Recently I was forwarded a preview build of Deus Ex: Human Revolution. Knowing that the game was to be released later this year, it was strange for me that it would be leaked so early. I immediately went to our good friend google and started searching. It seems that a preview build intended for the press had made it’s way to the Internet. Some are speculating that the leak was due to the recent Eidos getting hacked episode; though Eidos has kept quite.
Even though we all are against piracy, I just had to go ahead and play the game. Hence, I apologize to Eidos before I begin my preview. Note that the game is a preview build and is not complete. My preview will take that into consideration and just highlight the major gameplay elements you can expect to see when the full game releases later this year.
The previous Deus Ex titles were smash hits and I was expecting a lot from Human Revolution. The game however, failed to capture my attention when I first started playing it. I found the game to be bland (even though the golden theme is intentional) at first and the progress really slow. I’d like to also point out here that I played it on the maximum difficulty settings and was getting killed in encounters everytime. So getting pissed off at the AI also contributed to me throwing the game in the trash bin.
Two hours later I started playing again but this time from a different perspective. Previous shooters have indeed ruined my sense of gameplay where I could mindlessly just blast away at enemies at point blank range (we call it run and gun). Deus Ex: Human Revolution is very different in that sense. Once I started to look from that perspective I was entranced by the game and instantly fell in love with the gameplay.
So what does Human Revolution offer to players? Let’s start with the combat sequences. Every scenario involving hostiles can be defused using either stealth or going full out with your armory.
Stealth involves two kinds of take-downs. The first is a silent and non-lethal one. You simply knock an enemy down and strip him of his weapons and anything else on him. However, if another patrolling guard comes across him, he will awaken him and hence a hunt for the intruder (you) will begin. The second take-down is a lethal, cool animation sequence that will have you using your cybernetic implants to kill an enemy. However, this kind of take-down can be heard by nearby hostiles. The stealth take-downs are on a charged cell so you cannot spam it all the time unless you have a full charge. You really have to plan ahead and keep a close eye on your radar for enemy routes.
The new covering system is good, easy and fluid. It will switch to a third-person view making it great to peek around corners and as well as blind-firing while protected. This is going to be one of your main skills since enemies are difficult to take down if you opt for a higher difficulty level. You will have to assess the situation before making any moves. Also if all else fails, a clean shot to the head will kill them instantly.
The health regeneration is slow and ammo is hard to find just like in the original Dues Ex. I’m glad Eidos took this into consideration since it discourages Chuck Norris like tactics.
I can’t stress enough on how great the weapon mechanics work. Even at this early stage the guns look fantastic. Each has it’s very own personality and you just can’t expect all of them to work the same. Unlike other shooters featuring “modern warfares” Human Revolution features a good amount of recoil. In addition to that every weapon has it’s own range and speciality; close range weapons like a SMG or pistols will kill only at close range.
Sometimes you’ll also have destructible assets present in the room which you can use to your advantage. An exploding canister, a deadly chemical gas containing cylinder; you can use them all to your advantage.
Combine all of that and you get a pretty nasty setup. During a combat scenario you’ll have to decided on which hostiles to take down with your stealth, which weapons to use based on their effectiveness and where to take cover so that you have an advantage above your enemies.
Another very surprising aspect of the game to me was the AI. The bastards will not be fooled by anything. They see your toe sticking out of the wall and everyone in the room will be alerted to your presence. Your ninja senses are going to be useful here. It’s better if you crouch or walk towards hostiles since they will react to any sounds you make such as footsteps or gun shots. Also you’ll have to use cover to peek around corners in search of possible cameras mounted from the roofs; you don’t want to be captured on monitor. One scenario that I found absolutely mind blowing was what happened when I tried to avoid passing guards after they saw a dead body by hiding in a vent. Because the guards were in high alert they easily found me in a very shocking manner. They came by the vent, stopped, gave a long glance at my spot and then finally riddled me with bullets. That may not seem awe inspiring to many of you but this is a clear show of how the A.I is getting more and more complex.
In short the AI is intelligent and formidable. During the first mission I knocked down a guard and took cover behind a crate not far from him to see what happens. A nearby patrolling guard took notice of the sleeping AI and woke him up. At this point I figured they’ll run to my location instantly, however that was not the case. They called in for backup and approached me from all sides. Now that’s just wicked, I was now hiding behind a crate with two guards coming from the left and right. Off course I went down with guns blazing and so I had to try different tactics the next time.
However, the AI can act sluggish at times. Running past them will instantly alert them to your presence but they will return to normal if you don’t show yourself for some time. Also most seem to be near-sighted; a silenced sniper rifle will take down everyone in the room until they spot you by entering your radius.
A main attraction of previous Deus Ex’s titles was the freedom given to players. Human Revolution will be based on the same settings and will offer more. Side missions, like before will be available once again giving you rewards when completed. These will be presented to you to be taken care of at your own leisure, adding to the flexibility of the game.
This is not your ordinary corridor shooter. Every level is designed giving you alternate routes which you can access using your bag of tricks. Every door, camera and sentry turret can be hacked to your advantage. The new hacking mini-game replaces keys and lock-picks. Get a high enough hacking level and the you basically have access to the whole level.
The world of Deus Ex: Human Revolution may look small but it includes a major open world element similar to Fallout. During your missions you can attain important information by speaking to people or searching bodies. This information can prove valuable later in the game.
The initial level gives the game a typical every day shooter look. It was a real turn off for me. However, when your character is brought from the brink of death (augmented) is when the real fun start. Deus Ex: Human Revolution is a game that grows on you. While it brings back a lot of the original gameplay style such as resource conservation and inventory setup, the game keeps on offering more as you play along.
The preview build has a lot of problems. There are massive frame rate drops and sometimes my mouse movements are so jaggy that I can’t even aim straight. There are other gameplay bugs such as crouch not toggling when you jump. The laser sight gets disabled when you enter iron sight. In one instance enemy hostiles were able to see me through the wall while I was in cover mode.
Once Eidos finished the game, I’m sure it’s going to be a massive hit, probably a GOTY contender. Playing the preview build has landed the game on my buying list for my PS3. Let the pre-orders begin!
