Dishonored May Be A Glimpse Of The Industry's Future

Dishonored

After viewing the debut trailer for the latest from Bethesda and Arkane Studios, I started to wonder: Is this an intriguing example of the future direction for video games?

"Genre-bending" will likely be part of that future; evidence of games utilizing elements and mechanics from multiple genres can be found everywhere this generation. And really, that's just the beginning. As designers explore new ways of gameplay implementation and storytelling, we're bound to see a further blurring of the lines, which should eventually result in more cohesive experiences that aren't limited to one particular style, setting, or control system.

In examining what we know of Dishonored, perhaps it's fair to say that the game will combine elements of the role-playing, stealth, action, adventure, and even platforming categories. We still have to find out exactly how the game will play - for instance, for the platforming aspect, we would have to have mechanics similar to what we see in Assassin's Creed - but the blending and mixing seems obvious. Both general freedom and freedom of choice should come into play as well, which only proves that the traditionally inherent limitations of games will begin to fade.

I'm not saying Dishonored will be an example of next-gen software, but I am saying the direction it takes and the ambition it embraces may be a great example of the industry's new direction. By the way, I have similar feelings concerning Naughty Dog's The Last Of Us, although it may not have the RPG-like depth of Dishonored. All of this is theoretical, of course, but that's always part of the fun.

Related Game(s): Dishonored

Tags: dishonored, dishonored trailer, bethesda, arkane studios, gaming industry

4/17/2012 9:27:05 PM Ben Dutka

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