| Author | Review |
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BloodwCinnamon
278,089
TA Score for this game: 2,352
Posted on 27 August 11 at 21:33, Edited on 28 February 13 at 03:06 |
This review has 80 positive votes and 12 negative votes. Please log in to vote. |
New York City, crumbling under the grip of drugs, disparity and the struggle for power. Homeless are the majority, lying sick or dying at nearly every curb, every other shadow. Human modification has reached normalcy, with some people more cybernetic than human. Those with implants often require a lifetime of addictive drug use to stave off pain and augmentation poisoning. Drug corporations, governments and secret societies have the entire world under their collective thumb. At a major turning point in future history, one augmented agent wound up with the fate of all life in his hands. A classic was born. I don't know if you had a chance to play Deus Ex, but it was a masterpiece of gaming, spinning a cyberpunk tale worthy of Gibson, or Phil K Dick. A tough act to follow, to say the very least.
You may remember Deus Ex: Invisible War coming out shortly after, quickly killing the franchise with a dumbed-down experience that fell flatter than the screen you're reading this on. Painfully "okay" in execution, Invisible War showed how difficult it is to get a complex sequel right. Would another follow-up ever come along to imbue the series with the respect and care it deserves?
Now it's 2011. Technology has had over a decade of time to evolve since Deus Ex was gifted to us. We now implant microchips in the brains of those with paralysis or sensory impairment, as a way to help them move or see. High tech artificial limbs and organs are now common. It's possible to live with a robotic arm, computer-controlled nerves, or a replicated heart. Seeing cybernetic implants like the kind in fiction is closer to meeting reality than ever. As this new Deus Ex takes place a scant 15 years from now, its focus is a clearer merging between today and the time of the first game. Augmentations are just hitting their evolutionary stride in 2027, backed by major advancements made within artificial limb manufacturer Sarif Industries. Even the uninjured can have augmentation surgery, giving those with means an even stronger competitive edge. This also opens up a black market of illegal procedures and augmentation repo men.
All of it fuels an extreme controversy between those who believe in the tech and those who fear what it might become. Media is flooded with transhumanism debates, not unlike the kind you may have seen over stem-cell research amplified to 11. You come into this as Adam Jensen, head of security at Sarif. He happens to be at work the day high-tech super-soldiers storm the building, tearing it apart as they murder anyone they come across.
It's when half his blood is on the ground and his arms are snapped like twigs that things take a turn. Finding Adam in his last moments among the debris, the company decides to save his life. Their way. Next thing you know, Adam's body is a posterchild for augmentation, filled with so many upgrades his mind isn't able to process it. But with time, experience, a few software downloads, the new functions of the body come to life one by one. The order they become functional is, of course, up to the player. They help as you go out looking for answers, finding yourself engaged in an intricate world steeped in sci-fi and intrigue. Where does the story go? Well, that's up to the player as well, to a degree. A lot of what is experienced in Deus Ex is found through choice and exploration. It's all there for the taking, provided you hold the keys, or found the back way in. Or the side way. Or the roof, or sewer. Or just blasted through the front door. Maybe just tore through the wall like you're the T-1000, scaring the piss out of any enemies on the other side. There's always more than one way to do a given task, is what I'm saying.
This level of choice is what separates Deus Ex from all others. Speech with other characters is navigated through observation and decision-making. The environment is open to exploration from every angle, limited only by your augmentations and eye for hidden detail. Not unlike a Metroidvania title, going back through an area with new or different augs can change what you have access to, from hidden sections to alternate routes to reward stashes. Missions are often open-ended, allowing you to choose sides, use or withhold information or objects, manipulate rewards and ultimately control the direction of where things go.
Combat is purely based on how you want to go about it, but keep in mind Adam is still a largely unarmored human being and very easy to kill. Running into a room shooting like it's the Wild West will get you nowhere if you aren't fast, utilize cover and are a crack shot under pressure. Ammo is generally scarce, especially when the number of weapons carried is limited by your strength enhancements. Weapons in the world itself are plentiful, upgradable and modifiable. Some are nonlethal, serving as an option for those looking for the XP boost that comes with sparing a life.
Stealth is a strongly favored and rewarded option, whether you're sneaking past the enemy or knocking them out and stuffing them behind a crate. If that's not sneaky enough, air vents and security terminals provide plenty of workarounds for the soft-footed hacker. I wouldn't hesitate in saying the stealth here is at least on-par with Metal Gear Solid. The game gives slightly larger rewards to smart, subtle plays over bloodshed. When you make it a policy to not take life, it has all the more impact when you are forced to. Diplomacy is your best friend, even if this means misleading others or playing both sides. You are essentially a detective, spy and hitman rolled into a package that includes all the benefits of being part cyborg. How much of a sympathetic human being or cold calculating machine Adam comes across is your call.
Only scripted boss fights break up the flow of "do anything you want," by being restricted to direct kill-or-be-killed face-offs. As these encounters are spread out and brief, they do little to undermine the overall flow of the experience. In fact, HR is filled with small oversights and flaws that never quite break the game, but certainly scuff the sheen. While environments and cut-scenes are beautiful, even reaching photo-real on occasion, NPCs tend to look rough and outdated. Lip-syncs feel rushed and a lot of movements are pulled straight from the all-purpose canned animation folder. Larger hubs contain a lot of false set-ups and rushed interiors to fill in blanks in an otherwise detailed and accessible world. Voice actors for NPCs on the street are noticably bad, with iffy stereotypes being poorly delivered by improper performers. Gang members and Chinese in particular will grate on the ears with their versions of slang and English. Thankfully, main characters fare well with good, though not outstanding performances.
