After chatting about Kirin Jindosh's formidable Clockwork Mansion in the PC Gamer office this morning, I've got an urge to revisit Dishonored 2. For the sake of my sanity I probably won't, as the mere thought of its shifting foyers and arc pylons makes me feel uneasy. (Screw the Clockwork Soldiers, I kicked their arses.)

What I might instead do is check out Dishonored 2: The Peeress and the Price, an incoming graphic novel that's set in the aftermath of our Game of the Year 2016 and is due later this month. 

Penned by prolific writer Michael Moreci—alongside artwork and colours by Andrea Olimpieri (Dishonored Volume 1, True Blood) and Mattia Iacono (the Dark Souls comic) respectively—The Peerees and the Price follows Emily and Corvo who've now returned to Dunwall. Here, a "deadly" new enemy is on the loose—"one that could spell doom for them both."

Here's its cover and a selection of its interior art:

Dishonored 2: The Peeress and the Price is due February 20. Expect to pay $16.99/your regional equivalent for its hard cover edition. 

Dishonored 2 was easily my favourite game of last year, and so it's little surprise that I enjoyed this standalone expansion so much. In many ways it's a similar prospect—a bunch of new Dishonored 2-style levels (and even a returning old one), offering more opportunities to stalk through Karnaca, offing jerks. Good, but not revelatory. And yet, it goes further, switching up exactly the right things to make the action feel meaningfully different. It's a great example of an efficient expansion: more of the same, but also something new.

Billie Lurk is the perfect character to lead this epilogue. The main Dishonored games centre around fundamentally sheltered people coming into the squalor of common life—experiencing it in some cases for the first time. Focusing on the murkier characters of Dishonored's story—primarily Daud and Billie—gives the expansion stories a new context, making them an important tool for fleshing out the world. To Emily, for instance, the witches are a threat—an enemy to overcome. But Billie has history with the faction, which lets Arkane reframe your sympathies as more insidious forces take control.

My play style in Death of the Outsider was more lethal than in any previous Dishonored game, and for what I perceived as justifiable story reasons. The expansion facilitated that switch by doing away with the Chaos system. It made sense to do: Billie's influence in the world is less obvious than Corvo or Emily, and her personality has already been forged in betrayal and bloodshed. Again: a small systemic tweak, but one that's rooted in the story being told, that encourages you to try something different.

That's also achieved through Billie's powers. She has fewer options than Corvo or Emily, but her power recharges without the need for vials of blue magic juice. The resource management element is clearly something Arkane felt was important for the main game. But for this shorter, more focused story, it's nice to be set free. To see a space and have the freedom to attempt whatever tactic your toolset allows, without the worry of its consequences down the road.

It's not all clever tweaks, though. Death of the Outsider also features some brilliant environments—missions that, in some instances, rival Dishonored 2's. The bank heist is a standout. After spending a huge chunk of time in the surrounding environment during the day, you return at night to break into Karnaca's most secure bank. It's a brilliant sequence, full of ingenious infiltration methods and different options depending on what strands of the space you pick away at. It's easily my favourite level from anything this year.

It was a toss up whether my personal pick this year would be Death of the Outsider or Prey. Each offered a different take on the immersive sim concept—Prey taking the System Shock approach, while Death of the Outsider built from Dishonored's more Thief-style systems. And each had some significant problems—for Outsider, the last mission's new enemy type made working through that space a chore. But, in both cases, the positives outweigh the negatives. I think Death of the Outsider is marginally my favourite, right here, right now. But Prey is the one I'm more likely to replay—and will doubtless enjoy more on a second go through. In a year when pure singleplayer experiences have struggled commercially, both deserve your attention and time.

Disclaimer: One of the writers for Death of the Outsider, Hazel Monforton, is a contributor to PC Gamer.

Bethesda launched a new, and entirely light-hearted, campaign at The Game Awards tonight aimed at saving single-player games—and to help get the job done it's running a sale. 

"While Bethesda and its family of studios produce and publish a wide array of games (including some of the pioneering games in the multiplayer and esports space), single-player games are a big part of the Company’s DNA and will continue to be as they work to develop and publish narrative-driven single-player games in the future," the studio said. 

