In case you guys don’t know what Dishonored is, it’s a new titled being developed by Arkane Studios in which the player takes on the role of Corvo, a supernatural assassin driven by revenge. We checked it out back at E3 and liked what we saw.
I’m sure that sounds like a familiar plot to some of you, it does to me. The revenge thing is kinda standard operating procedure in this medium, but there are a few things that make Dishonored stand out from the rest of its contemporaries. The characters in Dishonored will be voiced by an award-winning cast including Academy Award® winner, Susan Sarandon (“Thelma & Louise,” “Dead Man Walking”), Golden Globe® winner, Brad Dourif (“The Lord of the Rings” trilogy, “One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest”), Emmy® Award nominees Carrie Fisher (original “Star Wars” trilogy) and John Slattery (“Mad Men”), Michael Madsen (“Thelma & Louise,” “Reservoir Dogs,” “Kill Bill”), and Lena Headey (“300,” “Game of Thrones”).
Holy crap. Even if you hate movies, you have to know who most of those people are. Voice acting, or acting in general, in games is a point of concern for a lot of players. Seeing it being taken this serious should allow a lot of people to breathe a sigh of relief. At least as far as the conveyance of the narrative will go.
Some of these big names have done games before, while others will be entering the medium for the first time. Susan Sarandon, for instance, will make her videogame debut as the former aristocrat, Granny Rags – an intriguing old blind woman now deranged after years of street life. Brad Dourif takes on the role of the inventor Piero, creator of the iconic mask worn by Corvo as well as a wealth of gadgets Corvo can use (It sounds like he’s basically Q to Corvo’s Bond, which could be amazing). Carrie Fisher can be heard broadcasting government propaganda over loudspeakers throughout the city of Dunwall, where the game is set.
John Slattery takes on the role of Admiral Havelock, a Loyalist who helps Corvo on his quest, as does Michael Madsen who brings his videogame voiceover experience to the role of Daud, a mysterious assassin. Chloë Grace Moretz (“Kick-Ass,” “Hugo”) portrays Young Lady Emily, the Empress’ daughter who is kidnapped after her mother’s death while Lena Headey joins the cast as Calista, Emily’s caretaker.
They aren’t even done. In addition to dropping all those names on the voice cast, Composer Daniel Licht (“Dexter”) lends his musical talents to create the game’s original score.
[quote]“Having such talented actors voice Dishonored’s compelling cast of characters adds a rich, powerful element to the game,” said Raphaël Colantonio, president of Arkane Studios. “We want to draw people into this virtual world and make it feel real. This celebrated cast adds wonderful depth and credibility to the overall Dishonored gameplay experience.”[/quote]
As far as the gameplay in Dishonored is concerned, it sounds like a new thematic take on old assassin style games (which will forever mean “Games like Tenchu” to me), with the added bonus of varying endings that are based on the actions the player makes throughout. I’ve not said no to a good assassination mission yet, and I don’t plan to start here. Plus, ya know, supernatural powers and everything.
Dishonored is set for release in North American on October 9, 2012 and throughout Europe on October 12, 2012 on the Xbox 360®, PlayStation® 3, and Windows.
Dishonored has been rated M for mature by the ESRB. For more information about Dishonored visit www.dishonored.com.
