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Deus Ex: Human Revolution PC Review August 29, 2011 |
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Summary: FPS/RPG hybrid Deus Ex is one of the most highly-regarded PC games ever released. In fact, it remains at the top of many a “best games” list to this day, more than a decade after it was released, and is considered by some to be the greatest PC game of all time. It expertly blended shooter action with role-playing elements, offering a free-form play style throughout open environments and featuring multiple solutions to every problem.
Last week saw the release of the highly-anticipated new entry into that storied franchise, subtitled Human Revolution. This is the first game developed by Eidos Montreal, and it's looking to fill some really big shoes... Find out whether or not DXHR lives up to the hype in today's review!
 Introduction | Page:: ( 1 / 6 ) |
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FPS/RPG hybrid Deus Ex is one of the most highly-regarded PC games out there. In fact, it remains at the top of many a “best games” list to this day, more than a decade after it was released, and is considered by some to be the greatest PC game of all time. It expertly blended shooter action with role-playing elements, offering a free-form play style throughout open environments and featuring multiple solutions to every problem. Its sequel, Invisible War, was seen as a step backward by most, in part because of its simultaneous release on consoles and the design decisions made in that regard. Despite being a pretty good game in its own right, it just didn’t recreate the magic of the original.
Developer Eidos Montreal knew that better than anyone, being big fans of Deus Ex themselves. So when they set out to create a new iteration in the beloved franchise, they took measures to ensure not only that the game in general lived up to its legacy, but that the PC version met or exceeded the expectations of long-time series fans. Thus Deus Ex: Human Revolution was born. This game is actually a prequel to the original, taking place in the year 2027, when the controversial science of biomechanical augmentation is just starting to hit the mainstream. You play as Adam Jensen, chief of security for one of the largest players in the aug market, Sarif Industries. After the company’s research lab is ransacked by unknown assailants, you embark on a very personal quest to uncover a global conspiracy fraught with corporate espionage and inconvenient truth.
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With DirectX 11-enhanced graphics, support for stereoscopic 3D and multi-monitor display setups, the option to adjust the field of view from in-game, as well as the ability to toggle many of the more intrusive UI elements to determine how immersive you want your play experience to be, there is no doubt that DXHR is best experienced on a PC. I’ve been playing it a ton since last Tuesday, with two playthroughs under my belt already. Before I get sucked into it again, though, allow me to explain everything you need to know about the new and improved Deus Ex. That is, if you’re not one of the 50,000+ people playing the game right now and still need convincing. Don’t worry, I won’t be spoiling any of the story that you wouldn’t already know by watching a pre-release trailer.
| Gameplay | Page:: ( 2 / 6 ) |
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In developing Human Revolution, Eidos Montreal emphasized what they call the four pillars of gameplay: combat, stealth, social, and hacking. The player is allowed the freedom to decide which of these paths to take through any situation, a convention that has the potential to support vastly different experiences every time you play. The most obvious solution to most of the game’s problems is to just blast your way through, killing any aggressors you meet or even breaking doors down with gunfire or explosives. That’s fun and all, but you can take a more refined approach via extensive use of hacking in opening doors, accessing computers, or disabling security systems. Either way, there is a robust third-person cover system akin to Rainbow 6: Vegas or Splinter Cell that works very well in complementing both combat and stealth.
If you lack the patience for minigames or just plain dislike them, you’ll be happy to know that you can bypass most of the hacking by finding alternate paths (e.g. stacking boxes, crawling through vents) or obtaining information related to passcodes and computer login details. Social interaction may be the least prominent of the gameplay pillars, at least as far as your active participation in it goes. Most NPCs will respond with a sentence or two if you approach them, otherwise they’ll converse with each other and may divulge something useful if you listen in. A handful of major characters will engage you with meaningful dialogue that is shaped by the attitude you take in speaking with them, such as empathetic, criticizing, flirty, intimidating, etc. There’s also a specific augmentation that will analyze their behavior and enable you to use pheromones to influence them. The goal is to appeal to the character’s personality and convince them to do what you want, usually helping you complete an objective.
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The very first question you’re asked in the game is whether you want to carry out that particular mission using lethal or non-lethal force. It’s not a binding decision, by any means, but it does help determine which starter weapon you’re given and hint at the primary ethical consideration in the game. With the exception of major boss fights, you are always given the option to avoid confrontation with enemies, or else knock them unconscious rather than kill them. You’re actually rewarded for taking this more challenging route with loads of bonus experience, as well as the ‘Pacifist’ achievement if you keep it up for an entire playthrough. There are several weapons that will help you to that end, including the tranquilizer rifle, stun gun, and gas grenade.
