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Dishonored 2 announced (PC/PS4/XB1, Spring 2016, Chooseable Protag, Void/IT5 Engine)

F

Finale Fireworker

Member
Kin5290 said:
She has a point you know. When 90% of major games released have only a male protagonist, equality isn't giving you a choice between a male and a female protagonist. I'm a bit disappointed that they didn't bite the bullet and only make Emily playable.

That said, I appreciate that they built the reveal trailer (setting the direction of the marketing campaign) around Emily. Compare Fallout 4, with its annoyingly generic brown haired white male hero placeholder.
Click to expand...

Agreed. This being Emily's game, which it appears to be, is more important than anything else. If it's her story and she is on the cover, Corvo as a supporting character is not going to detract from that.

They seem serious about Emily, and THAT is what's important. You can have two playable characters, but it's always obvious which one is the main or lead protagonist.

So far, it's Emily!
 
T

Turin Turambar

Member
EatChildren said:
I wish. Harvey spilled the beans on twitter:
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Born a human outcast over 4,000 years before the events of Dishonored, at 15 years old the "powerless and abused" boy was unwillingly subjected to a ritual by an occult group in which "he was bathed and dressed, and his hands were adorned with rings." He then "merged in part with the Void" to become a "being of insatiable curiosity about what people do when given power over others." As a "godlike entity" who represents the current time period, the Outsider appears to people he finds "interesting," and can make contact with them both through dreams, and in the physical world at his shrines.
Click to expand...

Lol, so amateur.
So his backstory is literally turning into a being who exist to being a plot device, his entire existence is defined in being there to give powers to people so they can turn in main characters of the series.
 
C

Crossing Eden

Hello, my name is Yves Guillemot, Vivendi S.A.'s Employee of the Month!
Finale Fireworker said:
You guys are being needlessly hostile here. Timetokill is expressing his concern of a half-commitment to a female protag like AC is doing. While the legacy of games has always had men driving their own games and stories, Timetokill is afraid publishers are still too afraid to remove the masculine avatar completely in favor of a feminine vehicle. Nobody is criticizing options, but having stories driven by female characters, who are given care and attention as main characters and not relegated to a secondary avatar, is much more important than "options."

I think that's what Ubisoft is doing with Assassin's Creed, but I don't think that's what they're doing here. It still seems like this is Emily's game and Emily's story, and the alternate inclusion of Corvo just adds continuity to the first game and more gameplay options. I am more interested to see if they continue to place Emily in the forefront, as she should he placed, assuming this is truly her own game.

Basically, Timetokill (and many others) just want to see more Mirror's Edge and Tomb Raiders, where female leads are placed confidently in the forefront of their own games, and less "female options" that are secondary to an undeniable masculine lead. But there is no telling if this game will be like that. It really does seem like this is Emily's game and Emily's story. So Corvo being the secondary is awesome. We've already played Corvo's story, I would much rather see him in a strong supporting role than another major lead.
Click to expand...
So having two full playable characters is now what we refer to as "half commitments?" Having two characters with equal amounts of depth and their own playstyle is a not a half commitment. It's perfectly fine to allow for a male character to still be playable, especially in a game series with as much depth and freedom as Dishonored. The same goes for AC as well.
 
F

Finale Fireworker

Member
Crossing Eden said:
So having two full playable characters is now what we refer to as "half commitments?" Having two characters with equal amounts of depth and their own playstyle is a not a half commitment. It's perfectly fine to allow for a male character to still be playable, especially in a game series with as much depth and freedom as Dishonored. The same goes for AC as well.
Click to expand...

You're misunderstanding me. Check out my post above on this page. I am very excited to play as Corvo. And I am very excited that this is "Emily's game," and she is being placed in the forefront.
 
