Ben-DutkaDeus Ex is one of the most respected names in the industry, although avid followers of the series may claim the original title was by far the best. All the entries have been more than solid, however, and they all held a somewhat original style; they felt like part FPS, part RPG, and they always fell into an intriguing sci-fi setting. Well, we’ve been waiting a while for the next entry and this next one, recently revealed to be Deus Ex: Human Revolution , represents a bit of a departure from earlier concepts while still remaining appealing on a mental, moral level. See, the role-playing feel in these games comes from the freedom, player choice, and intricate character upgrades and you can expect all of that to make a triumphant return. However, this time, we will focus on the interesting and controversial topic of transhumanism; i.e., how humans can use technology to “better themselves,” and how far we can go before we crash back to earth. It’s the symbolism of that teaser trailer that debuted along with the game’s announcement.
In terms of story, Human Revolution takes place a quarter-century before the events of the original Deus Ex and the city of Detroit in 2027 is a brightly lit, futuristic metropolis apparently inspired by classic sci-fi settings found in the likes of “Bladerunner” and “Ghost in the Shell.” This from art director Jonathan-Jacque Belletete, who spoke with IGN about the game’s ideas, theories, and presentation, and we have to say, the atmosphere should be quite engrossing. Detroit is just rebounding from a downward spiral and the community is springing back to life; this is where we find the main character, Adam Jensen, who works for a security company that played a large role in the city’s resurrection. The company’s owner bought some of the rundown automobile factories and worked to convert them to cybernetics facilities, which will clearly claim the spotlight. Now, we’re not about to guess at the story but it sounds like a classic case of an evil corporation looking to “expand” on the building blocks for humanity…and they’ve gone too far.
That may not be unfamiliar to Deus Ex veterans at all. The concept of transhumanism, which is to use biotechnology, nanotechnology and cybernetics to enhance the power and even intelligence of a normal human, is one that has been around for quite some time. In fact, some say it’s the true wave of the future. Extending human life and ultimately making it better in every possible way is perhaps a noble goal, but it may fly in the face of reality and – dare we say it – God. This story sort of reminds me of the classic “Frankenstein” novel by Mary Shelley… In this case, it’ll be pretty darn fun to augment ourselves to our heart’s content, to eventually turn ourselves into the perfectly honed weapon. We’ll be able to deal with all sorts of obstacles, including computer terminals that require hacking and armed guards that may see us one moment and lose track of us the next. But what if we were never given the choice? Adam wakes up one day with enhancements he “never asked for” and now, he may be seeking those responsible.
Belletete spoke at the Game Developers Conference about the artistic direction involved and emphasized that they wish to tell the story “both visually and literally.” He also said the aforementioned teaser trailer holds some vital clues to the plot and the world in question, so see if you can spot ‘em. Remember, we’re talking about viewing both sides of the issue of transhumanism – an idea that economist and bioethicist Francis Fukuyama said was “the most dangerous idea in the world” in the ‘90s – so as usual, there will be no “right” or “wrong” answer. However you view the situation is what matters; how you approach the story will certainly have a profound impact on what you see and how you see it. As for the gameplay, we know it should be a smooth, dynamic FPS with convincing RPG elements and really, the progression is up to you. They even say you can make it through the entire game without killing a single solitary soul and if you’d rather not augment your body, so be it. The idea of choice in games has become massively important this generation; just look at how our choices in Heavy Rain affect the outcome.
We still need some in-game footage and more gameplay details, but in all honesty, we expect it to play like past installments and as always, the atmosphere, story, presentation and style are crucial for this franchise. If all this sounds interesting, make sure you pay attention to future updates, which should be right around the corner.
Sounds interesting, not really my thing but we'll see.
The more I hear about this new DE, the more I want it!
BTW, there was also augmentation in the the 1st one for the PS2 "DE:The Conspiracy", and Bio-mods in the 2nd one for the Xbox, "DE:Invisible Wars", along with the actual third one in which they decided mid-way into making it, to take this 3rd game in a different direction & they even wound up changing it's name to "Project:Snowblind", which was on the original xbox too.
