Deus Ex: Human Revolution

Deus Ex: Human Revolution
Developer(s) Eidos Montreal
Publisher(s) Square Enix
Director(s) Jean-François Dugas
Producer(s) David Anfossi
Programmer(s) Simon Hamelin
Julien Bouvrais
Artist(s) Jonathan Jacques-Belletête
Writer(s) Mary DeMarle
Composer(s) Michael McCann
Series Deus Ex
Platform(s) Microsoft Windows
OS X
PlayStation 3
Wii U
Xbox 360
Release date(s)
Genre(s) Action role-playing, first person shooter[1][2] stealth
Mode(s) Single-player

Deus Ex: Human Revolution is a cyberpunk-themed first-person action role-playing stealth video game developed by Eidos Montreal and published by Square Enix,[3] which also produced the game's CGI sequences. Originally released in August 2011 for PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, it is the third game in the Deus Ex series, and a prequel to the original game released in 2000.[4] An OS X version, Deus Ex: Human Revolution Ultimate Edition, was released on April 26, 2012 by Feral Interactive; it includes the original game and The Missing Link downloadable content.[5][6] An improved version of the game for PC and consoles, including a Wii U version, was released on October 22, 2013 as Deus Ex: Human Revolution Director's Cut.[7] Feral Interactive released the OS X version of Director's Cut on April 15, 2014.[8] The Director's Cut includes The Missing Link as part of the main plot. Microsoft added the game to the list of Xbox 360 games compatible with Xbox One on December 17, 2015.[9]

The game is set in 2027, 25 years before the first game and 45 years before the second game, at a time when multinational corporations have grown in power beyond the control of national governments. The game follows Adam Jensen, the newly hired security manager at Sarif Industries, a growing biotechnology firm. After terrorists brutally attack Sarif's Detroit-based headquarters, the mortally wounded Jensen is forced to undergo radical life-saving surgeries that replace large areas of his body with advanced prostheses and internal organ systems. Returning to work, he becomes embroiled in the global politics of the human enhancement movement in the search for those responsible for the attack. Central themes to the game are the rise of corporations in globalization, espionage, human survival, poverty, and the ethics of advancing humans with artificial replacements for body parts.

Human Revolution received critical acclaim upon its release, with many reviewers praising the open-ended nature of the game and the weight of social interaction on the outcome of events.[10] A sequel, Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, was revealed in April 2015, which will be available on PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.[11]

Gameplay

A street corner in Lower Hengsha, one of the game's hub levels.

The different "pillars of gameplay" in Deus Ex: Human Revolution, as called by the developers, are "Combat", "Stealth", "Hacking", and "Social". Players can switch between these gameplay types whenever they please, and certain pillars may flow into others. For example, a failed hack may sound an alarm and start a fight, and social skills might lead to the player gaining access to certain areas more easily than otherwise possible (thus avoiding the need for stealth or combat).

In the series, augmentations are technological modifications to the human body that grant the user superhuman abilities. While augmentations in the first two games were based on nanotechnology, Human Revolution instead features mechanical augmentations as it precedes the first games chronologically. As players progress through the game, they can activate augmentations catering to each of the four gameplay types.[12] These augmentations are unlocked by earning enough experience points to gain a Praxis Kit, which functions as a skill point. Praxis Kits can also be bought at L.I.M.B. (Liberty In Mind and Body) clinics or be found throughout the game.

Augmentations, while enhancing the player's performance in each of the gameplay types, allow players to craft their own methods of play as they see fit. For example, players can prioritize augmentations that either improve the player character's combat prowess or his hacking abilities while neglecting others and still be able to complete a mission objective. Weapons fire distinct ammunition types instead of depleting a unified pool (as was the case in Invisible War). They can be upgraded like in Deus Ex via a variety "weapon mods" to improve their performance, such as reducing the time it takes to reload, increasing magazine size, adding a laser targeting device for increased accuracy, and so on.[4]

Deviating from previous titles in the series, Human Revolution uses a regenerating health model. This change was made because the developers did not want players to get into a situation where they were unable to progress due to low health, and would be forced to "scrounge for med packs" and food.[4] This scrounging breaks the flow of the game when the player retreats to search the entire level for medical supplies. In combat, only brief exposure to enemy attacks is necessary to kill the player, so regenerative health is only a major factor between fights, not during them. The player can, however, use medical supplies (such as painkillers) and various alcoholic beverages to regenerate the character's health or boost it up to twice the normal amount.[13] Similar to regenerative health, the game features a new regenerative energy system, deviating from the previous title's use of items to restore energy. While players will still need to use items to boost their energy cell charge past one, the first cell or any cell partially full will gradually recharge. Despite upgrades to the energy recharge portion in the skills, ultimately only the first cell will recharge by itself when completely depleted.

