Combine this emergent excellence with some of the most intricate, memorable missions you've ever seen, and Dishonored 2 is a strong contender for game of the year.

Inconsistent performance aside, Dishonored 2 is a marvel. It’s a magnet for positive adjectives, setting a new and extremely lofty bar for future stealth games.

An excellent sequel, whose mistakes are forgiven thanks to the fantastic level design and pure enjoyment of playing. A masterpiece? Not quite. But it is not too far from it. [Issue #269]

There's so much to explore, to experience, that I think it's essential playing — despite the slightly disappointing stealth.

Though I would have liked a little bit more originality in its central story, which again revolves around a usurper to the throne, it’s the stories that I’ve created on my own using its many creativity-enabling powers that I’ll remember, every graceful, fumbling, and hilarious one of them. I’m compelled to create many more in the months to come.

It's easily as good as its predecessor, and frequently better. As much as I've delved into the specifics of each individual system, what makes Dishonored 2 so exceptional is how it's all connected. The writing sheds light on the world, which sheds light on the systems, which sheds light on the environments and characters. For everything that works in isolation, the real trick is that Dishonored 2 feels unified—a powerful piece of world building where everything happens for a reason.

Whether you prefer sticking to the shadows or gutting every co-conspirator in the land, the game offers a rewarding experience with attractive upgrade paths. The narrative can’t match the high bar of the gameplay and world building, but Arkane Studios nonetheless delivers a must-play revenge tale among the best in its class.

Despite having lost the surprise factor of the first game, its astounding level design and almost infinite possibilities make Dishonored 2 one of the best games of the year by its own merits.

Dishonored 2 is a masterpiece in level design, marred by some glaring technical flaws on PC. Smooth-as-silk stealth and cool superpowers make this one a must-buy for any gamer – provided your PC can run it. If in doubt, wait for the first couple of patches.

It’s interesting to see how your playstyle affects personality of your character. Low-chaos Emily remains optimistic and somewhat naive; so an alchemical laboratory makes her remember her childhood and lessons she received. The same laboratory, however, would stir some very different feelings in high-chaos Emily – namely, she’ll start musing about pouring acid down Delilah’s throat. [Issue#214, p.40]

Dishonored 2 is the best stealth action/adventure game on the market. It's filled with memorable characters and locations, not to mention empowered by superb art style and gameplay. No gamer should miss it, though if you intend to play on PC you might do well to wait for the update that's scheduled to bring a slew of performance improvements.

Dishonored 2 will successfully function for both fans of the series and those who pick it up for the first time. With a robust side-quest system, you'll find the game has much to discover. That, and the ability to play the game how you want and rewarding you for taking a more challenging course, make Dishonored 2 a rousing success. This game isn't hard to pick up and play, but it will be almost impossible to put down.

Dishonored 2 is every bit as good as its acclaimed predecessor and a landmark game of our generation. A true diamond in the rough, tarnished by its lack of optimization.

Those minor issues with the game aside, Dishonored 2 proves to be a return to a classic formula that worked so well in the orginal. Strong level design, open world exploration and the ability to play your own way with powers that can be adapted or modified how you want makes the game one of the top titles of the year.

Just like its predecessor, Dishonored 2 is another masterpiece. It has a great atmosphere, hundreds of different gameplay mechanics, a gorgeous presentation and therefore a flawless mainline.

Dishonored 2 is a fabulously immersive role-playing game that rewards exploration, experimentation and repeat playthroughs. It’s a shade less well written than its forebear, but it’s far better designed. The Clockwork Mansion will likely go down as one of the all-time best missions in gaming, and Dishonored 2 may well be the game of 2016.

Weak story notwithstanding, Arkane Studios has again delivered a truly excellent stealth action game. [Issue#258, p.53]

Dishonored 2’s beautifully bleak world, incredibly level design, and top notch AI make for an altogether grand experience that will have fans of the classic Thief series truly enthralled.

Standing ovations! New episode touches perfection in some moments, but elsewhere – especially in the narration – is running out of steam. Nevertheless, you will return to the game over and over without any hesitation.

It delivers tonnes of fun, a brilliant environment with many hours of gamepla, multiple run throughs due to the two different characters choices. If the story delivered the same impact as the rest of the game then this title would no doubt become a timeless classic.

Dishonored 2 improves on everything the first game did and makes it better. I promise that you won't be disappointed in what Arkane Studios has created here.

