Play how you want but don't be surprised if the game feels confused by it.

User Rating: 6 | Deus Ex: Human Revolution PS3
By endorbr | Review Date:
I may have a minority opinion when it comes to Deus Ex: Human Revolution but this game just seemed confused to me. It tries too hard to be all things to all people instead of just focusing on doing one thing really well. You can play it as a straight up stealth game, a run and gun shooter, or a combination. You can kill no one or kill everyone. But weak AI, stiff controls, inventory limitations, and other issues really put a damper on the experience. Deus Ex: Human Revolution is the third game in the series although it is more of a prequel of sorts, taking place chronologically before the two previously released titles. In the not too distant future, you play as Adam Jensen, head of security for a corporation that manufactures human replacement parts or augmentations (the central focus of the games plot). As the tutorial level ends Jensen is seriously injured and must have most of his body outfitted with augmentations in order to survive. This grants him certain abilities which the player can upgrade in RPG fashion as they see fit via a points system, points being earned or found as you progress through the game. How you choose to play will necessitate how you use those points. Playing as a stealth game you would want to expend points enhancing Jensen's ability to remain undetected. Playing as a run and gun shooter you would want to focus more on armor and attack abilities. The problems begin to arise when you choose one style of play over another. This can be particularly aggravated and become quickly frustrating due to the limiting factor of the games battery system. Each battery will recharge itself if not below a certain level (save for the last battery which always refills) but you have a set number of batteries which do not refill automatically instead requiring consumables in order to recharge. Even something as simple as a melee attack depletes a battery. As the game progresses certain situations don't lend themselves well to one particular style of gameplay or the other, forcing you to resort to what basically amounts to tedious trial and error repetition to get through an area. For example, if you've chosen stealth and you come across an open area where guards are alert to your presence and you are forced to wait several minutes while an elevator arrives standing up from cover results in almost instant death due to your low health and armor. Trying to play with no kills (which is one of the game achievements) is made even more aggravating by these limitations. It could be argued that these are part of the challenge offered by the game; but AI that ranges from painfully stupid to omniscient, clunky controls, terrible aiming mechanics and a litany of other minor nit picks really start to add up after a while. A game that calls itself a shooter but doesn't allow for accurate shooting five feet from your target has issues. Aside from the gameplay mechanics the game boasts a wide variety of environments and characters to interact with. The world is greatly detailed and immersive albeit the art style tends heavily toward the color yellow. While the world feels immersive it is hard to ignore the games many short comings which detract from the experience. Portions of the game feel forced especially since the rest of the game is all about finding your own solution to a situation. Boss fights force you to play the game as a shooter leaving no room for employing the other methods you may have expended your hard earned points upgrading and potentially even putting you at a disadvantage depending upon how you have focused your upgrades. All in all it is an ambitious game that doesn't quite live up to its potential. Final verdict would be fun at times but also unnecessarily frustrating throughout.

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