Supernatural thriller Dishonored 2 hits PS4, Xbox One, PC in November

By Danny Cowan Published May 3, 2016

Publisher Bethesda revealed that Arkane Studios’ first-person, stealth-action game Dishonored 2 will hit the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC platforms on November 11.

A direct follow-up to 2012’s Dishonored, Dishonored 2 continues the story of supernatural assassin Corvo Attano, and introduces an array of upgradable weapons and abilities for players to master. Dishonored 2 also introduces a new playable character, allowing players to experience the game’s story from the perspective of former Empress Emily Kaldwin.

Recommended Videos

According to Bethesda, Dishonored 2‘s narrative is defined by player choice, and in-game events can have multiple outcomes depending on how players approach the challenges they’ll face throughout.

“Will you make your way through the game unseen, make full use of its brutal combat system or use a blend of both?” Bethesda asks. “How will you combine your character’s unique set of powers, weapons and gadgets to eliminate your enemies? The story responds to your choices, leading to intriguing outcomes as you play through each of the game’s hand-crafted missions.”

In addition to offering an alternate perspective on the game’s storyline, new playable character Emily Kaldwin brings an arsenal of unique abilities into battle, including a “Shadow Walk” skill that allows her to transform into a cloud of fog. Returning protagonist Corvo will also earn new stealth-oriented powers throughout the quest.

Bethesda previously hinted that players can expect to see a third path through the game’s storyline, but did not divulge further information regarding additional playable characters. Thus far, Bethesda has revealed few details regarding Dishonored 2‘s cast of characters, though its story is known to take place 15 years after the events of the original Dishonored.

Dishonored 2‘s first-ever gameplay footage will premiere during Bethesda’s 2016 E3 Showcase, to be held on June 12th in Los Angeles California. The event will be streamed live via Twitch and YouTube starting at 7 p.m. PT.

Former Contributor

Danny’s passion for video games was ignited upon his first encounter with Nintendo’s Duck Hunt, and years later, he still…

Topics

Gaming

Soul Hackers 2 splits the difference between Persona 5 and Shin Megami Tensei V

Ringo, Arrow, and other party members stare at something in the distance in Soul Hackers 2.

Atlus has perfected the JRPG and is now reveling in it. Persona 5 is one of the best games of the 2010s, thanks to its endearing cast of characters and impeccably stylish presentation. Meanwhile, Shin Megami Tensei V was no slouch in 2021 as it provided a dark and hardcore demon-driven RPG experience. After demoing the game at Summer Game Fest Play Days, t’s clear that Atlus has found a clear sci-fi middle ground with Soul Hackers 2.
Souls Hackers 2 is a tried-and-true Atlus JRPG with dungeon crawling, casual friend hangouts and conversations, and polished weakness-driven JRPG combat. It hits many of the same notes as Persona 5 and Shin Megami Tensei V, so it won’t change what you think about the genre. Still, if Persona 5 or Shin Megami Tensei V had won you over to this new era of Atlus JRPGs, then Souls Hackers 2 will give you dozens of more hours of JRPG enjoyment.

What’s here for Persona fans?
My demo of Soul Hackers 2 began in the Hangout, where protagonist Ringo and her party can hang out and heal between dungeon-crawling escapades. Then, I proceeded to go into the futuristic sci-fi city, buy some weapons, gear, and healing items from eccentric shopkeepers, and get a drink with my party members named Arrow.
After Ringo and Arrow got to know each other better by discussing what they liked to drink, they gained Soul Levels to make them stronger. Right off the bat, this was all very reminiscent of Persona with the expectation of the futuristic sci-fi setting. The UI in and out of battles takes a cue from Persona 5 by trying to look very stylish, though Soul Hackers 2 leans more into a digitized style than Persona 5’s luscious anime-style menus.
I didn’t spend enough time with this part of the game or the small character moments within it to get a feeling of whether or not its narrative will come together as well as Persona 5. Still, that game got me to fall in love with an eccentric cast of high-school cliche characters, so Soul Hackers 2 has the potential to do the same with a cast that leans into sci-fi stereotypes.

Gaming

One Piece Odyssey is a new JRPG based on the popular anime

Luffy and the Straw Hat pirates walk through a forest in One Piece Odyssey.

