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Deus Ex: Human Revolution Review.
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Post by
Rankkor
This is a Review of the upcoming Video-game "Deus Ex Human Revolution"
As you may or may not know, this game is due to be released in the US this next Thursday, but I managed to get a hold of a leaked beta of the game (that contains roughly 20% of the total product MORE THAN ENOUGH to make an educated guess of the quality of it)
Yes I'll get the retail game when its out, this isn't gonna be the place to trow criticism about leaked betas, specially when the very developers didn't cared much, and actually worked in their favor as EVERYONE who's played it, has given near critical acclaim to it.
so lets begin.
Deus Ex is a franchise of Shooter+RPG hybrid games that have been around since 1999, the first one was a cult hit (modest sales, but a HUGE fan-base) and it was amazing, for those who never played it, you have my deepest condolences. This game was absolutely amazing, complex, and almost made for the PC gamer, with an absolute liberty at how you complete objectives and how you handle yourself on the world. This game was followed by a sequel called Deus Ex invisible war, that sadly was made more for the console gamer in mind (Don't take this as a bash to console gamers, because its not). Since the Xbox has less keys than a PC, the overall game-play was SIGNIFICANTLY dumbed down (1 universal ammo for all weapons, 1 lousy health bar instead of the complex Sub-system Damage the original had, simplified inventory and character customization, less augmentations available, and a LONG ect)
Now, after more than 10 years since the original game, here comes Deus Ex Human Revolution, a prequel to the first game, based 30 years earlier.
PLOT
I wont spoil it, since the biggest gem of this franchise is its complex deep plot, reminiscent of Noir Films, with cyberpunk elements in a dystopian future. Even the poorly received sequel, for all its MANY flaws, it had a great plot, and this game (for what I've been able to see so far) is the same.
This game deals mostly with Trans-humanism, since in the original, a new way to control human evolution is introduced. They are called "Augmentations" which consists of adding mechanical parts to a human being to improve performance in any field. The earlier augmentations were mechanical bio-modifications that replaced limbs and organs with mechanical parts, thus creating cyborgs that bordered on the grotesque. Then along came the Nano-augs, billions of miniature nanomachines injected into the bloodstream, these can do everything a mechanical aug does, without looking like a cybernetic freak, really the only noticeable difference between a nano-aug human and a regular one is that their eyes glow in the dark.
This game however takes place during the year 2027, 25 years before Deus Ex. Nanotechnological augmentations have yet to be developed and biomechanical augmentations are the current state of the art. The main protagonist, Adam Jensen, a former swat-commander now turned private security officer with Sarif Industries, a leading company that specializes in human augmentations. The game begins with a brutal attack on his company that leaves him horrifically injured and forced to undergo augmentation to survive, setting the plot in motion. Indeed most of the plot revolves in unmasking who were the mysterious augmented spec ops team that attacked the corporation. The player will visit five cities over the course of the game, including Detroit, Shanghai and Montreal. In addition, the protagonist will have his own apartment where he may store his secrets and collected information. To reveal more would spoil several surprises, suffice to say that, this game being deus ex, expect plenty of conspiracy theories, a great deep plot, and a few plot twists on the way. I'll just leave this here: Things are not what it seems (EVER), this is the type of game where NOTHING must be taken at face value (is that the right expression?)
GAMEPLAY.
The game plays almost entirely as a standard First person shooter, save for certain contextual exceptions (Taking cover takes you to third person view, as does performing melee attacks, and using certain augmentations). Killing enemies (Or neutralizing them in a non-lethal way), exploring, completing quests, discovering secret areas, and many more actions reward experience which grant you "praxis points" once you level up. These praxis points serve as the talent point system in the game, allowing you to unlock multiple augmentations such as x-ray vision, a hacking interface, a built-in lie detector on your skull, increased strength, speed, agility, dermic armor, and more. There's more than 21 different augs to unlock and upgrade.
Like augs, the weapons are all customizable, from the standard mods that increase Fire power, ammo capacity, reload speed, and recoil, to unique mods such as laser sights, scopes, silencers, and even some nice goodies like the "Target tracker" (READ: tag an enemy, and every bullet fired will automatically hit that enemy, even if u fire blind from a corner)
The game uses a Regenerative health system, but no, don't go thinking "OMG Ths is like call of duty" because is far from it. For a start, only a couple of shots are enough to kill you, even on the easiest difficulty, if you go guns blazing ala Rambo, you will meet the game over screen multiple times (Unless you take the dermic armor aug and upgrade it but even then) plus health regens slower, u need to be 10 seconds without taking damage, and takes almost a full minute to regen all of your health.
