Deus Ex: Human Revolution by Golarisa AKA Larisa Gonzalez
In Deus Ex: Human Revolution the year is 2027 and you are Adam Jensen, the security chief at your place of employment; the evil sounding Sarif Industries. Sarif specializes in Augmenting, a process where your body parts are replaced with robotic prosthetics. After an attack on Sarif, you are left for dead and saved by your employer after augmenting pretty much your whole body. Your love interest is dead and you are an abomination, so it’s time to go kick some ass. Or maybe sneak around and just take names. Whatever.
Good afternoon, I'm here representing the census.
Deus Ex: Human Revolution allows you to play however you like. You can run into the mission, guns blazing, and still be successful. Taking this route is challenging as ammo and inventory space are limited, and you are constantly having to scavenge for supplies.
Alternatively, you can approach each mission with stealth. There are multiple pathways littered among the maps you explore. A fire escape or an Adam Jensen-sized air duct could bypass dozens of guards. This was the most compelling way to play the game for me. I found myself immersed in the objective. I worked towards perfection, restarting every time I alarmed a guard. I wanted to be the perfect Agent Jensen.
Hacking is a large part of Deus Ex. Every computer has a different series of nodes that you must connect using different pathways. If you attempt to take control of a node, there is a chance that the security system will get wise. If alerted, you will have a limited time to finish the hack or risk tripping the alarm. It is a very smart and fun way of making hacking more interesting, but it can be infuriating at times. Sticking with it though is satisfying and rewarding.
Deus Ex: Human Revolution has a surprisingly interesting storyline. The corruption and intrigue does manage to keep you engaged with the help of compelling decisions. The most interesting parts of the story, however, come from the side quests. These missions take you off the beaten path of the main story and allow you to explore more of the environment. My favorite moments were finding new doors to hack open, running over rooftops and in sewers, and finding more about the city and its populace.
Ahhh, atmosphere.
A couple of things keep Human Revolution from greatness. Glitches plagued my game from the beginning. For whatever reason my radar completely disappeared a few hours into the game. And objective markers would cut in and out, which was confusing and frustrating. It wasn’t enough to keep me from playing though, and I ended up playing the majority of the game this way.
The game was compelling enough for me to deal without a HUD and a couple of useful upgrades. This speaks volumes on Deus Ex: Human Revolution’s behalf. Controls take some getting used to, as well as being in the exact right position to interact with objects. In addition, the character designs and animations are often laughable. Adam enjoys the convenience of built in sunglasses, but he also can appreciate a nice floral print now and again. But that is a cosmetic complaint that is easily overlooked.
I'm the prettiest princess. You got that?
Deus Ex is a summer lull gem. It is where it belongs, played and discussed before the army of threequals storms the market this holiday. If you feel like a challenge, I encourage you to become your own version of Jensen. My Jensen is not a murderer (at least not a big one), but he is certainly a petty thief. No credit chip is safe from my grubby, augmented hands.
