Games of 2011: Deus Ex: Human Revolution

By Alec Meer Published 28 December, 2011

I asked for this.

SPOILER ALERT!: This piece contains story spoilers - from the very first sentence onwards.

My guilty little secret: I reloaded my quicksave about 30 times to try and save Faridah Malik when her helicopter's shot down and then assaulted by Belltower goons late in the game. Having played a stealthy, non-lethal character throughout the game, I was as much use as an asthmatic kitten in a straight-up firefight, so the rush of robots and heavily-armoured thugs that swarmed the downed bird made mincemeat of me the second I showed my goateed face. Trouble was, I couldn't sneak about doing careful silent takedowns, because after a few harrowing moments Faridah would be so much augmented toast. And while I did have the option of spamming the whole scene with explosives, I didn't want to compromise my 'no fatalities' ethos. What to do, what to do?

Well, cheat. Cheat within the confines of the game - quicksave, quickload, quicksave, quickload, incrementally creeping closer to an idealised set of circumstances wherein I'd made it to point X without being killed, had non-fatally taken out assault cannon-toting guard Y before he could pepper the chopper, hidden deftly at point Z then dropped an EMP grenade under robot Ω. No-one dead (unless you count robots), Faridah was rescued in time and I came it through it all with nary a scratch. That's my story. That's how the game records it. That's why I'm a bloody hero, right?

Of course, what I'd actually done was quicksave every second step, and quickload the second I was spotted or shot. Faridah died a good dozen times, as did I; the poor first guard to enter the scene, meanwhile, suffered 30 assorted fatalities and knock-outs as I experimented with everything in my arsenal in search of the most effect way to get a few steps closer to my desperate goal. It was shameful, it was pathetic, it was a distortion of Deus Ex: Human Revolution's concept that consequences matter. And I don't regret it for a second.

1

DXHR definitely wins the award for 'best elbow-based kills, 2011'

Why I don't regret it is braided in irretrievably in with why I enjoyed DXHR so much. Nominally, Human Revolution is the story of beardy, growly cyborg security guard Adam "I didn't ask for this" Jensen, but screw that guy, frankly. Screw him and screw his lost love and screw his double-dealing employers. This is about me - because DXHR, with its impressive freedom of action, is a soft, yielding material I wrap around my own brain so that it reflects me. Its reality is the reality I choose to give it - and I choose that Faridah lives, that she's rescued by me and that I do so without my ever breaking my own rules of engagement.

What my savegame abuse also achieved was to show off the game's combat flexibility and quite how spectacular a DXHR skirmish can be in the hands of a (cough) skilled player. This Jensen I'd built really could take out everyone in an open space filled with snipers and body-armoured shotgunners and rocket-spewing robots; leaping from cover to cover, a silent throttle here, a tranquiliser dart in that guy up there's face, a gas grenade at that clutch of thugs as they rush through the door, an EMP mine under that robot and then a stungun blast right to the belly of the last guard. Unconscious bodies and flaming robo-wreckage everywhere, and in the middle of it all lies one still-intact helicopter. I didn't ask for this, but goddamn if I'm not going to make the best of it.

I was Cyborg Batman, an unstoppable force of black-suited vengeance. I would love to see a recording of my 'perfect' playthrough, with the staccato, incremental interruptions of cheaty saving and loading excised. I'd look like a god of war. No wonder DXHR's populace is so alarmed by the increasing numbers of machine-men wandering the world's perma-gloomy streets.

2

None of these men will ever see me. At least, that's the plan. The reality is a lot more embarrassing.

For all the conspiracies and the moralising about bio-mechanical augmentation, DXHR is also an excellent combat game with an extensive, player-selected toolbox that's never guilty of boxing you into specific weapons or specific playstyles. It might not quite be the equal of its revered forebear in terms of emergent possibilities - its AI and physics are perhaps too machine-tight to allow the sort of flexibility and mad experiments that Deus Ex 1 did - but what a superhero simulator it is.

I could, if I'd have so chosen, saved Faridah by hiding behind boxes and methodically sniping everything that moved. If you want to play it like a boring grey-faced man would play a boring grey FPS with a boring grey machinegun, go ahead and be boring and grey. DHXR allows that too. Me, I wanted to be right in there, doing crazy stuff like plummeting off rooftops in slow-motion.

Despite the high-speed, high-gloss violence, Human Revolution achieved something I honestly wasn't expecting: it made me feel like I was playing Deus Ex again. I was back to 18 years old, the same unblinking, hunched abandonment to this game's world and the jigsaw pieces it gave me to build my path through it. Just as in 2000, I was consumed by the compulsive need to hack every door and terminal, to read every datapad, to steal every credit; to have a strict code of stealth and non-lethality; to become drawn into the paranoid guessing game about which of my assorted contacts and opponents was the real enemy, the true puppet-master of all this conflict and betrayal.

A world forever on the brink of chaos, but one that I could nonetheless dictate the rules of. That's why I couldn't let Faridah Malik die. This was my reality and my story, and I had the tools and the ability to keep it that way. Consequences? Hah. They answer to me.

Picture of Alec.

About Alec Meer

A 10-year veteran of scribbling about video games, Alec primarily writes for Rock, Paper, Shotgun, but given any opportunity he will escape his keyboard and mouse ghetto to write about any and all formats.

Read more articles from Alec by visiting the Alec Meer archive page.