Augmentations themselves have seen some changes. Staples of the series remain in the use of leg and arm buffs, skin strengthening and cloaking, aim stabilization and hacking upgrades. As the original upgrade system of the first game was nearly perfect, the changes made for this go-around are at times confusing and unnecessary. Hacking has been expanded into several categories, adding additional buffs that aren't truly needed, even when going up against some of the hardest systems. Eye and breathing upgrades suffered severe cuts, removing heat/nightvision and underwater breathing. Makes sense considering the game isn't as dark or contains any flooded tunnels, but whether that's a plus or minus is up to you.
What seemed odd to me were the alterations made to silent takedowns and long falls to the ground. Instead of being a fluid attack you perform like any other, takedowns are now tied to a specific button, requiring an entire energy bar with each use. They also cut to a third-person animation of you performing a random attack. For the fall upgrade, an animation of your reverse-gravity systems bursting to the rescue while jumping off a building takes an extra few seconds. Before, you could just drop. Are these things there for much of a reason? Not really, and as augs I used frequently, it grew tiresome cutting to animations every time I wanted to put a guy down and flee. Other available augs are largely useless wastes of points. Why make your feet resistant to electrified water puddles when you only come across them a handful of times, and they are always circumventable? [edit: This aug eventually does become useful.]
Other upgrades are useful, but not in obvious ways. The social speech analysis chip will uncover the personality, emotional response and persuasiveness of those you speak to, helping you navigate conversations with ease. While figuring out proper responses on your own isn't very difficult, there are sometimes people you deal with who absolutely cannot be persuaded through normal conversation. That's when the value of this perk comes through in the form of pheromone release. A subtle spray in the air combined with some choice words will crack even the toughest nut. It's not a system on the level of LA Noire or Mass Effect, but conversations feel engaging enough. Hacking, on the other hand, is impressively done here, and a good choice for (limited) upgrades. Simple to understand, but still similar enough to the real deal to feel right. You overtake file systems, nodes and hidden caches while deploying countermeasure software to breach the system before you're tracked. Not the best game version of hacking (that honor belongs to the little-known Uplink: Hacker Elite), but it's certainly the best to date on 360.
Since this particular stew has had some time to simmer, it gains the benefit of seeing what newer games have been doing. Some of these ideas have been borrowed, like subtle grabs from Mass Effect or Splinter Cell. Deus Ex now has a cover system with third-person camera angles to accommodate it. Whenever you press yourself against a wall or chest-high barricade (ugh), the new camera will pull out to allow a view around the area. Ya know, so you don't have to pop your head out. This, along with the switch to third-person on latters is actually a nice improvement. Having that view makes it less awkward, especially when the AI in this game loves to look around at random, spinning their head to the side or behind them if they so much as get a sliver of paranoia. Thankfully, chest-high walls aren't that common in the game, replaced with much more likely furniture, cars and crates. First-person is still law of the land here.
It wouldn't be right to see it any other way. Whether shuffling through someone's belongings, checking out the vast cityscape or walking through the alleyways and slums of Shanghai, the overall effect is masterful. Those familiar with the locales of the first game will get a very familiar feeling here. Overall style and tone has been brought directly over, including small details veterans will recognize instantaneously (basketball, anyone?). Naturally, it all takes place at night. Locations are painted with neon, flatscreens, grime and gold evening hues, with the aesthetic of Blade Runner, Fifth Element or even Judge Dredd. At first, I had reservations on the gold filter, but it really livens up the night theme, giving it another dimension of realism. The focus is on exploring it all, from breaking into the apartments of locals to getting past high-tech security systems and armed guards in restricted zones. Almost sandbox in design, the more you level up, the more you're allowed to improvise and be creative. Before you know it, you're dragging around hacked robot turrets or dropping fridges off of balconies onto people's heads. Or you know, just shoot everybody point blank like someone with no imagination.
What you hear during all of this can be just as important. Aside from the sounds of all the activity around you, which is great the way it is, there are radio and TV broadcasts in nearly all inhabited places. Seems like a great opportunity to flood the space with brilliant subtext, to add to the overall mood and story. As there are screens and tech covering so many walls, it could be filled with content. But it isn't. TVs loop the same couple short clips over and over on infinite, while radios switch between music and political commentary, which in itself loops its own clips repeatedly. This wouldn't be such a problem if you didn't spend so much time in these areas, often visiting or backtracking though them multiple times. And why do the same exact things broadcast in both Detroit and China? Doesn't China have its own news station? It reminds me how well Mass Effect 2 handled the flood of media noise in its hubs, while here it drives you mad with its laziness. Music, mercifully, fares much better, smartly reusing the first game's electronic soundtrack and blending it with it's own new ambient tracks. As that original soundtrack is perhaps one of the best I've ever heard, it's nice seeing it get a place here, further adding to the illusion that this is the first game all over again, but fresh. Keep an ear out for pedestrians whistling the original theme song.
