A few days ago, a slide from a presentation mysteriously appeared on the internet, and it looked remarkably like a potential Dishonored II logo. Now we have this: an apparent ‘E3 2014 Fact Sheet’ that was leaked to numerous sites via email and lists key points about Dishonored II and what fans can expect from it.
We know, we know; this is all highly suspicious, right? For instance, why would Bethesda even bother to include details of what you get with a pre-ordered copy at this stage? But let’s assume for a moment that this isn’t entirely inaccurate information and don our contemplation hats for a bit of analysis – at least with some of the more interesting bits of this fact sheet. With the help of Alex’s patented Faecal Sniffer Plausibility Gauge, we attempt to separate possible fact from outright nonsense.
[promo title=”The Release Date and the Game Engine”][/promo]
Plausibility Rating: “Fragrant”
In 2016 it will have been four years since Corvo Attano opened his first carotid artery in Dishonored. Four years is a long time for a development cycle, but we’re inclined to believe this might very well be accurate. Here’s why:
Arkane Studios wasn’t really on the mainstream map as a developer until Dishonored made its grand entrance, and once it did so there were criticisms that the game didn’t look as good as some of its contemporaries. Eidos Montreal’s THIEF reboot, though critically underwhelming, ran circles around Dishonored in terms of visual quality – even throughout the course of its development.
Four years is a good amount of time to really up the ante, bring in some more help and really push the sequel to 2012’s Game of the Year to be all that it can be. This is where that cheeky suggestion that Dishonored II will be using the ID Tech 5 Engine leaps to mind. However it presents its gameplay (we hope it will be as adaptable as it was in the first game) Dishonored II needs to look as beautiful as it plays. Two brand new consoles are on the shelves now and PC users will also be expecting a higher quality set of visuals – and rightly so. A release in 2016 gives Arkane Studios a decent amount of time to make Dishonored II a great sequel, so we hope that this is true. It certainly sounds plausible…