Another major change seen in Deus Ex: Human Revolution is the highlighting of objects a player can interact with, explained via the in-game plot as tactical vision augmentation. This highlighting of objects can be turned off in the game options.[14] Human Revolution is primarily a first-person game, but switches to a contextual third-person viewpoint when using the cover system, climbing ladders, activating certain augmentations, or for melee combat.[15]

While the player character is highly capable of dispatching his enemies, the player is never forced into acts of lethal violence, except during boss fights. Therefore, the use of lethal force becomes an ethical choice for the player.

Synopsis

Setting

Deus Ex: Human Revolution is a cyberpunk-inspired game and takes place during the year 2027, 25 years before Deus Ex and 45 years before Deus Ex: Invisible War. Nanotechnological augmentations have yet to be developed, and biomechanical augmentations are the current state of the art. The player's character, Adam Jensen (voiced and performance captured by Elias Toufexis[16]), is a private security officer with Sarif Industries, a leading biotech company that specializes in human augmentations. After an attack on his company leaves him horrifically injured and forced to undergo augmentation to survive, "the conspiracy begins."[4] The player travels to several locations over the course of the game: Detroit, Hengsha (a fictional city on Hengsha Island in the Yangtze River near Shanghai), Montreal, Singapore, and Panchaea, a facility in the Arctic Ocean.[17] The storyline offers many different side-quests. They are all optional, but several of them add information to the overall story.

Themes

Deus Ex: Human Revolution deals with the ethics of transhumanism, and raises the question of whether humanity's reach has exceeded its grasp. "Mankind is using mechanical augmentations," director Jean-François Dugas said before the game's release, "but there is still much to be determined in terms of their effect on society and the ultimate direction it will lead us in."[17] The Greek myth of Daedalus and Icarus appears in Adam Jensen's dreams as an allegory to this thought, and also—given that both Daedalus and Icarus were the names of artificial intelligences in Deus Ex—an intellectual bridge to the original game. With correct provocation in the final location of Human Revolution, Hugh Darrow likens himself to Daedalus having seen his creation seemingly spiral out of control. The pace of technological development is reflected visually by a Renaissance theme. Characters supportive of the human augmentation movement dress themselves and decorate their homes in reinterpreted late-medieval Italian style, and the game as a whole has a sepia-tinted colour palette reminiscent of historic manuscripts. In contrast, characters who are opposed to or are of neutral persuasion toward the human enhancement movement wear clothing that is more reminiscent of contemporary fashions.[18] As was the case in Deus Ex, conspiracy theories and immensely powerful corporations feature strongly, using human augmentation as just one more method of manipulation.[17]

Plot

In the intro sequence, Bob Page attends a secret audio conference with his co-conspirators about Sarif Industries' recent discoveries and their own plans to control events.

Sarif Industries security manager Adam Jensen and systems engineer Frank Pritchard (Andreas Apergis) are preparing a visit to a Washington DC congressional hearing for CEO David Sarif (Stephen Shellen) and his team of scientists; headed by lead scientist Megan Reed (Michelle Boback), Jensen's ex-girlfriend. They are to present their scientific findings which can make mechanically augmented people independent from Neuropozyne: an expensive drug that prevents augmentation rejection. However, Sarif HQ is suddenly attacked by unknown mercenaries. Jensen tries to repel the attack, but is severely injured by the mercenary leader, while Megan and her team are apparently killed. Wounded beyond normal recovery, Jensen is put through augmentation procedures with Sarif's most advanced technology - ending up with almost full-body prosthesis. Six months later, Jensen is called in from sick leave to secure sensitive technology and rescue hostages from an SI production plant, occupied by the anti-augmentation group, Purity First. Inside the facility, Jensen surprises one of the gunmen trying to steal the technology, only to watch him be forced to commit suicide by remote-controlled brain-implants. After Jensen retrieves the deceased gunman’s neural chip from his old Detroit police precinct, Pritchard tracks the hacking signal to an abandoned factory in Highland Park. There, Jensen discovers the mercenaries who attacked Sarif Industries, guarding a FEMA detention camp. He confronts and defeats one of the mercenaries, Lawrence Barrett, who tells Jensen to go to Hengsha, Shanghai before killing himself with a grenade.

