Deus Ex: Human Revolution Review

When the original Deus Ex was released in 2000, it was a landmark title in the industry. While it technically followed on the footsteps of the System Shock games, particularly System Shock 2 (which I still have a preference for), it still had a unique feel to it that made it a legendary FPS. Also, unlike System Shock 2, it was a commercial success.

It was followed by Deus Ex: Invisible War which many consider a widely inferior sequel that, while good, was unworthy of the Deus Ex name. It simplified things to an enormous degree, many in areas that didn't need to be simplified. It's become a textbook example of the potential negatives of streamlining an experience.

Due to this, when Deus Ex: Human Revolution was announced a few years ago, many players thought it would meet the same fate if not worse. However, those who were and still are worried have no reason to be, as Deus Ex: Human Revolution is an amazing game that is definitely worthy of the name Deus Ex. While it may not outdo it, it will never be forced to be compared negatively to it, nor should it be.

STORY

One of the things that made the original Deus Ex such a brilliant game was its complex, in-depth, and remarkably well-written conspiracy storyline. On this front, Human Revolution more than delivers with an intriguing story full of corruption, moral ambiguities, political and religious analogies and real world relevance. It also serves as an excellent prequel to the original game while still being a great standalone game. If you haven't played the original, you can still love the story in Human Revolution.

The story stars Adam Jensen, the head of security at Sarif Industries which is in the field of transhuman augmentations through machinery. It's a controversial field as many people feel that getting yourself mechanically augmented takes away from your humanity and it also leads to mandatory and expensive drug usage. If the drugs are not taken, the body will begin to reject the augmentations causing many negative side effects and possibly death.

Right before Adam's ex-girlfriend, Dr. Megan Reed who is the head researcher at Sarif, is set to present a massive breakthrough to Washington D.C. to make augmentations more widely available, terrorists attack the facility. In the process, Megan is apparently killed and Adam is mortally wounded forcing the company to augment him to save his life. He then begins a quest for the company to find out who was responsible for the attacks.

Obviously, being a Deus Ex game, conspiracies are everywhere and nothing is what it seems at first. The  game is also full with many great characters which help drive these conspiracies and Adam Jensen is one of them as he struggles to come to terms with his augmentations.

What sets this story apart from most games is its brilliant moral ambiguity. Not necessarily in the decisions (at least not until later) but within the context of the story. All of the game's key players are people who are perfectly willing to do morally questionable and sometimes even outright immoral actions all for what they perceive to be beneficial for all of mankind, whether that be advancing human evolution through augmentations, or removing them to allow people to keep what could be perceived as their humanity.

The story brings into question humanity's grasp of technology and whether we are really capable of using it, whether we're biting off more than we can chew and it does this through a brilliant analysis that raises the questions but does not just give us the answers, allowing us to make our own conclusions and decide whether the ends justify the means.

The game is also very socially aware with excellent analogies to real-world politics and social commentary backed up by a plethora of newspapers like the original game that serve to give more context and background to the world as it is in 2027. Mix this in with mostly fantastic dialogue (a few rare stumbles every now and then) and you've got a formula for excellence...one racist stereotype aside.

The game's lead writer, Mary DeMarle, has written one of the finest tales ever told in this industry. It stands up there with titles like the original Deus Ex, Mass Effect series, Planetscape Torment, etc. as one of the hallmarks of excellent storytelling in this medium. I'll be keeping an eye on anything she writes from this point on because if they're anywhere near the quality of what she wrote here, they're going to be great.

GAMEPLAY AND DESIGN

The original Deus Ex received a great deal of acclaim for it's combination of FPS and RPG gameplay along with a design that offered a great deal of latitude to the the player. Human Revolution may not have quite the depth of the original, but there's still quite a bit of depth here and it does allow for a lot of latitude for almost any objective.

The game offers four main gameplay types. First, there's combat. The combat here is functional with a first-person point of view (obviously) that goes into third-person when you go into cover. It's well-balanced in that you really can't take many hits before you die. You really need to think tactically if you're going to survive. There are a few augmentations that help with combat such aim stabilization and tougher armor.

Combat is fun and balanced.

Second, there's stealth. Getting through an area unseen and undetected can be very rewarding both in the satisfaction that you get plus a fat wad of XP points that will go to upgrading your augmentations. Stealth requires a lot of exploration to find ways around the enemy or to get the jump on them to take them out quietly. These are done through stealth takedowns which can be lethal or non-lethal though non-lethal is quieter and gives more XP. Cover is also important here, allowing you both to remain unseen and to survey the area.

Stealth is a very rewarding and enjoyable playstyle that requires smart and out-of-the-box thinking.

Third, there's hacking. While the game's director said that hacking is not necessary, not putting points into hacking might make your life a living hell. You miss out on a lot more supplies and will have to deal with a lot more cameras and turrets and also lose out on a lot of access codes and XP points which really add up.

