E3 2012: Dishonored Preview

Last August I brought you our first preview of Dishonored, Arkane Studios’ first original title in over five years.  You can read my extensive preview here but, for those who don’t want to, allow me to surmise my feelings as I left QuakeCon 2011: I was incredibly excited.  Stealth- based games like Dishonored have been lacking in both quantity and stealth elements for several years now, the only significant title of the past three years coming to mind being Splinter Cell Conviction.  For this year’s E3 Bethesda decided to properly unveil the game to the press and, judging by both the presentation and the live demo we got to play, the game is looking even more impressive than it did last year.

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Feed Him to the Hungry Rats for Dinner
Sitting down in a room of thirty other gamers and journalists in the Bethesda booth, creative director Harvey Smith and introduced the demo by stating that we would see the same level played twice: once from a stealth-focused perspective and the other being a balls-to-the-wall, kill everyone approach.  To get an appreciation for the stealthly nature of the game we were shown the most subtle approach first.  Trust me when I say that what we saw delivered on what was spoken.

Today’s demo took place at the Golden Cat, a bathhouse in Dunwall that is also the site of a house of ill repute.  You are tasked with eliminating the Pendleton brothers, twins that are part of the overall conspiracy that both murdered Dunwall’s Emperess and framed Corvo for the act.  For the purposes of the demo the player was given the full array of Corvo Atano’s powers that will be featured when the game ships.

Starting out the level, Corvo descended to the streets (each level has multiple entry points, in this case we started out from a rooftop entrance) and nears the water’s edge adjacent to the Golden Cat.  Using his possession ability, Corvo took control of a fish and swam into a broken pipe going into the building. He emerges from his pescadilliac possession in one of the women’s changing rooms.  Barely sneaking past two entering whores, the player enters the main lobby of the Golden Cat with the objective of finding the Madame of the establishment in order to get a master key and thus move through the building unimpeded by pesky doors and the like.  Sneaking upstairs, Corvo finds her on the other side of a door after peaking through a keyhole.  Waiting for her to leave, the player follows her to a secluded room where he pickpockets her, the Madame never being the wiser.

Dishonored’s stealth gameplay, more than anything, seems strongly to be a cross between classic Metal Gear Solid and that of Splinter Cell Conviction, two titles that are widely different and yet, for this title, seem to match harmoniously.  Enemies utilize a cone of vision that Corvo can detect using his Dark Vision power.  If the player enters that cone of vision a circle appears on screen indicating how well they see you and from what direction you are seen.  Once the indicator turns red the player has been fully recognized as an intruder and the NPC reacts accordingly.  It’s an odd combination at first but, as demonstrated in Dishonored, works very well together.

After returning to the lobby area Corvo overhears a conversation between a “relaxing” guard and his mistress which reveals the location of one of the Pendleton brothers: the basement sauna.  Descending unnoticed, the player eventually locates the target in a steam room along with one of the mistresses.  As if reading my mind that a blade would be too simple for the target, the player instead turns a valve controlling one of the steam pipes, scalding both of the victims to death.

With only one target left, Corvo ascends once again, sneaking past guards and wandering prostitutes alike.  Corvo eventually locates his target in the penthouse room of the Golden Cat, the unsuspecting brother chatting it up with one of the ladies of the evening.  Instead of barging in through the front door the player instead opts for the balcony.  Climbing along the rooftop and utilizing the Blink ability which teleports the player a short distance, he reaches the balcony of the room with ease.  Corvo then uses his possession ability once again to take control of the last remaining Pendleton, guiding him to the balcony itself.  Withdrawing from the brother, the player selects Corvo’s Windblast power and, in a move seen countless times in Skyrim videos across Youtube, blasts the target over the edge and into the water below, eliciting a laugh from all in attendance.  The last target eliminated, Smith ends the demo.

Restarting from the same position as when the stealth portion began, the player begins his more murderous approach.  Corvo descends to the streets and attacks one of the guards outside the Golden Cat.  The game’s melee-focused combat system is quite simplistic, acting similar to that of the attack, parry, counter system utilized in Skyrim and, more appropriately, Dark Messiah of Might and Magic.  Corvo makes quick work of the guards and proceeds into the establishment.

It is here that a murderous onslaught began.  Our demonstrator begins killing everyone in sight, guards and prostitutes alike, using all the tricks at his disposal.  Corvo’s primary weapon in all of this is his blade which is dedicated to his right hand while his various tools of the trade as well as his magic powers are focused on the left hand.  All manner of weapons, including his pistol are demonstrated, with items such the crossbow and the Plague of Rats power which gruesomely devours your unfortunate victims before your eyes.  One particular weapon, a mine, deploys a band of razor wire that shreds enemies to pieces in a smile-inducing display of blood and muscle.  No one is a match for the player but, again, since the demonstration gave you Corvo’s full arsenal of weapons and powers at their peak abilities, this is more than likely a scenario that most players won’t experience.

Weigh Hey, and Up She Rises
After the hands-off demo was shown to us, the press was allowed to actually experience the game hands-on, something I’ve been wanting to do ever since I first registered for E3 this year.  The demo was different from the one we were shown, showing a far smaller slice of the game.  Tasked with kidnapping the Imperial physician that conducted the autopsy of the Empress, I began the level once again on the rooftops.  Knowing the target’s whereabouts I swiftly and silently used Corvo’s Blink power, bounding from rooftop to rooftop and bypassing all the patrolling guards on the street.  I eventually arrived at the doctor’s rooftop laboratory and, sneaking up on him quietly, I knocked him out.