Together with Sarif's chief pilot, Faridah Malik, Jensen travels to Hengsha and tracks down the hacker, Arie van Bruggen, who is being hunted by Belltower Associates, the world's largest private military company, and protected by local triad leader Tong Si Hung. Van Bruggen directs Jensen to find evidence inside the Tai Yong Medical, the world’s largest augmentations technology manufacturer and Sarif's main rival. Infiltrating the facility, Jensen finds recorded proof that the Sarif researchers are still alive, and that Eliza Cassan, a famous news anchor with the Picus Network in Montreal, is somehow involved. He confronts Tai Yong's CEO Zhao Yun Ru, who is able to distract him and get away. In Montreal, Jensen confronts Cassan, who turns out to be an artificial intelligence construct and admits to being the one who disabled the scientists’ tracking beacons in order for them to be kidnapped. After Adam defeats another mercenary, Yelena Fedorova, Eliza directs him to Doctor Isaias Sandoval, aide to William Taggart — the leader of the Humanity Front, a powerful anti-augmentation organization.

Back in Detroit, Sarif admits to Jensen that the Illuminati, a secret society bent on controlling the world’s fate, are behind the attacks. Jensen infiltrates a Humanity Front rally and discovers Sandoval's location. Sandoval admits his involvement in the kidnapping and gives Jensen the lead to find the researchers. Back in Sarif HQ, Jensen meets Hugh Darrow, Sarif's trusted mentor and the father of augmentation technology. Meanwhile, augmented people worldwide start to experience painful glitches and authorities urge them to have a neural chip replacement. Pritchard locates the tracking beacon of one of the scientists, taking Jensen back to Hengsha, where he and Malik are ambushed by Belltower. The beacon leads Jensen to the Harvesters, a Chinese gang living off stealing augmentation technology. After infiltrating their hide-out, he confronts the leader Tong Si Hung, who has just been implanted with the now deceased scientist's arm. Tong directs Jensen to a port leased by Belltower. He instructs him to plant a bomb to create a distraction, in order to stow away on a ship heading for an unknown destination. Jensen successfully bombs the port's warehouse and hides in a stasis pod being loaded onto the ship. A few days later, Jensen awakes in another stasis pod and re-establishes contact with Pritchard in a secret research facility, the Omega Ranch, in Singapore. He finds the kidnapped scientists, who stage a distraction, allowing him to infiltrate the facility’s secret bunker. Here he faces his original assailant, Tyrant commander Jaron Namir, and kills him. Jensen finds Megan, who tells him that she was kidnapped for her research; the key to make all humans compatible with augmentations, which she found in Jensen's DNA — and to help Hugh Darrow foil the Illuminati's plans to use the new biochips to control augmented humans.

Moments later, Darrow appears live on television and broadcasts a signal that throws augmented people worldwide on a rampage of hallucination and violence. Jensen evacuates the scientists, and commandeers an orbital flight module to reach Panchaea, Darrow’s thermo-geological plant built in the Arctic to stem the tide of global warming. He confronts Darrow, who reveals that he wants humanity to abandon the augmentation technology he himself invented, because he believes it to be dangerous. Jensen sets out to disable Panchaea's supercomputer and end the broadcast. He makes his way down to the facility’s lower levels and finds the Hyron Project, a supercomputer using heavily augmented women as processors. He again confronts Zhao Yun Ru, who intends to connect herself to the supercomputer and modify the signal for the Illuminati's benefit. The connection fails and, becoming a slave to the system, she attacks Jensen. After destroying the machine, killing Zhao in the process, Jensen enters the system core and is greeted by Eliza, who gives him several options to alter the signal and choose what the world learns of the incident: (1) broadcast Darrow’s recorded confession, telling the world the truth about Panchea and the Illuminati, manifesting his fear about the dangers of transhumanism; (2) edit the confession, directing blame on the Humanity Front, supporting Sarif's dream that transhumanism will get a chance to flourish; (3) Remove all information regarding the Illuminati and blame the incident on contaminated Neuropozyne, supporting Taggart's hope that transhumanism will be brought under strict regulation; or (4) disable the facility’s safety systems, make it implode under the sea and kill everyone, leaving the public unaware of any truth, free to make its own decisions. After Adam makes his choice, he reflects on his experiences during a brief epilogue; if the player has avoided unnecessary killing and made benevolent decisions, he will be optimistic about the future and satisfied with himself, while if the player has repeatedly used lethal force and made malevolent decisions, he will decide that he has lost his humanity and fear for mankind's future.