That’s not to say the bloodthirsty player is left out in the cold; in fact, you have even more ways to satisfy your murderous rage, with traditional weaponry like pistols, rifles, and rocket launchers, meter-long blades in your arms, and that explosive area-of-effect attack called the Typhoon. Those with a penchant for stealth will also greatly enjoy hacking turrets and sentry bots and turning them on their previous owners. Most guns can be upgraded to increase damage, clip size, and reload speed, or add special abilities like armor piercing, computer-assisted target leading, and self-guided bullets that will curve around obstacles! The classic grid-based inventory is back, so you won’t be able to carry everything, but it is possible to upgrade it and nearly double its size. Plus, there’s an option to auto-manage the positioning of items, so you don’t have to play Tetris if you don’t want to.
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Unlike previous games in the series that involve finding and installing new augmentations as you play, Human Revolution begins with your character being transformed against his will into a cybernetically-enhanced superhuman. All of the various abilities you’ll use throughout the game are in your possession at the start, including things like regenerating health, radar, and tactical display, which are some basic gameplay mechanics very easily explained in the context of the story. However, most of your powers begin in a state of dormancy, which they say is needed to aid in your body’s recovery and mind’s adaptation to the trauma of being so heavily augmented. In theory, they will be activated naturally over time, but that would take much too long for the relatively short span of time in which the game’s story is contained.
Instead, you will be using special software called Praxis Kits to jump-start the process, enabling you to bring a new ability online or upgrade the capabilities of an existing one. You have the freedom to choose whichever powers you want, but they should be ones that complement your play style, whether you want to cloak and run silently, resist damage and minimize weapon recoil, or become more effective at hacking and controlling machines. You gain experience for dispatching enemies, exploring, completing objectives, etc., and when you “level up” you are given a Praxis point to spend. A handful of them are also hidden around the game world, or if you have a lot of credits to spare, you can buy a limited amount of extra ones at medical clinics.
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| Gameplay (cont.) | Page:: ( 3 / 6 ) |
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Along with a handful of single-visit mission levels, there are two main hubs in Human Revolution, both of a very respectable size. You’re free to explore these open areas, as well as their connected minor zones, throughout the game as the story takes you back and forth between them a couple times each. Subsequent trips open up more side quests and the opportunity to revisit some spots you weren’t able to access before due to insufficient lifting strength, jumping ability, hacking skill, and the like. Scattered around the world are eBooks and digital newspapers that fill in backstory and recount events that you may have influenced, not to mention the hundreds of emails you can look through if you spend enough time forcibly logging into computers. They’re a great source of insight to the owner’s life or job, plus they provide levity in the form of stereotypical spam email, self-aware commentary on game design, and private conversations.
Though you are able to zip through the story missions one after the other, it’s in your best interest to take your time and explore everything you can. Aside from soaking in the scenery and basking in its cyberpunk glow, there are a ton of things to discover, including opportunities to score some bonus experience, credits, or items. The most major of these is, of course, the completely-optional secondary missions. These take place in and around the hubs and serve to expand upon the backstory, as well as lead you to interesting areas you may not have found before. The availability of some of them will depend on choices you’ve made earlier in the game, whether you saved the life of a very grateful hostage or you investigated a lead your techie associate Pritchard gave you.
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Consequences of your actions are not limited to the availability of extra missions, either. Though it seems you cannot influence the primary storyline much at all, you can affect the lives of some of the named characters you encounter to various extents, as well as your own experience in carrying out certain tasks. I want to give some examples of really awesome things that can happen -- well, it’s awesome for a game to have these things happen, even if they’re not always good -- but I don’t want to spoil it for people that haven’t played yet… Suffice it to say that coming to the realization that something happened directly because of something you did or didn’t do is definitely one of those moments that makes you think, “Wow!”
If I had to nitpick, I’d say one weakness of the game is its flawed AI. I mean, it’s good enough -- enemies will use cover, flank you, respond to noises, and all of that -- but it can be exploited. I found that attempting a Pacifist run, where it’s in your best interest to avoid conflict altogether, taught me a whole lot about their quirks. The AI is apparently unable to crouch underneath obstacles, so if you can find a half-open garage door to hide behind, you’re untouchable. A silenced weapon will confuse the hell out of them if you’re far enough away so that they won’t hear you discharge it; if they witness an ally being mysteriously struck dead, they’ll cautiously move over to the body to investigate, only to be shot themselves. They also seem to be hardcoded to ignore you if you’re in cover and they’re on the opposite side of the object than you. If they’re really close or positioned at an angle that should allow them to see you, they will stare directly at you but won’t react.