So is Human Revolution a success? As someone who holds the original in the highest regard, it's impossible to meet my expectations. That's what I would say if this were any other occurrence. In no way did I actually expect this game to be as good as the first. How frequently does that happen? I see unicorns about as much.
The team who made this game went through Deus Ex with a microscope, identifying every amazing detail that made it greater than the sum of its parts. If anyone in the group loved something, it went on the list. If it felt extraneous, they chopped it. Design is boiled down to the essentials of what everyone seemed to connect with, expanded and updated. While not a complete copy of the first game, this one emulates it shamelessly at every turn while maintaining a healthy degree of separate originality. And I can't honestly say it's a bad strategy. This feels like Deus Ex, organically growing from the first into its own worthy counterpart. It's consistent, plays pitch-perfect and comes through as a top-tier AAA title on its own merits, beyond its heritage. Missing out on this game is like never playing Bioshock, Metal Gear Solid or Arkham Asylum. It's rich and complex, meant to be absorbed, savored, rather than quickly played and forgotten. At 25 hours minimum, the fact that it holds up over great length and is worthy of repeat plays makes it even more valuable. So yes, it very nearly meets the benchmark of what the next Deus Ex should be.
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Slackerchan
179,242
TA Score for this game: 1,706
Posted on 30 August 11 at 19:31 |
This review has 22 positive votes and 6 negative votes. Please log in to vote. |
It is an oft-discussed topic in the gaming industry about games that redefine the interactive entertainment landscape as we know it. Every few years we get a game that makes us take a step back and shudder in awe. For gamers, it is the realization of a new way to play or perhaps the next step in modern storytelling. For developers, it’s the culmination of years of ambition and the willingness to push the boundaries of the play experience. It doesn’t happen very often but when the stars align and the right minds sit down to keyboard and mouse with an idea that hasn’t been tried before we get truly amazing titles like Red Dead Redemption, Halo, and Bioshock.
Warren Spector was one of those great minds and, with his team at Ion Storm here in Austin, he succeeded in creating several wonderful, innovative franchises, the most famous of which was Deus Ex. It was a sad thing to hear when Eidos announced they were closing Ion Storm in 2005 (Spector had left the company the previous year) and it was all but a certainty that this once great franchise was gone. When Eidos announced that they were going to bring the franchise back two years later it was a very worrying prospect. Spector had formed Junction Point Studios after leaving Ion Storm and at this point was already hard at work on what eventually would become 2010’s Epic Mickey so without him and his dedicated team behind the new project it was questionable whether Eidos could capture even a tenth of the wonder Ion Storm had put into the franchise. Eidos Montreal, a brand new studio was tasked with making the next iteration in the Deus Ex franchise. As their freshman effort this is no small task.
Now that Deus Ex’s prequel has finally arrived in stores one has to ask: is it really a Human Revolution or just a sputtering, stagnated glimpse at a once great series?
Laputan Machine and the Flatlander Woman
A quarter of a century before the events of Deus Ex and the rise of biomechanical augmentation, humanity is experiencing an event almost unparalleled in written history: the Cyber Renaissance. Like the rise of education and creativity Italy experienced in the 16th century so too are we seeing the beginning of the physical transcendence of man through mechanical augmentation. Casting off the bonds of flesh, both those who need it as well as those who don’t accept these unnatural enhancements in order to live better lives albeit at a great cost.
This is the great topic of debate in the year 2027 where we meet Adam Jensen, our protagonist. Adam is more than just involved in the debate: he’s smack dab in the middle of it. Jensen is the head of security at Sarif Industries, one of the leading companies in the field of human augmentation. One night, just prior to a trip to Washington D.C. to reveal a major breakthrough that would making augmentation safer and easier, Sarif Industries is attacked and most of the research team, including Megan Reed who is both the team lead and Jensen’s former lover, are killed in a raid by a group of unknown mercenaries. Jensen himself is mortally wounded in the attack and he is forced to undergo significant augmentations in order to save his life.
Six months later Jensen is called in despite still recovering by his boss David Sarif who needs his help once again. There’s been another attack, this one at a manufacturing plant where anti-augmentation radicals have seized the building and taken hostages. As Sarif’s right-hand man, Jensen infiltrates the facility only to discover there’s more here than meets the eye. From here Adam goes on a globetrotting adventure to find out the truth behind the conspiracy that may just shape humanity’s future.
The Deus Ex series was founded on the principle of telling a vast story whose events and outcome are shaped and almost completely determined by the player. While the developer had all the necessary source material to make a story set in that universe there are many things to worry about, none the least of which is that this prequel is supposed to lead up to the original game which is set a couple decades after this one. I can safely report however that, despite all the signs pointing the other way, Eidos Montreal has successfully created not just a great story, but a great Deus Ex game.
The intricate story necessary to make a Deus Ex caliber story are present and accounted for and you’d be hard pressed to find any sort of story point worthy of a complaint. Adam Jensen’s adventure ties in quite nicely into the overall narrative that is the Deus Ex universe and doesn’t compromise the events of the previous games at all. In fact, it can be said that the story in and of itself is perfectly placed as it both explains the origin of the nano augmentations seen in later on in the series as well as very well placing well known characters within the game like Bob Page, Elizabeth DuClare and Joseph Manderley without compromising them.