During a special One Piece livestream, Bandai Namco Entertainment announced One Piece Odyssey, an expansive JRPG based on the long-running anime that will launch later this year.
The announcement trailer focuses on highlighting the game's world and putting a spotlight on many of the popular One Piece characters that the game will feature. "A storm, a shipwreck, a mysterious island," the trailer's description teases. "Expect the unexpected on your next adventure with the Straw Hats!"
One Piece Odyssey - Announcement Trailer
While we know that One Piece Odyssey will be a JRPG with quests, dungeons, and turn-based combat. A developer interview video shows some footage of Luffy exploring One Piece Odyssey's world and solving an environmental puzzle in a dungeon.
The announcement also confirms that ILCA, the developer of Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, is the primary developer of this game. In the aforementioned interview video, producer Katsuaki Tsuzuki also confirmed that One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda advised the development team on the project and even provided art for the characters and enemies.
A message from Oda also appears at the start of the announcement trailer, and he certainly seems quite excited about the project. "I thought to myself, wasn't it like three years ago when I designed the characters?!" he said, revealing how long One Piece Odyssey has been in development. "But when I actually saw the game ... wow! It felt like I was watching a movie! What incredible immersion."
One Piece Odyssey will be released for PC, PS4, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S later in 2022.

Gaming

Inside the unlikely Final Fantasy spinoff that time forgot

King Regis runs through Insomnia in A King's Tale: Final Fantasy XV.

Did you know that Square Enix released a retro-inspired beat ’em up based on Final Fantasy XV in 2016?
Even hardcore Final Fantasy fans might not remember the forgotten game well nowadays, but it’s quite the hidden gem. Titled A King’s Tale: Final Fantasy XV, the unlikely spinoff game was released as a pre-order bonus with Final Fantasy XV. It follows King Regis as he tells Noctis a bedtime story about defeating Ultros, a monstrous crystal thief causing daemons to spawn all over Insomnia and Duscae. In practice, it's a side-scrolling beat ’em up that pays homage to the classic brawlers while implementing Final Fantasy magic, enemies, and more.
A King's Tale: Final Fantasy XV Is Available Now For Free!
Though A King’s Tale only lasts an hour and doesn’t have co-op, it’s a polished and exhilarating experience that Final Fantasy fans shouldn’t forget. It was a pleasant surprise to find this deep within my backlog ahead of the fifth anniversary of its stand-alone release, but its existence also raised many questions.
How did this project come to be? Why is it so polished? And why aren't more short but sweet games like this used to excite fans for notable game releases? I spoke to Cord Smith, executive producer and creative director on the project, to learn its history and how this forgotten Final Fantasy spinoff connects with everything from Dead Island to Masters of the Universe to Stranger Things.
At its heart, this is a story about an ambitious marketing agency that created a new kind of game through a multi-studio effort on a tight budget. And it all starts with Dead Island 2.
Retro Revenge
In the mid-2010s, Smith worked at a creative agency called Platform. This agency would often produce screenshots and trailers used in the marketing of video games. Around the time Dead Island 2 was in development and set to release, Smith and other people involved with channel marketing at the company pondered whether it could make a retro game that marketing could use to sell a notable game.
Smith asserted that it was possible, but thought it had to be done the right way to avoid producing a bad game. He found game development and animation partners to craft a small but satisfying retro game that could tie into the then soon-to-be-released Dead Island 2.
While his pitch had a high budget, Dead Island 2 developer Deep Silver and Platform accepted it. Smith and his partners now had to build something that wasn’t done much before and hasn’t been done much since. “Sure, it was a promotional game, but we were putting it on console, and we were treating it like a real game project,” Smith tells Digital Trends.

When designing it, Smith and his development partners didn’t have a playable build of Dead Island 2. They got a chapter-by-chapter breakdown of what that game was supposed to be and additional information to draw from. The result of this effort was Dead Island: Retro Revenge, an on-rails beat ’em up set within the Dead Island universe.
“I love taking someone else’s IP and doing something that respects it and honors what they’re doing. but surprises them by where we can take it in spite of our limitations,” Smith explains. Ultimately, Deep Silver and Smith were thrilled with how Retro Revenge turned out. But there was a problem: Dead Island 2 was never released.
“Dead Island 2 did not make it to release, but Dead Island: Retro Revenge did, so they put it in a collection,” he explains. “That was a shame as we didn’t get to see it reach what we built it for. It never got to be the pre-order promotional thing that we wanted.”
"Sure, it was a promotional game, but we were putting it on console, and we were treating it like a real game project."