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Comments (102) Latest comment 5 months ago

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  • ubergine #1 5 months ago

    I complained to Ocean Stratagy about the boss battles in this and they said they developed wwebsites until they took an arrow in the knee something-something cake not true.

  • ubergine #2 5 months ago

    On topic though, I didn't think you COULD save Faridah. When I played (on 360) there seemed to be an invincible heavy-weapon enemy who only became killable after she was dead. Or at least it seemed that way.
    Edited by ubergine at 28/12/11 @ 09:25

  • TonyCB #3 5 months ago

    How about a spoiler alert??

  • HisDudness #4 5 months ago

    Yeah are these Games of 2011 pieces only meant for those who have already played the game?

  • Ultrasoundwave #5 5 months ago

    THIS is my GOTY. An excellent game in every aspect, really hope the sequel is already well underway..........

  • HarryTuttle #6 5 months ago

    Definitely can be saved on 360, though it took me ages... I said non-lethality be damned (they were trying to kill Malik FFS!) and went on a rampage. Had to work out an efficient line (jump off to the right, kill the 1st guard on the run, cloak and sprint to the heavies, drop typhoon, get into cover, magnum the third, EMP the bot, take out the last ground guy, blow the barrels & pop the snipers) too, and when I got it right it felt fucking epic. My bleeding heart stealth character forced into serious violence by the circumstances - and wrecking everything against the odds...

    What a game.

  • RabidChild #7 5 months ago

    I also reloaded a million times on the same bit, for the same reason.

  • Jonny5Alive7 #8 5 months ago

    I also didn't realise she could be saved. I think these game of the year articles are only good if you've played the game. Bring back the EG top 100 i think, that was a great read.

  • BigDannyH #9 5 months ago

    Does it count as a spoiler if it's possible for her either to die or be saved?

    I had a brief go at DXHR but found it a bit intimidating. May go back to it when the scenes a bit less hectic.

    Didn't help that I accidentally selected "lethal" in an early conversation, got given a gun, then decided I'd rather be stealthy and sneaky.

  • dr_zoidthrob #10 5 months ago

    I really couldn't get into it. I tried, OH how I tried, but it just didn't do anything for me :confused:

  • BartsBlue #11 5 months ago

    I also fought like a lion to save Faridah and what an immense joy it is when you finally succeed and game acknowledges that.

    There are other variants of what can happen in Deus Ex: hostages in the first mission are a good example of that. Player can save some of them, all of them or noone, if s/he is late to the party. This is a strength of this game and a true legacy of the original Deus Ex.

    That said, I have found the game's action / stealth sequences to be lacking, behaviour of the enemies irrational and artificial, final choices extremely limited and the whole set of augmentations to be along the lines "how much of our meager AI can we expose to player via augs" (how could any future software establish precise cone of view for an unknown human that it sees for the first time is beyond me).

    Still, I am keeping my copy of Deus Ex: Human Revolution (I sell all the games I do not get attached to). Great music, voices and sounds, beautiful graphics and animated sequences, convincing locales (Heng Sha!), interesting protagonists, tons of in-game information and hidden spots, but above all that: atmosphere and character. Yes, this game has soul, even if it takes a while to get to it.

    Additionally, there are a few sequences that are nothing short of pure brilliance: talking a broken man out of suicide (and seeing him shoot himself, should player fail to convince him) or convincing a politician to admit the truth DURING THE FRIGGIN' CONVENTION are the in-game memories that will stay with me.

    All in all: new Deus Ex is not a perfect game, nor does it reach the heights of its predecessor in terms of emergent gameplay or storytelling - but despite its shortcomings, it is a memorable game on its own, one that every serious gamer should at least have tried.

  • superflyninja #12 5 months ago

    I loved the original DX. And even liked the sequel. And on paper I should love this but i didnt.no idea why. just found it meh.

  • nicolledes #13 5 months ago

    GOTY 2011 for me. I absolutely loved every second of it. Even the boss battles :)

  • joeymoto108 #14 5 months ago

    @dr_zoidthrob

    I'm in the same boat, I wanted to love this game but I simply couldn't.

  • Amblin #15 5 months ago

    I also played as a non lethal batman geno-clone. However, although a tough as a rice paper napkin, I took the fight to them, smoke/stun grenades, multiple take downs and lots of energy bars was my philosophy. (I knew keeping those emp grenades and musili bars was worth the effort of only ever having a taser and needle rifle.)

    This game was almost flawless. the boss battles let it down as did a linear story line. (I don't like the illusion of choice). The atmosphere conjured by the artists (2d/3d and musical) combined into a cyberpunk masterpiece that will now be the foundation of many a game to come. More than anything it reminded me of my youth, mangas, cyberpunk table top rpgs, dissolution and Syndicate Wars!

    A damned fine job by Eidos Montreal.

    Here's hoping they make a follow-up and take in some inspiration from open world games and maybe even add a little spice from new innovations like Story Bricks to add more immersion.

    My Game of 2011.

  • JetSetWilly #16 5 months ago

    Not even close to being a GOTY contender for me. At its very best this is mediocre game, crammed with clunky controls, horrendous load times (even post-patch) poor graphics, pointless hub-worlds, terrible dialogue and gameplay mechanics that have been done better by other games over the years. The augments you get are awful, not one of them feels like a game-changer that puts real power in your hands.

    This game really is a classic case of getting 2-3 extra points on the score because of the name on the box.

