Austin Grossman, writer of fantastic new stealthy assassin game Dishonored, has performed a brutal hit all of his own on beloved 1998 FPS classic Half Life and Gordon Freeman, the mute scientist turned action hero protagonist of Valve's seminal game.
"I find it incredibly awkward and really creepy," Grossman told Kotaku, pulling no punches. "I find Gordon Freeman creepy as hell. It's people talking at him, about him and sometimes even for him. He just happens to be in the middle of this whole thing."
Needless to say, Grossman believes that although Corvo, the anti-hero of Dishonored, is equally silent throughout his adventure, the story is more closely tied to him and therefore more successful. "The difference between Dishonored and how it works in Half-Life 2 is that it's a lot more personal," he explains. "I think you get that involvement because the character has personal relationships with people from the beginning... I'm biased, of course, but I think Dishonored grips you much more viscerally, more emotionally."
Dishonored, out this week for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC, is set in a gloomy steampunk city, stricken with plague and infestations of rats. You play as the bodyguard to the Empress, framed for her murder and on a mission of revenge to bring the conspirators to justice. It's quite brilliant. But is it better than the mighty Half Life?