Bio
★☆☆☆☆ - Bad
★★☆☆☆ - Meh/It's Complicated
★★★☆☆ - Good
★★★★☆ - Great
★★★★★ - Amazing

I almost never do half stars because I'm not a coward & I think very broad categories are more useful and less prone to sorting by mere 'vibes'. I almost always only review games I have rolled credits on.
Personal Ratings
1★
5★

Badges


GOTY '23

Participated in the 2023 Game of the Year Event

Loved

Gained 100+ total review likes

GOTY '22

Participated in the 2022 Game of the Year Event

2 Years of Service

Being part of the Backloggd community for 2 years

Noticed

Gained 3+ followers

Liked

Gained 10+ total review likes

N00b

Played 100+ games

Favorite Games

Persona 4 Golden
Persona 4 Golden
Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn
Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn
Mass Effect Legendary Edition
Mass Effect Legendary Edition
Bloodborne
Bloodborne
Planescape: Torment - Enhanced Edition
Planescape: Torment - Enhanced Edition

167

Total Games Played

001

Played in 2024

036

Games Backloggd


Recently Played See More

Dishonored
Dishonored

Jan 12

Slay the Princess
Slay the Princess

Dec 18

The Case of the Golden Idol
The Case of the Golden Idol

Dec 10

Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun
Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun

Dec 07

I Live Under Your House.
I Live Under Your House.

Dec 04

Recently Reviewed See More

Dishonored is a fantastic stealth-action game from 2012, a tale of revenge set in one of the most well realized cities and fictional settings in its generation if not all of gaming. While I've completed the game a couple times before this is my first replay in over a decade and frankly I'm torn - do I review the game for what it is now or by how it stands up today?

The Good:
-Art direction for the city/characters is fantastic. Steampunk in theme but very much with its own gritty twist. The city is crumbling and every person and object you come across (even the very nice places..) is showing this decay has spread
-Level design for each area you head to is distinct and good looking from a distance..
-The overarching story is quite good albeit simple and there are some twists that come from a mile away but it is made in such a competent way you won't really mind
-Worldbuilding in general is off the charts good - the City of Dunwall and its world are fascinating places and the many hints of how this world is NOT our world (the whales and magic esp) are as intriguing as they are unsettling
-Following off a previous point from "bad" about High/Low chaos, I do actually LIKE the two different endings and feel like they make sense. High chaos actually makes MORE sense really, as the one issue with Low is the Certain Twist Betrayal later makes a lot more sense with a bloodthirsty maniac Corvo vs. a Peace&Love Corvo in a Low Chaos ending.

Bad
-Lots of people cry about the "bad ending" being too punishing for people who want to use the powers and I think they're little babies who can't handle consequences for their actions BUT.. I think the straight dichotomy of High/Low and it just being based off of how many people you kill is definitely undercooked. More based on story, more based on civilians vs. guards, more based on what you talk with Emily etc
-This one is a bit mean but the fine details of each area is pretty barren. Desks and beds are empty cookie cutter models, houses are all pretty much the same minus a few exceptions. This is 100% due to the limitations of the 360/PS3 hardware and in Dishonored 2 the leap in this is enormous.

Meh
-The melee combat leaves quite a bit to be desired, but for a primarily stealth game I can see why they didn't put too much into it. It's pretty much just attack or block. Good and brutal animations though
-Powers are pretty imbalanced with focus on lethality vs. utility. There are some neat ones like possession and time stop can be used in fun ways but for a game that chastises wanton violence they sure love handing you the tools for it.
-Undercooked sidequests. There are a few of them but they're pretty limited w one exception (Granny!)

Hmm
-There are quite a few points in the game where the bad guys realllllly should've just shot Corvo in the head, cmon

Typically I never give out half stars in my reviews - they are for gutless cowards who can't make decisions and 5 Point scales are objectively the review system (5/5 Stars for 5 point scales I say) but a game of this age and style just honestly has two real reviews. For its time, it was an amazing move foward for the stealth genre with added layers of action and powers to create excellent immersive sim situations along with a beautifully portrayed decomposing Empire. Today, the details lack the honed edge it once held over a decade ago on release: the combat is a bit simple, the environments are underdeveloped and the special powers strongly promote a playstyle that only suits one half of the game's narrative and leaves the other out to dry. Now, there is still oodles of fun to be had even leaning into the leaner parts of this game but it does feel like a bit of that black magic has lessened.

Final Grade: A-



A beautiful tale about slaying a princess and the many different expressions of love. I will update this with a full review shortly.

Final Grade: A+

I wish I was good enough at puzzle games to properly appreciate how great this game is

Final Grade: A