Deus Ex: Human Revolution Review

Initiating
      |
      |
Synchronizing ------------ Revolving
                                              |
                                              |
                                        Deus Ex --------------- [Start]

Deus Ex takes place in the near-future when humans are able to augment themselves with cybernetic implants. Presented against a backdrop of a major breakthrough in human evolution, the game has a sense of real sophistication and contains well researched content on issues of technological evolution, class warfare, poverty and politics. 

After a near-fatal encounter with a terrorist group, Adam Jensen is physically augmented with cybernetics by his employer. Recommissioned for duty, Adam's new mission is to find the augments responsible for shattering his body and stealing his employer's research. Moving from one lead to another, Adam quickly becomes pulled into a world-wide conspiracy of corporate espionage. 

leviathyn.com

Deus Ex is a cyberpunk-themed, first-person, action game that seamlessly blends role-playing elements into its gameplay. The game's impressively immense world is completely open-ended, and its story is very nonlinear: you are always given several options on how to approach a situation and progress farther. The story takes you through several countries: Extending the futurist settings and allowing you to witness the social and economic turmoil caused by human augmentation technology.  

When exploring, you're able to converse with NPCs and interact with numerous objects and terminals within the game's extensive world. At any given time you can arm yourself and takeout any NPC; although, in doing so, you will be considered as a hostile and be taken down promptly. Choosing to advance through social interaction/persuasion usually gives you the best benefits, as the game is more focused on stealth and non-lethal progression. But if you shoot a gang banger or two, whose to know?

controllernation.com

When following the main objective(s), you'll often encounter numerous characters asking for your help (you are a detective after all). If you decide to help, new points of interest become active on the map for you to investigate. These side-quests never really detract from your main objectives, and often net you major experience points while revealing more of the intriguing story.  

As you progress and earn experience points, more of Adam's cyber-implants can be activated. While upgrading, you can choose to augment specific body parts: brain, eyes, chest, arms, etc. This of course translates into a number of cool abilities. For example: upgrading the arms allows Adam to lift heavy objects, take-down foes (cyborg-style), or punch through walls; upgrading the cranium increases Adam's stealth techniques, his social persuasion skills, and hacking abilities.

www.pcgamer.com

Hacking is a big part of this game, as there are numerous terminals, locked doors, and PCs to invade and conquer. By hacking, you'll often gain access to additional areas, syphon out key info, and generally feel like a bad-ass Neuromancer. When infiltrating/investigating a stealthy approach to combat is usually the most effective way to progress. Although there are a myriad of cool and customizable weapons at your disposal, knocking foes unconscious and skillful navigating the environment without being spotted is always a better idea than going in blazing. 

While the game has some rather dry boss encounters and freezing/skipping issues, taken in its entirety this sepia-toned, enamel coated, and progressive cyberpunk epic has an enduring quality to it: A must own chapter in the Deus Ex saga.

Developer: Eidos Montreal
Publisher: Square Enix
Platform: PC, PS3, Xbox360
Released: 2011
Genre: Action-adventure RPG