I just ignored the moral choice system, it doesn't affect gameplay in any way so I don't see the problem with the game having one to slightly alter the ending. In one mission I would go through it stealthily making sure not to get sited by a single guard and the next night when I was in a slightly worse mood I ran in with guns ablazing and didn't leave a single man/woman/guard alive until I reached the final check point, I mean it's not like Infamous were if you don't go 100% good or 100% evil you get powers locked from you or something.
Zero Punctuation: Dishonored
- Thread starter Yahtzee Croshaw
- Start date
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The warm, generous reception of this game by RPS got me to buy it for the full price, and now I don't even particularly bother completing it. A luxurious production they called it. Just because it has a few solid designs. It's always the same. Shouldn't buy any games at all, ever. Except if they're called Stalker, are still one of the best shooters or first person games ever, and cost less than 10?/$.
(But I make the full stealth course of course, or else there would be no point in playing this game. Don't care for this complaint. Some objectives should only be accessible in a specific approach, what else. Doesn't matter if I sometimes would like to kill everybody. I have a short time of fun with this and just reload. No challenge otherwise.)
(But I make the full stealth course of course, or else there would be no point in playing this game. Don't care for this complaint. Some objectives should only be accessible in a specific approach, what else. Doesn't matter if I sometimes would like to kill everybody. I have a short time of fun with this and just reload. No challenge otherwise.)
I can confirm that one. I was surprised and annoyed when my perfect record was tarnished. I blew up her phylactery-thingy (cameo, I think it was called?) and then hit her with a sleep dart. She was confirmed unconscious and I left with a spring in my step. Then my end of mission summery didn't have the "don't kill anybody" checked.Lykosia said:
Ah well. Slackjaw might be a crimelord, but at least I didn't leave him to that.
Anyway, I loved the game. I took it in discrete chunks to avoid worrying about its length and enjoyed it. My only real complaint was the lack of mana regeneration. I restrained myself from using much of my magic (until I thought the game was coming to a close when I let loose with it) out of fear that I'd run out (Spirit Water helped, but honestly, I shouldn't have to rely on randomly generated bone charms and having to find sinks). I can understand balance issue if you can just time stop all the time, but maybe the regen could be slowed in combat or something?
Genius. Simply genius.DVS BSTrD said:
Anyway, I personally loved the game - the binary moral choice system (or rather, the "kill-people-or-get-the-good-ending" system) is part of what makes it so good.
I mean, it's obviously pretty logical that if you kill everyone you're going to get a pretty miserable ending, but making the killing so satisfying is a great way of tempting the player to those "evil" decisions that otherwise would rarely be touched by most gamers. Because in reality, most gamers tend to go the light/paragon/good path in games.
And let's face it, in real life, the thing about being evil - doing anything morally frowned upon - is that it is actually very tempting a lot of the time, because it's easier. No, I don't mean literally killing people - Dishonored's binary choice system is exaggerated much like its art style - but simple things like being polite instead of rude to random strangers. Everyone ultimately wants to be polite (I would hope), and yet so many people are senselessly rude.
What I'm saying is that Dishonored provides a realistic parallel to real-life morality - that parallel is obviously exaggerated, but it still represents reality on some level.
On a final note, it could be argued that the game makes a statement about absolute morality - something that is very alien to our modern sensibilities. That is to say, killing = wrong, nonlethal = good. Well, morality does in fact contain absolutes - it's not as subjective as many like to believe. There's numerous papers written on this, so I won't reiterate the argument [http://www.thepublicdiscourse.com/2011/11/4294/], but know that there's a good reason for binary choice systems in the games we play.
Don?t forget that Yahtzee has a bit of morality system in POACHER too, if you want to get the most fulfilling and satisfying endings. For example, in order to get the secret ending, you have to avoid killing zombified Blemings, white rabbits, as well as not shooting the gamekeeper. You also get a bad ending if you choose to fight the leader of the Dark Ones head on before learning more about the underworld?s history from the nice tea lady. I agree with Yahtzee that DISHONORED and other games get rather binary, but he should remember he gets a little binary too (with some artistic creativity).
