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Greetings, due to popular demand (1 person, not me), I have decided to post my impressions of Deus Ex: Human Revolution (DX:HR). The prequel that looks so much better then it's chronological predecessors. First off, the game is designed with no single path in mind. This stems from the pillars the development team at Eidos Montreal continue to tell us it's built upon: Combat, Stealth, Hacking, and Social.

You play Adam Jensen. A guy that six months after the tutorial ends is able to activate upgrades already sugerically implanted when some big event results in the need for life-saving intervention.

Adam didn't have a choice to get augmented, but the world of DX:HR is on the brink with people clashing idealogies on whether it is morally right for people to change themselves with potentially dangerous limbs.

The player gets to decide how Adam views augmentation and whether to continue the process that was started. The game starts with the minor upgrades that allow the story to defend why the play has an HUD and can talk to people on a radio without a radio in his hand.

 

The game has a open level design approach. You can talk your way into a building (Social), find an alternate way in (Hacking and Stealth), or go guns blazing (Combat). But make no mistake this is not an open world game like Fallout or Halo: ODST. While there are large levels that connect with other levels these are called hubs and are, so far, cities like Detriot. When you go off on a mission (which you decide when to do) then you have a overall goal with minor objectives on the way that you can ignore or pursue. But this game has a linear story for the major plot, but the smaller-scale events can be pursued by the player whenever he wants while he is in the area.

Now let me tell you where I am in the game...Detriot. This is the first hub after the first mission. I haven't been on my second mission, but I have went through a lot of side-missions. Well four that I can think of. But these take you over the hub and has lots of different ways to complete them. I've also bene able to do a remarkable amount of upgrades to my hacking toolset by this point.

It has been fun as I enjoy hacking the computers and locks to find secrets and just little bits of what people around my character are doing or have done. Plus the game rewards you for hacking certain nodes during a hack that range from XP, money, or computer programs to help you hack systems in the future. Found a secret passage...bonus XP. Stumbled upon a hidden room...bonus XP. You like to read the e-books scattered across any map...bonus xp. Going through a mission undetected..bonus xp. You like to complete the non-main quests? Bonus xp plus the xp for the side-quest. They do a great job for rewarding different playthroughs. Taking someone out fast..bonus xp.

There are situations where you can opt to talk yourself out of or fight it out. But those, so far, haven't included the option to Stealth or Hack your way out. In these situations I am talking about a conversation with either a minor or major character in the story. So since you are already talking to them you can't sneak or hack a computer to make it all good. However, I have found some of those events can be altered with some preparation to allow some stealth to come into play if the social aspect ends in combat between you too. More on that later (read the forum post below).

There are a small set of weapons a pistol, magnum, machine gun, combat rifle, etc. One model for each type of weapon unless you got a preorder where you have the unique shotgun and sniper rifle.

Each weapon can be upgraded even the non-lethel weapons, stun-gun, tranquelizer, and some type of non-lethal energy weapon called the PEP for groups of enemies.

In fact, the game has an achievement for going through the whole game without killing anyone, except bosses. However, some bosses where you can talk your way out of the fight. These fights are not game-like. The bosses take as much damage as a normal person. But I am sure big hulking machines like the above and other augment opponents will come my way to offer bigger challenges.

 

The game has a cool feel to it. I like the attention to detail. But as much as I enjoy it, there are some sour points. The game is very much like Deus Ex in that you can mass murder civilians and police and then go talk to any character (assuming you are cleared away from the hostiles that will go after you) and no one brings it up. So while it responds to your decisions as it impacts quest objectives, it will not look at your entire play-style. Again, it has a story to tell and while you can killing whoever as long as they are not a main character, you are great.

You also cannot customize your console controller (I assume it's the same for PS3 as it is for Xbox 360). Grenades RB, sprint LB, Iron sights/Aim LB, Cover LT, and the standard for look and walking.

For left-handed players that's bad, unless they are used to it. I find it odd that you can change the music, sfx, and speech volumes yet you cannot change the controls. It's the opposite of Bungie. You cannot alter volume for music, but the controls are changeable.

Also, I've knocked-out a guy and yet somehow dragging him into a doorway kills him. So I have to be careful with handling the sleeping men.

I am enjoying it. I have gone back previous saves loads of times because either I didn't save often or I keep messing up trying to do what I want (like sneaking around). It's not a hard game on Normal difficulty. I'm still just learning the way enemies react to being alarmed. Characters don't move around unless they are armed (Side Note: That changes in hubs where some people do walk around, just not in a meaningful way). So don't expect a lively place, just one that is very-well decorated.

I would recommend this to anyone that enjoys RPGs as there is a lot of depth if you want to look for it and the combat and computer hacking are fun. The AI is not very bright, but at least when they are alarmed they check things out in packs instead of going it alone. Unless no one else is around or the enemie hasn't seen/heard something big enough to warrant it

I've been playing this game since release, but started playing it on my main gamertag on the day after, but I am still content running around the first hub looking for trouble.

Maybe it's because I am a scifi fan and read the prequel novel for this prequel. But I am digging the story and characters and can't see a reason to stop playing beyond something familiar called sleeping and eating.

Rent it if you are not sure, but if you are pumped, then go for it. I'll post a review whenever I get done, which depends if Batman: Arkham City is released by then or not.