  • DarthInsinuate #17 5 months ago

    I'd like to nominate Deus Ex: Human Revolution for "Best face punches, 2011" and "Best line delivery of 'Son of a Bitch', 2011".
    Edited by DarthInsinuate at 28/12/11 @ 10:39

  • bad09 #18 5 months ago

    I have to echo others who said it did nothing for them. I dunno, I to loved the first and so wanted to like HR and it's not even a bad game really I just couldn't get into it and gave up after a while just didn't find it interesting and it was far too orange, didn't really like the look or style.

    Maybe it was because I played it on Onlive streaming is okay but it's not the best experience. I might still try again with a my own copy when it drops a bit more in price, like I said it's not a bad game really it just just didn't gel with me like I hoped. I do find sometimes games like that need a second chance.

  • Olemak #19 5 months ago

    @TonyCB Spoiler alert? Well, maybe, but just get the game, mate, it is epic, and now you know that Malik can be saved if you put your mind to it (I didn't realise and didnt even try - but on my next playthrough she will be saved, oh yes). Brilliant game, just get it and dont worry about spoilers.

  • octo #20 5 months ago

    @JetSetWilly This is just not an opinion I recognise. The controls were absolutely anything but clunky and the gameplay mechanics, from the cover / shoot to the multiple approach paths were fantastic. The game had a level of polish that you don't often see in any generation and a well crafted story. A special mention must also go to the truly great sound design and score which was both immersive and fitting.

    Roll on the next game.

  • Anjaneya #21 5 months ago

    For me, reloading crucial moments in a game defeats the purpose of having a narrative at all. That's my problem with Arkham City at the moment - its not possible to have a fail state recorded on any mission. Seems a bit childish. Its ok to fail.

    Also, bit of trolling here, but Deus Ex HR was a bit too easy, even on hard.

  • Inmediasress #22 5 months ago

    Loved the game.
    This was a game that many other devs could learn from in terms of choiches.
    Too many games this year that had the RPG label on them but they didn't do justice to it.(I'm looking at you EAware)

  • TheNonk #23 5 months ago

    I killed EVERYONE in the nightclub. Even the DJ.

  • JetSetWilly #24 5 months ago

    @octo For me the controls seemed wilfully clunky (on 360 this is). It's a first-person game, and I have a gun. Yet it's left-trigger for cover and right-click the right analog stick for aim down sight? Seriously? And to stay in cover you have to hold left-trigger the entire time.

    I didn't see any level of polish in the cut-scenes. The facial animations, indeed all animations, were stiff and PS2-like.

    The enemy AI is like something from 2003. You can crawl past a guy with his back to you who is rummaging in a box without him noticing you. But some goon at the far end of the warehouse can see the top of your shoelace sticking out a few millimetres from behind a crate.

    None of the augments felt like they made any meaningful difference to how you play. And the choices in the game are always the same: you either hunt about for the vent, or you spend an age reloading constantly to get through a room without being seen, or you brave the controls and shoot your way through.

    That section with Malik and the chopper is awful. The game gives you no way of prepping for that so that you can approach it any way that you choose. You've played the game a particular way, and then it screws you over with an awful section like that. The game reduces you to maxing out your briefcase so you can bring along a ton of "just in case" kit.
    Edited by JetSetWilly at 28/12/11 @ 11:14

  • nickthegun #25 5 months ago

    I had an ultra lethal tank build and I still found it very tough on give me deus ex.

    But, largely thanks to the explosive revolver, I was the only mother fucker left standing at the end of it. Like most people I was actually raging that they were shooting at malik.

  • photoboy #26 5 months ago

    I think this would have been my game of the year if it wasn't for the endings. While the boss battles were a bit crap (the first two were impossible, the last two were really easy) that pales in comparison to the total lack of closure for the story.

    What happens with Jensen and his girlfriend? I spent the whole game looking for her, yet there's no resolution to that. What about Sarif? Isn't Jensen going to have words with him for augmenting his entire body without his permission? If only they'd ensured the game went out with a bang instead of a stock-footage whimper it would have been an all-time classic.

  • TonyCB #27 5 months ago

    @Olemak
    I have got the game - got it at launch - just havent had the time to get that far yet

  • toa_boa #28 5 months ago

    *am cry* - tried to save her all I could, but skills were lacking :cry:

  • BellyFullOfHell #29 5 months ago

    Far better than I'd hoped it could be. Now give me the massive areas of the original, with the polish and combat of HR and I'd. E a happy man indeed.

    @JetSetWilly
    It didn't 'screw you over' at all, it asked tou to deal with a situation that maybe your build hadn't really prepared for. If it shapes every scenario around the abilities you've chosen, what's the consequences of the choices?

  • marmaduke #30 5 months ago

    Apart from the boss fights the big annoyance for me was that you got more experience points for non-lethal takedowns than you did for lethal ones, and in many cases the non-lethal ones were easier to perform. Sneaking is pretty hard but a full-blown firefight is much harder to deal with. Plus, the tranquilliser rifle was silenced and the Sniper rifle wasn't and couldn't take that modification.

    As for Faridah... the first time through I couldn't save her, but the second time I planned for it. I maxed out the cloak augmentation and made sure I had five battery slots. As I was also going non-lethal, I had a lot of inventory space, so I stocked up on those massive Cyber Boost jars. Then it's just a case of cloaking and punching and an EMP grenade and a few tranq rounds for the guys above.
    Edited by marmaduke at 28/12/11 @ 11:44

  • Spuzzell #31 5 months ago

    @JetSetWilly

    Its a game about choices and their consequences.

