2012's Dishonored was a gaming triumph, which is why when publisher Bethesda announced a sequel at last year's E3, the question of whether it could top the original quickly emerged.

Beautiful environment; Rich storyline and characters; Engaging gameplay

Requires a lot of time and patience

Note: Dishonored 2 was co-reviewed by both Joe DeClara and Hunter Wolfe. Hunter The original Dishonored was a sleeper hit when it launched back in 2013. Like its protagonist, it came out of the shadows and captivated players with its open-ended level design and London-inspired steampunk setting.

Masterful level design; Two playable characters; A dense; fascinating world to explore

Predictable story; Flat; dry characters; Minor technical difficulties

On paper, Dishonored 2 is a marked improvement on almost everything the original game brought to the table. The stages are bigger, character interactions are numerous, and there's dozens of ways to approach any given situation.

Dishonored 2 is a sequel in a classic vein. When Dishonored was released in 2012, it was a throwback shot across the bow of AAA games. It largely avoided the spectacular action and setpieces of big-budget titles, and instead went back to the well of the late-'90s/early-'00s renaissance of...

I have to hand it to Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 for tapping into the latent dreams of people who spent their teenage years drawing Goku on their notebooks. A lot of games offer the ability to create an original character and take part in an established fictional universe, but most of them don't allow...

The best representation of the Dragon Ball universe; Smooth combat; Loaded with single- and multiplayer content; Lots of fun Dragon Ball fan service

Repetitive combat; Missions with a non-combat focus are generally poor; Some of the onscreen text varies jarringly from the voiceovers

A sequel to the original Dishonored has always felt more of a matter of "when" than "if." Despite sporting a story that was relatively open and close, the dark and dreary world Arkane Studios had created was still ripe with promise and opportunity.

Dishonored 2 is a brilliant game. It's a wonderfully deep, systems-heavy first-person adventure which gives you all the tools and then begs you to go for it. Putting you in the shoes of either Emily or Corvo this time, Dishonored 2 offers more options than ever.

What would you do That is the question that Dishonored 2 frequently whispers into the ear of the player throughout its considerable duration. Imagine a situation where three guards are protecting a checkpoint that you must get through.

Explore a world unlike any other as either Emily Kaldwin or Corvo Attano - both powerful assassins with their own unique set of supernatural abilities, weapons and unusual gadgets.

After the unexpected hit that was 2012's Dishonored, French developers Arkane Studios had their work cut out for them crafting a sequel that could do justice to their dark, supernatural steampunk stealther. Four years later, and Dishonored 2 has a lot to prove.