K

Krauser Kat

Member
Crossing Eden said:
So having two full playable characters is now what we refer to as "half commitments?" Having two characters with equal depth and their own playstyle is a not a half commitment. It's perfectly fine to allow for a male character to still be playable, especially in a game series with as much depth and freedom as Dishonored.
Click to expand...

where at least 90% of games have story driven by male characters.
How many FPS games have story driven female main characters? If the entire game was emily it could have opened up some doors for more badass female protagonists.

Happy for progress, it could be better.
 
Z

Zolo

Member
If Corvo's one of two playable characters, that doesn't really make him secondary. Obviously, the story then will obviously still have him as the protagonist then even if his inclusion was after Emily's in the concept stages.

How many FPS games have story driven female main characters? If the entire game was emily it could have opened up some doors for more badass female protagonists.
Click to expand...
Because Emily can't be a badass female protagonist since Corvo can also be played in the campaign?
 
K

Kinyou

Member
AndyD said:
Interesting. At this point, why though? Just so it's $40 in HD this fall to prep people for the sequel in the spring?
Click to expand...

Likely. If it's really low priced I might jump onto it because I never played the dlc.

Krauser Kat said:
where at least 90% of games have story driven by male characters.
How many FPS games have story driven female main characters? If the entire game was emily it could have opened up some doors for more badass female protagonists.

Happy for progress, it could be better.
Click to expand...
It's still a series that started off with a male protagonist. It's not that crazy that they kept said protagonist in the sequel. Frankly I hope they didn't approach this with "we need a female protagonist" but rather as "we want to tell the story of both of those characters"
 
R

Remachinate

Member
Finale Fireworker said:
I can't believe that "ancient man who suffered at the hands of the wealthy" is enough exposition to ruin the game for people. Not exactly very detailed lore there.
Click to expand...

I just hope that whatever in-game allusions they make to the Outsider's origins actually have something to do with the game's contemporary setting. The giant whale theory was compelling because of how much whaling was entwined with Dunwall's progress and survival.

Interestingly, I didn't see any whale oil in the trailer; maybe Serkonos isn't reliant on it in the way Dunwall is, and the Outsider chooses to use different imagery relevant to each society he presents himself to.
 
W

woen

Member
Crossing Eden said:
So having two full playable characters is now what we refer to as "half commitments?" Having two characters with equal amounts of depth and their own playstyle is a not a half commitment. It's perfectly fine to allow for a male character to still be playable, especially in a game series with as much depth and freedom as Dishonored. The same goes for AC as well.
Click to expand...

Yeah, it's more than Batman AK or AC:S are doing, and more than all standard FPS or game that allow you to chose who you play since here there seem to have a story built around two great main characters with possibilities linked to them and around them.

They should have done that with AC:Unity by the way, they had the two protagonists, male and female, and two different points of view to build.
 
C

Crossing Eden

Hello, my name is Yves Guillemot, Vivendi S.A.'s Employee of the Month!
Krauser Kat said:
where at least 90% of games have story driven by male characters.
How many FPS games have story driven female main characters? If the entire game was emily it could have opened up some doors for more badass female protagonists.

Happy for progress, it could be better.
Click to expand...
Female character inclusion is not dependent on removing the option to play as other characters, again, it's Dishonored so this is a natural progression by letting us play as the damsel in distress turned kind or evil Queen in the first game.

woen said:
Yeah, it's more than Batman AK or AC:S are doing, and more than all standard FPS or game that allow you to chose who you play since here there seem to have a story built around two great main characters with possibilities linked to them and around them.

They should have done that with AC:Unity by the way, they had the two protagonists, male and female, and two different points of view to build.
Click to expand...
It would've been great to play as Elise. She was even in London at some point during the game's events and met Edward's daughter.
hql8EfqaD5A.jpg


I can see why they didn't though.
 
F

Finale Fireworker

Member
Remachinate said:
I just hope that whatever in-game allusions they make to the Outsider's origins actually have something to do with the game's contemporary setting. The giant whale theory was compelling because of how much whaling was entwined with Dunwall's progress and survival.