The world itself though is only half of what makes a Deus Ex story so great: it’s also your main character. Like JC and Alex Denton before him, Adam Jensen is a grey protagonist of intelligence, understanding, and cunning. What they also share is the fact that their ultimate actions are controlled by the player and each attitude the player chooses for Adam help both define your experience as well as how Jensen is perceived in the world. A character like this helps bridge the gap between a defined character you play as and the silent protagonist and this is something we need to see a lot more of. Characters like Adam Jensen and Booker DeWitt are the great balance of player choice and directional storytelling and we’ll hopefully be seeing more of that in the future.
The First Battle of the Invisible War
Like the two games before it, Deus Ex Human Revolution is a first-person shooter that just so happens to be a directed, open-world experience. At its core Human Revolution is philosophically the same as it was eight years ago, which is wonderful to see given the length of time fans of the series, including myself, have had to endure. It is here though where the similarities begin to fray.
Previously in the Deus Ex series there was a finite amount of stealth you had to adhere to. You were going to get killed fast if you weren’t careful but at the same time combat wasn’t exactly a high priority. After all, there were plenty of different ways to approach an objective and simply using strong observation skills you could infiltrate a location, attain your goal, and extract with little to no fuss. Human Revolution not only embraces this; it also takes it to the next level.
Human Revolution utilizes a stealth and detection system that, deliciously, pays remarkable tribute to classic stealth gaming ala Metal Gear Sold and its counterparts. Thanks to the addition of a “hold-to-hide” cover system much like that of what Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas started, it is very easy to sneak through a restricted area undetected thanks to enemies whose senses are, again, much like that of a Metal Gear title. Enemies can see and hear you but, under the right conditions, you can easily avoid them. Moving from cover to cover is done with a simple press of a button though it can be a giveaway if done at the wrong time. Slip up and the enemy will certainly investigate and attack with extreme prejudice. The result is a gratifyingly enjoyable yet simple stealth system that is almost effortless to adapt to. Keep out of their line of sight and tread softly and you shouldn’t have any trouble. The game even encourages you to utilize stealth as much as possible thanks to an achievement that require no alarm activations as well as one that requires you not to kill anyone in the game. Play smart and these high value achievements can be yours.
Even if you find yourself suddenly in the middle of an unexpected firefight you are far from defenseless. Though the game isn’t built for shooting entirely like modern shooters Call of Duty or Battlefield, combat is achievable and plays much like most cover-based shooters seen today. You’ll pop into cover, peak out to fire, and pop back into cover as necessitated. While Deus Ex utilizes a regenerative health system it is made quite clear from the start that any prolonged exposure to incoming fire will result in death quite quickly. Thankfully ammo isn’t scare at all in Deus Ex if you are playing stealthily and even then you can scavenge the bodies of the unconscious or deceased in order to restock.
Enemy AI in Deus Ex, while not original, can be a formidable foe. Once detected, enemy guards are quick to take cover and trade shots with you and they are smart enough to flush you with grenades and charge you at the right time with the right weapon if you aren’t too careful. They all utilize the same weapons you do so, being careful and carrying the right tools for the job, one can easily turn the tide of a battle. Play smart and you’ll be smart but be too brash and you will be punished.
Overall, the game’s encouragement of stealth doesn’t dampen the already great combat. This is a thinking man’s shooter and if you are like me then you agree that this is an oasis in a desert of mindless shoot’em-ups.
Flesh Amongst Metal, Man Amongst Machine
Human Revolution greatest accomplishment, apart from the stellar story and delivery, is the world Adam Jensen resides in. Sticking to its guns, the latest title in the series retains the classic open-world exploration that separated the original titles from its corridor-based siblings. Between the mission stages you will arrive and return to two hubworlds: the American city of Detroit and the Chinese island of Heng Sha. Each is extraordinarily different with Heng Sha standing out in particular as it is literally two cities built on top of one another. As such there is a strong amount of verticality to be had in Heng Sha, something that games rarely deal with these days save for Bethesda’s upcoming sequel to Prey.
Customization is a large part of the Deus Ex experience as well and Eidos Montreal didn’t have to do much in order to get this right. In almost every way it is remarkably similar to what Ion Storm created over a decade ago in that your character can be customized to your liking. Favor a stealthier, less confrontational approach? Simply choose hacking, cloaking and enemy tracking augments and you’ll be good to go. On the other hand, augments like additional ballistic durability, the Typhoon system and refined recoil control can dramatically help in the event of a firefight. Others like the Icarus Landing System (ironic name huh?) aid quite well in helping the player explore and, for me at least, was a must in places like Heng Sha.
Another great feature worth mentioning is the game’s refined version of the series’ debates. Periodically throughout the game you’ll encounter main characters that you have to question or influence in order to proceed on. During these sequences there are always only two outcomes, either in your favor or not, but the dynamic between Jensen and his opponent can really dive into philosophical territory. The responses and questions you ask, as well as their tone, can heavily alter the direction of the conversation and each one is well worth playing several times just to see exactly what each person has to say.
