Dishonoured 2 (2016)

I picked this game up when it first came out and I have no idea why I stopped. The best part is I was on the second to the last level in the game when I did. It's a shame because I had an absolute blast revisiting and completing this title. So much so I would recommend it without question.

This is a semi-open world game where you can take care of your objectives many different ways. You can sneak around, ensuring you're never caught and don't take out anyone. You can go in like Conan, swinging a sword like a maniac and fighting everyone who gets in your way...and then there are various story elements that crop up, offering you even more methods to tackle your problems.

All around, it's a fabulous experience that does everything right.

You play in first person and pick which character you want to play. Each have different powers (or none if you want to go at it on a harder mode). Bad guys stage a coup and you have to work to find out what's going on, then take the throne back.

The voice actors are awesome. Sam Rockwell, Rosario Dawson, Vincent D'Onofrio and a host of others who kick ass all show up. The average people on the street do a great job, making games like The Sinking City and Call of Cthulhu all the more glaring examples of how to do it wrong.

If you want to get down and dirty with combat, you've got parries, ducks, various swings, sword locks...guns, crossbows...it's pretty intense. Eventually, you transcend normal guards and start fighting teleporting witches, clockwork soldiers, and hell hounds as well.

What's neat is how the enemies react to how you play. If you're fighting a witch and use one of your void powers, they remark on how they have to change their tactics. If you cut off someone's head in front of another guard, they might start running and screaming for help. They're not mindless drones.

You are rated on each mission based on how you play. My method was pretty aggressive. Depending on what you do could result in a more 'optimistic' ending. Mine didn't seem too bad to me but there are supposedly 4 total.

There's a stand alone game that came out which I also picked up but I haven't tried it yet. From what I've seen, it pretty much is the same mechanics with a new story and you'll be playing as Rosario Dawson's character.

I would highly recommend Dishonoured 2 to anyone. The stealth elements are fun, the story is amazing, the aesthetics of a sort of Steampunk horror are on point. It's on sale right now for PC most places and WELL worth the price.

I can also say it never frustrated me in the whole 12 hours I played.

Rating: 5 out of 5.