Finally, there's social. This is probably the most limited of the gameplay elements but it makes for some of the cooler and more tense moments of the game when it's utilized. Whether it be trying to convince a well-meaning terrorist to let a hostage go, or to win an argument against a well-meaning business owner conducting very morally questionable actions.

The game allows you to pick one of these or go for a combination. I personally did a combination of stealth and hacking and didn't kill anyone except for bosses, knocking everyone out for maximum XP. The game offered so much latitude and ways to complete each objective which is what fans of the original wanted out of this game. It worked great and you will be pleased.

Augmentations and upgrades are acquired through things known as Praxis kits, which you can either earn by gaining 5000 XP points, purchase, or find through exploration. There's quite a bit to upgrade here and it pays to always have a few Praxis kits on hand in case you get to a situation and you can't handle it the way you want due to not having an augmentation. Spend the kit to purchase that augmentation and you're on your way. If you need to hack a level 5 security system but only have the augmentations to hack a level 4 security system, upgrade it to that with a praxis kit. It's a fun system of choice.

Lots of augmentations provide a great amount of choice in how you play the game.

Speaking of hacking, the designers managed to pull off the impossible: making a hacking game that was actually fun. Hacking mini-games are usually either boring or lacking any kind of tension, or both. This is neither as it has cool system to it where you capture different nodes to reach an I/O port. Every node you capture risks detection by the computer system. If you are detected you have to move quickly to capture the I/O port before your point of entry is traced. If it is you're booted out and an alarm will sound. To help you hack you have "Stop Worms" which halt traces for a few seconds, and nuke viruses which allow you to penetrate nodes undetected.

The hacking mini-game in Human Revolution is surprisingly fun and tense.

There are some things wrong with the design and gameplay, primarily the bosses. The bosses in Human Revolution really take away a lot of the feel from the game. While they were there in the original game, there were a few different ways to combat them rather than just using...well, combat. Also, if you have the right augmentations, it takes away any feeling of real challenge to them.

Another problem comes in the form of the melee takedowns. While they are definitely badass and great for XP, there are still some flaws. First off, the screen goes black for a split second before you perform them which can ruin the immersion. Secondly, they can kind of become a game breaker when used effectively. Finally there are only like four to five animations for each kind of takedown. I understand that they couldn't have made hundreds of them but for something that is probably going to be used so much, it feels like to little.

Melee takedowns are cool and GREAT for XP (especially non-lethal ones) but still have quite a few flaws.

The last problem is concerning the AI. The AI is decent but not amazing and this can really hurt the feeling of challenge that can come with the game. Sometimes this leads to situations where you wonder, "What the hell are they doing?", or can make them seem either blind or deaf. Lots of games have those but I was hoping for more with this one from what they had advertised.

On the plus side, the game will last quite a while especially with the side missions which have very meaty stories of their own. I took around 30 hours to beat the game, and there was some ending fatigue, it was a very fun 30 hours. The game also begs for extra playthroughs with different playstyles and higher difficulties.

At the end of the day, the gameplay and design doesn't reinvent the wheel and pretty much sticks to the original. That isn't a bad thing though and what it results in is a thoroughly satisfying gameplay experience.

GRAPHICS AND SOUND

In terms of technology, Deus Ex: Human Revolution does not look all that special. It looks alright but not anything that's going to win awards. Character models sometimes look good, sometimes look sloppy. Textures are the same way and so is almost everything else. It's hit and miss.

However, in terms of the art style, the game delivers. The game was aiming for a cyberpunk feel and hits it right on the money with architecture, vistas, and lighting that will remind people of films like Blade Runner. It really is quite stunning when judged by that rather than how smooth everything looks texture-wise.

Human Revolution isn't the most technically proficient game on the market, but it has a beautiful art style that reeks of Blade Runner. 

Voice acting has definitely been improved from the original game but it's still not on the upper echelons of video game voice acting. Some voice actors are good and some are passable but not much more. Adam Jensen is well-voiced but kind of lacks emotion. However, it doesn't really detract from his character too much, strangely. The guy who's voicing him doesn't sound bored unlike Other M which had the same thing. The reason is that you can kind of hear some emotion underneath his growl kind of like when you hear David Hayter voice Snake, though maybe not quite to that extent.

The music is excellent and again drives that cyberpunk and Blade Runner vibe that they were aiming for. It adds to the immersion of the entire game and is a great addition to it. Many pieces from the soundtrack are still stuck in my head.

CONCLUSION

Deus Ex was a landmark game and while Human Revolution may not quite hit that mark, it's still an important release that makes up for the disappointment that was Invisible War. With an incredible storyline, excellent gameplay and design, beautiful art style and immersive soundtrack, Deus Ex: Human Revolution is going to be a strong candidate for Game of the Year come December.

If you have played the original, fear not as this game lives up to the name. If you have not played the original, you may not get all of the references but it's still a great achievement that needs to be experienced. Pick this game up as soon as you can.