    If you chose to build a sneaky little chap who carries around nothing more lethal than a health and safety manual, then when it all goes suddenly wrong and the shit hits the fan you have the deal with the consequences of not being able to man up and shoot people in the face :-)

    Although you could just have taken down the soldier with the heavy rifle on the right of Faridah, drawing every enemy's fire to you and used his gun to blow everything up before going all up close psycho on the snipers.

    DXHR was the best gaming experience I've had for... man, a long time. Loved loved loved it.

  • DBLue #32 5 months ago

    @JetSetWilly About saving Malik: I find it extremely immature for players to complain about the game putting them in a tight spot due to sticking to a specific playstyle.

    Here's a hint. The world doesn't spin around your character. Your choice of turning him into a sneaky ghost with no weapons won't magically make every single encounter winnable that way. Just like in real life.

    I suppose the intent of the developers was to make you deal with the consequences of your choices - in this particular case, Malik dies because your approach was unsuitable to that particular situation. Accept it and carry on. (Boss battles are terrible in this regard though, because you're actually required to kill them even if you lack the means to do so).

    By the way, you can actually save Malik without killing anyone. It's quite difficult, but doable. Youtube it if you feel curious.
    Edited by DBLue at 28/12/11 @ 11:53

  • JetSetWilly #33 5 months ago

    @Spuzzell I'm fine with that. I think the point is, if the game has you reloading 30 times at a section like that then the balance is all wrong. And the balance in that section is all wrong. If you're stealth then Malik is dead pretty much before you've had a decent chance to assess the situation, figure out where people are and then plan what to do. So for a stealth guy that section descends into endless reloads just to inch forwards in your knowledge of what's around you so that you can attempt to handle the situation based on your build choices.

  • eviroboy #34 5 months ago

    Seem to be in the minority but I didn't like this, not one bit. Boring as hell. I'm told if you stick through to the end it picks up but isn't the point of something like this to engage you from the start? Poor storytelling and unnecessary filler parts. May one day go back and finish it, may not. It won't be a defining point in my life.

    It was a shame because I was really looking forward to it, even had the Augmented Edition pre-ordered from a lifetime ago, silly really cos it was a fiver a mere week or so later lol.

  • Shikasama #35 5 months ago

    The praise that this game receieves and the favourable comparisons to the original Deus Ex shows how desensitized we are to good games.

  • Goodfella #36 5 months ago

    Put me in the 'couldn't get into it' camp too. I loved the original PC game but this just left me cold. I think I got about 60-70% through and couldn't take any more.

    Portal 2 = GotY. :)

  • dragerboy #37 5 months ago

    This was the dullest game of 2011 by far.

  • DiamondIce #38 5 months ago

    Deus Ex was one of the standout games of 2011 but I think it did lose its way as the campaign went further in. That could have been down to me playing too much too soon and just getting a bit bored.

    It was never on my radar and so was a lovely surprise.

  • Puppaz #39 5 months ago

    For me this game was amazing first play through. I think it helps a lot if you try to play stealth/non-lethal through a lot of it, but then the bosses force you to change methods.
    If you do it the other way round the bosses are easier to deal with but the rest of the game feels quite lame.
    I guess it just comes down to personal preference. I just get the feeling the game only gives you an illusion of choice, there are several ways to do it but only one really works. Wish there was an option to switch off boss-fights too. Reminds me of tenchu.

  • Syrette #40 5 months ago

    Definitely my GOTY.

    I loved it. So detailed, so much fun, so enthralling. An absolutely sublime gaming experience that I'll never forget.

    I'd love more DLC too.

  • wanted_0012 #41 5 months ago

    Post deleted at 13:16:49 28-12-2011

  • wanted_0012 #42 5 months ago

    @JetSetWilly

    I played through stealth, trying not to be seen by anyone. When I got to that section I stopped sneaking and went nuts with my silenced pistol. Just because you played through the game being stealthy doesn't mean you had to do that section stealthy. In fact you pretty much didn't need to even try to save Malik at all.

    And I've got to say the controls were anything bug clunky (on the PC anyway). Some animations were a bit sketchy, but nothing as bad as PS2. Quality game, I loved every second apart from the first boss.

    That section with Malik and the chopper is awful. The game gives you no way of prepping for that so that you can approach it any way that you choose.

    Thats the whole point! Your hover copter thing just got unexpectedly shot down, you shouldn't have time to choose your loadout and prepare for it. If you want to start a level with exactly the right equipment and be lead down a path showing you exactly how to do things then go and play COD. Or the BF3 single player for that matter.

  • BellyFullOfHell #43 5 months ago

    @Shikasama
    Have you played the original through in the last few years? In it's time it was brilliant, but these days it's looking it's age, the AI is truly atrocious, and there isn't the amount of choice people rememer once the main campaign truly gets going. It was a classic at the time, and remains fun to this day, but HR is equally as good in many ways, and far superior in others.

  • Olemak #44 5 months ago

    Here's my proud/guilty Deus Ex secret:

    I was able to do the "wait for the elevator" scene in Montreal without firing a single shot. Blocked the doors with vending machines, called the elevator and that was basically it. Actually, that was pretty boring, but still sorta satisfying.

  • Collymilad #45 5 months ago

    Amazing game.

