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Release Date: August 23rd, 2011 Movie Release Year: 2011

Deus Ex: Human Revolution

Overview -

Some things stick with you all your life. For me, Deus Ex is one of those things. I still remember playing it for the first time; getting sucked into the cyberpunk world and mulling over the philosophical questions the game posed. And it looks like I’m not the only one who was so impacted, as more and more games are allowing the player freedom of action, just like Deus Ex did. But the series that arguably started it all has been strangely absent. One sequel, Invisible War, made an appearance, received a collective shrug from critics and gamers, and that was it.

OVERALL:
Rating Breakdown
VIDEO
AUDIO
Tech Specs & Release Details
Video Resolution/Codec:
720p
Audio Formats:
Dolby Digital 5.1
Release Date:
August 23rd, 2011

Video Review

Ranking:

Deus Ex is known for two things: It’s choice-based mechanics and its cyberpunk look. Human Revolution certainly delivers in setting a suitable atmosphere. Cities look like they were designed right from the words of William Gibson himself. Adam, with his lensed eyes, is very reminiscent of Molly Millions from Neuromancer. Hong Kong might have been ripped out of frames from Blade Runner. In the best cyberpunk tradition, it’s perpetually night…everywhere. While this is undoubtedly impressive and sets the right mood, it suffers for lack of variety, which, combined with a borderline useless map system, makes it easy to get lost. Other issues crop up, such as poor localization (lips are frequently out of sync with what’s being said), and the sameness of the environments are evident even when Adam is meant to be on the other side of the planet.

Audio Review

Ranking:

Human Revolution relies far less on audio to tell its story than a lot of games do. In fact, much of the world is revealed to you by reading emails, newspapers, or books. This is again straight out of the first game. Sound does play a role in the game (you can even get an augmentation to silence your footsteps to be more stealthy), but it’s not as integral as it is in some titles. Even worse, the main voice actor, Elias Toufexis (doing his best Timothy Olyphant impression), completely bungles his job. Adam delivers everything in the same gruff monotone that I suppose was meant to make him sound like a badass, but instead makes him sound like a robot. He is unable to emote, deflating the most important scenes like a balloon with a slow leak. You can see the writers trying to make the game substantial, only to be sabotaged at every turn by Toufexis’ one-note performance.

I really wanted to love Deus Ex: Human Revolution. It’s a prequel to one of my all time favorite games, and that’s not something I take lightly. Unfortunately, the game doesn’t deliver the goods, simply aping the original instead of taking inspiration from it to make a new, unique experience. It’s a missed opportunity that I hope can be corrected if there should be any further entries in the series.