A pleasure for the sadistic, a pain for the indecisive So, on top of my fears of dancing mannequins, exploding toasters and people cutting in front of me in queues, Dishonored comes along to install another phobia in my brain; rats. Flesh eating, bowel nibbling, bone munching rats.

Phenomenal open world with countless decisions to make in them; Choices that require initiative rather than being painted out for players; Fun combat with multiple awesome tools of death to use; Magnificent city to explore

Some mild graphic texture issues

Dishonored is a steampunk fable looking to recapture the spirit of Deus Ex and Thief.

Dishonored got its hooks into me the moment it was revealed last year thanks to its unique art style and instantly mesmerizing game world, and even after around 30 hours of teleporting, stabbing, shooting, climbing, and rat summoning, those hooks are still firmly in place, even if they aren't buried...

Gorgeous; mesmerizing; authoritarian-gothic world; Blink ability = genius; A replay-lover's dream

Relatively straightforward story with an anticlimactic ending; Quirky gameplay hiccups; Inconsistent AI

Bethesda and Arkane deliver on every front with their new IP. Our full review inside.

+ World is a playground; + Supernatural powers; + Controls are smooth; + Interesting world

Corvo never fleshed out; Engine woes and glitches

Dishonored is slick, charming and unendingly satisfying. Creating a game where the freedom to do things your way is not an illusion is quite a feat and Arkane should be feeling very smug. Give me DLC and a sequel now! I just hope the cover doesn't put people off.

Dishonored ticks every box a great game should. Imaginative, addictive, fun, beautiful and replayable, it's one of the best-executed games we've had the pleasure of reviewing for some time.

At the end of the game, I felt incredibly satisfied. Rarely do you see a game that blends all of its elements so perfectly, as if everyone on the development team came together with one strong, powerful vision for what makes a great video game.

Dishonored is a welcome surprise in the weary world of the first-person shooter. A fully formed and actually quite interesting setting, a strong narrative, and innovative, if familiar, gameplay. Like BioShock before it, it breathes life into its genre while simultaneously challenging its boundaries.

Fun; challenging gameplay; Storyline congruent with your gameplay decisions; Richly detailed setting saturated with background info; Sweet mask

Load times a bit long; Silent protagonist (c'mon devs - lazy; No map

Let's get a couple of things of our chest straight away. Dishonored is a splendid, fantastic game that is worthy of awards, plaudits and it's own parade with floats and dancing girls and everything.

Incredible and innovative gameplay mechanics; many different ways to play the game; gorgeous graphics; easy to pick up; captivating storyline and setting

Americanisms throughout even though the style is very Victorian London-esque

You may have noticed that this Dishonored review is a bit late than it normally would be - and for good reason. Every time I tried to sit down and write about the new stealth, action game from Bethesda and Arkane Studios, my mind began to wander.