Crying Tears of Joy: A Review Deus Ex: Human Revolution
At one point in Human Revolution you get the option to diffuse the bomb. I say ‘option’ because its exactly that; you can ignore it completely. Once you locate the nice little room where the bomb is located you can access further options. Do you barge in like a slobbering idiot? Or do you look for an alternate route: crawl through vents, trapeze along scaffolding and finally crawl through another air duct to reach the bomb? Oh, and if you choose the former (walking in like an idiot), you will trip a hidden sensor that will pour will pour nerve toxins in the room. So yeah. Diffusing that bomb will be a challenge. That sums up the experience that is Human Revolution. Also, it is one of the best games I have played in a LONG time.
Deux Ex: Human Revolution is the much awaited prequel to the 2000 classic Deus Ex, which is considered one of the greatest game ever made. If you ask me: it is THE greatest game ever made. I bought an original copy in 2001. I still play it.
Like the original, DX;HR is a first person RPG and treats every problem you encounter like a multiple choice question paper. i.e. there is more than one way to solve the problem. You can choose the direct, bloody way, you can sneak around and not raise the alarm if you want to, or you can find other, more creative way to complete your objectives. Also there are the beautiful side-quests, the conversations, and of course, the augmentations.
I was skeptical when I started playing DX:HR. I was finally facing years of expectations. After the pile of excrement that was Deus Ex: Invisible War (2003), I had my fingers crossed. I wanted to stay true to tradition and bought a copy of the game. Bad news first: you will need Steam and an Internet connection to play this game. Once you have that settled, the real fun begins. Let me tell you this: this game gets almost everything right. And yes. I cried tears of joy.
ITNI KHUSHI!!!
You play as Adam Jensen, the head of security of Sarif Industries.
Sarif Industries want to make mechanical augmentations a fashion statement rather than a necessity. And not many people are cool with that, given the fact that the augs come with a heavy price; addiction to a particular drug that user has to take regularly, or the body starts to reject the enhancements. The game starts when Sarif Industries is attacked by an unknown group of mercenaries. The group kills a lot of people, abducts Jensen’s main squeeze Dr. Morgan Reed ( who is presumed dead), and beats Jensen to an inch of his life. So yeah. Lot of dead people. David Sarif, the CEO of the aforementioned industry rebuilds Jensen and turns him into the ultimate cyborg (all the bells and whistles, minus the hangover) as he tries to unravel a conspiracy that will eventually lead to the Deus Ex plot line.
That’s the basic summary. The actual plot is way crazier. But lets look at what makes this game worthwhile.
DEATHSTROKE:TERMINATOR OR BATMAN?
What really stands out is the gameplay. DX:HR takes the fundamentals of the original and adds a lot to it.
COME CHILDREN!!!
The basics are the same. You can go all guns blazing while kicking down doors. No wait. You cant kick down doors. But you get the gist. You can choose frontal/preemptive assault over stealth. DX:HR now has a cover system which, unlike the bullet time thingy, is not overused at all. Cover is essential. Trust me. In the easiest of difficulties, you will not last 5 seconds without the cover. Your regenerative abilities kick in only when you are in cover and/or are in hiding, not to mention you will be able to point out enemy locations as the camera goes into 3rd person mode when you are in cover. Enemy AI is damn good. They will flank you. So yeah, you have to be aware of your surroundings. However, the cover system does make combat a little too easy.
The gun fights are surprisingly satisfactory. There is a certain sonorous quality to weapons, be it he 10mm pistol (my favourite in both the games) or the the customisable mines (least favourite). You get to choose between lethal and non lethal weapons. Also it is suggested that you use the former in a gunfight. Never bring a dart to a gunfight.
However, if you are a Batman fan, which I know you are, then you will want to be stealthy. Once again, the cover system will save your butt. It will allow you to jump/slide from cover to cover without getting noticed. Also there are the secret passage ways and conveniently man sized air-ducts for you to crawl into. I'll tackle them in a while.
And then there are the silent take-downs. One hit of a button and the camera goes into 3rd person and you will witness come really cool take down moves. Once again you get the choice to be lethal or non-lethal.
He’s gonna feel that in the morning
But combat can be double edged sword.
OH SHIT!
During take-downs the sudden change in camera angle can be a bit jarring. Not to mention it plays havoc with in-game continuity. Here you are peeking from the edge of a wall, a button tap later you are lunging at him like Bruce lee from a different direction altogether.
