E3: Deus Ex: Human Revolution

allistairp

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E3: Deus Ex: Human Revolution

Deus Ex: Human Revolution may not have the depth of the original, but damn if it doesn't look good.

In the HD era, developers can't take chances like Ion Storm did in 1999. The original Deus Ex was a passion project that presented an open-world filled with a myriad of narrative and strategic possibilities. For instance, you could focus on upgrading your lockpicking ability and use it early in the game to unveil a major narrative twist eight hours early. Revolution may not offer the same depth in its world and narrative structure, but it gives players a wealth of options in how goals are accomplished.

Square Enix presented a behind closed doors E3 demo of Revolution, which took place during a mission halfway into the game. Protagonist Adam Jensen must break into a medical facility and steal surveillance footage - getting caught in the act and firing upon security is just one of the many ways the mission can play out.

Unlike previous Revolution demos, the alternate paths in this mission were less obvious and restrictive, requiring the player to have certain upgrades in order to use a shortcut. At one point in the mission, Jensen discovered a drop in the ventilation system that he could follow down in order to get to a security booth. With the Icarus Landing System augment, he is able to slide down the shaft without taking damage from the drop. Without it, he would have to find another way in or fight security guards directly.

The demo focused on all the different augments available to the player, which either make combat or avoiding combat easier. These augments are purchased through Piraxis points which you obtain as you level up your character. Using these augments wisely is the key to survival and the only way you'll be able to complete the game with only non-lethal takedowns (with the exception of bosses). Other examples in the demo included a double takedown ability that would make Assassin's Creed's Ezio blush; Jensen picks one guard up, violently tosses him into the other, and then knocks them out while they are on the ground.

Even if you have augments unlocked, you still need resources to use them. Each augment takes one section of your ability bar to use. The player has one ability bar that replenishes, but the rest (which you gain as you level up) need to be replenished via items.

Along with expanding your inventory, you can spend Piraxis points on augments that will help you navigate hazardous areas. One area was had an electric field, preventing intruders from entering. With the right augment, Jensen could step right through it but without it, it provided a platforming obstacle course. Augments are not always flashy, some are just practical. Later in the demo, Jensen needed to reach the floor above him, surrounded by security, in order to proceed. By augmenting his arm strength, he repositioned a convenience machine and used it as a platform to jump on to and reach the balcony above.

Revolution is a great looking game with a focus on shiny metal and blacks and golds. It's a futuristic vision unlike the grey and brown ones we've been playing over the past five years. However, some of the character models look lifeless and strange. It's not Fallout 3 levels of "oh god, what is wrong with that guy's face," but it's not going to be mistaken for Mass Effect 3's detailed face models. Equally impressive is the soundtrack, which sounds like the score of Inception, shifting from loud to quiet, mixed with elements of the original Deus Ex reinterpreted.

In many ways, the original Deus Ex mirrored a Zelda title in its structure. Throughout the game, you entered large cities filled with civilians, hidden areas and mission areas (read: dungeons). It worries me that the demo's presenter pointed out Revolution's civilian areas, as we were shown a hallway with NPCs walking about. For a next-gen sequel, I expect even larger, more detailed areas than the original - not a hallway with a couple characters ready to delivery some expository dialog. However, the demo took place during a mission, so perhaps we will see larger civilian hubs in the finished game.

We'll be able to see just how faithful Revolution is to the original when it comes out August 23 for PC, PS3 and 360.

See all our coverage directly from the show floor. [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/conferences/e3_2011 ]

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King_Serpent

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From the other reviews I have seen of the game they do move thorughout large expanses of cities so it was only the mission you were in with the hall way.
 

RA92

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I was a bit skeptical about this at first, but I'm now thoroughly convinced DX3 is going to be awesome.

PC gamers worried that this will be shoddy console port - remember, we're getting the best version. RPS faced no crashes when running the beta version, and it'll support DX11 and the AMD Eyefinity.

You'll be able to do this - with up to six monitors:

http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/images/11/may/3d.jpg

People who complain about FPS games' lack of peripheral vision: suck it!

Come here and let me give you a hug, Nixxes.
 

de5gravity

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I played the prebuild version and it's AWESOME seriously (and i'm a fan of the original). I was hoping the faces would not be final because they look seriously bad, except for the main character and some important vilains/allies, everyone else look so bad! I wonder why. Everything else looks and feels good tho, and the gameplay really is riddled with possibilities, so i guess it makes up for it. Pre ordered!
 