As I was about to leave I found a woman trapped in a cage just across the room.  Feeling for her I filched the key from the doctor’s body and freed her.  This action ties into the game’s world chaos system which, while not immediately having an impact on the game itself, will eventually culminate with world-altering results later on in the game.  For now, it may have little impact but, for me as I tend to play very moral characters, it was a pleasing act of kindness in the cruel, cruel world that is Dunwall.

 Taking the doctor’s body with me, I once again began to traverse the rooftops using the Blink ability.  With my extraction point in sight I came across a group of citizens imprisoned along the roadside.  I decided to help then and dropped the physician off right next to the exit before returning to the prisoners.  On the wall adjacent to the cage I found the security controls and both deactivated the electrified cage and freed the citizens but not before being spotted by the patrolling guards.  It was here that I was glad for once that no one was filming the game as, given I had only a handful of minutes of experience at the game already, I was doing a terrible job of fighting off the guards.  I eventually was able to eliminate them all but not before a few of the citizens were killed in the process.  I returned to the doctor’s body and took him to my contact, ending the demo.

I, however, wasn’t satisfied.  With nary an appointment ahead of me I went began the demo again, this time determined to do better.  I successfully knocked out the doctor once again, this time utilizing Corvo’s crossbow that was equipped with sleeping darts.  I took his body out of the laboratory but stopped short of jumping across the rooftops.  Below me, patrolling was a Tall Boy, a stilted soldier equipped with a explosive set of bow and arrows.  The Tall Boy is easily one of the most imposing enemies in the game and is Dishonored’s take on the Strider from Half-Life 2.  Selecting the Possession power I took control of the victim and marched down the street straight toward the prisoners as well as the pesky guards who gave me problems just a few moments ago.  Using the Tall Boy’s weapons I quickly dispatched with the soldiers before exiting the victim.  I quickly killed the Tall Boy using a sticky grenade so as to prevent experiencing what I had just done to the decimated soldiers at my feet.  Freeing the prisoners, this time with nary a scratch on them, I retrieved the doctor and once again completed the demo.

Early in the Morning
Dishonored was an exciting reveal for me last year and was a wonderful experience to have on the first full day of E3 2012.  The stealth elements at this point seem very well done and the abilities at Corvo’s disposal make him a powerful opponent to the waves of guards and enemies of the game.  Arkane brought us word shortly before E3 began that players can even do a pacifistic runthrough of the game, allowing you to complete Dishonored without actually killing anyone.  Considering that I can recall a stealth action game allowing this since the last Metal Gear Solid title, my excitement is further heightened by the news.

With all the enticing titles being pushed into 2013 Arkane Studios’ latest will happily not be boarding the delay train and will instead arrive during the second week of October in North America in Europe.  Stay tuned for our review.

E3 2012: Hitman Absolution Preview

Last year, after almost half a decade of fans begging and screaming for a new entry into the Hitman franchise, developer IO Interactive finally relented to our demands, announcing the fifth title in the series dubbed Absolution.  The news of a new Hitman title was wonderful to hear, especially in the wake of the less than stellar Kane and Lynch games that had been released between the 2005 hit Blood Money and then this title.  What was demonstrated last year though was decidedly a title that, while intriguing, wasn’t a true Hitman experience.  Instead of a sandbox, exploration-based stealth game what we saw was a strongly scripted, linear level that evoked the feel of Splinter Cell Conviction.  It looked great, to be sure, but with no demonstration of traditional Hitman levels being present and only the promise of what we know and love being in the game, many of us were a bit put off.

Since E3 2011 publisher SquareEnix has been building a market campaign designed specifically to show just what is new and different with this latest title and it wasn’t until this year’s E3 that IO Interactive finally live up to their promise.  And, despite all the shooty, naughty nun, murder-focused trailers we’ve been receiving over the past year, I’m proud to declare that every Hitman aficionado will have something to smile about come this November.

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Real Men do it with Garrote Wire
E3’s hands-off demo took place much later in the game, sometime after Agent 47 has a falling out with the International Contracts Agency and is now on the run.  This is made evident by the assassin having had his trademark barcode tattoo removed from the back of his head but more so than that he seems even more cautious than before.  His crusade against his former employers at the ICA has brought him to the small South Dakotan town of Hope, a scene that feels just like any other small town you can drive through in the United States, albeit from a very outdated perspective.  Agent 47’s targets are members of a greaser gang called the Cougars that holds control of Hope, the leader of which, Lenny, is about as dumb as a post save for his knowledge of a woman named Victoria whom 47 needs to find.  Before you can interrogate him however several of his cronies need to be dealt with first, a task our demonstrator went right to.

Sneaking in through the backdoor of a small convenience store, one of the gang members is chatting up the female clerk as 47 hides behind cover.  The target finally leaves, heading upstairs behind the counter, the giddy clerk all too oblivious of our favorite bald assassin.  To distract her, 47 activates a radio on the counter behind him which draws the woman out, allowing him a slim window to sneak by and head upstairs.  Spying the target looking out the window and talking on his cell, 47 sneaks up quietly and suffocates the man with his trademark piano wire.  After hiding the body in a closet we head back down the stairs only to find that the clerk has returned to the counter and is blocking 47’s progress.  Rather than kill the innocent woman was saw the assassin withdraw his trusty Sliver Baller pistol, complete with suppressor, and fire on the car just outside the front of the store.  With the car alarm blaring and the clerk investigating the player easily slip out the door from whence he came, scott free.