Interestingly, I didn't see any whale oil in the trailer; maybe Serkonos isn't reliant on it in the way Dunwall is, and the Outsider chooses to use different imagery relevant to each society he presents himself to.
Click to expand...

I'm wondering, with the time jump, if the reliance on whale oil has diminished. There is some complex and crazy machinery in that trailer that is more than just electricity. I can't wait to see.

Crossing Eden said:
Female character inclusion is not dependent on removing the option to play as other characters, again, it's Dishonored so this is a natural progression by letting us play as the damsel in distress turned kind or evil Queen in the first game.
Click to expand...

Again, most people here agree with you. Myself included.

All we are doing is acknowledging that, when a character is placed as the lead (like Batman to Catwoman), it's really cool and exciting that that lead character is a woman.

Because there is a difference between female characters and female avatars. Characters are developed and integral to the narrative. The stories are about them. That is what fans of playable women really want. Earlier some people were apprehensive that Emily was being subsidized by Corvo, which does not appear to be the case.
 
G

Guri

Member
Crossing Eden said:
So having two full playable characters is now what we refer to as "half commitments?" Having two characters with equal amounts of depth and their own playstyle is a not a half commitment. It's perfectly fine to allow for a male character to still be playable, especially in a game series with as much depth and freedom as Dishonored. The same goes for AC as well.
Click to expand...

I think the majority of people that was pleased when learning that Emily was a protagonist also wondered for how much of the game she would be playable. And that concern happens because, for example, Ubisoft was very discrete about Evie being playable in AC Syndicate, then only 25% (plus free roaming) and she's not present in marketing. She won't even be shown at E3!

So I think the concerns when a male and female protagonists are announced are valid, because people automatically think the woman will only be playable for a short period.

I'm all for only female protagonists in some games (because of need more), just as there are male ones too. And, of course, when there is an option, both should be equally playable for the whole game. And I'm glad Dishonored 2 does that. And also that this is Emily's story.
 
P

PBalfredo

Member
OrcmJ6G.jpg
Click to expand...

As I mentioned in the Bethesda topic, the inclusion of robots in Dishonored 2 suggests to me that you'll have more opportunities to utilize your weapons in "No Kill" runs.

Arion said:
My only problem with the Outsider is that his design just looks so boring. I guess they want to make him look ordinary to subvert expectations but still give him something to make him look cool.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I didn't even recognize who he was suppose to be during the reveal trailer. For a game with such killer art style, the Outsider, for being such an important character, is such a generic dude. Like you said, maybe that's partially intentional to play up his trickster god aspect. If that's the case, I would have preferred if he took a different form each time you encountered him, with the black eyes being the one common thread between his forms.
 
K

keltickennedy

Member
The two playable characters from the start and having their own campaigns is awesome. It actually reminded me of Tenchu. One of my favorite stealth games growing up.
 
C

carlsojo

Member
At the end when Emily is picking the dude up with her "shadow arms" or whatever, it looked like she was channeling the Darkness which is just fucking awesome.
 
A

AndyD

aka andydumi
Kinyou said:
It's still a series that started off with a male protagonist. It's not that crazy that they kept said protagonist in the sequel. Frankly I hope they didn't approach this with "we need a female protagonist" but rather as "we want to tell the story of both of those characters"
Click to expand...

The fact that they have different powers probably means different stories to gain those powers, so different storyline/dialogue/interactions gameplay. I think we are safe here in that it's not just a male/female swap, but pretty deep.
 
F

Finale Fireworker

Member
loaf of bread said:
I don't think they have their own campaigns. Its the same campaign just using a different character.
Click to expand...

That's my understanding as well. It's Emily's campaign, but you can also play it as Corvo for a variation of the same campaign. Probably conversations with the Outsider and some major beats in the story are differently tailored to whoever you choose.
 
The English Conquistador

The English Conquistador

Member
I wonder why Corvo's mask was hovering slightly before dashing into the water at the beginning of the trailer. The Outsiders doing maybe?