In a post-credits scene foreshadowing the events of Deus Ex, Bob Page is heard talking to Morgan Everett about using the remaining "wreckage" of the Hyron Project for something they can use in the 'Morpheus Initiative'. He then grants Megan Reed an audience, and they discuss her future employment and Page's work on "the nanite virus chimera" and the "D project".

Development

Ion Storm made two attempts to develop a third Deus Ex game after Invisible War. Deus Ex: Insurrection was in development from 2003 to 2004 and Deus Ex 3 was in development from 2004 to 2005.[19]

Deus Ex 3 was announced on May 17, 2007, in an interview with Patrick Melchior, the director of Eidos France, on the French-Canadian television show M. Net.[20] An initial teaser trailer was released on November 26, 2007,[21] and around one year later PC Zone ran a first preview which detailed some of the game's mechanics and setting and provided the first true artwork and screenshots.[4] Several of the design decisions mentioned, most notably the introduction of regenerating health, precipitated an initial backlash amongst many fans of the original Deus Ex.[22] In November 2009 it was announced that Square Enix was to publish the game, and that the CGI sequences were to be created at its Japanese Visual Works studio with direction from Goldtooth Creative in Canada.[3] The results of this international partnership were first seen in the teaser trailer[23] shown at the 2010 Game Developers Conference (by which point the game's subtitle had changed to Human Revolution and its release pushed back to "early 2011"), which was expanded to a three-minute trailer at E3 2010. E3 2010 also saw a second major preview of the game, this time in PC Gamer UK, which provided engine-rendered screenshots and gameplay details.[15]

At Gamescom 2010,[24] producer David Anfossi told VG247 he was creating downloadable content for the game which, he says, is "an extension of Deus Ex: Human Revolution". On December 16, 2010, Square Enix announced that the game had been pushed back to their next fiscal year, which began April 6, 2011.[25] At the Penny Arcade Expo East in March 2011, it was announced that the game was being released on August 23, 2011 in North America and August 26, 2011 in Europe. On May 31, 2011, a preview build of the game was leaked online.[26][27] Director Jean-François Dugas said that the final build is "90% close" to his original vision for the game and that the team looked to RoboCop, Johnny Mnemonic, Blade Runner, and the first Deus Ex game for inspiration.[28] The Japanese release of the game has been given a CERO Z rating, but it had one cutscene edited because it showed a man's exposed internal organs and a sexual object.[29][30] Originally Eidos had intended to make the PC retail version of the game region locked. The reason behind this was due to DVD limitations which meant the languages on the game had to be split.[31] However, due to negative reaction from the public, this lock was not implemented.[32]

Music

The soundtrack for Deus Ex: Human Revolution was composed and produced by Michael McCann.[33] It has received Best Original Score nominations from the British Academy of Film & Television (2012), 2011 Spike TV Video Game Awards, 2011 Hollywood Music in Media Awards (2 nominations), 2011 Cue Awards (4 nominations), 2012 Canadian Video Game Awards and the 2011 G4TV X-Play Awards. A 25 track retail soundtrack was released on November 15, 2011 as a physical CD and digital download. A shorter, 12 track version of the soundtrack was also included in the Augmented (Collector's) Edition of the game.

Marketing

Editions

An "Augmented Edition" was released in select European countries, Australia, New Zealand, and the United States. It includes a making-of documentary, motion-comic, E3 trailer, game soundtrack by Michael McCann, animated storyboard, and a 40-page artbook. In Germany, the Augmented Edition was released as the "Limited Edition". In-game, the player will receive an additional mission, weapons, and credits via the included Explosive Mission Pack and the Tactical Enhancement Pack.[34] The Augmented Edition available in North America does not include the Explosive Mission Pack or the Tactical Enhancement Pack.[34] These packs were available solely as pre-order bonuses from select retailers[35] but are currently available for the PC on Steam, and for PlayStation 3 on PlayStation Store. In addition, there is a "Collector's Edition" which includes all the contents of the Augmented Edition as well as a Play Arts Kai figure of the game's protagonist, Adam Jensen. This edition was released exclusively in Europe.[36] A "Nordic" or "Benelux Edition" was released as the default game version in Nordic countries and Benelux, which included both the Explosive Mission Pack and the Tactical Enhancement Pack. Additionally, a separate "Limited Edition" was released in the UK that contained the game along with the Explosive Mission Pack.