    It's funny how some people couldn't get into it. My mate bought it at the same time as me and he hasn't played it in 2 months and is only about 20% through it.

    Weirdos. (EG Disclaimer: That is a joke)

    Oh, and the original Deus Ex is utterly terrible now. The AI just kills it, all they do is run around in front of you. That destroys the game for me.
    Edited by Collymilad at 28/12/11 @ 13:30

  • Hellion83 #46 5 months ago

    Post deleted at 20:12:17 01-02-2012

  • Tomo #47 5 months ago

    I basically played an absolute cunt, who didn't care for anyone or anything. I killed as many people as I could including people I knocked out silently, then shot in the head with a real gun once I'd hidden their body, and any civilian stupid enough to stand out of sight of another person. Faridah was never going to be saved by me.

  • FuzzyDuck #48 5 months ago

    Will have to agree to disagree on this one EG, thought it was horrible.

  • BartsBlue #49 5 months ago

    @Olemak Did the same! ^^;

    I expected all hell to break lose, but instead I was watching soldiers run in circles outside and getting bored sitting in the vent. I actually tripped one of my own mines while waiting.

  • DDevil #50 5 months ago

    This could be my favourite game of the year. It's not often I start a second play through of a game immediately after the first.

  • subtlesnake #51 5 months ago

    "This game really is a classic case of getting 2-3 extra points on the score because of the name on the box. "

    I didn't like a game, therefore anyone else who said they liked it must have been lying?


    "None of the augments felt like they made any meaningful difference to how you play. And the choices in the game are always the same: you either hunt about for the vent, or you spend an age reloading constantly to get through a room without being seen, or you brave the controls and shoot your way through."

    Being able to become invisible for several seconds doesn't affect stealth encounters? Being able to to take double as much damage doesn't affect combat encounters? The game is always going to be about combat or stealth (what else can it be about really), but the augs are a big help in facilitating your chosen playstyle.

  • Neil__ #52 5 months ago

    Post deleted at 14:48:19 28-12-2011

  • Syrette #53 5 months ago

    Can people who use terms such as "horrible" to describe this title, please explain why?

    I just can't understand how anyone could deem it to be "horrible" even if they're just exaggerating. Certainly not saying that everyone should like it.

    Very, very well written piece this by the way Alec. As a fellow fan of the game it was a good read.

  • CaptainTrips #54 5 months ago

    It's not my favourite game of the year, but the infiltration of the police station at the beginning of the game was by far my favourite gaming moment of the year.

    I have never felt more badass in a video game than when I talked my way into the police station through an old acquaintance, got what I needed, and then proceeded to lift everything of potential value from under the cops' noses. 2nd playthrough I went all Terminator on the place and killed every motherfucker in there. Fantastic.

    If it wasn't for the terrible boss fights and disappointing wrapping up of the third act, this would probably not only be my game of the year, but game of the decade. Here's hoping Eidos can iterate and improve on the inevitable next installment.

    Also - this game has the best soundtrack I've ever heard for a video game.

  • mr_pink #55 5 months ago

    DE:HR is a good enough game although I have to say, although ropier, I had more fun with Alpha Protocol.

  • ratmaggot #56 5 months ago

    Fantastic game right up until the first boss at which point I realised the boss battles simply break all notion of immersion and character developement.

    Oh well.

  • Lord_Gremlin #57 5 months ago

    I don't know, I've played as lethal combat + hacking character, it felt like that was the way to play the game. Had no problem just annihilating everything that attacked Faridah with heavy weapons (robot got typhoon-ed). On my first try.
    It feels like real choice is limited in the game. If you're lethal combat + hacking you get loads of XP because you hack everything and kill everybody, bosses are cakewalk (rocket or GL grenade in face and typhoon x2 and they're dead, or almost dead). If you're anything other than that... Games punishes you. Not a hacker? Miss on XP. Not a walking combat tank? Bosses will kick your ass.

    P.S. I actually didn't know you can let Faridah die, since my characters normal strategy was shooting everything full of bullets and i got through this scene on my first try.

  • Nisa #58 5 months ago

    Just ordered this for nine quid from Zavvi. Got high hopes.

  • TheGuvernor #59 5 months ago

    Great sound track & good voice acting.
    Other than that the most over hyped & over rated GOTY.
    Emperor's New Clothes explains all the love for this one...

  • FenderMaster #60 5 months ago

    I did the same thing on that bit, but rather than persevere i decided to abandon my no kill policy at this part. I didn't realise you could get through the intro without kills so it was already too late for the no kills trophy anyway.

    EMP grenades are a must for taking out the robots here though.

  • RandomTerrain #61 5 months ago

    Great game, but plenty of room for improvement.
    Apart from the boss fights, the members of the public behaved very strangley at times. Their actions often made no sense at all.

    Hopefully they take it all on board for the next game though, lots of pontential here, and good to see them trying something a bit different.

  • r1000009 #62 5 months ago

    I really wanted to like this game, but I couldn't. I tried stealthing it, but it just got so tedious avoiding the guards xray vision all the time. One misstep and the whole mission is blown, and often it seemed completely arbitrary that I'd been seen. The worst was when I sneaked over to the PC controlling a gun turret and the game decided that to hack it I had to stand up at full height at which point they all started shooting me. Great. Once you take out the over hyped emergent possibilities (ooh, you can sneak round the back of the club, wow) you're left with a pretty lame shooter with rubbish maps, annoying inventory management and characters I couldn't get attached to. Such a shame.