More Dunwall. More Corvo. More The Outsider. Some of the best stealth action you can get.

Better than the first game in every way, Dishonored 2 is a creative stealth/action adventure packed with replay value.

Dishonored 2 is bigger and better than its forbearer, with greater variety of level design and even more flexible gameplay. It is a shame the central narrative isn’t more engaging and that the sequel is haunted by technical deficiencies.

Dishonored 2 is the perfect example of the “more of the same” concept. It has the same exact good features as the first chapter but the same problems as well. Other than this, it's probably one of the best stealth title on the market right now.

Dishonored 2 was a pain in the ass to get running initially, but once I did, I was able to settle in for a really fun and rewarding adventure. It's a fantastic sequel that does a great job of building on the strengths of the first game and providing a few new wrinkles that make the game feel as fresh as the first one did a few years ago.

It may feel like just more Dishonored, but Arkane have improved everything they could’ve and made a truly satisfying sequel. We just hope it’s not the last.

Dishonored 2 is a big "more of the same". A gorgeous level design and an inspired art direction are the two main PROs; on the other side, the story is not as good as the previous one and the PC version really needs a patch quickly to fix a myriad of performance issues.

Dishonored 2 may not rank as one of my personal favorites of the year, but it does build greatly upon everything the original put in place. Characters, lore, gameplay, settings... literally everything has been improved upon. The replayability is once again very high, but alas it still suffers from being on the short side if you're not one to plan the perfect approach. Dishonored 2 may not be the best adventure title ever, but it certainly is one of the most interesting.

Due to the fantastic level design Dishonored 2 is one of the best stealth games of the last 15 years. But the story has been neglected.

I have noticed considerable framerate inconsistencies when trying to get around a level quickly or when using the spyglass to zoom. I feel as though I should mention these issues, but they didn’t detract from my experience of the game. I’m still in love with the level design and I still think the ability system favors the use of one or two abilities.

Anyone who played and enjoyed Dishonored will recognize that its sequel meets or exceeds what players enjoyed about the first game. Excellent level design and a convincing world are coupled with a rich suite of weapons and abilities, guaranteeing that every enemy encounter is an opportunity for creative mayhem (or cleverly avoiding it). An underwhelming story, rote voice acting, and aging graphics aren't enough to do more than tarnish what is at core a fantastic and fun experience.

Dishonored 2 exists to make you feel good. It gives you a lot of freedom in accomplishing your goals and keeps your adrenaline level constantly elevated. It’s a shame that it failed to shake off the original game’s drawbacks and is not as stylish. [01/2017, p.38]

Dishonored 2 doesn’t live up to the original, but it still provides great gameplay mechanics and a sense of freedom you can’t find anywhere else.

Arkane made a very polished stealth/action hybrid, but those expecting an emotionally charged story filled with dramatic twists, like in the first game, will come away disappointed.

Dishonored 2 is a substantial improvement over its predecessor and is an expertly crafted continuation from the first. With a plethora of choices and wonderful architectural puzzle design, Dishonored 2 is truly an immersive experience. It's just a shame it's held back by terrible and unfortunate PC performance.

An amazing sequel to a great game, Dishonored 2 would be absolutely phenomenal if it weren't for its plethora of terrible technical problems. Framerate drops, freezes and such are marring this brilliant game so much, the overall experience is hurt.

Having played through Dishonored I found little about its sequel to get excited about. The second game sticks too closely to the template established by the first for my taste.

Dishonored 2 is a fantastic game. It may, in fact, be the best game you really shouldn’t risk buying right now, because right now it’s a technical mess. Yes, I hope a patch comes out soon which fixes a lot of these issues – but yes, I’m also worried that a lot of this is baked into the new Void Engine, and if that’s the case… well, this might be something to look into in a year or two. I’ll keep you updated, but for now, a definite “buyer beware” on an otherwise phenomenal game.

Dishonored 2 understands level design. That’s the takeaway here. Not much has been changed, especially if you’re playing Corvo. It’s just a bigger, bolder version of Dishonored, one mastercrafted stealth gauntlet after another paired with some excellent gimmicks. Oh, or it’s a shooter, if you want. But yeah, it’s mostly a fantastic stealth game that deserves better than its generic plot and terrible voice work...It’s a shame the game runs so poorly for so many people, as I just cannot justify giving the game an excellent score when seemingly half the audience (or more) is having issues.