Toys

Action figures based on the protagonist Adam Jensen as well as the mercenaries Yelena Fedorova and Lawrence Barrett were released by Square Enix in the Play Arts Kai action figure line during August 2011 in Japan.[37][38]

Downloadable content

The Missing Link

A purchasable downloadable content (DLC) pack, The Missing Link, was released on October 18, 2011 for the PC and Xbox 360, with the PlayStation 3 content being available the day after.[39] The content adds approximately 5 hours of gameplay.[39] The Director's Cut edition of the game comes with this DLC integrated into the original storyline.

The DLC addresses criticism of the core game's boss battles, featuring a boss developed in-house by Eidos Montreal whom the player is not required to kill.[40]

The Missing Link occurs during the period of time that Adam is aboard the cargo ship from Hengsha to Singapore.

Adam is discovered and captured aboard the ship. Two Belltower commanders, Pieter Burke and Netanya Keitner, torture him for information on his identity. After the EMP chair holding him captive is mysteriously deactivated, Adam is able to retrieve his armor with the help of an unknown hacker, who contacts him via radio. The ship docks at Rifleman Bank Station, a seaborne regional Belltower supply hub. After escaping into the station, Adam discovers that it was Keitner who set him free. Disillusioned with the unethical nature of local Belltower operations, she wants Adam to find concrete proof of illegal research that she can use to deliver to Interpol. She also instructs Adam to obtain weaponry from Garvin Quinn, resident technician and black market weapons trader.

After infiltrating the station's secure wing, Adam discovers a massive detention camp with hundreds of detainees. After talking to one of the prisoners, Nina Sullivan, and overhearing a conversation between Burke and two of the scientists, Gary Savage and Tiffany Kavanagh, he confirms that innocents are kidnapped across the globe to further Illuminati research for the Hyron Project. As the biological parameters are stringent, most captives die after being subjected to experimentation. With Burke's spare retinal prosthesis, and Quinn's technical expertise, Adam is able to gain access to a concealed elevator that takes him to a massive undersea research facility. He confronts Kavanagh who, already having misgivings about the inhumane nature of the research, agrees to turn informant. Burke discovers Keitner's mutiny, however, and has his soldiers kill her. Burke then initiates "Code Yellow": pumping toxic gas into both the detention camp and the research facility to eliminate any witnesses. As he can apparently only redirect the gas flow, Adam is forced to choose between Kavanagh and the prisoners. Alternatively, Adam can discover and sabotage the hidden distribution system and save everyone.

Adam then backtracks through the base and confronts Burke, who can be either killed or incapacitated. Adam is then contacted by the hacker, who informs him that another ship is about to depart to Reed's location. He then reveals himself as both "Quinn" and Keitner's Interpol contact. He explained that he was withholding the truth from both Jensen and Keitner to use them as pawns against Belltower, and in extension, the Illuminati. Quinn then proceeds to either commend Jensen if he saved Kavanagh, or question his decision if he sacrificed her, before placing him back in a cryosleep pod. The pod is then delivered via helicopter onto the departing ship, while Quinn contacts the mysterious hacker "Janus", informs him of the success of the operation, and debates Adam's future potential.

Related media

Deus Ex: Icarus Effect

The novel, written by James Swallow, is a prequel story set before and parallel to the beginning of Human Revolution. The story consists of several characters from the original Deus Ex, and goes deeper into the Tyrants; the mysterious group led by Jaron Namir. It was released on February 11, 2011, about six months before the game was released.[41]

The two main protagonists, Belltower mercenary Ben Saxon and U.S Secret Service agent Anna Kelso, both suffer personal loss at the Tyrants' hands. Kelso conducts her own unauthorized investigation after losing her superior and best friend to a terrorist attack in Washington D.C. After losing his entire Belltower squad to a botched operation in the Australian civil war, Saxon is recruited into the Tyrants' ranks by Jaron Namir to replace an operative killed by Kelso in the D.C. attack. When Kelso makes a breakthrough, she is discovered and fired from the service. Aided by a group of hackers called the Juggernaut Collective, she finds out that she has been betrayed and is detained by her own colleagues. Broken free by the Juggernaut collective and their allied terrorist organization, the New Sons of Freedom, she is framed for a massacre the Tyrants conduct to kill the superior who sold her out. Saxon completes missions and initiation trials with the Tyrants. After an assassination mission in Moscow, he begins questioning their goals and methods. After sparing Kelso in the massacre, he is contacted by the mysterious "Janus". Under the hacker's direction, he discovers the Tyrants' true purpose and atrocities, the sabotage that killed his Belltower comrades being just one of them. After an intense fight with the rest of the group, he escapes their jet at cruising altitude.