Also, enemy AI is good but not that good. They can be easily fooled since they cannot climb ladders or climb through vents. They do toss grenades with deadly precision though.
And there are boss fights. Yes. Boss fights. Don’t look at me like that. I didn’t design this game. There are four of them and they reminded me of the boss fights of the Metal Gear series. Although I understand the existence of a final boss, the first three really puzzled me. And there are no shortcuts (read: kill-switch) like the first game. You just have to slug it out using the right combination of weapons.
SO MUCH TO CHOOSE FROM
At this point I should mention the bitching inventory and augmentation system. The inventory is much like the predecessor: a basic grid, with one major difference. Space is upgradable. As you play you gain experience (duh!) and when you reach a certain quota you get rewarded with praxis points. You use praxis points to install new augmentations and/or upgrade existing ones, one of them being inventory space. Space management is important. More than once you will have to let go of less important items in favour of those that take priority.
Speaking of items: there are no multi tools and lock picks this time around. Lot of weapon upgrades and ammunition like the first one. Upgrades are essential as well. You can choose to turn your assault gun into a silenced tactical shooter, or your shotgun into a riot control weapon that fires only bursts. You will be spoiled.
And the augmentations. Oh Boy. There is a big tree of them. And every tree has a sub-trees and so on. Its impossible to have all augmentations and all upgrades in one play through. Trust me. I have tried. Thrice. But they do open up lot of new sections. For instance, in the sub-tree called Cybernetic arm prosthesis, when you get the punch through wall upgrade, you vision will locate weak areas in walls, which were not visible previously. Also, Recoil Compensation allows you to do multiple takedowns!! Check out the chart.
There are many areas you can upgrade to. Invisibility cloak (yes!!), stealth walking, pheromone control (a real conversation killer, deadly useful) and hacking. And also something called the Icarus System. No I will not tell what that is.
GOD? IS THAT YOU?
Speaking of hacking, you will learn to upgrade this fast since there is a lot of it. Hacking is a connect-the-dots like minigame with different difficulty settings and a time limit. Very challenging, but also very rewarding.
LEVEL DESIGN OR THE WORLD OF SUSPICIOUSLY PLACED AIR-DUCTS
Level design is unbelievable. This is where it truly stands apart from the rest. The amount of detail is ridiculous. Be it the smallest room in a multi-storey to the entire city, sometimes you have to just stop and take a good look around, breathe it all in to truly appreciate the amount of work that has gone into them.
The cities are brilliantly done. I loved getting lost in the alleys of Detroit, stumbling across all the little secrets nesting right around the corner, in a small warehouse, or in the sewers. Hengsha is something else altogether. Its so huge it will take you a while to explore the city in its entirety. Even the interiors are filled with small little details, like a picture frame, or some boxes and book; its a unique experience. However, there are minor (and by that I mean major, of course) flaws.
One being that despite the excruciating details its not as open as you would expect it to be. Remember Hell’s Kitchen from Deus Ex? There was so much to explore. So many little places to visit (there was a pub as well!) Except for a few levels, the openness was missing.
The other is the conveniently placed air-ducts. Too many enemies blocking the way? There is an air duct for it. Can’t find a way to the office room? Why, there is an air duct for it.See the pattern here? Its like an air duct epidemic. And that's not all, its as if Jensen is the only one who can spot them. Take a look at this image for instance:
RIGHTLY SAID
TALKING THE TALK
You will be talking a lot. A LOT in this game. Its all about choices. Sometimes, entire segments are dedicated to conversations. How you talk to people will decide you next course of action, and also intricate plot changes; like stopping a homicidal maniac from committing a murder, or a suicidal idiot from putting a bullet in his head. Sometimes they can open doors which are otherwise locked.
TRICKSTER GOD OR AN ENORMOUS PRICK? YOU DECIDE
WILL IT RUN?
Of course I wondered if it will run on my machine. DX:HR looks like a polished jewel. I run it with most of the specs and it looks like a million bucks. I have a NVIDIA 9500 GT with 2GB RAM and it runs like a dream. So specs wise its a good deal.
FAMOUS LAST WORDS
Is DX:HR one of the best games of all times? Probably not. But is it one of the best games of this year? Most definitely. For best results, play the retail version. By it on Flipkart if you can. Its one of the rare games that will make you play it over and over.
