Any dystopic-future based game which starts in the land of Detroit is off to a great start in my book. I’ve lived here all my life and can already see the decay forming on the seams of the city. In 15 years Detroit may resemble the opening of Deus Ex: Human Revolution, however, I hope this never comes to fruition and instead installs the OCP/RoboCop style of future I wanted to see as a kid.

Never mind where you start for a moment, since this is the 3rd installment of the Deus Ex franchise and takes place well before the other two storylines occur. Deus Ex, the original game released in 2000, revolutionized action RPG’s by giving the player an option during each scenario to make their own decisions and choose their moves and abilities on how to play. At the time, that type of freedom in a game made Deus Ex a remarkable game to play, since everyone who stepped foot into the game could complete each mission how they wished. I believe more game developers should embrace this formula of game play since it opens the game up for people who may play your levels different from how you designed them and broaden the horizon for future players to try something new and exciting.

Many of you reading this may not know of the original game since it came out over a decade ago, and despite the praise and notoriety it’s received over the years, I would suggest you avoid the first game unless you wish to go through the storyline after completing Human Revolution. For example: as fond as I am of Blizzard’s Diablo series, after recently reloading Diablo 2, I couldn’t believe how horrible it looks and makes me question my sanity on how many hours I dumped into playing the series.

Furthermore, as many of you reading this may or may not know, Deus Ex’s storyline is deep into “Cyberpunk,” which is a genre of fiction where the not-so-distant future is infused with technology and corporations who run most of the Government. Human Revolution’s storyline has a strong foothold with corporations having control over people while you “rage against the machine,” if you will.

You play as Adam Jensen, an ex-cop who is now the security chief at Sarif Industries. Sarif is a Bio-Tech firm which is about to make an important announcement to the public, an announcement not everyone wants to hear. As you start your investigation into recent tech attacks against Sarif, the conspiracies begin to unfold. Common gang criminals all the way to government officials become targeted in an engrossing and twisted storyline that begins to turn into a standard “trust no one” attitude for Adam. You begin doing investigative work to answer your own questions by snooping through computers and phones to attempt in finding clues to validate or negate proof.

Game play itself uses the same option-based formula seen in the original 2000 game, which is great since depending on the level and how much you wish to mow over the bad guys. In some instances, it’s easier to sneak around them since some situations call for more cover and stealth over the “shoot first and ask questions later” mentality.

Deus Ex: Human Revolution is a great game if you’re a fan of Phillip K. Dick and William Gibson’s writing. The fact of the matter being this game might hit closer to home than many would realize given the current state of the economy and other world and governmental situations. The story stays true to the genre and keeps the player asking questions and wanting more information, tying together media with governments who are tied to criminal corporations and terrorists which makes Human Revolution more of a warning to humanity rather than a typical story arc for an entertainment piece.

The biggest problem I ran into while playing the game involved the loading times of the levels, since each one takes long enough for you to change a diaper, get a drink and stare at the rest of the loading screen for a few more moments before continuing the adventure. Needless to say, this takes the player out of the game long enough to realize there’s more in the real world with chores that should be done (I still didn’t cut the dirt in my front lawn,) rather than pulling you into the game and keeping a firm grip on your focus.

Bottom Line: Great game, a great story and possibly the most fun you’ll have in an FPS-RPG this year.

Rating System: (0-10 ranking)
Graphics:	Graphics look great considering this is a glimpse into a possible window of the future. Some of the animations are mechanical and lifeless – which may be intended – but take the realism away from the game.	8
Storyline:	Great story about a dystopian future. The voice acting is good enough to understand what you have to do and how you’re supposed to go about doing it.	8
Controls:	Easy to understand and no matter which of the different modes you decide to play as, you’ll find it fairly quick to learn.	8
Replayability:	I can’t see myself playing through this anytime soon, but possibly later once the story settles in my brain a bit more.	6
Value:	Depending on which “pack” you buy, you can get the basic game for one price, a little more and you get a free DLC, and the most expensive is the Augmentation Pack which gives you oodles of extra crap you won’t need unless you’re a fan of the series/game. At least you have options, right?	8
Total:	36 out of 50

- Chris Tallant