
	Platform PC, Playstation 3, Xbox 360 Genre Action / RPG Publisher Square Enix Developer Eidos Montreal ETA August 23, 2011

Review: Deus Ex: Invisible War (XB) Review: Deus Ex: The Conspiracy (PS2) Review: BioShock 2 (360)
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Deus Ex: Human Revolution

On the last day of E3, for the last media demonstration of the show, I managed to get in on the last live demo of Deus Ex: Human Revolution. I should preface this by saying that I was a die hard fan of the original Deus EX. I loved exploring the storyline, making different choices, and seeing how JC Denton could have turned out. It had the feel of an open world game bound within the mechanics of a shooter. I was less enamored of the sequel.

Having gone so long between games, one has to wonder if maybe Human Revolution would suffer the same fate as Duke Nukem Forever: a game with new

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paint, but tragically trapped in the past. Wonder no longer. From the live demo we were shown, it appears that Eidos Montreal has crafted a worthy successor to the original.

While the early Unreal engine did some great stuff for the original game, the new engine employed for Human Revolution looks utterly fabulous. There's definitely a very golden

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hue that appears to be thematic throughout, suggesting surface shine hiding rot and corruption underneath. There are excellent special effects such as the X-ray vision, the energy discharge that serves to cushion the main character as he drops from large heights, and even the Tsunami sub-munitions as they pop out in slow motion.

It should be pointed out that while the original game's cybernetics were more subtle in their appearance, that might well have been merely a limitation of the first generation Unreal engine. With the new engine, the cybernetics are more obvious, but at the same time far more detailed, which certainly helps sell the idea that we're looking at an earlier point in the history of the DX universe.

Set 25 years before the original game, Human Revolution tells the story of Alex Jensen, a security professional left for dead in the wake of an attack on a research facility, then rebuilt into a top of the line cyborg. With the mandate to find those responsible for the attack, Jensen dives headlong into a shadowy world where powerful interests vie for control of more than just the world, but the destiny of the entire human race.

Just as in the original game, your actions are entirely your own to make, and the consequences are yours to deal with. Do you choose to go in guns blazing, operating on the principle of better living through superior firepower? Or do you take the stealth route, moving like a shadow, the occasional unconscious guard stuffed into an empty office being the only ripple betraying your presence? The developers have stated previously that it’s possible to kill every NPC in the game and still complete it, though some characters with storylines yet unresolved will only have their deaths deferred until you’ve wrapped things up with them. At E3, it was indicated that you could go the “Ghandi” route as well, not killing anybody except for the bosses and successfully complete the game. It wouldn’t surprise me that a PSN trophy and Live achievement could be attached to that accomplishment.

During the live demo, we saw Alex take the “stealth” route through the R&D section of a corporate fiefdom in Shanghai. Through a combination of bribery, cloaking fields, ventilation shafts, and the judicious use of taser darts, the character moved through the environment without setting off alarms or causing any guards to pursue and attack until the very end when an alarm was deliberately tripped to showcase the combat. Target acquisition was rapid and the gunplay was fast paced. Naturally, I would have been happy to see more, but alas, the time passed too quickly. Still, it was a good way to finish off E3.

Deus Ex: Human Revolution is slated for release on August 23rd of this year. This one should be near the top of anybody’s short list for upcoming games.

- Axel Cushing

(July 7, 2011)