PS3 Informer

Deus Ex: Human Revolution Could Be GOTY 2011

Could Deus Ex: Human Revolution be a contender for Game of the Year when it launches in March 2011? Based on what we've seen since E3, It is definitely in the running. Our staff writer Coty Biggs investigates what's in store for us with the latest Cyberpunk epic.

A cool wintry breeze wisps through the alley as you pry carefully inside this unfamiliar high-rise. Hardly a refuge from the labyrinth of a Detroit built upon strife and capitalization on lucrative war machines, you remain alert of anything stirring in this stark hallway. In 2027 everyone can see in the dark as if it were day; so much for having cybernetic optics. Suddenly with a mechanical grab that would pulverize bone into a powdery mess, alloyed digits clasp atop your armored shoulder. The human instincts augmented by technology slow time to a halt, and the reality of your enemies death ends swiftly with the sound of a burnish blade. Your name is Adam Jensen, and this is the Human Revolution.

Deus Ex: Human Revolution is a long anticipated prequel to the first Deus Ex that was an overwhelmingly popular title by itself. Although current trends cause prequels to gain somewhat of a rap for being uncreative expansions of dead end stories, Eidos Montreal has definitely taken this bane of prequels seriously in concocting this cyberpunk blend. Even though it's set 25 years before the first installment, this world contains just as many goodies to satisfy even the most indulgent techno-gluttons. But instead of invisible nanobots perusing your fleshy insides, it's the hefty bits of metallic customization that are responsible for superhuman strength, bolted straight to the player's appendages like aftermarket parts on a little rice rocket. However rather than wondering the futuristic city as a windowlicking patron in search of cool arm candy, it's how Jensen gets these bionic augmentations that begins the story.

After being crippled by a mysterious attack on the private security firm in which he works, Jensen must accept the very artificial additions he worked to perfect in order to survive. Unlike duct taping coffee cans on a Honda for the telltale beehive exhaust note, the parts Adam acquires aren't optional upgrades. And in a world where the dichotomy between an all powerful government and the role of the civilian are diminished, the attack spurs a fierce conspiracy fueled by obscurity that Jensen must now resolve.

Since similar stories have been told where the protagonist grudgingly accepts a transition in order to adapt, it will be the elements of presentation that are going to set this game apart. For this installment of Deus Ex, the developers have done just that; creating a whole new world to do with what you will in this expansive prequel. Eidos Montreal has stated there will be five areas to which the player will have access, such as Detroit, Shanghai, Montreal, with the others yet to be announced.

Building on the idea that the world is your playground, the RPG elements in place focus on four concentrations to which the player can assign skill points, therefore leveling up his character in order to evolve the gameplay to whatever end is desired. If sneaking around is more your thing, pour points into the stealth concentration, possibly spending a few along the lines of the social concentration in order to talk your way out of a hairy situation if you happen to get caught sneaking suspiciously about. Or why not just scratch those two and really rip on your enemies with some combat and technology enhancements so you can twist off some skulls like bottle caps?

Regardless of where you put your hard earned points, the sky will be the limit when considering how skill point allocation will influence gameplay, and Eidos promises to have contrived new situations that really impress upon choices influencing the end product. Choices themselves are weaker than the pee stream of a 90 year old until some heavy firepower make those decisions a bit more potent. Helping Jensen in his conspiracy tackling plight are a smorgasbord of beautifully integrated slicers and dicers which are strapped on to those now deadly cybernetic additions. Forget popping a handful of Extenze, this is some real male enhancement. From guns, to fists, blades, rocket launchers, and even invisibility, it's certain that customization encompasses the entire gameplay experience and not just the bare bones RPG elements.

Cross your fingers because there is a lot riding on this game following the release of the immensely successful Deus Ex and the lukewarm welcome of The Invisible Wars, Human Revolution promises a lot and absolutely must deliver. Ready your composite limbs for an exciting new experience in early 2011 and be the god of the machine.

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Post Author: Coty Biggs