Aided by their new allies, Anna and Ben come across each other. Realizing the magnitude of the conspiracy, they travel to Geneva with a small task force to prevent the assassination of Humanity Front leader William Taggart. Anna foils the assassination attempt, while most of the team is killed in an ambush. She is taken hostage by Namir - who orders Ben to carry out the assassination. With Janus' help, Saxon is able to spare Taggart and locate the Tyrants' new hideout. In a final confrontation with Namir and his Tyrants, Anna and Ben save each other's lives while the villains escape. As the only survivors, the two retreat to a safe location in Costa Rica as guests to the family of one of Saxon's lost squad members, knowing that the future of the world still hangs in the balance.

The story sets the stage for Deus Ex: The Fall, a mobile video game released on iOS in July 2013, on Android in January 2014 and on Microsoft Windows in March 2014.

DC Comics series

The six-issue series, written by Robbie Morrison, adds a story between Jensen and Malik's first departure from Detroit to Hengsha. The series goes deeper into Adam's past as a police officer and Sarif's acquaintance with Zhao Yun Ru and William Taggart.

En route to Hengsha, Adam and Faridah are diverted to Ciudad Juarez to save Sarif's niece from cartel captors. After the rescue is successful, they return to Detroit where the girl is re-united with her mother, a high-ranking member of the Humanity Front. After a Humanity Front rally is attacked by a terrorist using technology from Sarif Industries, Jensen follows a lead to Montreal and encounters Katrina Sutherland, a British security contractor. Together they discover that the mastermind behind the attack is Quincy Durant - Adam's former SWAT-commander, now turned into a heavily augmented terrorist.

Adam and Katrina develop a romantic relationship. Sarif meets William Taggart and Zhao Yun Ru in London. The two offer him a place in their conspiracy, which Sarif refuses. Returning to Detroit with Jensen and Malik, he is attacked by Durant. Jensen fights Durant back, only to discover that he has taken Katrina hostage. Durant gives Adam two options; kill himself, or he will kill Katrina. Just as Adam is about to take his own life in a hopeless attempt to save Katrina, she attacks Durant. She saves Adam, but kills both Durant and herself in the process. Her death deeply affects Adam, who continues his original mission, heading for Hengsha.

Deus Ex: Fallen Angel

Deus Ex: Fallen Angel is a novelette written by James Swallow. Fallen Angel is a short prequel story of Faridah Malik's past before joining Sarif Industries. Working for a triad-affiliated aviation company in Hengsha, Faridah Malik is assigned to what turns out to be a smuggling operation supervised by Belltower. Returning to Hengsha after picking up cargo from an off-shore shipping freighter, Malik accidentally discovers that the containers are stasis pods used for human trafficking. Witnessing the execution of one of the victims, she finds herself on the run. Shot down and assumed dead, Malik decides to leave her old life behind - heading for Detroit, and Sarif Industries.

Film adaptation

A film adaptation based on the game is being planned by Eidos Montreal and CBS Films, who have secured the film rights to the game.[42] Scott Derrickson will be directing the film as well as co-writing the script with C. Robert Cargill, who also worked with Derrickson on Sinister. Roy Lee and Adrian Askarieh will be the film's producers, and John P. Middleton will be executive-producer.[43][44][45]

Reception

Reception
Aggregate scores
AggregatorScore
GameRankings(PC) 90%[46]
(PS3) 90%[47]
(X360) 90%[48]
Metacritic(PC) 90/100[49]
(PS3) 89/100[50]
(X360) 89/100[51]
Review scores
PublicationScore
Eurogamer9/10[52]
Game Informer8.5/10[53]
GameSpot8.5/10[54]
IGN9.0/10[55]
OXM (UK)10/10[56]
PC Gamer (UK)94%[57]

