Cert: 15
Platform: PS3, X-Box 360, PC
Genre: Action RPG
Watch The Trailer
Deus Ex: Human Revolution is the prequel to the highly regarded, if flawed, 2000 PC game Deus Ex – meaning new players (or reviewers who did not bother with the sequel) need not be put off. The year is 2027 and public opinion is divided on whether augmenting humans with technology is ethical. You play Adam Jensen, the security chief of Sarif Industries, a company specialising in this field. In the opening level, terrorists strike and you are critically injured. Your life is only saved by being augmented. Thus begins your quest for answers and to avenge your ex, and the other workers who died in the attack.
Like its predecessor, the main selling point of the game is the freedom it offers the player. An action RPG, Deus Ex HR allows you to take multiple routes to your objective, multiple ways to complete those routes (avoiding guards, picking them off quietly, shooting everything in sight etc) and multiple ways to augment yourself (hacking skills, strength, cloaking etc). Regardless of how you augment yourself the levels are balanced, providing a challenging but fair route for any game style you specialise in. That unfortunately ends with the boss fights - without some level of specialisation in offensive moves you will have a very frustrating time. This seems somewhat bizarre for the prequel of the game which allowed enough freedom that you could flee from boss fights.
Controls and gameplay are tight, although I had some issues with moving behind cover while armed. I also found that what counts as hidden was subjective. At one point I was in direct line of sight of a guard but he walked on. I moved to a more secluded area only for him to spot me when he returned. Moments like these, however, were the exception rather than the rule. Graphically the game offers impressive level design and visuals, although more work could have been spent on the people populating the levels, are passable at best.
The in-depth game world and plot will keep most players happily occupied for some time. While I enjoyed the experience I did at times find myself disappointed due to my memory of the original. Perhaps an issue of nostalgia but while the levels in Human Revolution are large and complex, they seem tiny compared to the vast maps of the original. Also, while the augmentation / levelling is impressively balanced compared to contemporary games, I preferred the original’s approach, where the augmentation of your character started pre-game and far less experience points were available, making it far more important when choosing your upgrades.
Overall while I personally did not find it quite on par with the original in some regards, in most others (particularly graphically) it far exceeds the original. Regardless of if you played the original or not, Deus Ex HR deserves a spot in your game collection.
Rent or Buy: Buy
Graphics: 4/5
Gameplay: 4/5
Replay: 3.5/5
Overall : 4/5
Reviewed By: JP Gallagher