Even the requisite hacking part of the game, which as it turns out is a rather large component in both exploring the environment as well as making your life easier, is enjoyable. While the previous titles were a simple matter of letting it automatically hack a target Eidos Montreal opted to flesh it out and make it into a minigame similar in scope to one used in Bioshock 1. In each instance you have to establish connections from node to node in order to reach the access hub, all the time being wary of the security system that may detect you. This factor is based on probability and while you can buy augments to decrease the likelihood of detection you’re almost always going to end up tripping the system somewhere along the line. Despite this it is surprisingly enjoyable thanks to a good level of strategy to be had each time you do it.
The only point at which I could find a viable complaint to be made was in regard to Jensen’s character. While I previously stated that a blended character like Jensen is a great medium by which to tell a story that is both shaped on its own as well as by the player it seems that Jensen is unfortunately a mostly understated guy in everyday conversation. Only during cutscenes and debates do you really feel Jensen step out of his comfort zone and actually be vocal. This is disappointing considering some of the normal conversations can be a bit heartbreaking or shocking so a little more character exploration, in these instances, would have been nicer. Other than that Elias Toufexis does a terrific job of making us appreciate Adam as character, a protagonist and as a savior.
With that seemingly the only detraction from the overall Human Revolution experience, you’d be hard pressed to find a more enjoyable experience this year.
More Than Human, Less Than a God
Looking back at Deus Ex Human Revolution it is simply amazing how a new team like that at Eidos Montreal could create such a solid gaming experience. It had everything going against it what with SquareEnix’s lackluster reputation as of late, the absence of one of the greatest designers in gaming history, and a large and biased fanbase to impress. What we have today however is probably one of the most interesting and entertaining games not only of the year but of this generation. Ten years ago Deus Ex changed the way we play shooters, creating an experience that games like Bioshock owe their existence to. Human Revolution proudly continues this legacy, reinvigorating series fans while introducing new ones to one of the most beloved universes in the history of modern gaming.
Eidos Montreal, you have accomplished something that I didn’t think was possible. You guys put so much love into this game that, at times, I was simply speechless. If this isn’t game of the year material I simply don’t know what is.
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Exit Wound86
Posted on 27 January 12 at 19:27, Edited on 12 February 12 at 21:55
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This review has 15 positive votes and 0 negative votes. Please log in to vote. |
INTRO
Veteran gamers have long anticipated a current-generation Deus Ex title. The original Deus Ex, released in 2000, is commonly labeled the greatest PC game of all time by fans and industry pundits alike, while the slightly less well-received sequel, Invisible War, amassed scores of new fans from the console crowd. Both were revolutionary in their day, masterfully combining first-person shooter with RPG elements and remain two of the most memorable games of the previous decade. With Human Revolution, developer Eidos Interactive hopes to re-establish the prestigious franchise’s former relevance after an 8-year industry hiatus. This anxiously awaited prequel preserves the core gameplay mechanics and the uniformly dystopian setting the series is known for, while taking advantage of current-gen hardware to craft an immersive and addictive experience.
STORY
The year is 2027, 25 years before the events in Deus Ex. The era is characterized by humanity’s slow descent into chaos, where our uninhibited foray into biotechnology and cybernetics has engendered a culture of fear and uncertainty among the populace. Human augmentation development is rapidly approaching an existential impasse, and each camp has its share of vehement activists. One side claims that modifying the body will obscure what it means to be human, while defenders endorse the practice for its medicinal applications and the greater good. Control over human enhancement rests with a phalanx of high-profile corporate elite who wish to dictate the course humanity will take in the years to come, all in the name of power and greed. Think 18th century Illuminati escapade hewed to a 21st century context.
You play Adam Jensen, a former Spec Ops veteran whose DNA is found to be uniquely compatible with augmentation technology. Now chief of security for America's preeminent biotech corporation, an attack on HQ triggers a manhunt for those responsible. As you slowly peel away the conspiratorial layers, you discover the truth is far more extreme than anyone anticipated. Honestly, the plot veers over the top, and the notions of global conspiracies are just as illogical today as they were two centuries ago. In my view, the plot was a bit too banal to be memorable, but the presentation and characters provide just enough motivation to care about how it all plays out. The ending isn’t as noteworthy as I had hoped, though there are four possible depending on your choices.
I should note that knowledge of the happenings in either of the previous Deus Ex titles is unnecessary to understand or fully enjoy the story here. Some lingering questions will be answered for those who have played the other two, but HR‘s story arc is equally intelligible as a stand-alone plot.
GAMEPLAY
Deus Ex is fundamentally about choice. HR fully embraces this core principle by crafting a rewarding experience for creative players. Expect a brilliant mix of stealth and combat mechanics. Indeed, each environment is masterfully designed to accommodate both styles of play. This multifaceted experience is aided in large part to perfect controls which ground you firmly in the game world from start to finish. Controls should never for one second undermine the immersiveness of a game, and this is a flawless example of one that gets it right.
Choosing an all-out assault approach is tempting, as the game packs a diverse mix of lethal and non-lethal weaponry, ranging from SMGs, sniper rifles and mines to stun guns and tranquilizer rifles. Each gun is unique and well-designed and, if you manage your inventory well, you can amass an impressive arsenal by the end of the game. Many are also compatible with upgrades, one notable being the Flechette attachment which, if you lack line of sight of your target, allows your bullets to curve around walls, breaking the laws of physics Wanted-style.