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Most of these complaints have to do with how the game handles stealth, and though that’s definitely how it’s meant to be played, it’s a mechanic that is very difficult to pull off in a game. There’s a fine balance that must be kept so that the enemy is aware enough to pose a threat, but not so aware that it’s overly difficult for the player to sneak by. I can tell that Eidos Montreal decided to err on the side that will prevent excess frustration, which is probably the better decision considering DXHR on the whole is already more difficult than the average game. Stealth is still very satisfying and rewarding, even if enemies won’t be suspicious of an open door, disabled camera, or abandoned weapon lying on the floor. A lot of you may not even notice these things about the AI, but I felt it was worth mentioning as they become quite obvious after you’ve been playing for a while.
There’s been a lot of hub-bub about the inclusion of mandatory boss fights in Human Revolution, as well, but I don’t take much issue with them. Yes, they interrupt the regular flow of the game somewhat in that you’re forced to battle to the death, but it fits perfectly well into the story that is being told. Jensen has ample motivation to want to kill these guys, as opposed to talk them into submission or run away, as was possible with some bosses in the original Deus Ex. It’s true that they could have provided a number of more creative ways to deal with them, but I think the problem most people are having is that they’re not prepared for head-on combat if they’ve spec’ed out a sneaky hacker type. You’re immediately given the impression that you have to get into an open shootout, but the fact is, there are ways to use stealth, traps, and environmental hazards to your advantage. Even if you bring nothing with you, the boss arena itself provides you with ample opportunity for victory in the form of various weapons and items lying around. If all else fails, quick-save often.
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| Graphics | Page:: ( 4 / 6 ) |
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Technically, DXHR’s graphics aren’t likely to win any awards. They’ve modified the engine that was used in the newer Tomb Raider games, so while it’s not as old as Source, it’s no spring chicken. The amount of detail they put into the levels is very impressive considering most of the modeling is pretty low on the polygon count. The main characters are of course the most detailed, but I never found myself scrutinizing anyone else as much as to say “that could be better.” The shadows have a bit of that blurry edge syndrome, but it’s only really noticeable if they’re being diffused by extra light sources. Though there are no detailed surface reflections to be found (none of the mirrors in the game are functional), the light reflects off of different materials as it should, so rubber is shinier than fabric or matte paint. The texture detail is mostly adequate and budgeted to good effect, but don’t expect to be able to read the text on posters or book covers.
To their credit, Eidos Montral has done very well to compensate for the engine’s shortcomings with a compelling, futuristic art style that resulted in something very Blade Runner-esque. The dark, disheveled streets lined with neoclassical and art deco architecture, then punctuated with neon signs and huge digital advertisements make for an aesthetic that is unmistakably cyberpunk. Many of the missions take place inside well-lit, sterile laboratories and office complexes, though, and they’re not modeled after real-world locations as with the first Deus Ex. You’ve no doubt seen in screenshots that the color pallet is heavily dominated by yellows and oranges, but it just dawned on me that that actually balances out the darkness, so you don’t get sick of most of the game taking place at night, like I did with the other games in the series. On the other hand, you might get sick of the glowy-ness of it all, instead…
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Assuming you’ve disabled the objective markers that can quickly clutter up half of your screen, DXHR’s HUD is wonderfully tiny, with each element tucked far into different corners. You can even toggle it so that the hotkey toolbar will hide itself when you’re not accessing it. The only thing that seemed out of place is a small display in the center-right that indicates whether active powers such as cloaking and smart vision are enabled; if I could, I would move that up into the top-right corner. Other than that, I sometimes wish I could make the mini-map a bit bigger, as some of the more useful stealth augmentations cause it to become quite small in scale and cluttered with information that you’d have to squint at to make use of. I also really like that the guns actually look like they’re being held at your hip when you’re not aiming down the sights, as opposed to up against your cheek.
Sound
The sound effects in Human Revolution are top notch, from the click of an elevator button to booming explosions and everywhere in between. The music ain’t bad, either, with appropriate tempos and cues for exploring or combat. It fits very well with the theme of the game but, while it’s somewhat reminiscent of Deus Ex’s music, it’s not quite as memorable. The voice acting is above average for the most part, too, which is a major component in the believability of the characters. I found the volume of the game is very low for some reason, even with all of the audio sliders in the menu maxed by default. I don’t know why this happens with some titles, but it means I have to crank the volume on my headphones as far as they go to achieve normal levels. It’s not a bad thing unless I forget to turn it back down after I’m done.