This game allows you a degree of freedom reminiscent of Fallout in that there are multiple ways to advance in a mission, from going in the front, talking your way in, sneaking your way in, and hacking your way in. Almost every mission has over 3 different endings (though the game, being a prequel likely will have only 1 =/ )
It uses a grid inventory system to store your items, and unlike the first and second game, ammo isn't stored in hyperspace, it actually takes a physical spot on the inventory, so ammo management is important. MAke each shot count (unless on easy and with a modded assault rifle, then just open up and watch them drop like flies).
One important part of this game is the "Takedown" feature, each time you get close to an enemy if you have "Bio-energy" (The equivalent of mana in this game) you can tap T to perform a non-lethal takedown move on the enemy, or hold T for a lethal one. Are they impressive?
yes they are
.
Even the Social element on this game is impressive. During a conversation, your built-in lie detector allows you to perform an in-spot phycological profile of the person in question, to better determinate what emotional stance to take (Empathetic, Sympathetic, cold, detached, Harsh, ect) Different people have different reactions, different personalities, and each must be convinced in a different way to cooperate. I gotta say, its MILES away from the simple "persuasion check" most RPGs tend to do, as here you actually have to convince folks to do what you want by using the correct stances.
Watch this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrel1eTaVGA
(around the 1:25 mark starts the persuasion mini-games)
Overall, this game mixes the best elements of straight shooters, stealth third person games (like metal gear or hitman) and adventure games (Like mass Effect). Its a must-have.
MUSIC
Human Revolution has a fantastic sound-track, there really isn't much to say about it, since a simple video can explain better than me how epic their music is. Just enjoy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6JTvzrpBy0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hkxjp5pIwl8&feature=fvst
(This one is a live-action commercial made by an in-game terrorist faction that opposes bio-modification. All of the music in this trailer is from the game)
GRAPHICS
.
This is a pretty heavy game, if you own a PC, you'll need a strong rig to run this at its max settings, if u're a poor sap like me, with an old PC, don't fret, the game runs as long as you have at least 2 Gb of ram and a graphics card Nvidia 8000 or superior. If allowed to stretch its legs, this is a STUNNING game, with great visual effects, fantastic shading system, realistic facial animations, and the best-rendered sunglasses you'll ever see in a videogame xD
REPLAYABILITY
:
this is one of those games that allow up to 5 different replays. I gotta say, I love Mass Effect (I'm using it as a comparison since these games are similar) but one thing ME disappointed me on, is that it has a replay value of 2. Play the game as renegade, or as paragon, thats it. Deus Ex (All of them) have a huge replay value, simply because of the sheer freedom allowed in how you complete your objectives and who u decide to help. It doesn't have a "karma meter" you don't get to choose to "play good" or "Play bad" you are an investigator with a job to do and you will do it, the difference lies in what methods you are willing to use. A terrorist leader has a hostage, you can A: let both go, B: fight the terrorist and incapacitate him (This leads to the hostage being killed) Fight the terrorist and kill him (this also leads to a dead hostage) or talk to the terrorist and convince to let the hostage go. Each of these has a repercussion later on, and it creates a "fame" for your character.
A ruthless player that doesn't care one iota for a hostage, will not bother to save any, and thus in future missions, when terrorists see you, they will execute the hostages because they know you wont be moved by them, while on the other hand, a more compassionate player earns a fame of a good hostage negotiator, and thus in the future, terrorists (or other enemies) may be more open to dialog with you.
All in all, the possibilities are endless, and there are so many different styles to do this (Need to infiltrate the morgue of the police precinct? you can A: try to convince an old friend to let you in, B: Storm the precinct guns-blazing, C: Infiltrate it without being seen, D: Bribe someone else to take what you need in there for you, ect)
This degree of freedom (mixed with the different emotional stances you can take, from being depressed over being half-machine, to being a near psychotic guy with delusions of divinity due to your implants)
OVERALL
This is a must-have. Simple as that. You love shooters? get this game. you love RPGs? get this game. You love deep engaging storylines? (Specially ones set in gritty dystopian futures like blade runner?) get this game. You enjoy stealth-based games? get this game. You liked the nice cinematic conversations of Mass effect? get this game.
We're looking here at a once-in-a-generation kind of game. Gems like this only show their heads once every 10 years, so dont waste any time and get this as soon as its out.
Post by
Thror
Why thank you, as if I wasn't already mad enough that it is not bloody friday yet! (It comes out on friday for Europe.)
Post by
gnomerdon
Thanks for the review and your diligence. However, I was only able to read 3% of it, and click on the youtube link.
Whatever it is, it's a good game and should be fun for those who like these type of games.