If you choose to stow your weapons instead, a stealth approach can be hugely satisfying, and you’re rewarded handsomely for it. Progressing through entire areas without being spotted or setting off an alarm grants XP bonuses. There are always alternate paths through each guard-laden area just waiting to be discovered.
Both styles are perfectly balanced in a way that makes neither tactic a superior option. Your armor, even on the lower difficulties, feels like a step below Kevlar; a few rounds of repeated fire and you’re looking at a reload screen. Conversely, playing stealthy is never lacking in intensity, as a single errant maneuver can devolve to an all-out firefight if you’re not careful. A more cautious approach when attempting stealth runs prevents trial and error gameplay, though I would unreservedly encourage players to save frequently no matter which approach you choose to take.
The heart and soul of the Deus Ex series has always been the augmentations, and HR‘s selection surpasses all expectations. What’s here is so good that it’s difficult to even think of others they could have added. Cloak, super sprint, the ability to see through walls and a 9-feet vertical jump are all here. For non-stealthy players, one aug allows you to takedown an enemy behind a weak wall. Some are very useful depending on your play style, some are merely cool, and some can be both. With super strength, for example, you can either throw a vending machine at your adversaries or instead use it as mobile cover, carrying it around and placing it at will. Imagination is key to the experience.
Expanding your augmentation tree is an addictive process. As you level up, new abilities enable you to explore areas that were previously inaccessible. Depending on the augs you choose, you may not be able to reach every hidden passage, ledge or storage room on the map. Eidos designed the game world in a way that encourages exploration. Environments are intricate, though not overly labyrinthine.
Augs also greatly expand the diversity of tactics you can use to engage your enemies. While you never lose the sense of feeling human, once your aug collection is fully stacked, you can’t help but feel a bit like an Aston Martin in a dog race, a juggernaut fighting mall cops. That said, there’s still a fine line here between playing smart and playing carelessly. The latter will often result in death due to your thin layer of armor.
The hacking minigame in this installment deserves a special mention. It’s a splendidly geeky game of capture and defend where you attempt to capture all of the nodes while defending your I/O port from being detected by the network. If the network successfully traces your entry point, you will be booted from the system and forced to try again. I found it relentlessly addictive in a way that makes the versions in the Fallout and BioShock series seem downright pedestrian. Unfortunately, hacking becomes far too easy once you invest only slightly in your hacking skills, and the complexity of the sequences does not increase as you progress through the game. Level 1 hacks in later stages of the game pose no greater a challenge than ones earlier on. Once you’re familiar with the system, they can start to be a bit too easy, and I found myself craving greater depth later in the game.
Rounding out the core mechanics are the social interactions. While certainly nowhere near the level of Mass Effect, you’re provided ample choices based on your dispositional preferences. Whether you prefer to be an arrogant, sarcastic brute or a chivalrous, charming pacifist, the options are there. Some social interactions act as challenges, in which you must select the appropriate dialog options to coerce an NPC to provide information or otherwise take some action that is essential to your cause. These challenges have real consequences and often have a ripple effect on how future events or interactions play out later in the game.
If there’s one knock to be made against HR, it’s irrefutably the boss encounters. To me these only seemed to conflict with the core experience. What’s worse, they cannot be skipped, no matter how stealthily you proceed through the game. One later battle in particular is highly obnoxious (Protip: Do NOT take the “upgraded” biochip when given the option). At the very least, they provide the chance to unleash all the ammo you’ve been hoarding from stealth-based play. Yet in a title that so rewards stealth and ingenuity, forcing you to engage and kill boss characters just seems out of place.
VISUALS
Eidos has managed to effectively capture the dystopian aesthetic here, conveying a volatile and oppressive ambience in every city and within every tucked away eBook. The urban settings are futuristic, yet not too much so (after all, the story is set just 15 years from now). Just like the first two games, the majority of missions take place at night, and the predominantly dark imagery complements the vision of the game.
Detail, detail, detail. Each environment you visit, from Detroit to Singapore, is hyper-detailed, with some vistas approaching photo-realism. The game artists had fun here, and their passion shows. Every object in every room serves a purpose and is interesting to look at, something I can really appreciate. There is some unfortunate repetition among indoor environments, however, and I feel this should have been given more attention.
Human Revolution uses a reworked version of Eidos’ Crystal Engine and, for the most part, delivers a top-notch visual experience. Frame rates are solid overall, as v-sync is auto-enabled for console versions. After multiple playthroughs trying out different techniques, I only experienced slight slowdown during a few heavy combat situations, but frame rates are generally rock solid.
This is one of the first console titles to apply NVIDIA’s FXAA (anti-aliasing) tech, which intelligently blurs the image to increase perceived resolution.
The game also uses real-time shadowing, which should really be a mandatory complement to dynamic lighting these days, as it helps to preserve visual integrity while in motion.
Eidos has included a custom version of screen-space ambient occlusion (SSAO), first used in Crysis in 2007. The shader technology appends an extra layer of depth to the image, giving textures a more refined look. This is perhaps most noticeable while in cover, properly positioning your character in the game space relative to his surroundings.
