Deus Ex: Human Revolution is the new action role-playing game developed by Eidos Montreal and published by Square Enix. Human Revolution is the third game in the Deus Ex series, and a prequel to the original game released in 2000.
Human Revolution is one of those games that has a lot of expectations to live up to. The original Deus Ex was developed by Ion Storm Inc. and published by Eidos Interactive in 2000 and received almost worldwide critical and industry acclaim, even being named “Best PC Game of All Time” in PC Gamer’s Top 100 PC Games. So it’s understandable that I’m going into this with some ridiculously high expectations, as it is deserved .
Human Revolution is a First Person RPG focusing on FPS combat with an open ended style of decision making. The game opens with the same amazing CG cutscene quality that SquareEnix has become famous for. It sets the scene for the themes of the game: corrupt corporations, public unrest at the idea of human advancement, and controlled human evolution. These ideas are all introduced within the first four minutes of the game, really drawing you in for the rest of the story.
The game takes place in 2027 A.D., 25 years before the original Deus Ex, where development of bio-mechanical augmentation by a few elite and powerful companies threatens to destabilize society. The main story follows Adam Jensen, a ex-SWAT, private security officer for one of these companies, as he attempts to figure out who is behind recent attacks on his company. The in-game events eventually lead to the formation of UNATCO, a global anti-terrorist organization formed by the United Nations, tieing it into the story line of the original game.
The game can be played 1 of 3 ways: Stealth, Combative, or Innovative. All have their own pros and cons and all 3 are entertaining to play. In Stealth, you focus on completing missions without being detected or killing any enemies (Except bosses). This mode I think is the most difficult way to play, and should only be attempted by players who like a challenge. In Combative, the gloves are off. Run and gun your way to your objectives, leaving none standing. This mode really takes advantage of the games FPS combat and are for those who enjoy playing the “take no prisoners” style of combat. Innovative is my personal favorite and how I played the game. You use objects around you to defeat enemies and bosses. This can be done by throwing exploding or poisonous gas containers, to hacking the enemies robot bodyguards and reprogramming them to kill. No matter which one you pick you’ll be in for some enjoyable game play.
The graphics in Human Revolution are quite well done in the console versions of the game, and are stunning on the PC (If you have a rig that can play it on max). This added with the CG cut scenes provides a good visual medium for the gameplay and storyline. The audio is also well done, in a way that sets the tone for whatever situation you’re in: combat, stealth, or otherwise. The voice acting is very well done and provides some very engaging NPC’s along the progression of the game.
While playing Human Revolution I found the controls quite intuitive and easy to grasp. The navigation system in the game, though helpful, I believe could have been optimized better to prioritize main and side quest objectives. The use of all the different augmentations in different scenarios provides interesting and unexpected ways to achieve your goals, and I like the Praxis mechanic that allows the player to unlock any augmentations at any point when you level up, leading to true character customization.
All in all I really enjoyed playing through Human Revolution, its engaging story, decision making and character customization allow to to make your game truly your own, add that to the fact that there are many different ways for you to complete missions, and you have a truly unique play experience every-time you run through the game.
Score 9.5 GG’s
Publisher(s): Square Enix
Developer(s): Eidos Montreal
Nixxes Software (PC)
Release Date: August 23, 2011
Platform: PC, Xbox 360, Playstation 3