FYI, Project Snowblind was about turning a injured soldier into a bio-augmented futuristic Super-Soldier, but he had to stay away from EMP pulses & weaponry. If caught in an enemy's EMP pulse, he would get disorientated for a short while(hence the name "Snowblind") & everything fail would him until he could recover.
Project: Snowblind kept almost all of DE's elements intact, such as future science, Bio-augmentation, & tasking & hacking. And it's still considered by many DE purists, as being the actual 3rd DE game, if not the "spiritual" successor of the series.
The trailer interested me but yes need to see some gameplay.
"Deus Ex is one of the most respected name"
Well…….I have never heard of Deus Ex, so I assumed I'm missing out on something huge.
Seeing as how the original came out about 10 years ago, I'm sure there a lot of people who never heard of the series. Same goes with the System Shock series, with I actually prefer. But if you ever get the chance, pick it up. It's an instant classic. Just cut it some slack with the graphics. They're kinda ugly now. But the gameplay more than makes up for it.
Last edited by Geobaldi on 3/19/2010 1:21:17 AM
You are. If you like FPSs, RPGs and games with good stories and characters you'll like Deus EX because it combined all of those elements into one awesome game.
The first Deus EX was awesome and Deus EX:IW was good but not great and it paled in comparison to the original. You can get both on Steam for $10 each.
Or you absolutely have to have the console version, you can find the PS2 version on Ebay for $10-20.
And off topic, I can't wait for Dust 514 to come out later this year or early next year.
great another once PC exclusive going to consoles.
so i guess will be getting the shoddy port once again?
brilliant!
hopefully eidos wont go cheap a$$ed on me and actually put some effort into it and create it FOR the PC THEN make the required changes to get it working on consoles.
but than they are owned by $E so i wont hold my breath, $E are not exactly well known for spending money for the sake of quality.
The original game came out on PS2 and the second game came out on the original xbox…where the hell do you come up with this crap?
And if you mean this game was originally a PC exclusive that was never officially stated. They were always on the fence and quiet about it coming to consoles which probably means it was headed that way the entire time especially given the history of the first two, again both being on consoles.
Last edited by coverton341 on 3/19/2010 11:00:45 AM
where do you come up with your crap?
the first 2 released on PC than came to consoles a few months later.
A few months later? Try 2 years later for part one. Part two was released simultaneously.
I'm not really a fan of fps, but the other elements of this game has me intrigued quite a bit. I'm looking forward to hearing more about this game. Thanks to psx for keeping us up to date on it.
I almost despise FPS and i can tell you, its hardly anything like an FPS. Its hugely engrossing and mega intelligent. Not built for twitch gamers.
A recent example of similarity is Fallout 3 minus the setting and obvious other things…but, it really is its own thing.
When it came out, it was brand new, way ahead of it's time.
@coverton341,
As much as I hate to admit it, "flat line" is right(to an extent).
The original DE did come out for PC first, and that's where it recieved most of it's 64 GOTY & "Best of" awards, mostly from PC tech sites & agencies.
Then it was redone for consoles, & DE: The conspiracy was brought over to the PS2.
Then MS had to get their dirty mitts on it & bastardize the second one(although it's still decent, just not a great as the first ones).
BTW, I have all three(that's including the actual 3rd spiritual successor of DE, "Project Snowblind").
Sounds really interesting. As long as the subject matter is handled in a mature, adult fashion and not some oversimplified moralizing bunch of crap, this could be very good.
Its still a wait and see.
You can make anything sound good on paper. I remember those shitty western developers who took on Silent Hill (to become Homecoming) and they spoke like they knew what they was doing…..then it comes out and its an absolute insult to the series.
So now, ive learned my lesson.
I will wait for the gameplay vids…
Deus Ex one holds a dear place in my gaming history so, im obviously gonna be all weary.
Last edited by Lotusflow3r on 3/19/2010 7:50:11 AM
Human Revolution has the potential to destroy the Deus Ex franchise or completely blow our socks off and revitalize the series. I'm really hoping for the latter.