Much like its predecessor Blood Money, Hitman Absolution builds on the 2005 hit’s grading system but this time in a far more real-time focus.  Rather than forcing the player to play through the entire level before knowing the results of their run a corner of the screen’s HUD indicates the player’s current skill status, grading the player based on kills, the method thereof, whether you were detected, etcetera.  The IO Interactive rep for today’s demo clearly wants to show off the potential of what the new Glacier engine is capable of though so we weren’t in for a showing of what I Silent Assassin run would look like, especially as we started after the next target.

Across the street in an autoshop lies the next Cougar but unfortunately the place is covered with police officers.  Sneaking behind some tires 47 enters the shop quietly, making his way upstairs toward the victim.  After sneaking around for a bit though 47 is spotted by an officer.  Before he can react though 47 shanks to man, his lifeless body hitting the ground with a loud thud.  Our demonstrator decides to not hide the body and continues upstairs, eventually finding the Cougar member.  47’s next kill is a little more brutal, running the man straight through with a screwdriver.  Finding some C4 and certain that the cops will eventually find their now deceased fellow officer our player decides to make the deaths an accident, dragging the target’s body outside behind a leaky gas pump.  Sneaking back through the shop the player hides behind a stack of old tires as an officer is blocking his escape route.  Equipping the C4, the player tosses it next to the gas pump, causing a loud enough thump to draw the cop’s attention away.  Slipping by, the cop has no time to react as the player hits the trigger, causing a huge explosion that kills everyone in the vicinity.  As more officers converge on the scene none of them take notice of the conspicuously well-dressed bald man walking away from the fiery scene.  Two down, three to go.

The Streets of Hope
The next target is located behind the autoshop.  Maneuvering behind an adjacent building, 47 slips behind a fence, entering a large yard.  47 is now trespassing and will be caught if seen so the player needs a disguise to walk around freely.  Before he can do anything about that though a dog locked behind a fence begins barking at him.  47 quickly hides in an outhouse as a mechanic comes over to investigate.  As soon as the mechanic gets within range and turns his back the player comes out, grabs the man and knocks him unconscious.  47 changes into the man’s outfit and, to avoid suspicion at their missing colleague, the player finds and tosses a bone into the dog’s pen, silencing it.

Now properly attired for this part of the level our demonstrator took us further into the year.  Using 47’s new Instinct ability, the player averts the suspicion of a mechanic who didn’t recognize the strange, new bald man with a bloody bandage on the back of his head.  Instinct also allows the player to see AI patrol patterns and NPC’s predicted movements in a certain area, albeit for only a short time.  In the next section of the yard the player comes across a group of mechanics all sitting around along with the third target.  The door is guarded by some well-armed thugs and it’s clear that no one dressed as a mechanic is going to get inside. 

It is at this point that our demo player decides to show off another one of 47’s new abilities: Point Shooting.  Using the same power guage as Instinct, Point Shooting allows you to mark targets in an area and, with the press of a button, execute them all with your chosen weapon.  The ability is much like what John Marston utilizes in Red Dead Redemption, slowing down time to mark your targets and returning to real time as 47 begins dispensing death in the form of lead.  The player marks all the targets in the vicinity and kills them all silently with 47’s silenced Silver Baller.

Only two targets remain as 47 activates his Instinct ability again and spies the fourth Cougar who is making his way downstairs, coming outside through the door that the thugs were guarding.  With little time to react the player simply chooses to shoot the target in the head, preventing him from raising the alarm.  With the four lieutenants dead all that remains of the Cougar gang is head honcho Lenny himself and, what do you know, judging from the Instinct vision it appears that he’s in a barber’s chair about to get a shave.  It’s almost too good an opportunity to not take advantage of.

Climbing up the edge of a building, 47 slips through a window and surprises a barber, knocking him out cold.  Once again the player trades disguises, going from a greasy mechanic to that of a clean cut hairdresser.  Equipping the victim’s razor blade 47 descends the stairs into the barber shop proper where Lenny unwittingly awaits in his chair.  As he comments on the new barber and his very “hands on” approach to giving a clean shave the music rises and the demo ends.

The World’s Deadliest Assassin
Ever since last year’s debut of Agent 47’s latest adventure fans have been skeptical as to whether Absolution would be a well and proper Hitman title.  Despite having one of the most improper marketing campaigns in recent memory though IO Interactive is assembling a game that series fans will be proud to own when it arrives this November.  With a mix of classic sandbox level design, new character abilities and story-driven transition levels, there is absolutely a lot to like and look forward to in the next Hitman.

Preview: Dishonored

Stealth games are a genre that doesn’t get a lot of attention.  After all, in a world where the most popular titles involve running and gunning through hordes of enemies there isn’t much call in the industry for the genre.  For every six dozen action-oriented titles you may have one or two stealth games but even those are, usually, of the worthless sort.  Every now and then though a great stealth game like Thief or a Metal Gear will come along and reignite the community’s passion before disappearing once again back into the ether.  While at QuakeCon this year I had the privilege of getting to see Dishonored, Arkane Studios’ (Dark Messiah of Might and Magic) latest effort, and I can almost guarantee that this game garners such discussion.

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An Assassin’s Retribution

Sitting down in a private theater above the bustling hallways and lobbies of the Hilton Anitole in downtown Dallas my compatriots in writing and I sat down to a large projector with Harvey Smith, formerly of Ion Studios and the legendary Thief and Deus Ex series, and Raphael Colantonio, lead designer on Dark Messiah.  Their presence alone demonstrated how important this game is to the studio but what is more important to note is the combination of talent therein.  After all, how often do you get to see a team up of this caliber?  Their collaboration as co-creative directors mean there is vast potential tied into their names alone.

