little shame that they're doing this now, when human revolution is finally here. 11 years without a good Deus Ex like title, and now we may get 2? Seems redundant. Still, no reason to think it's gonna be like Deus Ex just cuz it's the same lead designer, but designers have a style that they tend to keep to.

 

[Krantos]

Title is a little misleading. It's not a Bethesda title, so to speak. It's Arkane Studios's. Bethesda is just publishing it.

That being said, I have serious concerns about this one. I can't think of a single Third-party game BethSoft has published that was any good. Ironic when you consider how good their first-party games are.

 

[Exterminas]

Why is this industry constantly giving people who were part of something great ten years ago credit for that achievement today?

Yes, Deus Ex was a game that was amazing for it's time. By today's standard it is an average RPG. I don't see why having done something right a decade ago qualifies today.

Example: Peter Molyneux.

Its above average, Deus Ex did things then no other RPGs does now.

I agree that the combination is still fairly unique. But then again, so is the combination of pickles and plum pudding.

All elements represented in Deus Ex can be found in today's games. Sure you can count that as a point in the game's favor, from a historical point of view.
But I was not arguing about that, I was arguing that having taken part in Deus Ex' Developement holds any value for today's devs

See it this way: A lot of the stuff in Deux Ex sucked. The combat was lame and the skill system broken. In addition the writing sucked at times, as witnessed by the main character, who is essentially a Terminator.

Someone on the Dev team must have been responsible for that stuff. So why is everyone taking the membership to the team as a good thing?

 

[KingsGambit_v1legacy]

Why is this industry constantly giving people who were part of something great ten years ago credit for that achievement today?

Yes, Deus Ex was a game that was amazing for it's time. By today's standard it is an average RPG. I don't see why having done something right a decade ago qualifies today.

Example: Peter Molyneux.

It is no different than being part of something big in any industry. The man who designed London's "Gherkin" skyscraper will still be renowned for it after he dies. "The Wizard of Oz" is 70 years old but still sells and is one of the best remembered, iconic kids musicals to this day. The Beatles ceased to exist ~4 decades ago but are still lauded as one of the greatest rock and roll bands ever, pushing the boundaries and redefining genres.

So too in the game industry do great games stand the test of time. Yes graphics improve, AI improves, we now take physics engines for granted and technology is evolving. However to have been a member of the team that made Deus Ex, Baldur's Gate II, the old Monkey Islands, dare I say it, the original Tomb Raider and Grand Theft Auto...these games were industry changers and still define today's games for anyone a) in the indstury or b) who has played them, probably when they first came out.

Games have *always* ranged from bland, buggy and boring right up to superb, sublime and supreme. For a dev to have any of those titles under his belt it makes them a hot ticket, adding amazing credentials to their CV because they're among those who reach the top of their field, creating the best games in each generation that push boundaries, break records, define genres, make money and from a gamer's perspective, create the games we enjoy the most.

You can also think of it another way...a particular dev or groups of devs makes a title that you adored. Those same individuals make a new title and it's not unreasonable to assume they will make another title that you will adore. That concept gives rise to the fondness/fanboy-ism we have for Valve, Bungie, BioWare, etc, etc.

 

[KingsGambit_v1legacy]

If I killed Agent Navarre, a normal game would've ended as a game over. Combat and skill system didn't matter.

Was he the german guy who wanted the skull gun and who "likes orange"?

 

[Tiamat666]

Yes, Deus Ex was a game that was amazing for it's time. By today's standard it is an average RPG.

Deus Ex was the only game in which I was reprimanded for walking into the womens bathroom.

Also, the plot and the amount of thought and research that went into the making of that game is almost unparalleled. Completely different genre, but only Sid Meiers Alpha Centauri was more impressive in this regard.

 

[Krinku]

Aw thought this would be about Doug Church, then I remembered Valve got him.

OT: Sounds like this will be a fantastic game.

 

[Doom972]

I'm pretty sure Harvey Smith was lead designer on Invisible War, while Warren Spector was lead designer on Deus Ex (Smith had a lesser role on that).

 

[Sgt Pepper]

My appetite is whetted.

Why is this industry constantly giving people who were part of something great ten years ago credit for that achievement today?

Yes, Deus Ex was a game that was amazing for it's time. By today's standard it is an average RPG. I don't see why having done something right a decade ago qualifies today.

Example: Peter Molyneux.

Actually, Deux Ex should be the standard for today's average RPG

Amazing game, even now.

Peter Molyneux isn't the best example imo Most of his stuff, other than Syndicate, has been overrated.

 

[MarsProbe]

Not much information to go on here, but still, consider me interested, for now.

Do we know if Dishonoured is a working title, or actually something they're considering? if they're stuck, just pick some random dictionary entries.

My contribution: Natural Parent Fire.

That's a whole new genre there actually, I think.