Post by
Thror
I just found the soundtrack on Youtube. Now there is something I can do while waiting for release <3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Osb5MkpMNOo
Also rankkorr, nicely written review. :)
Post by
Rankkor
I just found the soundtrack on Youtube. Now there is something I can do while waiting for release <3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Osb5MkpMNOo
Also rankkorr, nicely written review. :)
nice find :P and thanks.
I did forgot to include the con's of this game (they are so few, and utterly drowned by the pro's I simply forgot)
SO I'll mention them briefly here.
First off, it doesn't have a quick-save function (Though this one could simply be the fault of the beta, it IS an unfinished product after all, and it has plenty of bugs that one has to asume wont be on the retail version)
But the real gripe is that it doesnt' have melee weapons at all. So, if you run out of bullets, and run out of bio-energy to use Takedown moves, you're a goner, pretty much. Also, no melee weapons means you cant break boxes silently to clear obstacles, and impedes you from finishing off quietly incapacitated foes until you get a suppressor for your pistol or assault rifle.
Another Con, is that Lockpicks and multitools were removed, everything in this game is done by hacking. Need to unlock a keypad? hack it. need to unlock a door, hack the PC that controls the locks and open it. Need to unlock a computer? (Duh) hack it. I personally liked it more when you managed the 3 =/
Also, most of your augs are passive =/ only 4 of them are active (Cloak, X-ray vision, Typoon claymore, and Icarus Landing) the others are mostly passive, or contextual.
And last but not least, the random chatter of NPCs is much limited. On the original game and its sequel you could talk to random non-plot related NPCs on the street and get several lines of dialog from each of them. In this game, every single random pedestrian has only 2 lines, unless they are part of the plot, with an actual conversation. Though this too could be because its a beta, time will tell.
Putting these aside, we're looking at a great game here.
Post by
Thror
Also, most of your augs are passive =/ only 4 of them are active (Cloak, X-ray vision, Typoon claymore, and Icarus Landing) the others are mostly passive, or contextual.
Wasnt there an aug that enabled you to perform the "punch throuh wall > necksnap" maneuver too?
Post by
Rankkor
Also, most of your augs are passive =/ only 4 of them are active (Cloak, X-ray vision, Typoon claymore, and Icarus Landing) the others are mostly passive, or contextual.
Wasnt there an aug that enabled you to perform the "punch throuh wall > necksnap" maneuver too?
that's one of the contextual augs, it can only be used when an enemy is behind a wall. Most augs are passive, others are contextual (Meaning they are only used in very specific situations and not general use) Such as the lie-detector, or the "punch-wall" move.
I wish we could had had more active augs, but ohh well, this game is suposed to be 25 years before the original Deus Ex, so augs are meant to be less advanced.
Post by
Thror
So after the first day of Deus Ex, I must say, DAYUM this game is good.
Post by
Jubilee
I'm half way through the second or whatever level and there is one glaring omission, unless I'm totally blind, and that is the lack of melee weapons. I loved being able to go non-lethal in the first game, and while you can in this game, as far as I can tell you're out of options if you get into a fight without any tranq darts or stun charges. Some actual hand to hand combat would be nice, and not just sneak attacks.
I should mention that this is one of the cleanest running games I've played in a while. Alt-tabbing is seamless and instant, saving takes all of half a second, and the game runs well.
Post by
pnkflffytutu
Unless something is wrong with the game I have the graphics aren't too amazing, I'm not complaining they're fine,but they aren't like crysis 2 good.
Post by
Atik
I picked this game up.
I don't know. I don't like it... at all really...
I'm a huge first person shooter fan, and a big RPG fan. But I don't like the mixing of the two.
One of my biggest problems came from the actual combat. The huge gaps of time with no action bored me, and then when combat started up, it got really old really fast. I mean, I like being forced into cover, but the fact that one enemy was a massive threat bugged me.
I'm not a fan of stealth games or takedown system, so that just killed it for me.
Post by
Thror
If you do not like mixing genres, do not buy games that mix genres. The game advertised that it is a shooter/RPG/stealth action game, you can easilly see that in every trailer, and Rankorr also says it in his review.
I'm half way through the second or whatever level and there is one glaring omission, unless I'm totally blind, and that is the lack of melee weapons. I loved being able to go non-lethal in the first game, and while you can in this game, as far as I can tell you're out of options if you get into a fight without any tranq darts or stun charges. Some actual hand to hand combat would be nice, and not just sneak attacks.
I should mention that this is one of the cleanest running games I've played in a while. Alt-tabbing is seamless and instant, saving takes all of half a second, and the game runs well.
