Deus Ex: Human Revolution

Deus Ex: Human Revolution Preview for PC

On: PCXbox 360PS3
Review Verdict Read Review
9Out of 10
Back to game info
Deus Ex: Human Revolution screenshot
Deus Ex: Human Revolution screenshot

Detroit, Michigan and its scenic district of shipping containers has become video game shorthand for "industrial wasteland", and it's this crate-and-factory heavy town that is the home of Human Revolution's cyberpunk noir. Somewhere in between the pavement and its car manufacturing hubs is the beating heart of a slightly generic looking yet familiar metropolis, but in this Blade Runner-esque future Detroit's plainness has been accentuated with grime, dim-lights, and the faint sense of an area that's been forgotten.

So welcome to the FEMA map level of Deus Ex which ushers you toward an abandoned textile factory in the middle of town. You are ex-cop and brooding muscle-man Adam Jensen, roaming this dark cybertown in the year 2027, exactly 25 years before the original Deus Ex. In the events that lead up to the demo we're told a hacker has died. And as the game's foremost investigative problem solver you aim to retrieve a part of his augmented brain - a chip that leads you to an area in the factory for reasons unknown.

Human Revolution loyally follows the game design approach originally seen in the 2000 original. A single obstacle can be overcome using a handful of different methods depending on a user's play style. This time we watch an Adam Jensen in thorough stealth form, a gentle Jensen who sidesteps gun fights and killing blows for perfectly timed cloak-and-roll manoeuvres behind crates and moves that only leave enemies incapacitated.

Despite his future-cop qualities, his stealthing methods aren't necessarily futuristic as they are standardised after years of stealth-based levels that have hammered out the form of covert gameplay into the marble slab of FPS titles. The game might have a 21st century environment but the path it follows is well-worn, particularly in an industry where spotting enemies through walls and applying cloaking abilities is less a thing specific to science fiction than a staple of all stealth gameplay.

However even with that sense of over-familiarity the game's grip on Warren Spector's title from over a decade ago is tight - we're shown how entire sections can be played with Jensen darting between crates and shadows if you choose to pace yourself.

New stuff to check out


To add your comment, please login or register

Game Stats

System Requirements
Release Date: 26/08/2011
Developer: Eidos Montreal
Publisher: Eidos Interactive
Genre: First Person Shooter
Rating: BBFC 15
Site Rank: 414 11
View Full Site