Lovely trailer. Emily has already shown herself to be a compelling character to play as. She learnt from the best I guess. :)

tumblr_npywmbEl141r1lmyro7_500.gif
 
iNvid02

iNvid02

Member
they confirmed it on keighley's youtube show that its one handcrafted narrative viewed from different perspectives

still, two characters with different abilities coupled with the various ways to approach levels is enough to warrant another playthrough
 
H

HK-47

Oh, bitch bitch bitch.
Finale Fireworker said:
To be fair, everybody knew Deckard was a replicant. It's not a secret. It's pretty clearly built into the movie. It's no more discrete than The Sixth Sense.
Click to expand...

No they didnt. There were arguments for years over whether he was or not. Scott made changes to the later versions of the films to enforce his view though.
 
D

dtcm83

Member
Loved the first game and the DLC expansions, played it on my PC and it was an amazing experience...can't wait to play this one. Will prob do a Corvo run first to continue with what was started in the first game.
 
F

Finale Fireworker

Member
HK-47 said:
No they didnt. There were arguments for years over whether he was or not. Scott made changes to the later versions of the films to enforce his view though.
Click to expand...

I forgot there was a time where people watched anything but the Final Cut. Presumably before it existed.

Nowadays, people really only watch the final cut. There's no question there.
 
J

Johndoey

Banned
PBalfredo said:
As I mentioned in the Bethesda topic, the inclusion of robots in Dishonored 2 suggests to me that you'll have more opportunities to utilize your weapons in "No Kill" runs.



Yeah, I didn't even recognize who he was suppose to be during the reveal trailer. For a game with such killer art style, the Outsider, for being such an important character, is such a generic dude. Like you said, maybe that's partially intentional to play up his trickster god aspect. If that's the case, I would have preferred if he took a different form each time you encountered him, with the black eyes being the one common thread between his forms.
Click to expand...
I Love the kinda generic design of the Outsider it goes with his name he is unassuming.
 
C

Crossing Eden

Hello, my name is Yves Guillemot, Vivendi S.A.'s Employee of the Month!
Finale Fireworker said:
I'm wondering, with the time jump, if the reliance on whale oil has diminished. There is some complex and crazy machinery in that trailer that is more than just electricity. I can't wait to see.



Again, most people here agree with you. Myself included.

All we are doing is acknowledging that, when a character is placed as the lead (like Batman to Catwoman), it's really cool and exciting that that lead character is a woman.

Because there is a difference between female characters and female avatars. Characters are developed and integral to the narrative. The stories are about them. That is what fans of playable women really want. Earlier some people were apprehensive that Emily was being subsidized by Corvo, which does not appear to be the case.
Click to expand...
Ohhh ok. Yes I really don't agree with having less options being a better solution.

RobertoSAGuedes said:
I think the majority of people that was pleased when learning that Emily was a protagonist also wondered for how much of the game she would be playable. And that concern happens because, for example, Ubisoft was very discrete about Evie being playable in AC Syndicate, then only 25% (plus free roaming) and she's not present in marketing. She won't even be shown at E3!

So I think the concerns when a male and female protagonists are announced are valid, because people automatically think the woman will only be playable for a short period.

I'm all for only female protagonists in some games (because of need more), just as there are male ones too. And, of course, when there is an option, both should be equally playable for the whole game. And I'm glad Dishonored 2 does that. And also that this is Emily's story.
Click to expand...
Evie will be the focus of Gamescom, I very much doubt that she'll be absent completely from E3 as well. I would say wait for facts to be presented before expressing concern. I don't think that 75/25 split has been confirmed yet. I just checked the time! See you guys in the microsoft thread. :O E3
 
R

Remachinate

Member
Finale Fireworker said:
I'm wondering, with the time jump, if the reliance on whale oil has diminished. There is some complex and crazy machinery in that trailer that is more than just electricity. I can't wait to see.
Click to expand...