Yeah, I really loved the save speed and easy alt tabbing too. The loading times are a little slow on my pc though, they usually go around like 30 seconds... which is kinda long, esp. during trial/error parts.
I don't really mind the lack of melee weapons tbh, I think if they were in the game, they would either have to rebalance the damage (so that melee Jensen is a viable playstyle -> because with current damage you would in 99% die 5 seconds after getting out of cover), or have them as something that is not as cool as takedowns and is almost never used.
I decided to play the game stealthily, and I am really stunned by how much it plays like Metal Gear Solid. The level design is gorgeous, there are always interesting paths. Oh, I also put a lot of points into my Hacking (I can already hack level 5 things, have maxed Fortifying and Stealth hacking), and I love how there are millions of hackable things, I pretty much hack all the time.
I went through all the levels up to now (I just came to the Chinese town, spoiler alert: compared to Detroit... IT IS ENORMOUS) without killing a single person, and being detected, so i pretty much don't have an idea about how combat works lol. Experience bonuses <3
Unless something is wrong with the game I have the graphics aren't too amazing, I'm not complaining they're fine,but they aren't like crysis 2 good.
Can't say really, I play on DirectX 9, so not max settings... but yea, it does not seem to be like extremely top notch in the texture quallity department (I think models are alright though... a higher texture quality mod could make the game look a lot better). What I really love about it though is how awesome everything looks. To explain how I mean it... clutter. Every place in the game is littered with a lot of crap that should be there. I love how offices, labs, appartments, everything is messy. In the city streets, you see shops with marchandise, and every single piece of marchandise is made up by the game designers and had to be graphically designed.
Oh, also one really neat thing I loved: Adam's appartment! I literally scanned every single item in there, because it was so full of character I couldn't believe it. I can relate to a hero who has a messy appartment so much more than to, say Shepard who has a supersqueky clean captain room with freaking fish. And the box of cereal Adam has on one table made me rofl. The character on it is totally Dexter's Laboratory drawing style.
Post by
Atik
If you do not like mixing genres, do not buy games that mix genres. The game advertised that it is a shooter/RPG/stealth action game, you can easilly see that in every trailer, and Rankorr also says it in his review.
The only trailer I say has the main character staring at his fist and saying stuff, then it zooms out with some cool graphical effects to a paicture of him walking and the game title written over him...
SUPER informative...
Also, FYI: No game is going to be "Crysis 2 good" because crysis 2 uses the most advanced graphics engine to date, including an entirely new realalistic lighting system which causes light to bend around and bounche off of objects in a real life fasion.
Post by
Rankkor
I'm half way through the second or whatever level and there is one glaring omission, unless I'm totally blind, and that is the lack of melee weapons. I loved being able to go non-lethal in the first game, and while you can in this game, as far as I can tell you're out of options if you get into a fight without any tranq darts or stun charges. Some actual hand to hand combat would be nice, and not just sneak attacks.
I should mention that this is one of the cleanest running games I've played in a while. Alt-tabbing is seamless and instant, saving takes all of half a second, and the game runs well.
yes, forgot to mention that too. :S the game doesn't have any melee weapon at all.
The only melee weapon in the game is the "Take-down" feature, which can be used lethally or non lethally. That being said, while the takedowns are fun, and cool, and all that, they require Bio-energy to be used, so in a firefight you need to carefully manage your ammo, because if you are out of ammo, and out of bioenergy, you're basically screwed. IT would had been nice to pull out the swords attached to your arms to use them as regular melee weapons =/
also as of yet I still dont have this game T_T it hasnt arrived in my country yet, and I'm DIEING to play it.
I'm not a fan of stealth games, so that just killed it for me
erm, if you dont like stealth games, why buy a stealth game? that trailer you saw was the teaser, WAAAAY back when the game was still in development, any recent trailer will have shown how the game is mostly about sneaking arround.
Heck, you can kill enemies, but you gain more experience by using non-lethal force (Read: killing enemies= 10 exp. Killing enemies with a shot to the head= 20 exp, Killing enemies with a takedown= 30 exp. Compare that to: Taking out an enemy non-lethally= 30 exp, taking out an enemy non-lethally with a headshot (from the tranquilizer rifle)= 40 exp, Taking out an enemy non-lethally with a melee takedown = 50 exp)
besides, Deus Ex has been known as the Pioneer of Shooter+RPG hybrid, and every review, preview, advertisement, and website that mentions it doesn't hide the fact that its a RPG+stealth+shooter hybrid.
