Honorable Mention: Pre-Order Bonuses with Dishonored

As much as I was looking forward the latest first person stealth magic slaughterfest from Arkane Studios and Bethesda Softworks, the pre-order bonuses for Dishonored were too nifty to ignore. Check out the best in whale oil-punk reproduction goods money can buy.

Knowing full-well I would never actually use this contraption, I still couldn't resist reserving Dishonored at Best Buy to get my hands on a USB whale oil lamp. The faux weathered bronze lightweight plastic body as some trouble staying upright if the cord sits at the wrong angle. The cord is conveniently long enough to adjust as necessary.

 

I honestly cannot imagine an appropriate situation in which I am near a USB outlet but lacking in sufficient light. It's not exactly soothing ambient light by which one could thumb through an engaging novel either.

Just like a real whale oil lamp!

Gamestop offered up a nice combo pack of a tarot style set of cards and a deck of more traditional playing cards. The tarot set showcases the unique character artwork from Dishonored.

Why is his crossbow in the wrong hand? (Play the game)

The cards are filled with excellent details beyond the basic design. Rats, daggers, and other assassin-y items replace the suits in the playing card deck. Additional character artwork continues on the face cards as well.

After admiring these goodies I had time to crack through a large chunk of Dishonored. Ignoring the whale oil-punk timeline and design the game reminds me of bits and pieces of Thief, Bioshock, and Deus Ex smooshed together. The only real difference is the pace: Corvo is fast. Like, ridiculously fast. I have had moments after chaining stealth kills, possessions, and blinks when I needed to stop and evaluate what had happened. Powers and weapons mapped to the d-pad switch with enough speed that you'll react faster than you expect. It's a very creative system that allows for interesting flexibility in your actions, lethal or otherwise.