Tomorrow's Clever Lies
The future is rarely pleasant. In 2027 the world is, as ever, on the brink of something nasty. Conflict is brewing between the mechanically augmented rich and powerful - who sport everything from metal limbs to cyber-eyes - and the impoverished under-classes who have grown to resent them.
Adam Jensen, our hero, begins the game as a security officer at human augmentation specialists Sarif Industries yet he's severely wounded in a terrorist attack during the game epic opening. To save him, the company must rebuild him.
When the gravel-voiced Jensen returns to work he begins to unravel the conspiracy behind the attack a mission that first sees him treading the streets of a neon-tinged Detroit, and later takes him to the remarkable dual-layered island city of Shanghai Heng Sha.
What more, with Jensen newly mechanised body, as the game progresses you can utilise his powers and abilities in some devastatingly impressive ways. Ever plummeted into a room full of bad guys, slammed into the ground and set off a ball-bearing-stuffed claymore youe attached to your spine? If not, you haven got long to waitbr />
Jensen Baton
Human Revolution may be a prequel to the original Deus Ex, but it has been built from the ground up with the core tenets of the 2001 classic in mind. Any mission objective can be completed in a myriad of different ways. Say youe trying to get into the Detroit police station to take a chip from the brain of a dead hacker that theye keeping in the morgue. Depending on how youe built your character, you can either sweet-talk the policeman on the front desk, stealth your way in through the building multiple entrances and creep through the vents, or simply take on the philosophy of a Terminator by barging through the front door and unleashing hell.
Add Human Revolution remarkable hacking mini-game, the ability to break into people offices and read through their emails and the AI talent for making sure that every mission plays through differently, and youe got a deep and engaging sandbox to mooch around in.
Action in Human Revolution is from the first-person, but it seamlessly flicks to a behind-the-sunglasses view whenever our hero's behind cover or does something that particularly cool. Like, say, pull off a take-down manoeuvre a spectacular event.
Depending on his upgrades Jensen can smash through walls and break necks, grabheads, or spin an enemy's wrist until you hear a satisfying snap. Or you can simply go for some more traditional stabs through the chest. At certain points you may prefer a non-lethal approach and there are softer options as well - a full range of knock-outs, along with tranquillisers designed to forcibly drift enemies off to sleep before they can trigger an alarm.
Cyberfunk
But it's the world of Deus Ex: Human Revolution that's shaping up to be the star of the show. Not only is it packed to the gills with secret areas to discover and apartments to rummage through, it also brilliantly imagined. The legacy of Blade Runner is everywhere from the packed, smoky streets of Heng Sha and its towering oriental video-ads, to the simple way that every shelf and desk is covered in cyberpunk clutter.
The game vision of the future truly is astounding. Developers Eidos Montreal have even taken futuro-fashion into account the rich and powerful characters are all adorned with crazy nu-Renaissance clothing. Meanwhile the logos of countless fictitious in-game brands and corporations adorn every crate, every object and every augmentation.
The thinking behind Deus Ex: Human Revolution runs deep, and from what wee played it been expertly crafted to cater for both fans of the original game and those to whom words like UNATCO, FEMA, Walton Simons and Tracer Tong mean precious little.
This new Deus Ex game could well prove to be one of the classics of 2011 - that the studio next project is a return to the cherished Thief franchise is cause for some intense nerd excitement. For now, get ready to experience our terrifying augmented future. We think youl love every minute of it/strong>
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