Unless something is wrong with the game I have the graphics aren't too amazing, I'm not complaining they're fine,but they aren't like crysis 2 good.
dude.......... these days comparing anything to crisys 2, is like comparing wolfenstein 3D (the original FPS) to half-life 2. Come on, EVERY GAME in the market compared to crysis 2 has non-impressive graphics. Compared to something else in the market, the graphics of Human Revolution are pretty darned good.
Oh, also one really neat thing I loved: Adam's appartment! I literally scanned every single item in there, because it was so full of character I couldn't believe it. I can relate to a hero who has a messy appartment so much more than to, say Shepard who has a supersqueky clean captain room with freaking fish. And the box of cereal Adam has on one table made me rofl. The character on it is totally Dexter's Laboratory drawing style.
:P I gotta be honest here, I love Adam's apartment too, but there's a reason why shepard has a super-clean room, and that's because he lives on a ship....... of which he's the captain. As such, s/he has room-service. Shepard has the luxury of being a total pig, and care little for consequences, since s/he has a crew that cleans his/her room and feeds the fishes there. Just tought I had to point that out.
Ugh, if I'm lucky, in about 4 hours Human Revolution will be on the store I frequently buy my games, the dude there told me it was either this saturday, or the next one :S
Post by
Thror
Ah, so there is one advantage of takedowns over the Stun Gun. I have been mostly using the Stun Gun, because I often throw a box into a corner to attract the guards, then when they search the area I super quickly stun one while he is just outside of the hearing range of other guards, and this way I can dispatch entire zones of enemies (if they are getting in my way too much). Can't do this with takedowns... even though I have my legs augmented for silent sprinting, they can hear me from very close.
Update: No they can't hear me from very close :] I just found out I need to activate the silent running to run silently. Wohoo, sprint takedowns ftw.
Post by
Atik
besides, Deus Ex has been known as the Pioneer of Shooter+RPG hybrid, and every review, preview, advertisement, and website that mentions it doesn't hide the fact that its a RPG+stealth+shooter hybrid.
I had never heard of the series before this. It looked something like Fallout or Oblivion, where one could be stealthy or go rambo.
I mean, a single moment could have saved the game for me. If there had just been one shining moment where I could burst from my cover, assult rifle blazing, and take down the crowd of enemies... I would have been happy.
But instead I was stuck watching the same takedown over and over again... Hell, at least give me an option to skip the animation.
And I make it a point not to read reviews before buying a game. They all either praise a game as godly, or shun it as an unplayable mess. I've never seen a review just call a game "okay" or "good."
Post by
Interest
It helps to spell/use correct grammar, but I liked the review, especially consider I also write up walls of text to review video games.
Post by
Thror
Heh, what a good achievement. "The Foxiest of the Hounds" -> Never set off an alarm during the game. It sucks that I do not know if I didn't already miss this, but I don't think I did... I usually destroy all the alarm things. Anyway, what I like about this achievement is the name, which si a reference to Metal Gear Solid's
Fox Hound
unit. (I only played MGS1 where Fox Hound members played a major role, but I think they were around in some form in all the sequels too... MGS4 has Liquid Ocelot so definitely.)
Did you guys also notice the Adam has no shadow? :D He is a cyber-vampire!
So far I have 27 hours played, and the story is awesome. I wonder what's gonna happen next. Oh, and I have had two boss fights so far, and the second one was even harder than the first UGH.
I also have a lot of augs leveled pretty high now, and it's amazing. I recently learned the Icarus Landing System... and I can't believe how awesome it is.
No
fall damage no matter the height from which I drop, and a super awesome graphic on top of that. There was one secret area back in HongKong which I could only reach if I would have it, and I didn't :( Even though the loss was just one weapon mod, it still made me sad :B
Oh and I also like how the difficulty of the "stealth game" is
not
going down as I progress. I can't imagine stealthing through the last level I was in without the silent running, cloak field, and showing view cones on my radar. Some cameras are also placed on the most cruel places. Hacking a security hub that controls cameras in most cases means the difficulty going down by a fair amount, because the cameras often prevent me from dispatching guards. With guards unprotected, I can "desaturate" the perimeter to make it easier to sneak through.
Btw, If anyone was choosing hard where to put points, here is an advice from me: It is very hard to find any lvl 4 and lvl 5 things to hack. Any quest related hacking never demanded more than lvl 2 hacking, and security terminals are always level 2-3, even if they control combat mechs.
Post by
MyTie
Coooover baaaseeeed yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawwwwwnnnnnnnnnn *whew* first person shooter.
Post by
pnkflffytutu
Coooover baaaseeeed yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawwwwwnnnnnnnnnn *whew* first person shooter.
Only if you try to play it that way. If you chose to play it as a stealth game like splinter cell it becomes 10x harder and longer (inb4 thats what she said?)
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