Unfortunately, the FMVs in the game are of poor quality, displaying a grainy, low-res look. It’s especially jarring since actual gameplay looks so fresh and detailed. This is likely due to the limited storage capacity on Xbox 360. The poor cutscene quality was regrettably ported over to the PS3 and PC versions of the game as a byproduct of lowest common denominator development. Instead of re-encoding separate, higher resolution FMVs for formats with greater capacity, Eidos optimized the data for the 6.8GB available to the 360 format and dropped it in all three.
Technical details: native 720p v-synced to 30 frame/s (Xbox 360 and PS3)
AUDIO
Audio production values are generally high as well. Weapon effects, your character’s footsteps and augmentation audio cues are all spot-on. While the voice-overs for lesser NPCs could be better, particularly those representing nations outside the U.S., the more essential actors put in a strong performance. The radio and news broadcasts could also be much more varied, as the repetition starts to grate the nerves about midway through the game.
Michael McCann, who also scored the Splinter Cell series, handled the soundtrack. Though some pieces are eerily reminiscent of Mass Effect, McCann achieves a rare symbiosis here which pleasantly syncs with the overall feel of the game. Listen for yourself below.
REPLAY VALUE
My first playthrough clocked in at just under 30 hours. That included completing every side mission, hacking everything in sight and otherwise attaining every shred of XP possible. Even with maximum XP, I wasn’t able to unlock every augmentation, which is OK. The copious aug selection demands additional playthroughs so you can try out new techniques. There are quite a few side missions to complete, many with alternate outcomes. The main missions and aforementioned social challenges add several more permutations, including four different endings to the game. Multiple playthroughs are welcomed to experience everything the game has to offer.
CONCLUSION
The one word that interlaces this review: addictive. Human Revolution offers a refreshing amount of depth not typically experienced outside of traditional open-world RPG titles. After having played through the game using several different tactics, I can confidently say this is one of the few games where whatever approach you choose delivers an equally enjoyable experience. The engrossing collection of augmentations and variety of play styles ensure the experience never grows stale. The attention to detail here is tremendous and personifies a development team committed to uncompromised quality. The seamless controls, arresting visuals and typically addictive RPG elements all make it difficult to put down. The overarching plot, intermittent boss battles and low quality cutscenes are definitely low points, but do not mar the overall experience. Truth be told, this is as close to digital crack as it gets. If you're even remotely into the shooter genre, pick this one up.
[reposted from my website @ http://www.techthoughts.net/2012/01/27/review-deus-ex-human-... |
Current Future
111,651
TA Score for this game: 2,352
Posted on 30 August 11 at 16:28, Edited on 30 August 11 at 17:11 |
This review has 13 positive votes and 5 negative votes. Please log in to vote. |
I was a fan of the original Deus Ex when it came out in the 90's. The follow up to that game (Invisible War) seemed like little more than a cash grab. But I wasn't tentative at all about this game after seeing the 5 minute trailer that came out a while ago, if anything I couldn't wait for the release date to come. This game has been worth the wait.
The original game encouraged exploration and had multple ways to accomplish certain objectives - and this game takes that to a whole new level. I remember getting exploration bonuses around 50 points in the first game, now you get rewarded with a much as 400 points if you find a really secret area. You even get bonuses for not setting off alarms and such, which went uncreditied in the past. The game's true legacy though involes the multiple ways to complete a task. Your objective lies on the other side of a locked door - you can talk to a guard and convince him to let you in, hack the control panel on the door so it opens, destroy the door, or sneak through an air vent in another room. You can choose any (or mulitple options in many cases.) It all depends on how you want to play. And you'll get experience for just about any way you play, lethal or non-lethal. (Although non-lethal gives you just a little more XP per takedown.)
You can listen in on other conversations as well, most will give you an interesting perspective but rearely is it actionable. Best of all, the dialog used and their delivery is authentic. You don't have gang-bangers speaking like lawyers or vice-versa. Every NPC sounds authentic: Hobo's sound like Hobo's (game term, not mine) Punk's sound like Punk's (again game term, get near a dude with spiky hair and you'll see.) You can also read emails or eBooks which give you more detail on the world. Some of this information is useful in-game as more than just detail as they can contain login/password combos or door codes.
To summarize: incredibly immersive gameplay layered on top of a rich and complex storyline. For me this is probably the best game I've ever played. Plus for all the content available, there isn't a five minute long load time like in Duke Nukem Forever and the game hasn't crashed once unlike Fallout: New Vegas. Plus there's no multiplayer - so no inane achievements like having to come from behind to win a match with 10 seconds left.
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Dualmilion
156,917
TA Score for this game: 1,847
Posted on 01 September 11 at 09:56 |
This review has 15 positive votes and 12 negative votes. Please log in to vote. |
Video review done by me for Our Xbox World. Since there is a word limit on what has to be written here for a review let me tell you about Our Xbox World. Check out the podcast available on Itunes or www.podbean.com, youtube page user oxwcast, you can check us out on Facebook "Our Xbox World" and in the coming weeks we will be launching our website www.oxwcast.com.
Quick summary:
Deus Ex is a first person rpg stealthy shooter(?) which sees you play as Adam Jensen, ex SWAT who almost dies and becomes an Augmented Human. Has similiaraties to Fallout 3, Mass Effect 2 and Hitman. Its mainly focused on stealth, with options to run'n'gun if you should choose to.