I've probably said this in too many threads already, but this trailer instantly made me think Dishonored II: The Metal Age. The step-up in technology has got to be an intentional nod to the second Thief game, and I'm hoping we see a similar leap in level design.
 
Z

Zolo

Member
Remachinate said:
I've probably said this in too many threads already, but this trailer instantly made me think Dishonored II: The Metal Age. The step-up in technology has got to be an intentional nod to the second Thief game, and I'm hoping we see a similar leap in level design.
Click to expand...

I also liked what the other poster said in that it allows "lethal" options without technically killing any characters.
 
R

Red Hood

Banned
Remachinate said:
I've probably said this in too many threads already, but this trailer instantly made me think Dishonored II: The Metal Age. The step-up in technology has got to be an intentional nod to the second Thief game, and I'm hoping we see a similar leap in level design.
Click to expand...

Damn it, if that's true we'd get an even better Dishonored.... I'm so fucking excited!
 
Futurematic

Futurematic

Member
I loved the sense of place and scale of exploring Dunwall but that was the massive capital + key or main industrial city + key port (London, lol). I wonder if we'll explore the other 3 cities of Serkonos... or maybe a trip back to some part of Dunwell? Or maybe Karnaca is big enough, I suppose.

Since Dishonored on kill everybody playthroughs is basically a whalepunk Alien game (with you as the alien), I wonder if we could get a mission on an underway whale oil powered dreadnought that's coming into port. It'd impose a soft time limit (for stealth players, since killing be fast of course) as the naval base grows closer, other ships are nearby so you'd have to be careful on deck, etc... I'd love to see Arkane stretch on level design, they grasped the idea in the first game--and indeed several just great levels--but much like Deus Ex or Thief they could have used more time for design to get the good-but-not-great levels up to snuff. Let's just hope Thief II is the result, not Deus Ex: IW.

teokrazia said:
Just my impression or Colantonio and [especially] Smith looked embarrassed while they were talking about Dishonored: Definitive Edition? :D
http://i.imgur.com/vNj9ITT.jpg
http://www.twitch.tv/bethesda/v/6189973
Click to expand...

Ah, I love a good round of Kremlinology.

The thing is Arkane Lyons is working on Dishonored 2, let's say whatever spring month doesn't have Uncharted (and Doom) and they likely started pre-production on it in November-December 2012--once they saw sales and a break--as Arkane was explicitly re-arranged into two separate studios instead of main/auxiliary. They are maybe ten-eleven months out and they are busy as fuck, with all the team committed down the final stretch.

Arkane Austin meanwhile spent most of 2013 making the amazing Dishonored Daud DLC and at some point entered pre-production on Prey 2 (or whatever it may be called). However that was more than a year ago, they are probably eighteen to twenty-four months from launch, which means they are probably full production as well given how long current gen games have been taking.

Both studios also changed engines and hence the focus of their programming talent & hires, Lyons to Void (idTech 6?) and Austin to CryEngine. Frankly I'm curious as to why, perhaps Void/iT666 can only do ~Dishonored/Doom sized levels and/or CryEngine does bigger maps or outdoors better well... which is an obvious hint to where Prey 2 is going. (I do remember that the leaked concept document for Prey 2/Austin mentioned CryEngine a few times regarding what it was good at.)

Plus the fact sheet for the game includes mention of only this: better graphics, the 3 DLC packs plus the pre-order DLC. Also the not coming out for PC part is telling.

Therefore, this is a long-winded way to say: neither studio develops on Unreal anymore, both teams are busy on near and mid future games so don't have time to port, and I agree with your take that both men looked a little uncomfortable over the remaster. Hence the remaster is outsourced and probably just a straight PC port, which would explain why it got the 5 second no mention of August launch embarrassed looking stage mention. Too bad, but I'll probably still get it because I loved it that much (yes, I'm a sucker).

