Arkane Studios, makers of the Dishonored series, have lovingly created a world that gives players the freedom to tackle obstacles how they wish. But the narrative payoff just isn't as great as in the games it's trying to emulate, and portions of the gameplay feel unpolished.
While it's fun to walk through the publisher's version of Gotham City, the story and gameplay do little that hasn't been done before, and in many cases much better, by other titles.
Budbo, a play on the magical guide owl Bubo from the "Clash of the Titans" films, is a new smartphone application that uses familiar mechanics to show you where to buy a certain strain of marijuana.
Since the dawn of video games, conflict has been used as a motivation for the player. 1977's Combat, from Atari, offered unbridled conflict for home console owners.