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| Ballistics Report | Page:: ( 5 / 6 ) |
Pros
Excellent cover-based combat and stealth. Play as Rambo, James Bond, or Sam Fisher and it just feels right.
Emergent gameplay with freedom of choice. You’re allowed to get creative, whether the developer intended it or not.
Your actions have consequence. Most of the decisions you make have some kind of effect on your experience later in the game, big or small.
Incredibly replayable. For all the reasons above.
It’s challenging. You can die from a few bullets or a single shotgun blast; the regenerating health is for convenience, you will still need healing items.
A whole menu of options specifically relating to immersion, including FOV adjustment. Yesssss.
It has quick-save!
Several hidden achievements, easter eggs, and more to discover.
Cons
Pre-rendered cutscenes. Wouldn’t be so bad if they weren’t so heavily compressed. Damn you, Xbox!
Some minor performance issues, quest bugs, etc.
| Final Verdict | Page:: ( 6 / 6 ) |
Human Revolution does exactly what it set out to do. That is, perfectly capture the spirit of Deus Ex and transplant it into a fresh, modern experience on all platforms, while staying true to its roots in the PC version. There’s something magical about the first time you play… Once you get past the linear tutorial of a prologue and the freedom of choice and exploration sinks in, you won’t want to stop playing. You probably should, you know, take breaks during the 20-25 hours the average playthrough ought to last, but that’s a necessary evil. Just be sure to savor it: wander the world, discover its secrets, and pursue all the side missions you can find, as they will account for as much activity as the main story. There is so much to do and so many different ways to do it that you’ll likely be back for a second or third go-round, at least. Very few games have that going for them.
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My advice is to immerse yourself completely by disabling all of the crappy gameplay assistants like objective markers and object outlines. Any chance a developer provides to be free of the shackles of contemporary game design is one you should take. Don’t cheat yourself out of the experience by running blindly toward those floating diamonds on your screen; take the time to get lost in the environment and learn your way around, read a street sign for once! Rather than glance around a room looking for the orange glow of an item pickup, slow down and actually examine your surroundings. It might take a while to get to know what ammo boxes and other useful things look like, but that just makes finding something hidden in plain sight amidst the decorative details all the more rewarding. Once you remember (or learn) what it’s like to interact with the game, instead of the UI, you’ll be glad you did.
Beyond the liberating and entertaining gameplay mechanics, I found the story to be pretty interesting for the most part, if a little predictable at times. I wish you could have more of a natural influence on it though; as it is, the only plot branches occur at the very end, when you are literally presented with a multiple choice selection of which conclusion cinematic you wish to watch. And although that storyline seems to end when Jensen’s completed his task, Human Revolution is loosely tied to the original Deus Ex with scattered references and some foreshadowing (hint: don’t skip the credits). There is a lot to learn about this universe, including Jensen’s past and what part he plays in the big picture, but you have to go looking for it. There is one particular side mission that gives you the bulk of his origin story, but the rest is gleaned from various emails and other data stores.
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When DXHR first came out, the biggest complaint I and most everyone else had about the game was its exceptionally long load times. You could be stuck looking at the loading screen for 30-40 seconds (or longer) for a hub and it wasn’t much better for loading a saved game, even if it was from the same area. I don’t know what they did to cause that, but it must have been something simple because they released a small patch that fixed it a couple days later. It cut load times by more than half -- since then, I’ve seen smaller areas or quick saves load in as few as five seconds or so, but even hubs take no more than 10-15 now. The patch also fixed another glaring bug that caused diagonal movement to be faster than sprinting for some reason.
Needless to say, I think Deus Ex: Human Revolution is fantastic. It has its flaws, but the overall experience remains largely untainted by them (mostly because they’re exaggerated in light of how great everything else is). Know that for everything you read in this review that makes the game sound good, there are at least two more things I haven’t told you for fear of spoiling your experience. It’s still too early to tell if this will end up the best game of 2011, but it’s definitely the best FPS/RPG of the past decade. As such, I whole-heartedly recommend it to PC gamers everywhere, especially when you can still buy it for as little as $35 on Amazon for a Steam key. Hopefully, the success it’s been enjoying both critically and commercially will lead to more games like it; I’m already much more excited about Eidos Montreal’s next game, Thief 4. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a third playthrough to resume…
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