A good game, but falls slightly short of all the hype.
There's plenty of exploring to be done, and the player always has the option to play through levels again to fully explore. All areas have more than a single route to take, but this can occasionally lead to confusion too.
Battle mechanics and over-all controls can be a bit tricky at times, such as when opening the weapon / ability select wheel. On numerous occasions I've tried selecting a weapon and came up with an ability useless in the middle of battle instead. Sneaking doesn't quite feel like sneaking a lot of the time either. Partially because you can't crawl, stand a little too high while crouching, and have to rely on switching abilities / weapons too often.
The A.I. is a little on the dumb sides sometimes, and overly sensitive to sightings at times when I shouldn't have been spotted lurking in a corner. NPC's also tend to just stand around doing nothing after initial interactions. They'll just stand staring at each other silently sometimes.
Levels are replayed, with different areas accessible and various side missions to undertake. City streets are lined with buildings and various set pieces to jump around to. The maze-like effect here can get confusing and irritating at times, as you try to form a strategy. Too often my strategy comes down to neutralizing hostiles, looting, and moving on in a too formulaic fashion.
I've spent a decent enough time with the game to get a feel for it, though I haven't beaten it yet. I've actually lost a lot of my initial excitement with Dishonored, so I can't sit playing it for hours on end liked I'd hoped.
So, here's the breakdown:
Visuals: 9.5
Sound: 8.5
Story: 9
Controls: 8
Originality: 7
Ability To Keep Things Fresh: 7
Replay Value: 7.5rn