Deus Ex: Human Revolution: Director’s Cut+ Missing Link DLC (2011)
Platform Played: PC and Xbox
Publisher: Square Enix and Feral Interactive
Developers: Eidos Montreal
Price: $19.99 on Steam
[Spoilers Minimized]
An immersive single-player experience. And single-player is my favorite way to play.
Background:Deus Ex (2000) is one of my favorite games ever. I can say the same of Deus Ex Human Revolution, (DXHR) the third installment of the series. The player character is Adam Jensen, a former police officer who served in tactical and investigative roles. Jensen is now serving as a corporate investigator/security chief for Sarif Industries, a biotech megacorporation. After a raid on the premises of Sarif Industries, Jensen involuntarily becomes a cyborg. This is when things get interesting.
Jensen’s investigations lead him through urban jungles in Detroit and China. He’ll battle commandos, crooked cops, terrorists, activists, and drones. With a rich atmosphere, stirring soundtrack and excellent gameplay: The adventure will be interesting for the player. I have played this game three times: once on an Xbox 360, and twice on a PC. This game has replayability just like the original Deus Ex made by Warren Spector and company at Ion Storm. It remains true to original’s formula as well. Why? Choices, level design, and of course the story.
Choices: Like the original game back in 2000 you have choices in your character’s development. Will Adam Jensen be an adept hacker? Or will Adam be a one man ‘brute squad’ spearheaded by Andre The Giant as he has fun ‘stormin the castle.’ This is one level of decision making the player will face. Dialogue has choices that have consequences. The player will confront desperate characters in this game. Negotiations have long lasting or permanent consequences: life or death ones. Choose your words carefully and know your audience.
At the onset of the first level of the game, Adam has to choose whether or not to use lethal or less than lethal force while engaging enemies. This choice is a perpetual one through the game. This choice runs parallel with using covert or overt methods of engaging targets as well. Will Adam stick with suppressed weapons or silent takedowns? Or will rocket launchers and shotguns be the first line of offense? Again, the beauty of this game is the choices available to the player.
Side quests are optional too. In my first two playthroughs, I attempted all of them. Rarely are they ever ‘kill the rat’ quests like in Elder Scrolls III and IV, but there are a few bad apples. The player can generally figure out which side quests are worth doing in the first playthrough, and if they trust their judgment they won’t waste any time.
Level Design: Indoors and outdoors, the levels provide captivating visual scenes. From corridor shootouts to sneaking through laboratories and server farms, and from crawling through ducts and wading through sewage: DXHR has it all. Breakable walls and moveable set pieces provide tactical advantages and disadvantages. The stage is well set for this cyberpunk adventure. Detroit will remind you of the original’s New York streets. The levels in China will remind you of Blade Runner.
Story: This is an action packed sci-fi detective story. You’ll look for clues, battle terrorists and mercenaries and uncover an international conspiracy against world civilization and augmented humans. Adam Jensen can be an angelic ex cop, or an antihero contingent on the player’s actions. Deus Ex Human Revolution is a game worth playing. Playing it for a third time reminded me of how excited I am for Mankind Divided, the sequel coming out this year. The Missing Link DLC is good, but in my opinion it was unneccesary to completing the final game as a whole. The story in it is enjoyable though. Deus Ex Human Revolution is a worthy equal or successor to the original game.
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