Deus Ex: Human Revolution has received universal critical acclaim. Reviewers who had access to the game in February 2011 praised the open-ended experience of the game, similar to the first Deus Ex,[58][59] the importance of conversations in the missions,[60] and also the depth of the storyline.[61] PC Gamer UK gave the game a score of 94 and the Editor's Choice, describing it as a game that "puts almost everything else in the genre to shame."[57] Official Xbox Magazine UK gave the game a 10/10.[56] Official PlayStation Magazine UK gave it an 8/10, citing frustrations in ammo quantities, load times, and boss fights. Common criticisms included the game's inclusion of boss fights, which removed the element of player-choice and flexibility in combat. IGN gave the game 9.0, praising the nonlinearity of the main story quests and the side quests, saying, "Each of them has several layers, several angles to be explored or not, several perspectives to be considered and several possible outcomes." IGN also praised the freeform nature of the game, stating that they, "never felt punished for [their] playstyle", and that there was room for both stealth and 'all guns blazing', and that every path always had advantages and disadvantages, but ultimately, all led to success. PC Gamer UK rated Deus Ex: Human Revolution "action game of the year" for 2011.[62]

Many reviews criticized the game's endings system and boss fights. Specifically, for a game that promotes stealth and non-lethality, many reviewers found the boss fights incongruous, where Jensen is essentially forced into lethal firefights. The British Daily Mirror newspaper wrote "the boss battles feel out of place",[63] PSM3 considered the game "Rich, atmospheric and open-ended, but let down by twitchy AI and out-of place boss fights".[64] GameSpot said "Poor boss fights remove the element of choice",[54] and finally Game Informer mentioned "horribly repetitious arena fights against super-powered foes that can usually drop Jensen before he even knows what hit him."[53] Square Enix had outsourced the development of the boss fights to GRIP Entertainment.[65]

Criticisms in regards to the boss fights were taken into account in the development of the DLC The Missing Link, which were developed in-house by Eidos Montreal, rather than being outsourced to GRIP Entertainment. Eidos Montreal production co-ordinator Marc-Andre Dufort stated: "You can actually not kill the boss. You can do a non-lethal takedown on him. And you can kill him from afar. You can even kill him without him seeing you. It's more of a bigger challenge than a standard boss fight like we have in many games."[66] The improved boss gained positive criticism from IGN's Keza MacDonald, who suggested that The Missing Link "rights the wrongs done to us by Human Revolution's boss battles, ending with a brilliant boss encounter that lets you put all of your skills and cunning to use. It's a tantalising glimpse at how good these fights could have been in the main story, if we hadn't been forced into face-to-face confrontations that felt totally antithetical to the rest of the game." Another review from IGN brought forward the freezing that many gamers experienced on multiple platforms that plagued gameplay often.[67]

The game has sold 2.18 million copies across all platforms as of September 30, 2011, 800,000 of which were sold in North America and 1.38 million in Europe.[68]

Director's Cut

Reception
Aggregate scores
AggregatorScore
GameRankings(X360) 93%[69]
(PC) 93%[70]
(WIIU) 89%[71]
(PS3) 80%[72]
Metacritic(PC) 91/100[73]
(WIIU) 88/100[74]

On March 20, 2013, Eidos Montreal announced that they would release a Wii U version of the game titled Deus Ex: Human Revolution Director's Cut, which they call the "ultimate edition of the game". Changes include improved boss battles, AI and graphics, as well as extra functionality with the Wii U GamePad. The first trailer for the game was released on April 3, 2013, showing the different functionalities that the Wii U GamePad will offer. The game is a co-production between Eidos Montreal and Australian developer Straight Right, who previously worked with BioWare on the Wii U version of Mass Effect 3.[75]

Originally announced for a release in May 2013, this version was delayed until October. At E3 2013 it was announced that the Director's Cut would be a multiplatform release for PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Wii U.[76] Technical certification programming for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were worked on in conjunction with Snowed In Studios.[77] The Director's Cut was released on October 22, 2013.

Square Enix announced a low priced upgrade offer on PC for players with a purchased copy of the original release and even a cheaper upgrade offer for those with a purchased copy of The Missing Link downloadable content in addition to the original release.[78]

On April 15, 2014, Feral Interactive released the Director's Cut for OS X. It includes The Missing Link, the Explosive Mission Pack and the Tactical Enhancement Pack.[8]

GameStop reaction

GameStop, a video game retailer, came under fire from critics when customers discovered that content had been removed from the original packaging of the game.[79][80][81] GameStop had instructed employees to remove coupons for free access to Human Revolution on OnLive, an online gaming service, stating that the coupon promoted a competitor of one of its subsidiaries, Spawn Labs and Impulse, which it had recently acquired in April 2011. As an apology, GameStop began giving customers a $50 gift card in-store to those who purchased copies of Deus Ex: Human Revolution for PC prior to August 26 and who brought the issue up to their staff.[79]

