Deus Ex Human Revolution

There's a new preview on PC Gamer that sounds extremely promising:

http://www.pcgamer.com/2011/02/03/deus-ex-human-revolution-preview-first-hands-on/

Some things I love:

1) Levels are open and not linear. Awesome, because the first two games were actually far more weighted towards exploration than they were combat and stealth. I find a lot of people talk about Deus Ex's tactical choices during combat, but in all honesty the bulk of the game is just exploring the world around you.

2) The world is designed both horizontally and vertically. A big part of Deux Ex was being able to climb buildings, jump over obstacles, etc. and generally using verticality in ways that many shooters did not (and still don't).

3) Interactive environments are back. It was extremely immersive in the first game to simply be able to open every cabinet and locker to peek at what was inside... made item-hunting a bit more fun as well as the world more believable.

4) You don't get a gun unless you ask for it or take it from an enemy. You know it's a proper Deus Ex game when you can get through without having to resort to violence.

The only thing I don't really like about the game so far is the art style and the voice acting. Okay, the art is beautiful, and to be fair the first two Deus Ex games are ugly, but as cool as the new art style is it just doesn't really mesh with the universe for me. I like having a distinct style, but I'm not sure it works so well when the first game is so iconic. Also, the voice acting. Okay, it's competent, but honestly it sounds like Square Enix's cast from Final Fantasy 13... lots of weird overacting, inflections and people sounding way, way too hard to sound moody and "badass". I know JC Denton had a bit of a gravely, monotone voice, but this new guy sounds like he has a huge stick up his ass.

 

I like the "Blade runner-esque" art/ atmosphere of the game.

The NPC voice acting isn't all that bad IMO from what I have heard but I agree that the 'badass' lines from the protagonist are out of place and need to be toned down.

I agree with the positive points you listed and I would like to add:

-the premise of 'choices and consequences' although it remains to be seen how these will be implemented and how important they are in shaping the story.

 

Its not so much that the graphics are bad, they look really nice IMO.

What could be more a problem is the style, Deus Ex 1 was futuristic but it was still very recognizable from our point in time, building style, vehicles and so on.

Human Revolution in some ways looks far more futuristic than even Invisible War even if the technology is 'less' sophisticated.

 

Dues Ex feelt actually closer to a timeline like our current precense where the "futuristc" changes have been more visible in the political system and the way technology has been uitilized. Organisations either hidden or openly have been controling a large part of the world. Nations which have been former super powers namely Europe and the USA played in the future of Deus Ex only a rather minor role particularly their gouvernements which have been compared to corporations and organisations not only less powerfull but as well controled by them. A large part of the story was around it and how the player would decide for him self and who he would support.

One thing that I really liked about Deus Ex in the end and I hope the third game will be exactly the same is that the story didnt forced some kind of choice down to your throat. There was really NO kind of judgment or bias. You would only have the groups and individual characters with their motivations and it was up to you as the player to judge. Some actions and personalities have been "better" others "worse" and it made for a overall very realistic representation of the NPCs Tracer Tong was not worse compared to the Iluminati or Majestic 12 everyone simply shared a different vision and different view to the world. I liked that very much. Deus Ex was one of those few games where characters and interactions feelt authentic and believable. It was not just like everything in the world was simply waiting for you because youre the "chosen one" or because youre the center of the story. It feelt mature to say that. I hope Deus Ex 3 will step in the same direction.

 

I prefer the series, it's got a better world setting.

As for the game, looks decent, but I'm not a fan of stealth-FPS (except Thief) and cover systems. Not sure if the RPG elements will make up for that, but worth a try I guess.

 

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I think this is actually a reboot, which made me puke in my mouth when I heard it. Not that I'm against reboots, but they only make sense if the source material is severely dated, which Deus Ex is not.

 

Oh common, from what we know things could have been much much worse. I mean it could have been a travesty à la Fallout 3 or they could easily have turned the series into another shallow FPS. (X-com )

At least they seem to try to keep the important elements from the previous games.

 

No, it's definitely not a reboot, but rather a prequel to the original games, which attempts to show the origins of the mechanical augmentation that was just on the verge of being phased out in Deus Ex. There's even a young Tracer Tong in it!

 

well actually we still dont know everything. It could still be just that. They have shown some stuff. But if the situations are rather short and just the exception then the rule ...

I guess we have to wait and see. I am confident. Somewhat. But I still believe it could be a game not close (enough) to Deus Ex.

 

JC had the perfect voice for one liners; the only good voice acting in the game (humour should always be 100% serious).

 

"JC Denton: You mechs may have copper wiring to re-route your fear of pain, but I've got nerves of steel. "

 

"You have 5 seconds to beat it before I add you to the list of NSF casualties"

 

I thought Bob Page, Manderley, Paul, Walton Simons, Gunther, Anna and the other main characters had pretty good voices. The real problem were some of the miscellaneous NPCs, especially in Hong Kong... apparently they actually did get Chinese people do play the roles, which makes it all the more sad just how bad some of the acting is in that part of the game, maybe even a little racist due to how stereotypical some of the accents are.

On a side note, did anyone notice how drastically the NSF warehouse base changes between the initial mission and your return to it? It's like two totally different designers worked on it, even the interior layout has somehow been altered over the course of a few days.

 

I think that was one of the "charme" the game had. Feelt kinda ... like a action movies from the 80s

Laserswords ? Our ancestors fought with Uzis !

 

I always noted that and just rationalized it with the whole esploding of the generator. Of course a minor explosion could add walls to a building.

 

Hong Kong's voices were stellar next to Paris. Oh god, that was dreadful.

 

Wasn't the second NSF warehouse a whole different building?

 

I'm pretty sure it was intended to be the same building... but the lighting, size of rooms, exterior layout, basement, etc. are all totally different. If it is a new building, I don't think it was really explained very well. Maybe just a similar building in the same district? I don't know.

 

I think the first building held the security measures to protect the second building.

Once those were down UNATCO could attack the main building.