  • r1000009 #63 5 months ago

    I agree with JetSetWilly. If the game lets you choose how you build your character (i.e. stealth versus tank) and then throws in a compulsory situation where one of the builds is 'wrong' (i.e. a boss fight or the helicopter scene) then the game is at fault. Done properly it should have been possible to sneak around and then stun gun the first boss, not be forced to kill him in close combat. It makes a complete mockery of the idea of choice.

  • Kanjin #64 5 months ago

    That must have taken you forever with the loading times. That's what stopped me trying to save her in the end, couldn't face MORE reloading.

  • Syrette #65 5 months ago

    @r1000009

    The helicopter scene as you put it is completely (and rather obviously) avoidable. Just sneak past them with a cloak activated.

    I know the boss fights weren't up to much but in terms of total playtime, they constitute very little. So I don't quite get why they're such a big deal to some people.

    And you can just Typhoon them all and have them beaten very quickly anyway.

  • Syrette #66 5 months ago

    @r1000009

    What are you on about? You appear to be criticising the title based on a total lack of understanding over a basic gameplay mechanic.

    If you're spotted or chased, you can just hide and they'll soon go back to their patrols. Or of course you could just use a non-lethal weapon on them.

    What do you mean by the "emergent possibilities" being over-hyped? What were you expecting exactly?

  • subtlesnake #67 5 months ago

    "Done properly it should have been possible to sneak around and then stun gun the first boss, not be forced to kill him in close combat. It makes a complete mockery of the idea of choice. "

    The bosses are a very small part of the game (5% or less), and EM basically ran out of time to do them right, so they had to outsource to another company. The 'boss' in The Missing Link is more in line with how they wanted them to be, I think.

    In general, combat is perhaps slightly easier, though with the invisibility aug and double takedowns you're pretty damn powerful.

    I almost never play stealthily in games, but completed the whole of DX:HR that way. It's like the stealth in the Batman games – because you're given so many tools, it's rarely frustrating.

  • paulf #68 5 months ago

    I let her die, she was only a glorified cabby after all ;)

  • TRUTH #69 5 months ago

    This is the first game with a story that kept me interested to the very end (can't be bothered with stories in most games!)...Liked your characters straight forward talk. Also enjoyed the sneaking around with a Sniper and the upgraded silent pistil with lazer sight - which saved me on a few occasions. Played this on hardest level; this really makes you put extra thought in your judgement on approaching situations more.

    Dark Souls is another game for best game of 2011, have Skyrim too - but have yet to start this. Love Dark Souls world and exploring to find that rare needed items...2011 a great year for rpg/adventure: Skyrim, Dark Souls, Deus Ex - more games like these pleeeeeeeease and COD!
    Edited by TRUTH at 28/12/11 @ 18:50

  • JetSetWilly #70 5 months ago

    @subtlesnake I don't expect that anyone is lying about their experience of the game, no. This reviewed with 9s and 10s which is fine. When I played it I thought it was more like a seven and that the things I disliked about the game would have got a rougher ride if found in an IP that reviewers were not already generally very well-disposed towards.

    I don't think those augments you mention change things up in any meaningful way, either. A few seconds of cloaking then you're out of batteries and only one recharges. A few seconds extra of damage before you die. It might change an encounter or two but not really your whole approach to a room.

    The boss battles in this game are almost universally panned as being out of step with the rest of the game and your potential build choices. The Malik chopper incident is just as bad as the boss fights with the exception that it gives you a Fuck It Let Her Die way-out so you can still progress. I think that exists only to let the stealth builds through an otherwise nigh-on impossible situation.

    Someone earlier said that I shouldn't expect the game to shape itself as a result of my choices. But actually doing so could have given the game a much better balance. For example, if you have a stealth build when the chopper goes down you are much further away from Malik. She's bleeding out and you have minutes to get to her before the enemy finds the crash site. I can use my stealth skills to get over to Malik and disrupt the search for her; my build choice is no longer wrong for this set-piece. I can still fail, she will die if I don't make it but I get to play the objective according to the style that I want to enjoy the game. If I'm a tank build then fine, drop me right in the midst of a ton of enemies and we'll duke it out.
    Edited by JetSetWilly at 28/12/11 @ 21:00

  • Arcturas #71 5 months ago

    Redemption is what i was after ever since playing the first and letting Paul Denton die in the first Deus Ex (and subsequently finding out that i could of saved him). So when Maliks transport was shot down my time had come.....after a few failed attempts I managed to take out everyone whilst in a hyperstim and cyberboost frenzy using just take downs and an EMP grenade. Good times and my GOTY this year for sure!
    Edited by Arcturas at 28/12/11 @ 19:09

  • subtlesnake #72 5 months ago

    "I don't think those augments you mention change things up in any meaningful way, either. A few seconds of cloaking then you're out of batteries and only one recharges. A few seconds extra of damage before you die. It might change an encounter or two but not really your whole approach to room."

    With the cloak fully upgraded you get 7 full seconds of cloak per energy cell. That's enough to move from any cover point to any other cover point, without being spotted. Behind cover, you can't be spotted unless you pop up. So is essentially it allows you to move around the environment without any risk of being seen.

    The extra shielding is the difference between being forced to stick to cover nearly all the time (because stray shots kill you very fast), and being able pop out and engage enemies without being behind cover (round corners for example).