That?s not too say I didn?t like his review. I think that this Zero Punctuation review of DISHONORED is freaking awesome. It?s hilarious, it?s very observant on many levels, and I thought much of his comments were apt. I also loved the comparison with THIEF, which I do agree would dwarf many other modern games if it were made with today?s technology. (I think THIEF 4 has a lot of potential to live up to, in terms of being in the spirit of the original games and being able to upstage DISHONORED). The comment about the Combine from HALF-LIFE 2 being in control of Victorian London especially cracked me up. Even though he claims to be disappointed, he sure played it a lot of times for someone who wanted more from it. I understand where he?s coming from. EPIC MICKEY, INFAMOUS, and MASS EFFECT each have these defects, and it would serve for a more original game if its gameplay system transcended beyond morality and good or bad endings.
Still, me and my best friend agree that DISHONORED embodied the kind of gameplay DEUS EX 3 should have had. Considering that it was done by two of the level designers from the first DEUS EX, they excelled in making an FPRPG which had both stealth and combat. It doesn?t have the other qualities which made DEUS EX 1 great (like choosing your endings based upon which goal you choose to complete on your final mission), but its close. DISHONORED could have benefitted from more elements from DEUS EX 1, and probably even more environments to explore.
Even it does resemble THIEF very much, THIEF was more so a steampunk version of medieval London with some Victorian aspects rather than a steampunk version of Victorian London. I had expected DISHONORED to be a steampunk version of 17th Century London, since that was when the infamous plague occurred. Overall, it?s still an awesome game, even though I agree that the THIEF series and DEUS EX 1 still loom higher over DISHONORED.
Thank you,Yahtzee, for doing an awesome and hilarious review. I believe this to be one of your best reviews, sir.
That?s not too say I didn?t like his review. I think that this Zero Punctuation review of DISHONORED is freaking awesome. It?s hilarious, it?s very observant on many levels, and I thought much of his comments were apt. I also loved the comparison with THIEF, which I do agree would dwarf many other modern games if it were made with today?s technology. (I think THIEF 4 has a lot of potential to live up to, in terms of being in the spirit of the original games and being able to upstage DISHONORED). The comment about the Combine from HALF-LIFE 2 being in control of Victorian London especially cracked me up. Even though he claims to be disappointed, he sure played it a lot of times for someone who wanted more from it. I understand where he?s coming from. EPIC MICKEY, INFAMOUS, and MASS EFFECT each have these defects, and it would serve for a more original game if its gameplay system transcended beyond morality and good or bad endings.
Still, me and my best friend agree that DISHONORED embodied the kind of gameplay DEUS EX 3 should have had. Considering that it was done by two of the level designers from the first DEUS EX, they excelled in making an FPRPG which had both stealth and combat. It doesn?t have the other qualities which made DEUS EX 1 great (like choosing your endings based upon which goal you choose to complete on your final mission), but its close. DISHONORED could have benefitted from more elements from DEUS EX 1, and probably even more environments to explore.
Even it does resemble THIEF very much, THIEF was more so a steampunk version of medieval London with some Victorian aspects rather than a steampunk version of Victorian London. I had expected DISHONORED to be a steampunk version of 17th Century London, since that was when the infamous plague occurred. Overall, it?s still an awesome game, even though I agree that the THIEF series and DEUS EX 1 still loom higher over DISHONORED.
Thank you,Yahtzee, for doing an awesome and hilarious review. I believe this to be one of your best reviews, sir.
I just have to comment on "Surprise hate conga" that line cracked me up.
Never even heard of the game till now though.
Never even heard of the game till now though.
Okay, let's admit one thing: you are only complaining about the morality choice, because it's not letting you by a psychopath and get away with it. Just kill everyone you want and suck up the "bad ending". Also, I don't know what Yathzee is talking about with "shity blend ending". As long as I am awere we havw 3 endings. High chaos with dead Emily, High chaos with live Emily and Low chaos.
I'd say the game is good (not mediocre-good). Buy it if you really into stealth. Rent otherwise. You can get three different experiences out of it by playing normaly, without killing and without upgradding. They are three very.different gameplays in my opinion, and I like it!
It only falls short in the story presentation. Too much text and books. Show don't tell. Play don't show.
I'd say the game is good (not mediocre-good). Buy it if you really into stealth. Rent otherwise. You can get three different experiences out of it by playing normaly, without killing and without upgradding. They are three very.different gameplays in my opinion, and I like it!
It only falls short in the story presentation. Too much text and books. Show don't tell. Play don't show.