Many games have laid claim to the statement that the world it is set in is “unlike any other.”  When studios say that though it’s usually just a variation on a theme that involves orcs, elves, and an assortment of ugly, evil beasts.  Dishonored’s world is perfectly fit for this description: an island-based whaling town set in a retro-futuristic industrial age.  Steampunk this is clearly not.

Dishonored’s story takes place in Dunwall, a city in the middle of a series of islands known as the Isles.  Most of humanity lives in the Isles far away from the Pandyssian continent where huge, dangerous beasts roam the land and from which few souls ever return.  The entirty of Dishonored takes place in Dunwall though a clear mythology and world history is set up for expansion past this game should Arkane wish to build upon their new IP.

In describing Dunwall the closest approximation to a real-world equivalent would be Victorian-era England.  The buildings and cobblestone roads share similarities but it is herein where the similarities end.  Thanks to the immense talent of Viktor Antanov, the artist who seven years ago changed the landscape of the first person shooter genre with the alien-yet-familiar world of Half-Life 2, Dunwall lends alien architecture with Victorian streets to yield a city that dare the player to explore it.

 Dunwall is in a state of decline thanks to a plague that has infected and killed off nearly half of the population.  This seems to be one of the city’s lesser worries however as the government has recently been taken over in a coup.  You play as Corvo, a legendary assassin and the bodyguard of The Emperess.  At the start of Dishonored the coup occurs and Corvo fails to save the life of his mistress for which he is accused of murder.  Sometime after his imprisonment Corvo escapes from his confines and, aided by the local resistance group, sets out to clear his name and will kill anyone who steps in his way.

Vengence, By Blade or Spell

As the lights dimmed and the demo began it was immediate apparent that Dishonored was quite different a game than most have played before.  The demo is set in a sectioned-off part of the city where a corrupt lawyer is profiting from the suffering of the citizens of Dunwall.  Your goal is to assassinate him but a secondary objective is to justify the kill with evidence of his wrongdoing.  The lawyer is protected by the new government though so getting to him will not be an easy task.

Beginning in a sewer outlet, Corvo exits it into the harborfront where, before our eyes, a whaling ship bellows its horn as it parades into the harbor with its latest catch: a gigantic whale known as a Leviathan of the Deep.  The sight alone of the ship and its dead cargo immediately separates Dishonored from most settings in games as it is one of the most alien sights to see in our world today but the reason why Dunwall prospers lies in the Leviathan itself.  Imagine a world wherein crude oil and natural gas have never been discovered (or possibly even exists) and that the oils harvested from these Leviathans serves as the power source and the most prominent natural resource as humanity’s disposal.  Everything is powered by it: lanterns, force fields, even machinery won’t function without it.  The moral ambiguity of the resource is almost non-existent in the world of Dishonored and that alone is intriguing.

As Corvo walks along the steps of the harbor he pulls out a dagger, the demonstrator anticipating resistance.  The city is currently under martial law and the streets are empty save for the roaming guards, the brave or brash troublemakers, and the dead.  As Corvo ascends the steps voices can be heard.  Corvo squats down quickly and peers over the last of the stairs to a ghastly sight: two guards are tossing the cloth-wrapped bodies of plague victims into the harbor while another stands watch.  As the two continue on their duty the third walks away, beginning his patrol.  Backing up, Corvo looks upward and spies an awning within reach.  Jumping, he grabs the edge of the awning and pulls himself up.

Spotting the wandering guard, our demonstrator sneaks up from behind and delivers a killing blow with the dagger.  Corvo searches the body before moving on as he is confident that he doesn’t have to hide the body since the other two are too busy with their appalling task.  Corvo approaches a large force field that is just one of many elements of the game that are quite evocative of Half-Life 2.  Going into a guard post right by it Corvo and disarms it.

Beyond the field a pack of rats are feasting on the remains of two unfortunate souls.  Getting too close, the attack viciously before the player moves into the light from which they retreat.  Rats serve both as an element of Dunwall as well as a tool at your disposal as was demonstrated later on.

Moving into an alley, Corvo hears the cries of a woman being mugged.  The encounter is entirely optional but the player goes ahead and comes to her aid.  It turns out to be a trap however as two more thieves vault over the fence behind them.  Drawing his dagger, Corvo begins his first-person melee fight by parrying, blocking, and dodging the three’s attacks.  Corvo takes a bit of damage but deals it back ten-fold, executing brutal killing moves against his enemies.  The woman flees at the sight of the killings but the event may just return some profit, be it money or information, later on in the game.

What is interesting about the combat though is just how strong and fluid it is.  First person melee combat isn’t something that has ever really been successful outside of a handful of titles and even then it has always felt clunky.  Arkane clearly knows what they are doing though as Dark Messiah was one of the few games ever to actually get it right.  The maneuvering of the character looks quite natural and the execution of attacks look to blend in just as well as combat in your typical third-person brawler like Enslaved.

Infiltrating the Mansion and the Grand Escape

Leaving the alleyway Corvo exits this area and arrives at the section where his target resides.  In front of him a force-field that only allows guards through separates him from the courtyard where the lawyer’s mansion resides.  The two-story building in front of him contains the power source for the field though so, watching the patrolling guards, Corvo sneaks in.  Ascending the stairs Corvo is forced to kill two guards who protect the circuit breaker.  The fight however draws the attention of the guards and raises the alarm.  As the players waits behind the door though no one enters the room even after several tense seconds.  Dishonored’s design is such that the world itself is very random in nature from encounter to encounter and the AI reflects this.  The alarm wasn’t a scripted moment in this demonstration and neither was the absence of the reinforcements: just another example of how versatile an experience the game can be.