TL;DR: I imagine Dishonored: Definitive Edition is just the PC version for various reasons, though I don't really care since I'll likely buy it anyway lol.
 
C

cleveridea

Member
Fantastic showing, I really loved Bethesda's conference the best so far compared to Microsoft & EA (though loved ME Andromeda). Fallout 4 looked great as expected, but I loved this trailer for dishonored - superb design for the world, the main character and the enemy technology.

Cool they are making a definitive edition for console owners since its a surprisingly nice looking game on PC (and hence the DE too I imagine)
 
F

FartOfWar

Banned
Crossing Eden said:
So having two full playable characters is now what we refer to as "half commitments?" Having two characters with equal amounts of depth and their own playstyle is a not a half commitment. It's perfectly fine to allow for a male character to still be playable, especially in a game series with as much depth and freedom as Dishonored. The same goes for AC as well.
Click to expand...

Supporting two characters with non-redundant abilities and whose parts in the story differ is a fuckton more work than a single female protagonist. If you don't want the chicken, don;t order it. Why resent the fact that it's on the menu alongside the steak?
 
Wiktor

Wiktor

Member
FartOfWar said:
Supporting two characters with non-redundant abilities and whose parts in the story differ is a fuckton more work than a single female protagonist. If you don't want the chicken, don;t order it. Why resent the fact that it's on the menu alongside the steak?
Click to expand...

I'm guessing because for them it's not enough to get you want. It's also necessary to ensure other people don't? :)
 
C

Crossing Eden

Hello, my name is Yves Guillemot, Vivendi S.A.'s Employee of the Month!
FartOfWar said:
Supporting two characters with non-redundant abilities and whose parts in the story differ is a fuckton more work than a single female protagonist. If you don't want the chicken, don;t order it. Why resent the fact that it's on the menu alongside the steak?
Click to expand...
It is a lot more work. I don't have a problem with two characters, that was what excited me the most about this game. Some do though for a strange reason.
 
N

Nuke Soda

Member
neogaffer1 said:
shoutout to sokolov

14b0accdd9.jpg


she doesn't shoot a whale oil explosive dart she throws a grenade and shoots it with a regular dart

21a46ca8d4.jpg


outsider's looking good

dfe15f6c77.jpg
Click to expand...

I forgot Soklov's name, but I knew the face. Hope we get more on the Outsider, an interesting character even if he was just kind of there in the first.
 
N

Nessus

Member
Miker said:
CG trailer is hype as hell. Loved the first game, but I probably won't get around to playing the DLC because Bethesda refuses to mark it down to 75% off on Steam. I hope that it keeps its "immersive sim" (tbh I hate that term) heritage rather than becoming a more linear sneak and/or stab 'em up.
Click to expand...

Combined the DLC is almost as long as the base game. Some of the best DLC I've played and well worth it in my opinion, even at full price.
 
LordOfChaos

LordOfChaos

Member
legacyzero said:
untitleddgqir.png
Click to expand...

...

.....

.......

That's just ridiculous. There are obviously two characters for story purposes, and what, there's only equality when there's only women in a game?

Sorry Master Chief, you get a sex change, just because there are an equal number of female spartans now that doesn't mean it's good enough, everyone is female now.
 
K

Karl Hawk

Banned
I'm really looking forward to this. Dishonored 1 was among my favorite last-gen games (Didn't get the complaints about being punished for going aggressive or stealthy, though)

And I get to play as Emily? Yes please!
 
S

Sotha_Sil

Member
ashecitism said:
It's right in the title. Void engine, which is powere by idTech. Presumably a modified idTech 5 or 6 dunno.
Click to expand...

I am curious if it will be a completely locked 60fps game on consoles like other the Id Tech games (Rage and Wolfenstein, Doom), not counting Evil Within since Tango Gameworks purposefully removed that.

IT6 looked great in the Doom demo, that kind of performance with Dishonored's art direction would be incredible.
 
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