Deus Ex: Human Revolution Review

Does the third instalment in the Deus Ex story live up to its predecessor's critical acclaim? It does not only do that, it takes it further.

Story
In 2027 Augmentation technology can enhance the body's capability by replacing limbs with robotic ones or installing biochips to improve brain functions. Augmentation has improved the lives of those who chose to be augmented but drastically decreases the quality of life for those who don't.

Sarif Industries is one of the leading companies in Augmentation technology who have just been attacked by an unknown enemy and the newly appointed chief of security Adam Jensen has been fatally wounded when checking out the break in. With various operations Adam has been saved and is now an owner of an Augmented body. Six months later Adam is on a mission to uncover the truth about what happened during the break in as well as figuring out the bigger picture.

Here's (new) Adam!

The main story behind Human Revolution is one of the best I've played through ever and it makes me want to play the game non-stop. The story is told through a mixture of CGI cutscenes that can last from five seconds up to a minute before it goes into in game graphics and carries on from there.

The fluidity of Human revolution's plot will make you want to uncover the truth faster as you travel to different countries to find it. The shady cast of antagonists give this game more depth for the player. Adams character progression throughout the story is great; as he listens the lies and truths that everyone feeds him, Adam slowly comes to conclusions that may affect his judgement which in turn affects the story as it goes on. My only gripe with the story is the ending; while others may see it as a great way to finish the game; to me it felt a bit weak to end the game that way and more of a cop out to the player.

Gameplay
Human Revolution doesn't force you to play a specific style, it's the complete opposite; you choose the style that fits you for the mission. That being said there are different ways to tackle everything in the game; one of the earlier missions in the game asks you if you want to handle enemies lethally or non-lethally. Moreover during missions there are different paths you can take getting from A to B so if you search everywhere you are bound to find an alternate path, this can help to avoid enemies you don't want to deal with.

This is going to end well...

When you get enough experience points you earn a Praxis point, which you can use to upgrade the many augmentations you have to suit your play style; if you play stealthily then you may want to upgrade the Cloak system or if you prefer all guns blazing there is the Typhoon option as well, also the amount of experiences points you need to earn a Praxis kit do not change.

Soo many choices!!

The Game User Interface is a treat giving the player easy access to acquired goods , the world map, Augmentations and claimed information. If there’s one thing you must do... SEARCH EVERYWHERE! The game encourages you to search for goods anywhere and everywhere, you may find useful things such as: weapons, credits, ammo or even Praxis kits (automatically gives you a praxis point). There are things I found out during my second run through that I didn't find in my initial run and even more things on my third run.

Furthermore there will be times where you have a serious conversation in the game with an important character that may be paramount in unravelling the truth. These are key parts of the game where you have options of different replies and how you answer will determine what goes on next. If you get it done right you will receive useful information towards the parts of the game but done wrong then you get nothing and the game continues. This is a great addition to the gameplay and compliments the story really well.

The side quests in Deus Ex: Human Revolution are fun to complete and you meet a colourful cast of characters from different backgrounds that can really make you mad, laugh or do both. Some side missions may help Adam know more about his personal life, other missions may help Adam in the future or even just for personal profit. Having the option to decline these missions is something you'll never want to choose; even if you hate them with a passion, by not helping them you won't get the full experience that Deus Ex: Human Revolution offers.

Won't you help a mother out?

There are a few things that let down the gameplay, one being the boss battles; they are a nuisance and could destroy someone’s experience if not done properly in the initial run through of the game. Without the proper augmentations for Adam, the player can really struggle against them. Secondly even though the game lets you have your own play style, the amount of ammo you get says otherwise; scrounging around for ammo boxes that usually have no more than five bullets(if you're lucky)tends to get annoying, I mean who runs around with a combat rifle with only three bullets in it? And the incredibly long loading screens you have to endure can really ruin the experience with the game.

Graphics
Deus Ex: Human Revolution looks as if it takes reference from the cyberpunk age and puts its unique style onto it making the environments look amazing. The different environments that the player is taken to really look the part: from a dim-lit looking Detroit to the flashing lights of Hengsha Island. However when traversing the open world, the frame rate did drop a bit due to the amount of things happening on screen. But when it came to main missions, the frame rate stayed constant so it doesn't ruin the more important parts of gameplay.

Hengsha Island, now who wouldn't want to live there?

People you help in side missions or meet in main missions have their own unique look, augmented or not like David Sarif who has an augmented arm. Also these characters give off different vibes from being all high and mighty to really needy that can make you want to help them or just leave them alone. The voice acting for each character isn't great, but it gets the job done.

Final Verdict
Words can't describe how great of an experience this game delivers to the player. The game gets better every time I play through it. The story is a joy to play through , the cyberpunk graphics gives the game a great feel and 'choosing your own play style' Gameplay combine into being one of the best games released in 2011. I think we have a Game of the year contender right here.

Story = 9/10
Gameplay = 9.5/10
Graphics = 9.5/10

We know Gamers final Verdict = 9.3/10