It gets a whopping 9.5 out of 10.
At one point in Human Revolution you get the option to diffuse the bomb. I say ‘option’ because its exactly that; you can ignore it completely. Once you locate the nice little room where the bomb is located you can access further options. Do you barge in like a slobbering idiot? Or do you look for an alternate route: crawl through vents, trapeze along scaffolding and finally crawl through another air duct to reach the bomb? Oh, and if you choose the former (walking in like an idiot), you will trip a hidden sensor that will pour will pour nerve toxins in the room. So yeah. Diffusing that bomb will be a challenge. That sums up the experience that is Human Revolution. Also, it is one of the best games I have played in a LONG time.
Deux Ex: Human Revolution is the much awaited prequel to the 2000 classic Deus Ex, which is considered one of the greatest game ever made. If you ask me: it is THE greatest game ever made. I bought an original copy in 2001. I still play it.
Like the original, DX;HR is a first person RPG and treats every problem you encounter like a multiple choice question paper. i.e. there is more than one way to solve the problem. You can choose the direct, bloody way, you can sneak around and not raise the alarm if you want to, or you can find other, more creative way to complete your objectives. Also there are the beautiful side-quests, the conversations, and of course, the augmentations.
I was skeptical when I started playing DX:HR. I was finally facing years of expectations. After the pile of excrement that was Deus Ex: Invisible War (2003), I had my fingers crossed. I wanted to stay true to tradition and bought a copy of the game. Bad news first: you will need Steam and an Internet connection to play this game. Once you have that settled, the real fun begins. Let me tell you this: this game gets almost everything right. And yes. I cried tears of joy.
ITNI KHUSHI!!!You play as Adam Jensen, the head of security of Sarif Industries.
Sarif Industries want to make mechanical augmentations a fashion statement rather than a necessity. And not many people are cool with that, given the fact that the augs come with a heavy price; addiction to a particular drug that user has to take regularly, or the body starts to reject the enhancements. The game starts when Sarif Industries is attacked by an unknown group of mercenaries. The group kills a lot of people, abducts Jensen’s main squeeze Dr. Morgan Reed ( who is presumed dead), and beats Jensen to an inch of his life. So yeah. Lot of dead people. David Sarif, the CEO of the aforementioned industry rebuilds Jensen and turns him into the ultimate cyborg (all the bells and whistles, minus the hangover) as he tries to unravel a conspiracy that will eventually lead to the Deus Ex plot line.
That’s the basic summary. The actual plot is way crazier. But lets look at what makes this game worthwhile.
DEATHSTROKE:TERMINATOR OR BATMAN?
What really stands out is the gameplay. DX:HR takes the fundamentals of the original and adds a lot to it.
COME CHILDREN!!!
The basics are the same. You can go all guns blazing while kicking down doors. No wait. You cant kick down doors. But you get the gist. You can choose frontal/preemptive assault over stealth. DX:HR now has a cover system which, unlike the bullet time thingy, is not overused at all. Cover is essential. Trust me. In the easiest of difficulties, you will not last 5 seconds without the cover. Your regenerative abilities kick in only when you are in cover and/or are in hiding, not to mention you will be able to point out enemy locations as the camera goes into 3rd person mode when you are in cover. Enemy AI is damn good. They will flank you. So yeah, you have to be aware of your surroundings. However, the cover system does make combat a little too easy.
The gun fights are surprisingly satisfactory. There is a certain sonorous quality to weapons, be it he 10mm pistol (my favourite in both the games) or the the customisable mines (least favourite). You get to choose between lethal and non lethal weapons. Also it is suggested that you use the former in a gunfight. Never bring a dart to a gunfight.
However, if you are a Batman fan, which I know you are, then you will want to be stealthy. Once again, the cover system will save your butt. It will allow you to jump/slide from cover to cover without getting noticed. Also there are the secret passage ways and conveniently man sized air-ducts for you to crawl into. I'll tackle them in a while.
And then there are the silent take-downs. One hit of a button and the camera goes into 3rd person and you will witness come really cool take down moves. Once again you get the choice to be lethal or non-lethal.
He’s gonna feel that in the morningBut combat can be double edged sword.
OH SHIT!During take-downs the sudden change in camera angle can be a bit jarring. Not to mention it plays havoc with in-game continuity. Here you are peeking from the edge of a wall, a button tap later you are lunging at him like Bruce lee from a different direction altogether.