Finding the circuit breaker Corvo modifies it to kill enemies instead of him which the guards learn when a patrolling one is vaporized as he walks through it.  Rather than risk taking to the streets where the enemy is littered the player opts to take to the rooftops.  Looking out the window, Corvo spots a flat roof that would be perfect for maneuvering undetected.  How he would get their though is another matter entirely.

Corvo isn’t just known in the world as skilled assassin based on combat abilities however: he also is one of the few who can use magic.  Selecting the “Blink” spell from a circular menu, the player charges up the ability and targets the opposite roof before activating it.  Blink gives Corvo the ability to teleport short distances and it easily allows him access to the roof.  Spells are designed to be versatile from the start and can easily be integrated into combat or evasion to the player’s preference.

Moving along the rooftop Corvo looks down into the courtyard of the mansion.  It is heavily occupied by several patrolling guards and a watchtower with a large machinegun attached to it.  While a guns-ablazing approach is certainly an option in almost any circumstance the demonstrator instead opts to take a far more stealthy approach.  Using a combination of Blink and double jumps, Corvo crosses the roofs and descends to the street, staying in the shadows.  Moving from wall to wall and being careful to avoid patrolling enemies, Corvo comes across a grate on one wall of the mansion.  It is here were Corvo demonstrates another one of his powers: Possession.  Looking down Corvo spots a rat and activates the magic spell, completely taking over the mind and body of the rat.  Possession isn’t a throwaway tool however as his physical form is tied directly into the body of his target so should the rat die so does he.  Possession isn’t limited to rats though as Smith hints that other animals and even humans are a possibility.

Seeing through the tinted eyes of the rodent, Corvo steers the rat into the grate and through the winding paths of the air duct.  Creeping past a maid and into the shadows Corvo returns to human form and briskly sneaks past the unsuspecting woman.  Climbing a grand staircase the player stops at the top just out of sight of a guard who is admiring a bust of a statue.  The guard has the key we need to access the lawyer’s office so, as he continues to stare at the stone carving, Corvo sneaks up behind and pickpockets it.  The key isn’t necessary to complete the mission though it does make the approach a bit simpler.

Corvo moves on and eventually finds the door leading into the lawyer’s office.  Before unlocking the door though the player peers through the keyhole and listens into the banter of the lawyer and the three guards.  The discussion yields credence to the lawyer’s alleged corruption but without physical evidence the secondary objective cannot be completed.  Ignoring this fact though Corvo bursts into the room where three waiting guards draw their pistols and fire at him.  Corvo reacts quickly and activates another spell which stops time.  Moving quickly, Corvo delivers several fatal blows to each guard before time returns to normal at which they all fall to the ground.  Turning to the lawyer, the player executes the target.

Corvo has successfully killed the lawyer but his mission is only halfway through though: he needs to make it back to the sewer alive.  Walking out onto the balcony, anarchy has taken over the courtyard.  As the watchtower turns in his direction and prepares to send a swath of ammunition in his direction Corvo quickly uses Blink to position himself on the tower’s platform before jumping down to the street.  Near the force field he is accosted by three guards for which Corvo doesn’t have time to fight.  Instead, he activates yet another magic spell that summons a horde of rats.  These rats swarm the guards and quickly eat them alive in a manner that’s not for the faint of heart, stripping the bodies of flesh and muscle.  Corvo continues on, the modified force field preventing his pursuers from following him before exiting through the same gate he entered through.

Back in the previous section of the city Corvo arrives at the harborfront where a final challenge awaits.  As he nears the guard post several citizens run in front of him from right to left, fleeing as they toss Molotov cocktails at an unknown enemy before being gunned down.  Before our eyes come two bipedal walkers called Tall Boys lumber into view, the designs of which harkens Half-Life veterans back to that of the Combine Strider.  The Tall Boys are manned by armored archers armed with explosive arrows, making them a formidable opponent.  As the Tall Boys take note of him and begin their attack Corvo quickly freezes time once again and maneuvers out of their firing line and fires several bolts from his own crossbow.  After several successful hits each go down but without the use of the stop time ability it is clear this is a far more difficult fight.  Moving back down the harbor stairs our player returns to the sewer entrance where the demo ends.

Restoring Honor

Dishonored’s QuakeCon demo and the first opportunity for the press to actually see the game was both a thrilling experience while at the same time a quizzical one.  Many questions are left unrequited and the game’s unique take on a morality system, Chaos, didn’t really leave us with any answers as to the consequences of your action (or inaction).  What I was able to get out of Smith was that the game, at this point, does allow the player to do a pacifistic playthrough meaning that you can go without killing anyone which would certainly be quite the challenge.  I was also told that this game adheres to classic stealth gameplay rules meaning there will be no social stealth aspects of the game ala Assassin’s Creed.

The most saddening fact I can admit to after having seen this very impressive demo is that, until that Friday morning, I had never had Arkane Studios on my radar.  What with the major attention-grabbing developers and publishers out there in the world stealing the spotlight with hails of bullets and magical elves, Arkane simply never piqued my curiosity.  Within the span of a twenty minute demo however I learned many things about Arkane, none the least of which was their clear dedication to making Dishonored well worth your hard-earned cash.  This surprisingly unique title stands on its own and, come next year, may make you change your mind about how a first-person game should be played.  We’ll have to wait and see if the game has the same impact when it releases next year but until then Corvo’s quest for revenge is definitely a title you should keep in mind for 2012.