  • Subdominator #73 5 months ago

    @eviroboy I felt the same way about the game for the first five hours. Then it clicked and I played it to the end and started a new run the second the credits were done. Currently on my third run.

  • Subdominator #74 5 months ago

    @Olemak I just hid next to the elevator in a vent, once it arrived I cloaked and pushed the button.

  • Subdominator #75 5 months ago

    @Syrette Only if you have the Typhoon augmentation in the first place. Which doesn't make much sense for a silent approach, which means the boss battles are just bad.

    The first one is not the worst. You get all the weapons you need right there with him, however if you miss a single rocket good luck. The seond one is just bad. It can be as easy as it gets if you happen to have the anti-EMP augmentation or it will just suck for a sneaker.

    The third is even worse. If you happen to switch that chip you stand there with a defenseless build and no idea where the enemy is. Yet you're supposed to kill him through the walls. It just sucks.

    Final boss was so ridiculously easy I don't even wanna talk about it.

  • spekkeh #76 5 months ago

    This game could have been great were it not for the fact that the story halfway in deteriorated into utter cack Illuminati did it eh? Party like it's 1999? No questions asked, it's the illuminati, they're baad, everybody knows. I know it's because the game is a prequel, but they should've retconned that. I felt cheated, let alone all the loose ends somebody else mentioned. I furthermore felt the hub worlds were too small/boxy to be believable as large cities and overall the gameplay was at odds with the immersion it was trying to pull off.

    The game world felt more like a series of puzzles, a bit like a Zelda game, than something to progress the story and the way this hampered the suspension of disbelief was further exacerbated by the excessive loading times every time you died in the xbox version. Find the hidden vent, wait till the guards are aligned, now sprint--bang you're dead. Nope that wasn't it. Loading.....loading....loading......loading.....hmm let's check facebook....loading....ah there we are. Back to the hidden vent, wait till the guards are aligned, wait a little bit longer, ah yes sprint to that box, sneak past it, behind the camera, crap another guard! I can get away if I jump onto that ledge.. shit the ledge is one inch too high, now it looks like I'm dryhumping this wall while six guards are shooting at me..ugh dead. Loading.....loading....loading....loading....might as well read this Eurogamer article...loading....aaand start over. Not exactly how a superhero cyborg would deal with such a situation.

    All the hacking wasn't very immersive either. I was in the office of the main boss of my company, and I was hacking his computer and reading his private e-mails right under his nose. No biggie eh. I did the same for the entire police department while people were going about their job. Not sure why I did it, nobody had anything interesting in their e-mail and the hacking minigame was too difficult in the beginning, too easy at the end, and overall not much fun.

    Still, when the game and immersion didn't break apart around you, it could be a thing of rare beauty. The best bits were when you are sneaking it up, unintentionally get noticed and pandemonium erupts all around you. One time I was nearly to where I had to be, got noticed and decided to make a run for it. Shot one guard in the face at point blank range, jumped over some barrels while simultaneously shooting another, quickly turned around and tossed a few grenades to keep them at bay, ran through the doors, closed the doors and ran up a flight of stairs, where I waited in the shadows until it subsided. That was the greatest experience in the game (too bad it happened about one thirds in), and I even suspended my disbelief that the guards lost three of their men and wouldn't go looking for me in another room. There just seemed too little of that though, as getting noticed meant having to reload most of the times, and for all the supposed freedom it felt too restrictive.
    Edited by spekkeh at 28/12/11 @ 21:22

  • Dangerous_Dan #77 5 months ago

    @spekkeh - I remember Deus Ex 1 being very similar. I also had to reload a lot of times. I think Human Revolution is too much game for many people today. Now we want a flowing experience without frustration moments and immediate gratification. Is that wrong? - who am I to say so ;) .
    But me, I'm glad this Deus Ex is quite close to the original one.
    Starting the game for the first time I was mostly impressed with the game music. Starting it at the hardest difficult level I made my way through the introductory sequence and then something awesome happened. I got instantly killed upon opening a door with enemies behind it. I just thought - wow I can die in this game, just like in the original.

  • BobbyDeNiro #78 5 months ago

    @Nisa good choice its a great game. Youve got to immerse yourself in it though and hack every terminal,explore every roomand read every computer to get anything out of it though. Its one of those games where you cant go into it half hearted. It needs time and effort but if you do youll find a great immersive experience

  • Syrette #79 5 months ago

    @kaufmann

    I guess it's pretty crazy but people can actually have different opinions. Clearly a lot of people rate this game - more than those who don't.

    Would love to know what is uninspired about it, but to each their own.

  • Syrette #80 5 months ago

    @Subdominator

    "Only if you have the Typhoon augmentation in the first place. Which doesn't make much sense for a silent approach, which means the boss battles are just bad."

    Well... yeah. Unless you already know about their power, you'd probably ignore them if you're on a stealth playthrough.

    But if you are aware of their power, then you might as well. The game gives out plenty of Praxis points so I see little reason not to get the Typhoon just for the boss fights.

  • BellyFullOfHell #81 5 months ago

    @JetSetWilly
    That's obvious that you didn't play the game through. Yes, it's true that the bosses are swines if you've taken the stealth route, but at one point in particular that same build will let you completely skip half a level and walk through the rest. That's the beauty - it's set up so that the opportunities for both are there, but at different times.

  • azic #82 5 months ago

    @Ultrasoundwave
    A sequel? It's the third in the series!