"To celebrate the single-player gamer, Bethesda is running a sale this weekend across its current catalog of single-player games with prices up to 50% off digitally, as well as at select retailers. "

Here's what they've got on Steam:

• Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus - $30
• The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition - $20
• Prey - $20
• Doom - $15
• The Evil Within 2 - $30
• Dishonored 2 - $20

Bethesda also announced that it will donate $100,000 to the ESA Foundation to help fund scholarships for future developers, "who might one day make an amazing single-player game that you'll love." You can learn more about the program at esafoundationscholars.org.

While exploring Karnaca’s Upper Cyria district, I find a taxidermy shop hidden down a side street. The owner is pleasant enough, but because Dishonored games turn me into a raging kleptomaniac, I investigate the locked door in the back. I wait for her to turn away, snatch the key from her belt and descend into a dingy basement. Then, suddenly, I’m on fire, having just triggered a tripwire. Why does a taxidermist need an elaborate security system? Something is going on here, and I intend to find out what it is. 

At the bottom of the stairs it becomes clear why she was so keen to keep people out of her basement. On a table I see the ravaged corpse of a Bloodfly victim. And in a nearby cell, there’s a nest of the vile insects and a terrified man begging to be set free. A nearby crank handle, which operates the gate, reveals the grim truth: this woman has been kidnapping people, subjecting them to Bloodfly attacks, then harvesting the amber, which can be sold for a pretty price. A twisted business, and a dangerous one too. If those Bloodflies escape, Karnaca could get infested. Didn’t she play Dishonored 2? 

I spring her would-be victim from his cell and he thanks me, sharing the location of the key to a room where the woman keeps her ill-gotten blood amber. I’ll be taking that for myself. But first thing’s first: dealing with the shopkeeper. I go upstairs and find her cowering in the corner, clearly aware that the jig is up. She begs me to forget about it and let her go, and offers to stuff any animal I want for free. But Billie Lurk is not so easily swayed, at least not by the offer of a free stuffed animal. I choke the woman out, sling her over my shoulder and head underground.

A feast for flies

I tote the woman over to the cell and sling her in. She snoozes in a crumpled heap, oblivious to the fact that I’m turning the squeaking crank handle, lifting the metal gate. The Bloodflies are whipped up into a frenzy as they sense a meal, and when the gate slides away they swarm into the cell, feasting on the hapless taxidermist. Now, by doing this I’m probably just increasing the chances of infestation, but it’s worth it for a moment of deliciously ironic justice. I go back upstairs and find the key the guy told me about, unlocking a treasure trove of blood amber. I swipe it, but before I leave, I decide to finish the Bloodflies off. 

A well-placed incendiary bolt is all it takes to engulf everything in cleansing flame. I feel like I’ve done the city a favour, and the detective investigating the remains of what just happened will have a nice puzzle to solve. I also throw the corpse on the table in a furnace. Better safe than sorry. I leave the shop and slink back out into the streets of Upper Cyria to continue my mission. And this is why I love Dishonored: these little stories you can stumble into as you explore the world, and the opportunities you get to tell your own.

It’s when you notice the little details in games that they really come alive. Those little things that hint at some sort of existence outside your control or awareness. They could be art props made to suggest who lived in the spaces you’re romping through, or little room layout details that show how the world works, but some of the touches that bring games to life the most come through animation.

This is a celebration of incidental animations that don't help you win or make you lose or do much of anything important. They just happen, and you probably don’t even notice them, or think about how much work they actually took. There’s a madness to incidental animation, that so much effort has been lavished into producing something so ancillary, something which many players might never come across. But it can make the difference between a game feeling right and feeling that little bit off. It’s about conjuring that suspension of disbelief. It’s where the magic is.

This selection of great incidental animation can’t hope to be exhaustive, since it’s simply compiled from the games I’ve played, and even within that paltry selection it’s only the things I’ve noticed, remembered and captured (with some pointers from some friends). But hopefully it’ll give you a new appreciation of the little things.

Assassin's Creed: Origins: Wet Bayek

Props to that special moment when a game nonchalantly plays out a very human response to something you’ve put your character through. Bayek doesn’t complain at you getting soggy, but his little hand and foot shakes give a sense of the person under all the stabbing. 

Rise of the Tomb Raider: Wringing out the ponytail 

Relatedly, Lara’s attention to her hair after coming out of water is a reminder of the tricky nature of dealing with long locks in extreme conditions. It’s just one of the many little animation details in Rise of the Tomb Raider, but several friends pointed towards it as their favourite and heck, they’re right.