E3 2011 Preview: Hitman Absolution

At the beginning of the last console generation a newly formed studio named IO Interactive created what would become one of the most interesting takes on the stealth action genre ever created: Hitman.  With just its inaugural outing Hitman introduced us to a far more methodical approach than had ever been attempted in games like Metal Gear Solid or Tenchu before it.  After four successful titles over the course of six years IO decided it was time to try something new and while their follow-up efforts with Kane and Lynch have certainly turned heads once again it hasn’t lived up to the legacy and grace that the adventures of the world’s greatest assassin experienced.

Five years since its last outing, a lot has changed in the industry and the fear that the influence of modern gaming aesthetics might adversely affect the game are well placed.  Judging by the demo I was allowed to see at E3 this year however Hitman Absolution looks to be the comeback tour we’ve been wanting for so long.

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Codename: 47

Agent 47, the darling of the International Contracts Agency, has seen and carried out just about any kind of assassination ever conceived of.  From drug lords to murderers, from pedophiles to mob witnesses, no target is too difficult to get close to so long as the one who calls out the hit has both the cash and the right connections.  47’s lengthy career has had him traveling the globe in search of his next target from Russia to Columbia to even the White House but his riskiest assignment yet takes him to a place whose history for a century has been consumed by crime and corruption: Chicago.

After having taken care of his latest victim, 47 is on the run from the Chicago PD.  Alone, outgunned, and without any of his trademark equipment to aid him in the evasion of his pursuers, 47 crashes through the window of a derelict with dozens of cops hot on his trail.  It is here that our demo begins.

Hidden in the darkness from the men chasing him, the libraries’ rundown environment coupled with the raging storm outside makes for an ideal environment to play a game of cat and mouse.  Huddling behind toppled bookshelves and dust-ridden desks, 47 makes notice of his only viable exit: the large open doors on the other side of the building.  In between him and that exit though are over a dozen police officers whose loudmouth chief insists that they shoot first instead of asking questions.

Hitman Absolution’s gameplay in this particular instance is a dramatic departure from the games we have come to love over the years.  While certain missions will retain the classic Hitman formula of a sandbox environment to explore and plan out your actions with, this occurrence is an example of what gamers can expect to be playing a majority of the time when the game sees its full release.  Similar in approach to recent stealth titles like Splinter Cell Conviction and Batman Arkham Asylum, 47 has to play it cool without the element of social stealth to keep him safe.  Staying out of sight is in his best interest and the darkness of the library is his new companion.

Patrolling guards roam amidst the bookcases, boxes, and desks that litter the area with their weapons drawn and a flashlight flickers in the direction of even the slightest hint of sound or movement.  It is immediately clear that the game’s AI has received a massive overhaul over its previous incarnations, something that was much needed if IO wants to stay competitive in a genre that is slowly becoming increasingly more populated.  The guards are clearly nervous as the lightning flashes and thunder roars through the dead lobby of the library and one wrong move could spell the premature end of 47.

As he wanders past a set of shelves 47 stops dead in his tracks.  A flashlight is pointing towards where 47 was heading and the cone of light is becoming smaller by the second: a guard is approaching on the other side of the bookcase and 47 is sure to be spotted if he stays put.  Backing up a bit, our demonstrator activates a new aspect of 47’s arsenal: Instinct, something that the world’s greatest assassin has honed over years of hunting targets.

Instinct is a game-changing aspect for the Hitman series as it serves as both a visual and audio aid to the player.  Activating Instinct in this particular instance allows 47 to see the patrolling cop through the bookcase as well as a red line on the ground indicating his intended path of movement.  Instinct can also be used to indicate interactive objects in the environment.  It is clear that Instinct is a great tool to the player but the possibility of abuse seems to exist.

As the guard slowly passes by 47 he reaches up and grabs the guard from behind before squeezing the life out of him.  Dropping the lifeless body to the floor, 47 presses on, moving toward the center of the room where a larger concentration of guards can be found.  Hiding behind a desk the player finds a piece of extension cord and has it added to his inventory.  Sneaking up behind another guard 47 quickly chokes the guard using the cord thankfully yielding a quiet death.

The lights in the room suddenly come on.  Much to the insistence of the lieutenant in charge a couple of cops have found the fusebox and have restored power to the room.  The additional lighting will make escape far more difficult so the player moves toward the box, staying in the shadows.  As the two cops go around the corner 47 approaches the fusebox, rigs it, and turns out the lights.  As the lights go out panic sweeps through the already spooked cops and one rushes back to fix it.  When the guard tries to fix the panel it instead electrocutes him, both killing him and ensuring that the lights will not come on again.

Crossing the room, 47 nears another guard.  This one stands next to a portion of the floor that has collapsed.  Taking the opportunity, 47 pushes the guard to his death.  Hearing the noise another guard, this one on the balcony above, comes to investigate.  Moving quickly, 47 grabs the edge of the balcony and, just as the guard arrives, grabs him by the belt and pulls him over the banister causing him to meet the same end as his fallen counterpart.  47 pulls himself up and continues on narrowly avoiding another patrolling guard.

Silent No More

As 47 come around the corner the player takes notice of the exit.  His salvation may be in sight but there’s a problem: a contingent of cops are huddled together near it and there’s no way 47 will be able to sneak past them without a fight.  Grabbing a gun from a slain officer 47 slowly creeps behind an unsuspecting cop and take him hostage.  As all hell breaks loose and the remaining police draw their guns at him our favorite assassin climbs the staircase slowly toward the door.  At its threshold he knocks the hostage out and makes a run for it.