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MingledFoot
55,883
TA Score for this game: 969
Posted on 27 August 11 at 19:40, Edited on 30 August 11 at 10:52 |
This review has 18 positive votes and 15 negative votes. Please log in to vote. |
Firstly I feel I must preface this with some information. I played the original and was truly amazed, and the second I was greatly disappointed with, so knowing the universe and what it is will undeniable stop this being as balanced as a review as it could have been. To simply state it, as a fan of cyberpunk, and a fan of the first, this will be biased as much as I work against it.
As for the review proper, there are some negatives I have encountered so far. The major of this at the moment is the nature of some encounters, ie the fact it does have boss fights. The one I have encountered did feel out of place, and out of time. The boss entity is out of place in this form of game. The threat is high enough that in some ways each encounter is a boss encounter, enough to reward you for success, and keep you coming back for the next one. Even with full dermal armour implants.
Additionally, I found the music, as separate to the sound design, to be a little repeatative. I understand the concept of the leitmotif * , this was a sledgehammer in comparison. Too blunt, and too often the same theme. More variety and some finer direction in the tone could have lifted this up into the lofty heights I consider the first to still have as a total, end product.
The other negative I have is more trivial in comparison. As this is what I consider to be a role playing game, I feel that any reward system should be amoral, that is it does not favour one play style over another. Certainly the rewards for stealth (Ghost, Smooth operator) aren't a concern, nor are the exploration items. I feel that the bonus for nonlethal has affected my play style beyond what I feel is acceptable. Have their been situations where I have chosen nonlethal force, absolutely. Have those situations been purely a character choice, that I can not be so sure of. It is in that confusion I feel some manipulation. Not enough to stop me playing, just enough to bug me.
This game, for the above flaws, does get a great many things right. From the characters you work with, to the conversations you can eavesdrop, to the quests. To break down what this game does get right would take an essay, and that is why this is a great title, if not a solid contender for game of the year.
As with the first, this is an action orientated role playing game, with strong shooter elements. Neither overwhelms the other, from the persuasion sections through to just how you choose to approach a situation. Despite being a largely linear experience, the level of freedom to explore the world and how you complete your objectives is only comparable to the first. Are you going in from the roof, or from the sewers? Do you want to create a distraction to lure the guards, or are you taking them out one by one, leaving no-one living in your wake? Or the latter, but with them still breathing? The risks you take are your choice, not because it is the path to advance the story.
Side missions have been implimented decently, and are certainly varied in setting and nature, from quite beign to pure wet work, assassination. Some will take much more work to find than others, and this balance is again what helped the first to work in my mind.
The world itself, the visuals and sound design as well take you to a place where you can almost smell what Adam Jensen is. The best piece of advice I can say is wait for a weekend and just play, don't worry about the time, make sure you can just sit back and let it wash over you, preferably with a nice big screen. The number of times I just stopped, and wondered what else I could find by opening that door, or cutting through some back alley, is hard to track. I could have easily spent eight hours in Detroit alone, just trying to make sure I found everything, without it being a grind.
Play it, enjoy it, let yourself go for a moment, and decide who you want to be, because that is the power of this game. While I could easily give this five out of five, I can not, due to the fact it does have its issues, and in addition, I am only about half way through the story. I do not know how it will end, where it will end. What I have experienced so far has made the fan and player very happy, and the designer wondering if I have set up my own ideas to fail.
* Leitmotif - a particular theme or motif, used in opera to identify characters, locations or items, ie the Ring in Wagner's The Ring Cycle.
Part 2,
Now having completed the game I would like to add some further notes, a good portion of which only reinforce my original rating of four of five.
The environment for most of the game is something I felt was well done. The flaw I felt that came prevalent in the later phases of the game. What More often than not you have to double check every single little nook for items in case I missed something. In addition some of the desks were otherwise so cluttered finding items was effectively impossible. It took a long time to just explore.
Secondly, the experience system has more flaws than I initially thought. The rewards for exploration also make little sense over all. While I certainly explored the many environments fully, the items and little clues there are more than enough, especially the weapon upgrades.
The story has a few holes, but not enough for me to really complain about. At the end of it, I felt all of it made sense, and the holes were not enough to really derail it. That being said, I think that more should have been made of Megan Reed in the course of the game. That being said I want to see if there are other options I have yet to unlock, however since I did find most of the story mission achievements I feel that is unlikely.
Finally I feel that a finer touch in the graphics would have also been appreciated. There was a certain rough edge to some of the features the character models had. While I have little problem with the overall look, I will say that some perspectives were jarring in hindsight.
While I have certainly not held back on the negatives, I still have enjoyed this game on a level equivalent to the first. It is very well done apart from the above factors. Very solid game play, very enjoyable experience, but not without its flaws, so my initial rating still is accurate.
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PUHC FERENCZY
135,563
TA Score for this game: 2,352
Posted on 08 September 11 at 00:13 |
This review has 8 positive votes and 12 negative votes. Please log in to vote. |
Hi all I'm pretty new to this, This is my fourth video review let me know what you think thanks also it woud be nice if you could comment, sub, like and tell your friends. Apologies in advance for the poor mic sound im trying to get it sorted thanks again and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did making it sorry if this sounds a bit gay im trying to fill the 100 word qouta :D which dosent seem to be working is it 100 words yet? hopefully * WARNING CONTAINS STRONG LANGAUGE AND BLACK METAL*
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