Multiple Platforms Deus Ex: Human Revolution

[Mr. Gorilla]

I didn't see a general thread on this yet (And if there hasn't been one, then shame on you; shame on ALL of you), so, yeah.

This game is fantastic. While there are a few flaws here and there, the game is a worthy sequel to the original masterpiece, and it easily puts every other modern "RPG" to shame (Look at Mass Effect, for instance; if that series's problems haven't been brought enough attention to already, Deus Ex: Human Revolution managed to accomplish everything that series ever wanted but failed to be and more).

Goodness is this game a beautiful experience. If you're a self-proclaimed RPG fan and have any shred of dignity, you need to play this.

 

[ribbit]

Preordered this way back when I heard it was coming out. Does not disappoint. It's a worthy successor/prequel to the original and in some cases does things better or in a cleaner way. It came before Mass Effect, so you can't really compare the Deus Ex franchise to it. The game is so great if you've played through the original. So many little hidden things to find. The HUBS are nice as well. I liked them more than the original's, although Battery Park/Hell's Kitchen and Hong Kong were very nice to run around in. The side quests were a great addition to it. The original just had some short ones that got you some goodies, but the side quests in this were really good and got you some nice stuff. And if you didn't get this game for the PC you aren't experiencing it properly

 

[Mr. Gorilla]

Of course; Mass Effect was one of my favorite games of all time (2, as well), but then I played the original Deus Ex, and my opinion of ME worsened severely (Going from "great" to "mediocre"). It's truly hilarious that a game that came out so long before Mass Effect was better than it in every way (Yet with Mass Effect 1 and 2 still being hailed as "revolutionary" or some shit).

I'm going to assume most gamers are not like me, though, and wouldn't give the original Deus Ex a chance if they haven't played it yet ("lol the grafix sux"), so hopefully Deus Ex: Human Revolution, which is very much in the spirit of the original but with modern aesthetics, demonstrates to these people how RPG shooters, and RPGs in general, are done right, so that they may know how they are done wrong (Which would be the entirety of BioWare and Bethesda's portfolios for the last decade). Hence the comparison I made in my post.

And to elaborate on how the Deus Ex series (But for the sake of contemporary relevance, using HR specifically for comparisons and examples) is so much better than the ME series:

-What is morally "right" is usually left up to the player to decide, as opposed to shoving the developer's views down your throat by forcing you to pick between "paragon" and "renegade" actions that are deemed such by the developer.

-Choice and consequence is far more complex--and in many cases, more subtle and emergent--than in ME and ME2. In ME, choice generally consists of "do this if you want paragon points and that if you want renegade points," with no later plot-related consequences in game. This stands in stark contrast to HR, where, for example, if you spend too much time dilly-dallying around during your first visit to the game's hub level, you will unexpectedly learn that the hostages you would have been expected to save have been killed, or if you make a visit to the lady's restroom you'll later be reprimanded by a co-worker. This demonstrates how choices and consequences can often seem emergent and subtle, yet signficant in the game's universe, as opposed to Mass Effect, where the game treats players as if they're retarded manchildren who need all of their options written out in big bold letters for them to understand, with consequences rarely extending outside of quest resolutions (And in the few cases where they do, they're merely small anecdotes in the sequels (You would think with all of the dramatic tension of the Rachni Queen choice, you'd be rewarded with more than a simple cameo in ME2)).

-The skill system is far more complex and rewarding than in ME and ME2. ME's was bad enough as it is, with virtually all of its skills reserved for combat purposes; ME2, for whatever reason, dumbed it down even further, resulting in one of the most pointless and poorly-designed leveling systems ever implemented in a big-budget video game. In Deus Ex: Human Revolution, on the other hand, you can build your character according to your own playstyle. Do you want to be a computer whiz? Go ahead and level up those related augments, then. Do you like to play as a shadowy master of stealth? Go with that, then. The only times the game punishes you for going with a particular playstyle is during the boss fights, which can only be defeated through brute force, but that is an incredibly small flaw when stacked up against the rest of the game.

-Whereas levels in Mass Effect were narrow, linear, and merely consisted of wave after wave of enemies with little to no room for exploration (And this was somehow made even worse in the sequel), Deus Ex: Human Revolution's are complex and non-linear, allowing for much exploration and varying ways to reach the goal.

-Difficulty does not escalate and the harder difficulty levels do not provide a true challenge in Mass Effect 1 and 2. This is not the case in Deus Ex: Human Revolution.

 

[ribbit]

Mass Effect is alright, but Deus Ex is so much better. The options the games give you are what I love. I tend to choose most of the same things in the original, but I know I've gotten through plenty of the different pathways to finish each mission. The thing I missed most in HR was my awesome Dragon Tooth's Sword. And melee weapons in general. But takedowns work nicely as well and have made for some hilarious youtube videos.

 

[Mr. Gorilla]

Yeah, I miss the melee weapons too; nothing beats running around with a crowbar and breaking office furniture. But that's a miniscule flaw in an overall excellent game.

 

[Jacqui]

I've just bought this game for my boyfriend. He seems to like it although it's taking him a bit of getting used to. He managed to get killed 17 times during the tutorial...

Anyway, hopefully he'll get better at it during the course of the game

 

[ribbit]

It's not Call of Duty, so anyone thinking in that mindset is going to get killed even more after the tutorial I got killed my first time in the tutorial simply because I refused to use the cover system (and also forgot it was there). The original didn't have it so I didn't think I'd need it

 

[Jacqui]

He's never played call of duty...he's getting used to it now though and especially seems to like the hacking system. He ended up gassing the hostages though...that was a mistake