Prey: Q-Beam wobble

Who was it at Arkane Studios who realised, "The Q-Beam absolutely has to comprise three objects which wobble as you move"? They are a genius. Weapons in games rarely passively react as you move around, and OK, that’s maybe because it’s a little distracting, but here in the Q-Beam, it’s wonderful. 

Overwatch: Junkrat's grenade launcher

Another delightfully ramshackle weapon is Junkrat’s Frag Launcher. The way all its jiggling bits and pieces move as you walk do a great job of communicating Junkrat’s pegleg limp, and the way the flap on the end of the barrel flips as you fall really gets a sense of momentum across. You can almost imagine how his insane launcher actually works.

Titanfall 2: Alternator

Still on guns (because games are basically guns, right), I just love all the unnecessary (i.e. necessary) movement in Titanfall 2’s otherwise fairly straight Alternator submachine gun. Little bits flick back and forth as you fire, simply to express and celebrate its name. The Alternator was designed by Respawn animator Ranon Sarono, who’s a master of the gun animation form. His showreels and game gun jokes on his YouTube channel are recommended viewing.

Far Cry 2: jammed shotgun

Technically, Far Cry 2’s gun-jamming animations don’t fit our criteria for incidental animation because they directly affect the game, but they’re just so expressive. The sheer annoyance of the player character, as demoed here by Tigerfield, is just wonderful, and completely matches your own reaction to finding your gun suddenly refusing to work.

Far Cry 2: Hand

Far Cry 2’s filled with incidental animation. The way the player character’s hand interacts with the world around you set new standards.

But here’s the real incidental animation gold in Far Cry 2: the fingers change position to turn the watch’s bezel one way or the other. I’m sure Ubisoft Montreal could have designed it more efficiently, and I’m so pleased they didn’t.

Head over to page two for more wonderful incidental animations, including indie Quadrilateral Cowboy, Dishonored 2 and Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus.

Metal Gear Solid 5: iDroid 

Look in the background, and you’ll see Snake’s thumb mirroring your control of the iDroid menu on a little side-mounted joystick. Utterly pointless. 

Quadrilateral Cowboy: Bathroom 

Blendo Games’ Brendan Chung is something of a connoisseur of incidental animation, so I asked him to pick out what he’s most proud of from his own games. He chose the bathroom in QuadCow’s Valencia Villa. "The bathroom is way too detailed and interactive considering it has no gameplay impact and is not part of the critical path," he says. Every cabinet opens, every component works. "The excess I'm most happy with is how both the shower and sink, after you turn their water off, continue drip-dropping for a few seconds before completely stopping. I am secretly hoping this becomes industry standard."

Who fancies starting a campaign? 

Prey: Boiling curry 

Or maybe it’s a stew. Either way, this combination of a lovely shiny shader effect and a very simple undulating mesh brings a pot eternally cooking in Talos-I’s kitchen to life, if you should ever notice it. Chances are, you won’t. 

Dishonored 2: Audiograph 

Even more Arkane, here’s Dishonored 2’s wonderfully characterful audiotape player. Watching the handle wind around and its punchcard jigger in and out makes having to stay nearby to hear the tape almost bearable. 

Destiny 2: Sweeping bot 

This bot, found in a dead end in the depths of Destiny 2’s social area (if you put the time into exploring it), is a callback to a sweeping robot which featured in the first Destiny’s Tower social space. We can all cherish its heartbreaking dedication to a thankless task—perhaps it’s a reference to all the effort that went into animating it?

Little Nightmares

If you take a moment to watch them from safety, you’ll see one of Little Nightmares’ awful chefs perform a little under-face scratch which is just fantastic.

Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus: Reactor

Most incidental animation is small, but it doesn’t need to be. A way into his new adventure, B.J. Blazkowicz enters a vast hall that houses a reactor at its far end. The hall’s monumental machinations serve absolutely no function, the flying saucer-looking thing having no discernible purpose, and yet there it all is, but you were too busy shooting Nazis to see it.

Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus: Digital readout 

Still on Wolf 2, someone Machine Games went to the effort of making actual digital readouts on the assorted Nazi control boards that you probably never spent any time looking at, ensuring they count meaninglessly up as far as the digits allow. This is perfection, and an exemplar of the form. 

So here’s to the most lavish of incidental animation. Let it only become more so.