Climbing across several balconies with the heat right on his heels, 47 finds a fire door and breaks through it to the stormy Chicago rooftops.  As he jumps to a nearby building a new obstacle appears: a patrol helicopter equipped with a spotlight and enough firepower to make short work of him.  The player quickly steers further on, dodging the gunfire before making it to a maintenance room on another rooftop.  The helicopter can’t peak in with its spotlight or get a clear shot at 47 so it stays put blocking the connecting rooftop along his escape route.  Temporarily trapped, salvation arrives in the form of a patrol officer ordered over the helicopter’s loudspeaker to investigate the room.  Waiting for the guard to get out of sight, 47 sneaks behind his target and knocks him out.  Taking the opportunity to switch disguises, the player changes out of the familiar black suit and red tie into the cop’s uniform.  Walking outside, the helicopter does nothing to stop him.

Entering the adjacent building 47 finds himself in an apartment filled to the brim with hippies and marijuana plants that looks like a stoner’s quintessential paradise.  As one hippie tries unsuccessfully to flush his green bounty down the toilet others instead continue to do what stoners do best, some barely even acknowledging the in-disguise assassin let alone being able to acknowledge that a powerful storm is raging on outside their windows.  Nearing the entrance to the apartment a patrol officer busts through the door searching for 47.  The player grabs a lamp on a table and introduces it to the officer’s face, knocking him out quite brutally.

Exiting the apartment our demonstrator descents a flight of stairs and arrives in probably the worst place he could find himself in short of a morgue: a lobby filled to the brim with cops.  Slowly walking by the officers, the player activates Instinct once again.  As officers pass by and take notice of him 47 pretends to speak into his radio and pulls his cap down, obscuring his face.  One cop in particular’s thoughts mistake him for another officer but 47 continues on.  Nearing the door, the player has the camera squarely fixated on a cache of assault rifles and it seems like there’s about to be a huge firefight.  As he reaches them though a contingent of SWAT officers rush through the door, startling everyone in attendance.  Thinking quickly the player has 47 stop and instead grab a donut that was right next to the cache.

47 isn’t free just yet.  About to leave as the SWAT team passes by, the cop who mistook him for someone else before calls out to 47, questioning him.  47 plays it cool and answers the man before walking out the door into the rain and a crowded train platform of several hundred pedestrians.  As 47 disappears into the crowd the camera and music rise in an exciting bellow of horn instruments not unlike Inception’s soundtrack, marking the world famous assassin’s successful escape.

Curtain Down

IO Interactive has a lot to live up to with returning to the Hitman franchise after two mediocre games over the past several years but this latest iteration is looking nothing short of fantastic if the E3 demo we saw is any indication.  It seems as if every complaint that has run through the series, from the questionable character animations to the gimpy AI, has been addressed and updated to modern standards.  The gameplay modifications present in this single level may be a departure from the standard Hitman formula but what we get in the end seems to be a far more cinematic presentation that the series has long needed.  If IO can keep this level of quality up then Agent 47’s next tour of duty will certainly be memorable.

E3 2011 Preview: Star Trek

Three years ago rising director J. J. Abrams was approached by Paramount to do what many people had believed impossible: reinvent Star Trek, arguably the most beloved science fiction franchises of all time, and make it relevant to today’s audience.  This task seemed insurmountable for most directors and producers but Abrams, riding strong on his successes on television shows like Lost and Fringe as well as film successes like Mission Impossible 3 and Cloverfield, certainly delivered with one of the most entertaining films of 2009.  Bringing back classic characters while both making it easier to understand for non-fans and not ticking-off Trekkies around the world, Star Trek made the old new again.

While Abrams works on a sequel set to release next year Paramount had their Digital Entertainment team approach Digital Extremes with a task just as monumental: creating a Star Trek game that everyone can get behind.  Creators of Dark Sector and The Darkness II, Digital Extremes has a tough task ahead of them but judging on what I saw while at E3 several weeks back I’m certain they’re the right team for the job.

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Beam Me Up for Adventure

Stepping into Paramount Digital’s small meeting room on Wednesday afternoon I was sat down with a few other writers in front of a television and two members of the development team.  All around me we saw concept art from the game which really seemed to capture the authenticity of the Star Trek universe.  Awe-inspiring vistas and beautiful starscapes gave ideas as to the sense of scale that has always been at the forefront of every Star Trek property and, as the demo began, it was mentioned that the concept art was just a hint of what is to come in the final game.

Most Star Trek titles over the years have been mostly the same, built around the concept of a space-flight simulation with small strategic aspects built in.  This is all well and good as everyone wants to be able to pilot the Enterprise into combat against Klingons, Borg, or what name you but in the end the experience has never been anything more than a decent experience.  Star Trek Online took steps to address this when it was released early last year with gameplay that, ideally, is perfect for the franchise.  However, in the end its gameplay didn’t seem to match up to what people really wanted despite plenty of bells and whistles.  Digital Extremes however it taking an entirely different approach with their title: a cooperative third-person shooter.

Taking place an undisclosed amount of time after the 2009 film, Star Trek, much like many licensed film properties, is set between the previous film and the next one.  Similar to how film tie-in titles like Tron Evolution, Star Trek will be canon to the new vision of the series.  Players take on the roles of the two most famous characters of the franchise: Kirk and Spock, at a point in which their friendship is still growing but still retain differing opinions and styles.

