Gamersyde Review: Deus Ex HR

• Ghost_Deus
• Monday, August 22, 2011 | 6:00 PM
• 29 comments

GSY Review PC Xbox 360 PS3

Square-Enix gave us what we think is a great privilege when they sent us the review code of Deus Ex: Human Revolution a few few ago. This lapse of time allowed us to play the game thoroughly in order to deliver a full review in time for release. Lucky you, it is even a bit early as the game only ships tomorrow in North America and this Friday in Europe. To make this review more immersive than ever, we will tell you everything about the game from the comfort of 2027 Detroit. Some mysterious group of people actually hired a well-known hacker to hack into Adam Jensen's neuronal system and get as much information as possible about him. Here is his final report.
Update: Launch trailer added.

Dear clients, the task I have been assigned to was far from easy and I went through many ordeals to do what you paid me for. The intel I got is so interesting I am sure it will help you in your research to create the best possible augmented agent. This Adam Jensen guy had to go through a lot after the violent attack at Sarif Industries. All the events that unfolded took him all over the planet and have changed the world as we know it tremendously.

Once he got back to work after spending some time recovering from the attack at the hospital, Jensen's retinal implant showed some signs of weakness, or so he thought when he went to see Franck Pritchard, the tech guy at Sarif. He corrected the bug but thankfully did not realize it was caused by my intrusion. It was not long before I understood that Jensen's decisions could more or less affect the outcome of his missions, and that even time could run against him. Who knows what would have happened to the hostages if he had decided to spend a little more time rummaging through his desk, if he hadn't gone to the heliport right away when he was asked? Waiting too much can sometimes have grave consequences, you can miss someone important and the secondary mission that goes with them, losing some important intel in the process.

1) physical and social augmentations

But let's get to the point, shall we? I know what you want to hear about is what I learned about augmentations and the way to upgrade them. Sarif Industries stopped at nothing to offer Jensen the best possible technological enhancements, military stuff, but also stealth or social. For medical reasons, augmentations must be unlocked little by little, provided you are experienced enough to handle them. You should also know that there are some types of special kits that allow to upgrades your abilities anytime you want. They can be purchased in the local clinics or be found on location sometimes. Augmentations really help you make your life easier, which, in Jensen's case, means he can have access to otherwise unreachable areas. Here are a few examples: amplified jumps, immunity to electricity, enhanced strength to carry heavy objects blocking the way and so much more.

2) hacking and optimisation

But even without such physical augmentations, an agent can use other means to reach his goal, like for example his social abilities. In some cases, it can be very useful to get some info or be allowed in an unauthorized zone. One thing I noted though, is that you can't just do it at just any given time, it does not work that way. When negotiating with someone, paying attention to their reaction can give you a hint as to what they have in mind. That's how Jensen managed to find the right words in order to get what he wanted. I also found out that he could improve his social skills with a dedicated augmentation allowing to add pheromones to the equation. When unlocked, this augmentation is very helpful as it gives information on someone's personality, as well as the pheromones they are sensitive to. However efficient that can be, you still have to be careful and attentive because failing once means your interlocutor can just “shut down” and ask you to leave. Some people also have abilities capable of detecting your augmentation, so it is not a 100% sure method in the end, at least it's what I reckon from my observations.

More radical means can also be used, as I witnessed on several occasions. Jensen has become quite talented when it comes to hacking security systems or doors, but he is also the meticulous kind when he searches an office, which can grant him access to personal logs filled with info. My experience tells me that hacking is a very good way to get some easy money and some experience. Whether you are in an authorized area or sneaking around somewhere you should not be, there are always useful objects to collect. Some might call it theft, but as far as I can tell, people are not very wary these days. They actually never said a thing to Jensen when he was searching their personal stuff. It is a different story however when it comes to computer systems, when the alarm goes off, sticking around is not a good idea. In such circumstances, Jensen usually kept a low profile and stayed out of sight to avoid being shot down.

3) Combat augs

Agents have two options when encountering enemies. One is gentle, as you simply put them to sleep, either by shooting them from afar with the proper weapon or by knocking them down with a melee attack (or a stun gun). The second one is a lot more lethal and will mostly get people's attention because of the noise it causes. From what I can tell, whether lethal or non lethal, it seems to be very painful for the victim. Jensen can even melee attack two guards at once, and I must say he has some pretty cool moves. Invisibility can also come in handy when faced with multiple enemies. The only drawback is that you need enough energy to do all that, so you must make sure to have something to recharge your batteries. Thankfully, thanks to Jensen's retinal implant, he always know how much energy he has left. Another augmentation I saw in action with my own eyes was the Typhoon. It allows to launch a powerful attack which can take out all the surrounding enemies. Noisy to say the least but pretty darn effective!

To refill your batteries, I am sure you are perfectly aware that you need to use special nutriments called cyberboost proenergy. It is imperative that you check how much energy is left before you decide to take any action. Also interesting is the fact that not all enemies have the same field of vision. Mere thugs are almost as blind as a bat whereas trained soldiers are on the lookout and open fire the second they see something suspicious. Again, augmentations can give you the upper hand as their field of vision can be added to your radar. If that's not enough, then unlocking the “last known position” augmentation will most definitely serve your purpose, should you want to ambush your foes.

4) Weapons augs

If close combat is not your thing, there are tons of weapons to choose from. The only problem is that each of them takes a certain amount of space in your agent's inventory. It then all depends on how much weight he can carry around. I know Jensen did not hesitate to acquire an augmentation to improve the size of his inventory so you see, there is always a solution to be found. Weapons are also upgradable with special kits which add different kinds of effects: laser sight, silencer, maximum ammo possible; etc. Some upgrades are pretty rare but they are worth it, like the homing head enhancement for the rocket launcher for example. Body augmentations are also quite practical as they can help you reduce the recoil of your guns and make you a sharper shooter. After observing Jensen for more than 20 hours, I can assure you that such augmentations make a big difference.

When analyzing Jensen's different tactical approaches, I first assumed that keeping your distance was the best option to ensure the success of a mission. However, even though it makes things simpler, I quickly understood that the experience gained is much less than when taking down the enemy with a melee attack. The same goes with the non lethal approach, clemency being rewarded more than you'd think it would. Taking the time to hack into all systems, read all the documents, or search all the locations with a fine-toothed comb is also worth your while to level up more rapidly.

The places Jensen has been to during his investigation always offered him several options, they were big enough to let him choose how he wanted to deal with the situation. Because of the many objects which could be found all around, it sometimes made it a bit hard for me to distinguish between what was important and what was not. I am pretty sure Jensen did not hesitate to use his cybernetic vision to add some halo around them and lose less time. I know what you think of it, I felt the same too, but I now think it is not that useless. What is though, is probably the clandestine radio you keep hearing everywhere. I mean, the topics are usually pretty interesting, but why all the reruns? It makes them horribly boring after just a few hours. I even don't blame Jensen for turning on the portable radios once in a while – and I don't mean in the good way.

Verdict

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Launch Trailer