Sequel

The sequel to Human Revolution, titled Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, which is set two years after the events of Human Revolution, was revealed on April 8, 2015. The labyrinthine plot of the upcoming game shows that after the Panchaea Incident, augmentations were heavily opposed by the public and augmented people are being forcibly segregated by the non-augmented, which has led in a divided world. Adam Jensen collaborates with an INTERPOL-funded task force to deal with the threat of augmented terrorists who have sprung up in response to this backlash. His new-found allegiance is to eventually become tested when he meets a mysterious global hacktivist group which is holding its very own set of shadowy interests. Following his discovery of the Illuminati in the year 2027, Jensen is determined to bring down the shadowy group by almost any means possible. Deus Ex: Mankind Divided was originally set for a release date of February 23, 2016 but was delayed until August 23, 2016.[82]

References

  1. ↑ "Deus Ex: Human Revolution Review". IGN. Retrieved December 11, 2015.
  2. ↑ Selbstgestaltung des Menschen durch Biotechniken. Retrieved December 11, 2015.
  3. 1 2 Martin, Joe (November 25, 2009). "Deus Ex 3 is Eidos and Square Enix joint effort". bit-tech. Retrieved November 25, 2009.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Robinson, Andy (October 4, 2008). "Deus Ex 3: First Details". PC Zone. Retrieved October 4, 2008.
  5. ↑ "Feral Interactive: Deus Ex: Human Revolution release announcement".
  6. ↑ "Deus Ex: Human Revolution Mac release date announced". Eurogamer. April 4, 2012. Retrieved April 4, 2012.
  7. ↑ Yin-Poole, Wesley (March 20, 2013). "Deus Ex: Human Revolution Director's Cut for Wii U confirmed, and yes, they've fixed the boss battles". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Retrieved March 20, 2013.
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  9. ↑ Blake, Vikki (December 17, 2015). "More Backwards Compatible Xbox 360 Games Announced for Xbox One". IGN.
  10. ↑ Cowan, Danny (August 24, 2011). "Eidos Montreal's Deus Ex: Human Revolution". Critical Reception (Gamasutra).
  11. ↑ Reeves, Ben (April 7, 2015). "May Cover Revealed – Deus Ex: Mankind Divided". Retrieved April 7, 2015.
  12. ↑ Sillmen, David (November 24, 2008). "Deus Ex 3 – do sveta kyberpunku a renesance" [Deus Ex 3 - a world of cyberpunk and Renaissance]. Bonusweb (in Czech). iDNES. Retrieved November 24, 2008.
  13. ↑ MyImmortal (June 16, 2010). "Deus Ex: Human Revolution FAQs (updated 07/06/2010)". Eidos Forums. Eidos Interactive. Retrieved June 20, 2010. (...) Going with the classic health pack system still forces players to retreat from confrontations and break the flow of the game to look for health packs when they run out of them (...) Overall, the team wants the player to stay in the events surrounding him and experience the tension indefinitely.
  14. ↑ "Deus Ex: Human Revolution will offer highlighting options". Destructoid.
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  16. ↑ Elias Toufexis at the Internet Movie Database
  17. 1 2 3 Bramwell, Tom (June 4, 2010). "Deus Ex: Human Revolution". Eurogamer.
  18. ↑ "GDC: Creating Deus Ex 3's Unique Visual Direction". Edge Magazine. March 22, 2010.
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  25. ↑ Deus Ex: Human Revolution Delayed Matthew Kato, gameinformer.com. Last accessed February 2, 2011.
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  29. ↑ Ashcraft, Brian (August 8, 2011). "In Japan, Deux Ex Is Sexual Object Free". Kotaku.
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  32. ↑ Serrels, Mark (August 19, 2011). "Now Deus Ex: Human Revolution WON'T Be Region Locked On The PC". Kotaku.
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  34. 1 2 "Deus Ex: Human Revolution Augmented Edition". www.eidosmontreal.com. July 20, 2011. Retrieved November 24, 2008.
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  38. ↑ "SQUARE ENIX SHOP: Merchandise, Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest". Square Enix. 2012. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
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  43. ↑ Nicholson, Max. "Sinister Director to Helm Deus Ex: Human Revolution". IGN. Retrieved November 15, 2012.
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  50. ↑ "Deus Ex: Human Revolution (PlayStation 3)". Metacritic. Retrieved August 22, 2011.
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