14 DAY TRIAL // Few video game franchises command such a large cult appeal like Deus Ex, which managed to impress legions of role-playing fans back in 2000, with its great gameplay, variety of missions and, most of all, because you could play it in a variety of ways, from a stealthy, non-combatant, to a big, hulking killing machine.
Now, Eidos Montreal, together with Square Enix, are trying to honor its legacy with Deus Ex: Human Revolution, a prequel that charts the rise of human augmentations and the large part of society that doesn't want anything to do with it.
Promising the same gameplay variety as its predecessors, with sharp graphics and deep role-playing mechanics, Human Revolution has a hard task ahead of it. So, does it manage to respect the first two Deus Ex games or should it be erased from the franchise's history? Let's have a quick look.
Deus Ex: Human Revolution impresses straight from its opening cinematic, depicting a futuristic, cyberpunk world, with impressive golden highlights, taken straight out of science fiction universes like Blade Runner, coupled with some great tracks, reminiscent of the original Mass Effect.
The first bit of actual gameplay sees the protagonist, Adam Jensen, walk through the laboratories of Sarif Industries, one of the leading corporations in the field of augmentations and weapons technology. He's lead by his former love interest, Megan Reed, until he gets to meet David Sarif himself, the boss of the large company.
Things quickly turn sour, as the headquarters are invaded by a bunch of elite mercenaries that destroy pretty much everything in their wake, including Jensen, who must now be revived, in the vein of the Six Million Dollar Man, with a huge amount of augmentations.
Fast forward six months, and Jensen is now more machine than human, but, if that's the price to have cool sunglasses pop into your eyes, not to mention huge blades that extend from your arms or the possibility of using augmented technology in all sorts of things, from hacking to social interaction, then it's a pretty nice tradeoff.
Now, it's time for Jensen to uncover the truth behind the attack as well as the huge number of conspiracies that are going on in the virtual world of the game.
In terms of gameplay, Deus Ex: Human Revolution displays quite a fondness for using stealth whenever possible, as even augmented, Jensen is quite fragile, and enemies are more than willing to pump him full of led whenever possible. Thankfully, the game offers more than ample opportunities to bypass many guards or, when that's not possible, gives the players a shot to take them out quietly.
If that's not your style, then you can hack computers, bypass turrets, and have them do your dirty work by having them target your enemies. If you want a hands-on approach, then a great cover system is in place, so, with the right weapons, very few enemies will give you serious problems.
Deus Ex: Human Revolution is a big game, and I've barely scratched the surface with this quick look. Until our full review at the end of the week, enjoy this introductory video below.