Wednesday 31 August 2011

Deus Ex Human Revolution Review



Deus Ex one was and still is one of the greatest games of all time, it pioneered and showed the way of what games could be.Showing that Stories could be more than just save the princess and gameplay can be complex.   Games like "Mass Effect”, “Dragon Age”, and The Fallout games are all based from what Deus Ex did. Four years later a squeal to Deus Ex came out call "Invisible War" which redefined what the word "shit" with its stupid controls lack lustier story and gameplay and it was all around bad. Now 7 years later Deus Ex Human Revolution has come and is trying to give us a game that is as good as the original. So does this Revolution succeeds or is crushed by its brother.

The story takes place 20 years prior to the original so genetic augmentations are unknown but mechanical augmentations are in full swing and making people scared. You play Adam Jensen an ex-Swat now turned chief of security at one of the companies who design augmentations "Serif industries". At the beginning of the game Serif is attacked by unknown forces (let’s just call them terrorists for now), during this attack the terrorists kill what I think is your love interest's scientists and you (Adam) are gravely injured. This leaves you to become the Six Million Dollar Man! Adam is better, Stronger and Faster than he once was. So after the intro it's time to let the conspiracies begin! As everything after the intro is really difficult to explain without spoiling the whole game and taking moments out of the game will just make you confused I’ll just cut this short. The Story is really really good, if you’re a fan of conspiracy books you'll love this story sometimes it can be a bit by the numbers but all in all it's a good story and something you shouldn't miss.  I finished the game in around 11-15 hours however I do know I missed some things so you can consider it a 20 hour campaign if you feel like doing every single thing Deus Ex has to offer. 

Now for the gameplay and let me tell you that this really makes this game into a good game to a great game. The great thing about any Deus Ex game (including that other game) is that you could really the level your way ether going guns blazing or slick and sneaky. I personally went with a stealthy approach never going thought the front always the back way (yeah yeah har har), using a stun gun and silenced pistol, this got me though 90% of the game and was always effective for most of the game. The problem is that someone thought it would be a good idea to put boss battles in the game (oh it gets worse), the bosses are only really effected by weapons such as machine guns and shotguns. So if you’re like me you find yourself using a pistol which is like using a water pistol ageist a lion, it rarely works out. The last boss especially is a complete nightmare and there’s a special place in hell reserved for the man (or woman) who designed that boss. To be perfectly franc to the designers, boss battles haven't been relevant since 1999 and they just end up bring a sledge hammer down on the almost perfect pacing of the game. That said the final level is also a nightmare as ammo for pistols become obsolete and enemies come in huge waves leaving you with no choice but to use the heavy machine gun, however as I can't really find a way they could of fixed this without disrupting the atmosphere of the game I think I’ll let them off this one.

Talking of atmosphere the game brings a truly original art style of which I've hardly seem a style like it (only in one or two indie titles but that's it). It brings Deus Ex from an average looking game to something that stands out. It's yellow and black aesthetic pleases the eyes making the game look better than it probably is (there’s a physiology article about this but I can't find it). However areas of the game blend together becoming one so nothing really stands out and become forgettable. There are two main locations Detroit and Heng Sha, why couldn't one of thoughts locations have a different art aesthetic? They are different cultures after all.

Now for the augmentations, this is what makes a Deus Ex game. Deus Ex has a bucket load of augmentations from super strength to invisibility and there all 100% customized to your liking. for example I went with a high hacking skill with invisibility and super strength. This worked well as turning on invisibility darting to cover without being seen and sneaking pass enemies was a good was to no being seen. The only downside is that some augmentations take up a huge amount of energy and your power supply isn't the biggest in the world. So most times I would just not use them and stick with instant take downs (which takes a whole bar of energy) and normal ways of progression. You can upgrade your energy however it's not very useful because if you use up one bar it won't recharge unless you eat an energy bar, which can be quite annoying at times.

I didn't really mind the hacking mini game it was OK better than other games (Bioshock) and sometime it got frenetic which is good. Finally a thumbs up for the truly impressive soundtrack thought the game, really gave the game an extra layer of enjoyment.    

All in all Deus Ex Human Revolution is just brilliant probably one of my game of the year games (with Portal 2 and... ummmm) I do have a few gripes with it like no melee weapons (except for the take-downs) but I didn't really mind till the middle of the game and a few areas of the games. However I forgive them with the story, gameplay and the little Easter eggs though out the game that just make it a Deus Ex game. So pick it up you won't regret it.

Liam Hackett