  • JetSetWilly #83 5 months ago

    @BellyFullOfHell What? I have a different opinion on this game than you so it means I can't possibly have played it all the way through? Complete nonsense.

  • BellyFullOfHell #84 5 months ago

    @JetSetWilly
    You claim the augs make no real difference. I skipped an entire half level by using the slow fall, then cloaked through the rest. Second play, as a tank, i killed the lot and it rook a hell of a lot longer. That's just one example. It was the ambush in the Heng-Sha pod hotel by the way. Lept from the third to ground floor, took cover, cloaked my way through the basement rooms. That was not an option as a gunslinger. It's blatantly wrong to say there's no freedom of choice.

    I've also heard that if you kill, you don't get the XP so the game is biased in a certain direction. Now I can only speak for me, but taking the stealthy route, I used as little ammo as poss, took people down where I had to and sneaked through if I could. Taking the killing road, yeah I only got half the XP, but if I opened fire on a room, every one of those mothers were dead, and it balanced out around the same. Consequences, again. Like the man above remarked, you coukd either make a silent path through the Police Station, or do the Terminator thing. The rewards were roughly the same either way, but if you wanted to kill, the game expected you to go about your business properly.

  • werewolf_poo #85 5 months ago

    My GOTY so far (skrim hasn't been delivered yet), the achievements in this game were also great and I realy did get my moneys worth after playing through the game 3 times in a different strategy each time. Shame I didn't wait a month or two as it hit bargain bin prices fairly quickly but then I think this was the first of the big hitters just before the gaming mayhem that was November/December 2011.

  • ToAks #86 5 months ago

    bought it!
    Not had time for it yet (too many awesome games in 2011)
    Will play it as soon as my backlog gets thinner.

  • Wyrm #87 5 months ago

    It's a good game, but flawed in so many ways it annoyed me more than entertained me.

  • TheEarlOfZinger #88 5 months ago

    Dear Eidos Montreal,

    Why no more DLC for deus ex: hr?

    Take my money, please.

  • AllenSpawn #89 5 months ago

    Does anyone else see the irony of "JetSetWilly" complaining about the clunky controls......

  • TheEarlOfZinger #90 5 months ago

    People as old as us, yes.

  • curtlikesmeat #91 5 months ago

    I have too many games I haven't played, but they're almost giving it away in Morrisons at the moment (no idea why the price dropped so quickly) - was £25 very quickly on consoles, then £15 and I think it might be even lower now...

  • subtlesnake #92 5 months ago

    "This game could have been great were it not for the fact that the story halfway in deteriorated into utter cack I know it's because the game is a prequel, but they should've retconned that."

    That *is* Deus Ex's story though. If you retcon that, you're not really making a game set in the Deus Ex universe.

  • paulf #93 5 months ago

    you can actually kill the fist boss stealthy like - run past him to the storeroom then throw the gas canister at him

  • TheApologist #94 5 months ago

    Just finished it and, this late in the year, it takes my GOTY. I was absorbed by this in a way I haven't been by a game in years. Loved it.

    Oh, and Malik died in my playthrough. I decided to live with it (I guessed it was probably possible to save her) but from then on my stealth character ended every Belltower merc he saw.
    Edited by TheApologist at 29/12/11 @ 23:17

  • TazerFan #95 5 months ago

    I really liked it.

    But I can't be alone in feeling that it desperately needed a third hub city, or in feeling that the ending was among the most disappointing I've ever seen. Budget/time constraints, I guess?

  • Bombonera #96 5 months ago

    @TazerFan Agree about the hub city, disagree about the endings since there are several of them. For me a couple of things prevented DXHR from reaching legendary status. The boss battles are poor and not up to the standard of the rest of the game. The decision to allocate them to a different, second-rate developer rates as one of the most baffling decisions in gaming history to me. Also, a Montreal hub city would have been great. There's just a tad too much time spent wandering around warehouses for my liking.

  • BellyFullOfHell #97 5 months ago

    @TazerFan
    One more hub city and a few more missions, and this woukd probably have been my favourite game of all time. It's still up there, it's just a fraction away from true greatness.

  • ProgZombie #98 5 months ago

    Was mortified when this came out whilst I was on holiday. Had to coerce the friend I was staying with to buy it so I could play it on a rainy day. Oh how I prayed for the rain.

  • azazel_fallenangel #99 5 months ago

    I didn't even realized Mailk could be saved, I was too busy carefully picking people off from afar, when I realized, it was too late. I had nothing to combat the robot, and despite my last ditch rush to save her, failed, but I lived by that failure for the rest of the game.
    Became a bit emotional when I found her body in the Gang hideout later on too.

  • Gein #100 5 months ago

    "I couldn't let Faridah Malik die."
    ...neither could I.

    That's such a great game. It deserves to sell more than it did.
    About the game of the year subject, I just can not choose between Deus Ex (Curiosity: "Deus" means "God" in Portuguese; yep, I am Brazilian) and Portal 2.

    Great year.
    In 2010 I just had Mass Effect 2 at my game of the year list.
    Edited by Gein at 31/12/11 @ 10:03

  • whishman #101 5 months ago

    @Hellion83
    not as good as the 1st.

  • OliverH #102 5 months ago

    @Astro-Creature
    Nah, that price goes to Skyrim. Dazzling people with fluff and graphios, like a truckload of glass bricks dopped on someone front yard. An arbitrary pile of puzzle pieces that stun with their sheer number and dazzle with flashiness but fail to produce an actual coherent picture...