Also, enemy AI is good but not that good. They can be easily fooled since they cannot climb ladders or climb through vents. They do toss grenades with deadly precision though.
And there are boss fights. Yes. Boss fights. Don’t look at me like that. I didn’t design this game. There are four of them and they reminded me of the boss fights of the Metal Gear series. Although I understand the existence of a final boss, the first three really puzzled me. And there are no shortcuts (read: kill-switch) like the first game. You just have to slug it out using the right combination of weapons.
SO MUCH TO CHOOSE FROM
At this point I should mention the bitching inventory and augmentation system. The inventory is much like the predecessor: a basic grid, with one major difference. Space is upgradable. As you play you gain experience (duh!) and when you reach a certain quota you get rewarded with praxis points. You use praxis points to install new augmentations and/or upgrade existing ones, one of them being inventory space. Space management is important. More than once you will have to let go of less important items in favour of those that take priority.
Speaking of items: there are no multi tools and lock picks this time around. Lot of weapon upgrades and ammunition like the first one. Upgrades are essential as well. You can choose to turn your assault gun into a silenced tactical shooter, or your shotgun into a riot control weapon that fires only bursts. You will be spoiled.
And the augmentations. Oh Boy. There is a big tree of them. And every tree has a sub-trees and so on. Its impossible to have all augmentations and all upgrades in one play through. Trust me. I have tried. Thrice. But they do open up lot of new sections. For instance, in the sub-tree called Cybernetic arm prosthesis, when you get the punch through wall upgrade, you vision will locate weak areas in walls, which were not visible previously. Also, Recoil Compensation allows you to do multiple takedowns!! Check out the chart.
There are many areas you can upgrade to. Invisibility cloak (yes!!), stealth walking, pheromone control (a real conversation killer, deadly useful) and hacking. And also something called the Icarus System. No I will not tell what that is.
GOD? IS THAT YOU?
Speaking of hacking, you will learn to upgrade this fast since there is a lot of it. Hacking is a connect-the-dots like minigame with different difficulty settings and a time limit. Very challenging, but also very rewarding.
LEVEL DESIGN OR THE WORLD OF SUSPICIOUSLY PLACED AIR-DUCTS
Level design is unbelievable. This is where it truly stands apart from the rest. The amount of detail is ridiculous. Be it the smallest room in a multi-storey to the entire city, sometimes you have to just stop and take a good look around, breathe it all in to truly appreciate the amount of work that has gone into them.
The cities are brilliantly done. I loved getting lost in the alleys of Detroit, stumbling across all the little secrets nesting right around the corner, in a small warehouse, or in the sewers. Hengsha is something else altogether. Its so huge it will take you a while to explore the city in its entirety. Even the interiors are filled with small little details, like a picture frame, or some boxes and book; its a unique experience. However, there are minor (and by that I mean major, of course) flaws.
One being that despite the excruciating details its not as open as you would expect it to be. Remember Hell’s Kitchen from Deus Ex? There was so much to explore. So many little places to visit (there was a pub as well!) Except for a few levels, the openness was missing.
The other is the conveniently placed air-ducts. Too many enemies blocking the way? There is an air duct for it. Can’t find a way to the office room? Why, there is an air duct for it.See the pattern here? Its like an air duct epidemic. And that's not all, its as if Jensen is the only one who can spot them. Take a look at this image for instance:
RIGHTLY SAID
TALKING THE TALK
You will be talking a lot. A LOT in this game. Its all about choices. Sometimes, entire segments are dedicated to conversations. How you talk to people will decide you next course of action, and also intricate plot changes; like stopping a homicidal maniac from committing a murder, or a suicidal idiot from putting a bullet in his head. Sometimes they can open doors which are otherwise locked.
TRICKSTER GOD OR AN ENORMOUS PRICK? YOU DECIDE
WILL IT RUN?
Of course I wondered if it will run on my machine. DX:HR looks like a polished jewel. I run it with most of the specs and it looks like a million bucks. I have a NVIDIA 9500 GT with 2GB RAM and it runs like a dream. So specs wise its a good deal.
FAMOUS LAST WORDS
Is DX:HR one of the best games of all times? Probably not. But is it one of the best games of this year? Most definitely. For best results, play the retail version. By it on Flipkart if you can. Its one of the rare games that will make you play it over and over.
It gets a whopping 9.5 out of 10.