MindBullets

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TheIronRuler said:
"Deus Ex: Human Revolution may not have the depth of the original"
I stopped reading here.
Then sorry, but you are being closed minded. Very few things are ever going to match the depth of the original, especially not in this current era, but this game looks to be making the best possible effort to do so. They're not making another IW here.

Will it be as good as Deus Ex was in its day? No, but it's still probably going to be good enough to be a worthy sequel. Probably more worthy than Duke Nukem Forever seems to be for its own series.
 

Odjin

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It would have been better if they spend more time looking at the original Deus-Ex than fiddling with graphics... then the game would have been actually good. If it would have been some generic FPS game it would have been rather okay but for the "Deus-Ex tag" it sucks too much ;)
 

DaHero

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Ugh...sadly I have to save up my money...school tuition is going up by at least 20% for the fall v.v
 

ResonanceGames

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Everything I've heard sounds like there is just as much depth as the original, but in a few different ways. While the skills system is gone, the augmentation system has been greatly enhanced and expanded. Nothing dumbed-down about that, it's just a different -- and equally valid -- approach to the same problem.

Also, the size and interactivity of the hubs look like they're closer to something like Bloodlines than the original DE, which means more side quests, more characters, and more options.

People seem to remember the areas in DE being much larger and more lively than they actually were. In reality most of them were actually pretty small and empty.

The few things that have been simplified look like they've been more than made up for with expansions in other areas. Though I'm STILL not sold on the cover system. They said Deadly Shadows would be fine 3rd person too, and it totally bothered me. But it's a minor gripe.
 

TheIronRuler

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cursedseishi said:
TheIronRuler said:
"Deus Ex: Human Revolution may not have the depth of the original"
I stopped reading here.
Wow, I guess you forgot to put your monocle on huh, that old-timer sight of yours makes it pretty darn hard to read anything but bold print I'm guessing.
That's very insensitive.
How would you feel if someone made fun of your drawbacks?
It's not my fault that my eyes are impaired! How dare you judge me by the fact I require a monocle to feel like a normal person among my peers!
 

TheIronRuler

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cursedseishi said:
TheIronRuler said:
cursedseishi said:
TheIronRuler said:
"Deus Ex: Human Revolution may not have the depth of the original"
I stopped reading here.
Wow, I guess you forgot to put your monocle on huh, that old-timer sight of yours makes it pretty darn hard to read anything but bold print I'm guessing.
That's very insensitive.
How would you feel if someone made fun of your drawbacks?
It's not my fault that my eyes are impaired! How dare you judge me by the fact I require a monocle to feel like a normal person among my peers!
Ahh, at least your wit is still as sharp as a well-kept, late 19nth century rapier!
A commoner like yourself would not know the true history of the magnificent rapier, as it wasn't used in the last nineteenth century. I preferred a swordstick at the time, It allowed me to keep my posture and prestige while allowing myself to defend myself against any vagabond with a saber and a burning desire to be hanged at the gallows.
Arivaderchi, my dear nemesis.
 

Cowabungaa

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Feb 10, 2008
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TheIronRuler said:
"Deus Ex: Human Revolution may not have the depth of the original"
I stopped reading here.
I'm just going to second the other poster by agreeing that yes, that's quite close-minded of you. I've played the preview version and honestly, it's damn impressive and comes pretty close to the original in terms of RPG gameplay.
 

The Random One

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Even if it's not as good as the original, from the trailers and previews it looks like it'll still be leagues beyond what you usually get these days.

Also, if you can still move vending machines around to climb hard to reach areas, I approve.
 

SirCannonFodder

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Nov 23, 2007
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TheIronRuler said:
"Deus Ex: Human Revolution may not have the depth of the original"
I stopped reading here.
Actually, having played through the beta (I had the collector's edition pre-ordered already anyway, figured I might as well see what my money's getting me), I'd say it has as much, if not more, depth than the original. I'm on my 4th play-through of those first 12-ish hours so far, each time exploring it as thoroughly as possible, and I'm still finding new paths, hidey-holes, dialogue, etc. Eg, take the "dialogue battle" you can have with Adam Jensen's old SWAT colleague to get into the police station (of course, there's at least 3 other routes to get in, not counting just blasting your way through). There are 4 or 5 rounds of dialogue, and in each round you have 3 options ("Plead", "Crush", and "Absolve). However, your choices in previous rounds affect the dialogue you get in later rounds, meaning the dialogue truly branches. Eg, if you pick "plead" in round 2, you get a different result depending on which of the 3 options you picked in round 1.

That aside, it hasn't really wowed me the same way the original did the first time I played it, and overall it pretty much feels like a bigger, HD version of the original.