"It's A Video Game!" - Deus Ex: Human Revolution

Since I’ve looked at the Mass Effect Trilogy, I wondered what other games I could talk about. Then, I remembered a game called Deus Ex: Human Revolution. Now, I had sort of heard about the Deus Ex series before I found out about the game. I just never got to play any of them. Back in 2012, I was looking for games to try out and I heard that Deus Ex was a good one. So, I got it at a Gamestop and tried it out. What did I think? Well, I’m writing about it, so you know I think good things about this game.

For those who don’t know, Deus Ex: Human Revolution is actually a prequel to the original Deus Ex. It’s a first-person- shooter/stealth RPG that’s heavily influenced by cyberpunk.  The game also carries also carries a noir detective feel. It’s like someone decided to mix Blade Runner and Metal Gear Solid with elements of Robocop. It takes place in the “futuristic” year of 2027 and it’s primarily set in Detroit, Michigan. The story covers a bunch of topics that’ll talk about below.

In the game, you play as Adam Jensen, the head of security of Sarif Industries (as well as a nice Batman impersonator). Sarif is one of the leading companies that specialize in cybernetic augmentation. One night, it gets attacked by mercenaries and Jensen is seriously injured to the point of death. He’s brought back to the land of the living sporting a heavily augmented body. The main thrust of the story is figuring out who attacked the company. Also, you’ll have to deal with certain situations the pop up every now and then.

PROS

As I said before, I have good things to say about this game.

Bruce Lee ain't got nothing on me!

• Good Story – The story is a good one. It’s a mystery for the most part. You’re running around Detroit and Hengsha trying to figure out who these mercenaries are and why they did it. You end up uncovering a bunch of big conspiracies. You also get pulled into the big debate about augmentation. It’s a topic that’s similar to many real-world issues like gun control and abortion. On one side, you have people who believe augmentation is the next level of human progress. On the other side, you have people who are worried that this way of life is detrimental to humanity. You get all sides of the argument and the creators made it so that both sides aren’t demonized or held in high regard.
• Immersive Universe – You get to do a lot in Detroit as well as Hengsha. While you have an in-depth main mission, there are various side missions that are actually quite interesting. Some of them are related to your mission and others tend to be Good or Bad Samaritan work. You can also access emails, letters, and the world news to immerse yourself into this world that Edios Montreal created. You also get to converse with a lot of folk and that helps build the world.
• Great Gameplay – The gameplay is awesome. It took me a while to get used to its stealth mechanics since I’ve rarely played first person stealth shooters. The controls work well. The level work is pretty good. You have a lot of ways to finish your goal. You also have the choice of either using lethal or non-lethal methods in taking out your enemies. Throughout the game, you’ll get upgrades that help you throughout the game. They make you stronger, make you stealthier, and give you the ability to hack anything. You get the standard weapons like pistols and machine guns. You even get cool futuristic weapons that are pretty nice.
• Nice visuals and good voice acting – The visuals look pretty good and detailed. It has a retro-futuristic look to it. I liked all of the detail that went into making the streets look lived in and dirty. The voice-acting is also pretty good. While you will have a few voices that sound weird, everything’s good on that front.
• Awesome Music – The music is awesome. There’s no other way to describe it. It was composed by Michael McCann. It completely fits the game. It even sounds good when you’re just listening to it by itself. I think it even won a couple of awards. I should go out there and buy the album one day.  The main theme “Icarus” is pretty awesome.

CONS

Unfortunately, there are some things that kind of hurt the game.

Oh man... well, at least I had ways to beat them.

• The Boss Battles – One of the biggest things people have complained about is the boss battles. They complained that they were really difficult and feel like they should be in some other game. Apparently, Edios Montreal outsourced the boss battles to another developer. You’re just sneaking around and then the Arnold Schwarzenegger look-alike suddenly starts shooting at you and stealth becomes an afterthought. The other mercenaries are tougher though there is one hilarious (and possibly sad) way to beat the middle boss. The final boss battle is a little disappointing as well. They are really tough but they can be beaten. They’re not horrible but they aren’t  the best boss battles around.
• The Ending – The ending is a bit lacking. Without spoiling anything, you have to make a choice at the end. It does show us what may happen, but it did feel a little lacking. There is a part of me that wishes we found out what happened to a lot of the supporting characters and the world at large since big stuff happens. Luckily, we may find that out since a sequel is coming out next year.
• Some weak visuals – While the cities, landscapes, and people look good, you do have some weak points with the visuals. You definitely see it with the conversations you have. Stuff tends to look a little less defined.  They didn’t look bad, but some of the visuals did look like something that came from the last generation of consoles.

Overall, this is a really good game. Yes, it has a couple of hiccups, but its gameplay, its story, and its world make this one to play and own. I wonder what Deus Ex: Mankind Divided will bring. The trailer looked awesome and Game Informer did a nice article on it. I’m pretty excited and hope it is as good as its predecessor. It looks like I’ll be getting a PS4 sooner than later with all of the games coming out on it. I’m also curious about the original Deus Ex from 2000, so I’ll see if I can even get my hands on it. Well, I’m out. Peace, God Bless, and don’t knock out random folk on the street. Seriously, you could do that in game! It’s pretty messed up, if you ask me.

These seriously needs some music to it.