@Alienange,
<<<I'm really hoping for the latter.>>>>
Yeah, you and me both!!!!!!
The more I hear about it the more it sounds like they aren't going to be screwing with the original formula too much and that makes me more than a little enthused about this game. Time to play another waiting game and see how they pull it off. Can't wait.
Deus Ex even paralleled the real world….
Conspiracies are one of the main themes of Deus Ex, and the game draws heavily upon popular real world conspiracy theories for many of its plot elements.
These include speculations regarding black helicopters, vaccinations, and FEMA, as well as Area 51, the ECHELON network, Men in Black, cow mutilations, chupacabras (in the form of "greasels"), and Grays.
Mysterious groups such as Majestic 12, the Illuminati, the Knights Templar, the Bilderberg Group, and the Trilateral Commission also either play a central part in the plot, or are alluded to during the course of the game.
During sections of the game where the New York skyline is visible in the background, the two towers of the World Trade Center are noticeably missing; the real towers were destroyed a year after the game was released. Harvey Smith has explained that due to texture memory limitations, the portion of the skyline with the twin towers exists in the game's data files but had to be left out of the final game, with the other half mirrored in place of it.
According to Smith, during the game's development, the developers justified the lack of the towers by stating that terrorists had destroyed the World Trade Center earlier in the game's storyline.
DE's maker, Iron Storm, actually gave away developers kits with some copies, so this game's been heavily modded too….
The Deus Ex game engine lends itself to modification by fans of the game thanks to the release by Ion Storm of the Deus Ex software development kit. Such mods can have a variety of purposes, including making the game more or less difficult, increasing the variety of weapons available to the player, or even completely changing the graphics and storyline of the game. The Deus Ex SDK was initially released on September 22, 2000, about three months after the publication of the game. According to the initial announcement press release, the SDK consists of the actual software tools used to create the game.
In 2009 A fan made mod called "The Nameless Mod" (TNM) was released by Off Topic Productions (OTP). The game pits the protagonist as a user of an Internet forum, with digital places represented as physical locations. The mod offers roughly the same amount of gameplay as Deus Ex and adds several new features to the game, with a more open world structure than Deus Ex and new weapons such as the player character's fists. The mod was developed over 7 years and has thousands of lines of recorded dialogue and two different parallel story arcs. Upon its release, TNM earned a 9/10 overall from Australia's PCPowerPlay magazine. In ModDB's 2009 Mod of the Year awards, The Nameless Mod won the Editor's Choice award for Best Singleplayer Mod.
Also, if you can find it, the soundtrack in the GOTY version is awesome……..
The soundtrack of Deus Ex, composed by Alexander Brandon, Dan Gardopée, Michiel van den Bos, and Reeves Gabrels, was praised by critics for complementing the gritty atmosphere predominant throughout the game with melodious and ambient music incorporated from a number of genres, including techno, jazz, and classical. The music sports a basic dynamic element, similar to the iMUSE system used in early 1990s LucasArts games; during play, the music will change to a different iteration of the currently playing song based on the player's actions, such as when the player starts a conversation, engages in combat, or transitions to the next level.
A compact disc of the Deus Ex soundtrack was included in the Game of the Year edition and is not available for separate purchase. Notably, the soundtrack is not a direct audio rip from the game itself, however; it is a "remastering" of the soundtrack with added instruments and audio production. Originally only thirty tracks were included with the re-release, with tracks thirty-one through forty-one considered as extras.
The PlayStation 2 port featured live, orchestral renditions of some tracks.
Since release the soundtrack has become very popular with internet based remixers. Several fan-made mixes have enjoyed online success, with several sites dedicated to the music of the game being created, and even an entire remix album.
In 2009 A fan made mod called "The Nameless Mod" (TNM) was released by Off Topic Productions (OTP). The game pits the protagonist as a user of an Internet forum, with digital places represented as physical locations.
you are right my friend
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Last edited by PetreTerror on 8/20/2010 9:34:00 AM