“It’s a big, shiny example of so much we keep asking for in games, but rarely get. Luckily, the best way to vindicate it is to buy and then play an amazing game.” – PC Gamer (92/100)

That’s one of many highlights from all the reviews pouring in for Dishonored. With under 24 hours until the game launches in North America, there’s plenty of reviews to read up on.

Polygon (9/10) – “With everything against it, Arkane has created a game with a unifying vision and design that stands apart from its contemporaries as something different. But more importantly, Dishonored succeeds as an ambitious game not content to take one thing and do it well.”

Gamespot (9/10) – “It’s a rare game that feels so compulsively replayable, but Dishonored is such a game.”

EDGE (9/10) – “It’s a rare delight to play a game with such consistency of vision, its art design, level architecture, rulesets, storylines and writing all working in lockstep.”

Revision3 (video review above) – “It’s detailed and engaging and unique. It’s one of the best game of the year.”

Official PlayStation Magazine(9/10) - It succeeds because it gives you the freedom to mastermind incredible set-pieces for yourself, rather than showing you a scripted sequence. It’s as good as first-person gaming gets, and it’s set in one of the most original gameworlds in years, calling to mind Half-Life 2’s oppression-ravaged streets, and an intricate level design style reminiscent of Deus Ex, System Shock and Thief games from the old days, necromancing gaming maxims that seem to have all but died in recent times.”

The Escapist (5/5) – “Grab it so you’ll know what everyone is talking about when the Game of the Year conversations start happening.”

GameSpy(4.5.5) – “A supernatural work of videogame art.”

CVG (9.5/10) – “One of the greatest game of this generation.”

Kotaku – “It’s a bizarre, eclectic blend, the type of combination that might seem too ambitious to work. But the resulting game is nothing short of a masterpiece.”

Rock, Paper, Shotgun - “Dishonored is a work of rare imagination and skill, the sort of thing that can’t simply be copied and repeated.”

Destructoid (9/10) – “Dishonored is that game of 2012. It’s the big intellectual property that comes to retail and shows up the competition by being bold, original, and — more importantly — brilliant. Easily deserving of its place among the BioShocks and the Borderlandses, Arkane’s aggressive, non-aggressive, unsubtle, sneaky, thoroughly versatile tale of intrigue makes for the kind of game that reminds us this generation isn’t all straightforward shooters and “me too” trend-seekers.”

GameArena (10/10) – “Dishonored, like Thief, or Deus Ex, is one of those timeless games you’ll play a dozen times.”

IGN (9.2/10) – “Players who really take the time to enjoy the experience are rewarded too. The more runes, bone charms and money you find, the more you can augment and upgrade your character, and the more bad-ass you’ll become.”

OXM (9/10) – “ Arkane Studios has crafted what’s likely the year’s best new IP, and by tapping into elements of so many of this generation’s greatest games, this adventure sneaks up, grabs you, and won’t let go.”

Joystiq (4.5.5) – “Dishonored is remarkably polished, bending stealth action in new directions and offering plenty of freedom.”

GamesRadar (4.5/5) – “Dishonored is a game that you won’t want to miss.”

Giant Bomb (4/5) – “Dishonored is an excellent game, and one worthy of your attention.”

Game Informer (8.75/10) – “The team at Arkane Studios has injected an array of cool possibilities into the simulated city of Dunwall, and discovering them all is a blast.”

Phew! That’s a lot of late night reading. We’ll be sharing plenty more throughout Dishonored’s launch week.