Our demonstration began a good portion into the game’s story.  Returning from an away mission aboard a shuttlecraft, Kirk and Spock find the Enterprise adrift and almost certainly abandoned in the middle of an interstellar minefield.  Certain that the shuttle would not be able to approach the ship without hitting a mine, Kirk and Spock opt for a less conventional approach: launching themselves at the ship while in their spacesuits in hopes of landing at an air lock.   With a swift thrust the duo blast away from their shuttlecraft and begin their speedy approach to the Enterprise in an on-rails tunnel ride like that of modern Sonic the Hedgehog game levels.  As mines fly toward and past them the pair tries desperately to avoid them while at the same time trying to utilize as little maneuvering fuel as possible.

As Kirk and Spock fly through the minefield it begins to become clear that the two are meant in both character and gameplay style to be very different from one another.  In this particular instance it is probably a more believable scenario to say that the two players were trying to reflect upon their characters in the way they play as Kirk’s player has trouble avoiding mines while Spock’s player has little to worry about, making calculating moves past the mines.  This became more pronounced though when, as the sequence comes to an end, Kirk lands in a heap, tumbling across the deck while Spock executes a perfect landing.  After a witty exchange, which clearly shows that the levity present in the 2009 film will be returning, the two proceed into the innards of the gigantic starship.

Darmok and Who at Where?!

As Spock and Kirk enter the ship it is immediately apparent that things are amiss.  The Enterprise is under command lockdown and the crew is nowhere to be found.  Traveling down a decimated corridor the two come across a locked door.  This part introduces us to the game’s utilization of one of the most famous Star Trek devices: the tricorder.  Using their tricorders together, Kirk and Spock are able to bypass the door and continue beyond.  Just a few meters down they come across a dead crewman (wearing a red shirt).  Spock uses his tricorder and scans the body, learning that the man did not die of battle wounds or environmental damage but instead of a parasitic organism he somehow was infected with.  The ability to scan the environment and bodies with the tricorder gives players more information about what’s going on in the world as well as the possibility of actually affecting gameplay later on.

As they continue on a transmission from a crewmember is received by Kirk: she’s trapped in the shuttle bay and is requesting assistance.  Riding a turbolift, Kirk and Spock arrive at the bay only to find it empty save for displaced cargo and docked shuttles gathering dust.  It is clear that whatever happened to put the Enterprise in its current emergency state didn’t allow the crew time to evacuate.  Venturing further into the room, Kirk and Spock find the source of the transmission but no sign of the person who made it.  Suddenly a group of aliens unlike any seen in the entirety of the Star Trek franchise ambushes them, surrounding them on all sides.  Kirk and Spock run for cover in a completely interactive sequence, allowing the player to get a few early shots in as their characters dive behind some cargo before the firefight begins.

The dynamitic difference between the two characters is again demonstrated during the combat sequence.  Kirk, being the ambitious, nigh-reckless character that he is, is very offensive in his gameplay so therefore his phaser can be ungraded over time to include a vaporization mode in addition to the standard kill and stun modes.  Spock on the other hand is more defensive in nature and also has abilities and upgrades unique to his character such as the ability to utilize a particle cannon that can knock out enemy shields or the ability to mind meld with the enemy, confusing them into attacking his own teammates.

The firefight lasts for several moments, Kirk blasting away from cover and vaporizing a few aliens while Spock is able to sneak behind one and performs a mind meld.  Suddenly attacked from the rear, Kirk is knocked down after falling into a rising yellow cloud.  Kirk calls for Spock’s help as he has become infected by the same parasite that killed the red shirt crewmember they found earlier.  Taking Kirk over his shoulder, the two travel to the medical bay, Spock’s player walking them toward their destination while Kirk fires away at approaching enemies, his vision slowly turning yellow and blurring as time passes by.

Arriving at medical, Spock places Kirk on a surgical gurney and begins scanning him.  A monitor displays several parasites that have invaded Kirk’s body and Spock is forced to do a small interactive sequence in which he uses a surgical laser to rid him of the infecting agents.  Taking into consideration how many dead bodies were scanned with a tricorder prior to the firefight in the shuttle bay the sequence can be easier.  As enemies burst into the room Kirk provides covering fire as Spock attempts to kill the parasites.  With the removal of each parasite Kirk’s vision steadies, allowing him to aim better and see more of the environment.  Finishing up the task, Spock joins Kirk in fending off the invading aliens.

Stepping off the gurney, Kirk picks up a Federation phaser rifle.  More powerful than his captain-issue phaser, the rifle’s helps even the odds.  After another wave of enemies pins them down, Kirk uses the rifle’s secondary fire option, a portable shield, and takes cover behind it.  Kirk orders Spock to shoot his shield which succeeds in giving it more strength.  As the combat continues Kirk uses his tricorder to explode a panel next to an enemy, killing him.  Just when the two think that they’ve exhausted the enemy’s reinforcements a more powerful one teleports into the room.  After a short firefight Kirk is knocked unconscious.

Set Phasers to Fun

The next adventure of the USS Enterprise and her crew is still a year away from us and many questions are left unanswered: who attacked the Enterprise?  Where is the crew?  How does this tie into the two movies?  My brief time with Star Trek was a wonderfully sweet tease and, as the son of a Trekkie, I get the feeling that the dedication Digital Extremes is putting into the game will be well worth it to both old fans and newcomers alike.  At this point in development there’s a lot of potential for upping the ante for fans such as utilizing the voice talents of Zachery Quinto and Chris Pine but at this point they weren’t ready to confirm such a possibility.

I’ve always likened Star Trek games to Superman ones: no one has ever really gotten it or its characters right.  If Digital Extremes can deliver on the promise of what I saw that Wednesday afternoon I can’t help but think that finally, for the first time in a very long time, the series might finally get a game that’s worthy of the long running series’ universe, characters, and fan appreciation.